The Dukes of Hazzard

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For the 2005 film, see The Dukes of Hazzard (film)

Template:Infobox television

The Dukes of Hazzard is an American television series that originally aired on the CBS television network from 1979 to 1985. Among others, it was directed by Jack Starrett following his departure from Starsky and Hutch (1975). Starrett went on to direct Hill Street Blues (1981).


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Exposition

The show was loosely based on the movie Moonrunners(1975), based on the life and times of Jerry Rushing. In Moonrunners, the "Good Ol' Boys", Grady and Bobby Lee Hagg, run moonshine for Uncle Jesse Hagg. Uncle Jesse prides himself on his old-fashioned moonshining and refuses to buckle to the 'big business moonshine' tactics of boss Jake, who controls the area for the New York mafia. The last name of the protagonists in the film is similar to the last name of the main antagonist in the TV series. Many characters, including "Uncle Jesse", "Sheriff Coltrane" , and "Cooter" are also featured in the film. Image:General.jpg The TV series, The Dukes of Hazzard, followed the adventures of two good ol' boys, Bo and Luke Duke, living in an unincorporated area of the fictional Hazzard County, Georgia racing around in their souped-up 1969 Dodge Charger, The General Lee, evading corrupt Boss Hogg and his inept county sheriff Rosco P. Coltrane. Bo and Luke had been sentenced to probation for illegal transportation of moonshine.

Many episodes revolved around Boss trying to engage in an illegal scheme with criminal associates. Some of them were "get-rich schemes", though many others affected the financial security of the Duke farm (property which Boss long wanted to acquire for various reasons). Other times, Boss hired known criminals to frame Bo and Luke for crimes such as bank robbery (thus, resulting in probation revocation and allowing Boss to easily acquire the Duke farm). It was up to Bo and Luke to uncover the schemes and foil the criminals.

More than once, however, Boss was targeted by former associates who were either seeking revenge or turned against him after a scheme unraveled due to Boss' greedy nature or Rosco's bumbling. Other times, criminals who were even more crooked and ruthless than Boss came to town. Sheriff Rosco also found himself in trouble more than once. In these common situations, Bo and Luke often had to rescue their local Hazzard adversaries before ultimately defeating the bad guys.

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Characters

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Main characters

Image:Bo Duke.jpg

  • Bo Duke (John Schneider 1979 to 1982 & 1983 to 1985 Seasons) was the blond-haired Duke boy. He was the younger, wilder one of the pair. He was more of a "shoot first, ask questions later" type. An ex-stock car test driver, Bo was the one who drove The General Lee most of the time. He was known for taking the car off wild jumps (and landing without a scratch). He and his cousin Luke were under probation for transporting moonshine and were not permitted to leave the county. Along with Luke, Bo regularly fought on the side of justice against the corrupt law officials in Hazzard. Bo was known for his yell, "Yeeeee-Haaa!"

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  • Luke Duke (Tom Wopat 1979 to 1982 & 1983 to 1985 Seasons) was the dark-haired, older cousin. More mature and rational than his cousin Bo, he was typically the one who thought of the plan that would get the two out of whatever trouble they had gotten into. Luke was an ex-Marine and skilled fighter. He was the more physical of the two, often doing stunts like jumping onto moving cars. As part of their probation, Bo and Luke were not allowed to use firearms, instead using bow and arrows to fight corruption in Hazzard. Luke was best known for his famous "hood slide" across The General Lee, which was seen in the opening credits of the show.

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Supporting cast of characters

Image:Catherine Bach.jpg

  • Daisy Duke (portrayed by actress Catherine Bach) raced around Hazzard with her cousins, first in a yellow and black 1971 Plymouth Road Runner, and then—after her car was lost over the side of a cliff—she received her trademark white 1980 Jeep CJ-7 "Golden Eagle" with a Golden Eagle emblem on the hood, the "Dixie". Daisy worked as a waitress at the Boar's Nest, the local bar owned by Boss Hogg. She often used her looks and her position at the restaurant to get insider information to help the Dukes in foiling Boss's various schemes. Daisy also has the distinction of having her trademark provocatively high-cut jean short shorts named after her: "Daisy Dukes".

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  • Jesse Duke, (portrayed by actor Denver Pyle) also known as "Uncle Jesse", was the patriarch of the Duke clan, and the father-figure to all Dukes who stayed with him on the dilapidated "Duke Farm". Jesse apparently had no children of his own, and happily provided for his nephews and niece in the unexplained absence of all of their parents (The creator of the show states on the DVDs that their parents were killed in a car wreck, but it was never mentioned in the show). Jesse Duke, in his youth, had been a Ridge-Runner in direct competition with J.D. Hogg, thus beginning the "feud" between the Dukes and the Hoggs. However, it should be noted that, while both Boss Hogg and Uncle Jesse would scowl at the mention of the other's name, the two enjoyed a lifelong "friendship" of sorts, with one helping the other when in desperate need. Jesse educated his nephews against Hogg, and often provided the cousins with inspirational sage advice. Uncle Jesse drove a mid-1970s Ford F-100 pickup truck.

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  • Cooter Davenport (portrayed by actor Ben Jones) was the Hazzard County mechanic, also known as "Crazy" Cooter. He owned "Cooter's Garage" in Hazzard County Square, directly across from the Police Department and the County Bank. Cooter was also an "Honorary Duke", as he often assisted the Dukes in escaping Rosco's clutches, or helped them to foil Boss Hogg's schemes. Cooter drove a variety of trucks, usually late-1960s to early-1970s Ford or GMC models.

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  • Rosco Purvis Coltrane is the bumbling sheriff of Hazzard County and right-hand man of its corrupt county administrator, Jefferson Davis "J.D." Hogg ("Boss Hogg"). Rosco frequently initiates car chases with Bo and Luke Duke (Hogg's most frequent adversaries), but the Duke boys are often able to easily elude Rosco, who winds up crashing his patrol car in various ways (always escaping uninjured).

Rosco's loyal companion (pictured) is Flash. Template:- Image:Boss Hogg.jpg

  • J.D. (Jefferson Davis) Hogg, (better known as "Boss" Hogg), is the wealthiest man in Hazzard County, and owns most of its property and businesses — whether directly or by holding the mortgages over the land. He is a greedy, corrupt politician with visions of grandeur, a voracious appetite for fatty foods, and constantly orders his bumbling sheriff, Rosco, to "Git them Duke Boys!!" His vehicle was a white 1970 Cadillac Coupe de Ville convertible, with bull horns attached to the hood.

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  • Deputy Enos Strate was generally a friend of the Dukes, but during the early years, he too was involved in car chases with Bo and Luke (since he was Rosco's underling). Only after he returned from his stint in Los Angeles did he totally refuse to harass the Dukes without just cause.

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  • Deputy Cletus Hogg (Boss Hogg's cousin) was also generally friendly and dim-witted, but he would gladly assist Boss and Rosco in their unprovoked pursuit of the Dukes. Each of the Hazzard County Sheriff's Department officers drove various Chrysler "B-body" patrol cars (1976 or 1977 Dodge Monaco, 1977 or 1978 Plymouth Fury). Cletus often ended up landing in water, usually when pursuing the Duke boys in a car chase. He was played by actor Rick Hurst.

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  • The Balladeer (Waylon Jennings) sang and played the Dukes of Hazzard theme song, "Good Ol' Boys", and also served as the show's narrator. During each episode, he provided an omniscient viewpoint of the situations presented, and regularly interjected comical asides during crucial plot points (often, during a freeze frame of a cliffhanger scene right before a commerical break) and "down home" aphorisms.

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  • The General Lee was a souped-up 1969 Dodge Charger. It was orange with a Confederate battle flag painted on the roof, and the words "GENERAL LEE" over each door. The name refers to the American Civil War Confederate General Robert E. Lee The windows were always open, as the doors were welded shut; and the car has the number "01" on both sides. (Through the history of the show, an estimated 229 General Lees were used. Twenty still exist in various states of repair. The upper left corner of the "1" in the "01" varied, making for a continuity error.)

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Recurring characters

  • Lulu Coltrane Hogg (Peggy Rea) — Boss Hogg's wife, and Rosco's "fat sister". Lulu constantly challenged her husband for authority and rallied for the equality of women in Hazzard.
  • Longstreet B. Davenport — L.B. was Cooter's cousin. He also filled for Cooter when he was away from the garage. L.B. first appeared in "Duke of Duke" and appeared in several other episodes.
  • Miz (Emma) Tisdale (Nedra Volz) — The postmistress of the Hazzard Post Office. Miz Tisdale ("Emmer" to Jesse Duke) was an elderly woman who drove a motorcycle and had a huge crush on Uncle Jesse. She was also a reporter for the Hazzard Gazzette.
  • Sheriff Edward Thomas "Big Ed" Little (Don Pedro Colley) — The chief law enforcement officer for neighboring Chickasaw County who had a tendency to knock fenders off of cars when he wrecked. The ill-tempered sheriff hated Bo and Luke immensely, and they were well aware that they were not allowed to enter his county. Sheriff Little was also constantly frustrated by the bumbling performance of Boss and Rosco, although he thought highly of Enos.
  • Hughie Hogg (Jeff Altman) — Boss Hogg's evil nephew. He drove a white VW Beetle with bull horns on the hood, similar to Boss Hogg's Caddy.
  • Emery Potter — An employee of the Hazzard County Bank who was a friend of the Dukes.
  • Doc Appleby (Parley Baer) — Hazzard County's most prolific physician.
  • Alex — Alex was Boss' loyal driver. He took Boss's sass and that's probably what made him last the longest of all his drivers.
  • Mabel Tillingham — Mabel is Boss' cousin who runs the Hazzard Phone Company.
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Memorable characters that appeared once in the series

  • B.B. Davenport — Cooter's cousin who filled in for him at the garage when Cooter was out of town. B.B. appeared in Granny Annie.
  • Hazel
  • "Little Cousin" — An alien from outer space, portrayed by actor Felix Silla.
  • Mary Kaye
  • Ace Parker — Ace was Hazzard's number-two car salesman. Ace was a partner with Boss in their crooked car lot.
  • Dewey Hogg — Dewey Hogg was introduced in "How to Succeed in Hazzard". He is Hughie's older brother and is a proud supporter of crooked Hogg family values. Like Hughie, Dewey grew up with the Dukes and tormented them at every opportunity. As children, Dewey tried to push Daisy off the roof of the house in a soapbox airplane. He also cheated her out of first place in the All-School Spelling Bee, which Daisy is still upset about. Dewey, like Boss and Hughie, started his scams young. In the third grade, Dewey faked the Bubonic Plague and got the school closed for a week. In the ninth grade, Dewey sold all the school chairs and desks to get two moonshine stills. As Waylon said, "Dewey makes his Uncle Boss look respectable".
  • Sheriff Grady Byrd — Grady Byrd was Boss's cousin and night watchman at the gravel pits for 20 years before he finally gave him the chance to fill in for Rosco. Grady first appeared in "Officer Daisy Duke". While Grady did his best to live up to Boss Hogg's low expecations, it quickly became clear that Grady wasn't going to be a success at his new job. Grady left the job an episode later
  • Buster Moon — Sheriff Buster Moon replaced Grady Bryd and made his only appearance in "Return of the Ridge Runners". To this day, no one really knows what prompted Boss to give Buster Rosco's job.
  • Abraham Lincoln Hogg — Boss Hogg's identical twin (and good) brother, played by Sorrell Booke in a dual-role. He wore a black suit and drove a black Cadillac convertible in direct contrast of his brother, J.D., who always wore white and drove a white Cadillac convertible.
  • Hortense Coltrane — Lulu and Rosco's older sister, Hortense is a no-nonsense woman who doesn't think very highly of Boss. She appeared in "The Return of Hughie Hogg".
  • Jamie Lee Hogg (portrayed by Jonathan Frakes) — Jamie Lee Hogg is Boss's nephew who visits Hazzard in "Mrs. Daisy Hogg". Jamie is fabulously wealthy, like all the Hoggs, and at first appearance seems to have made all his money legally. However, Jamie Lee's true Hogg nature comes through when its revealed he's the head of a major counterfeiting operation. When his partners turn on him and threaten Daisy, Jamie Lee does step up to defend her, but that doesn't keep him from being arrested for his illegal activities.
  • Mindy Lou
  • Clarence — The bank janitor at Boss Hogg's bank.
  • Aunt Clara Coltrane
  • Jason Steele
  • Billy Joe Fong — A friend of the Dukes, Billy Joe was a member of Hazzard's oldest—and only—Chinese family, the Fongs.
  • Dr. Huer
  • Bobbi Lee Jordan
  • Terry Lee
  • Big Daddy Hogg — The head of the Hogg clan comes to town in "Big Daddy". Boss's "Big Daddy" visits his son to see what kind of man he's become. While at first it seems Big Daddy is as straight as Abraham Lincoln Hogg, it is discovered he's more crooked than Boss ever was. Big Daddy is one of the biggest scam artists the South has ever seen, next to his son.
  • Lester Crabb — Sheriff Lester Crabb the "Traveling Sheriff", came to Hazzard in "Treasure of Hazzard" to replace Rosco. Lester was a very different type of Sheriff. According to the Balladeer, "When Lester walks by, babies cry, flowers wilt, and beer just naturally goes flat." Lester's motto was "Orders is orders," which would seem to make him good for Boss. However, Lester suddenly left Hazzard for parts unknown.
  • Nancy Lou — In "Cooter's Girl" Cooter is reintroduced to his 18-year daughter, Nancy Lou. Years ago, Cooter and local girl Beverly Hibbs ran away and got married. Back then, Cooter was still somewhat of a wild man. Beverly's daddy had the marriage annulled, but not before Beverly got pregnant. Because of his wild side, both she and Cooter agreed it would be better if she raised Nancy alone. Beverly later remarried. When she turned 18, Nancy was told about her daddy and came to Hazzard to learn about him. After a typical Hazzard rough start, Nancy and Cooter finally got to spend time with each other and begin becoming a part of each other's lives.
  • Jonas — One of Cooter's friends.
  • Rufus Z. Coltrane — Rosco's Great Great Grandfather (portrayed by James Best).
  • Thaddeus B. Hogg — Boss Hogg's Great Great Grandfather (portrayed Sorrell Booke).
  • Dieter Davenport — Cooter's Great Great Grandfather (portrayed by Ben Jones).
  • Jeremiah Duke — Uncle Jesse's Great Great Grandfather (portrayed by Denver Pyle).
  • Jenny Duke — Uncle Jesse's Great Great Grandmother.
  • Waylon Jennings (as himself) came to Hazzard with a mobile Country Music museum, which Boss Hogg promptly stole (a crime he framed the Duke boys with). While Waylon is revealed as being an old friend of the Duke family and refuses to believe they had anything to do with the theft, his associate falls for Boss's tricks and is convinced that they stole the museum. The primary evidence is a hat that Waylon gave to the Duke boys (although he had also given out similar hats to other people), which was left at the scene of the crime. Naturally, everything is eventually cleared up and the Dukes help find and return the museum. During this episode, it is revealed that the Balladeer is, indeed, Waylon Jennings (who is recounting the tales of the Dukes, rather than just narrating the stories). One of the memorable "Waylonisms" of this episode is "Now, I should've known better than that...".
  • Jude Emery Jude Emery is a Texas Ranger who came to Hazzard, in pursuit of bandit Russel "Snake" Harmon. Jude was an unconventional lawman. He drove a Korean War surplus Jeep and carried a saddle as backup. He carried his clothes in the back of his guitar and his gun didn't work. Jude and Daisy took a likin' to each other, but like all classic cowboys, Jude rode off into the sunset
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Bo and Luke leave the show

Image:TVGuidedukesofhazzard.jpg The Dukes of Hazzard was consistently among the top-rated television series (at one point, ranking second only to Dallas, which immediately followed the show on CBS' Friday night schedule). Then, in the spring of 1982, series stars John Schneider and Tom Wopat walked off the set in a contract dispute over their salaries and merchandising royalties.

Two "replacement Dukes" were subsequently hired (Byron Cherry as Coy, Christopher Mayer as Vance), and the ratings immediately sank. The "faux Dukes" (one of the more polite ways viewers described the "long-lost nephews" of Uncle Jesse) were never popular with viewers, and were immediately written out the show when Schneider and Wopat reached a settlement and returned to the series in early 1983. Some fans consider this period as "The Scabs of Hazzard".

While the return of Bo and Luke was welcomed by hardcore fans, the show never regained its former popularity, and by 1985, The Dukes of Hazzard quietly ended its run.

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Tourist attraction

Although Hazzard County, Georgia was a fictional location (the early episodes of the show were filmed in Covington, Georgia), the real-life town of Hazard, Kentucky was a beneficiary of the show's popularity. Members of the cast were frequent visitors to the town's annual Black Gold Festival. There are still gatherings of Dukes of Hazzard fans, the largest of which is the Dukesfest organized by Ben Jones (Cooter Davenport) and his wife. More than 25,000 fans attended the 2 day event in 2005.

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The "Cousin Countin' Game"

Many people have tried to decipher the Duke's family tree in an attempt to understand how it is that so many people could be cousins, all with the last name "Duke." The last unofficial word is that Jesse Duke would have had to have come from a family of seven boys, including himself, as he would have had to have six brothers to have produced offspring named "Duke."

  • Brother 1 - Luke and Jud Kane's father [Jud Kane appeared the episode "Brotherly Love" (Episode 4, Season 6. Original airdate: 14 October 1983). He is the long lost younger brother of Luke Duke, thought killed in a hospital fire as an infant]
  • Brother 2 - Bo's father
  • Brother 3 - Daisy's father
  • Brother 4 - Coy's father
  • Brother 5 - Vance's father
  • Brother 6 - Jeb Stuart's father [Jeb Stuart Duke appeared in the episode "Along Came a Duke" (Episode 17, Season 3. Original airdate: 13 February 1981). He rides into Hazzard on a motocross bike]
  • Brother 7 - Jesse Duke

Considering Jesse's advanced age, it is possible he may have been a great-uncle to Bo, Luke and Daisy, and thus the brother of their grandfather. As the term "cousin" has a wide range of familial applications, it isn't strictly necessary for all the various cousins depicted on the show to be first cousins.

NOTE: "Gaylord Duke" appeared in the episode "The Duke of Duke" (Episode 13, Season 2. Original airdate: 21 December 1979) claiming to be a cousin by marriage, but turned out to be a con man impersonating their real 3rd cousin from London, England where he is a priest at a halfway-house.

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Theme song

The theme song "The Good Ol' Boys" was written and performed by the late Waylon Jennings. He was also "The Balladeer" (as credited), and served as narrator of the show.

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Episode list

A complete listing of "The Dukes of Hazzard" episodes, along with synopsis, can be found at List of The Dukes of Hazzard episodes.

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After the show

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Movies

There were two made-for-TV reunion movies, The Dukes of Hazzard: Reunion! (1997) and The Dukes of Hazzard: Hazzard In Hollywood (2000)

A feature film remake of the series, The Dukes of Hazzard premiered on August 5, 2005. It was not well recieved.

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Spin offs

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Reruns

Until TNN was purchased by Viacom, it aired reruns of The Dukes of Hazzard. Some months after the creation of "The New TNN" (shortly before its change to "Spike TV"), the program was absent from all television for quite some time. Viacom's country music-themed cable network CMT (the former daughter network to TNN) currently airs the show several times each weekday. CMT Canada and Showcase Action airs The Dukes in Canada. CMT America began airing the series in late February 2005. In the United Kingdom, satellite channel Bravo began reruns in August 2005.

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DVD releases

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Dukes of Hazzard references

  • Smallville (TV series): In episode 5-06, "Exposed," Jake Jennings (Tom Wopat), Jonathan Kent (John Schneider)'s oldest friend, rolls onto the Kent farm in a blue Dodge Charger with a General Lee roll bar and the signature General Lee 10-spoke vector wheels. During the episode Jake tells a story of how Jonathan once outran the cops in Chickasaw County, which neighbors fictional Hazzard County in the Dukes of Hazzard. Later in the episode, Lex Luthor refers to Jake Jennings as a "good ol' boy" in a conversation with Jonathan Kent. In a final tip of the hat to The Dukes of Hazzard, Jonathan Kent takes the wheel of the Dodge Charger, Jake Jennings climbs into the passenger window (because the door is stuck), and the pair tear off the farm where thereafter a few shots of short car jumps over the camera, à la Dukes of Hazzard, ensue.
  • Family Guy: In the episode, To Live and Die in Dixie, a thug is after Chris, and Peter's family has to move south from Rhode Island. They relocate to one of the southern states and live in a run down house. "The Duke Boys would be proud" as Peter and Brian convert their station wagon into The General Lee, and always drive the car off a ramp whenever they see one to recreate the Dukes of Hazzard. A particularly memmorable scene depicts Brian Griffin running to jump through the window. However, Brian knocks himself out cold as Peter has left the window closed. Also, in the episode, Chitty Chitty Death Bang, Peter and Chris go to Cheesy Charlie's, and Peter has a watch with him while he tries to insert his hand into a prize grabber machine in order to cheat, and takes his arm out quickly when Chris appears. A kid plays the machine and pulls out Peter's watch, and says, "What's the Dukes of Hazzard?" Peter tries to steal the watch back from the kid while the screen freezes while Waylon Jennings says a line in a Dukes of Hazzard-esque style.
  • In the song "What was I thinking", Dierks Bentley sings the line "Hood Sliding like Bo Duke" in reference Schnieder's running slide across the hood of the General Lee in order to get to the drivers side when in a hurry.
  • In the song "19 Somethin'" Mark Wills refers to his first love being Daisy Duke in those cutoff jeans in reference to the famous shorts. In the music video, the artist arrives driving a charger painted to look like the General Lee and equipped with a Dixie horn.
  • PvP: In this comic strip/book, the characters working at the titular game magazine have acquired a General Lee thanks to a wish granted by a genie and are occasionally seen driving it (typically flying through the air and "hee-haw!"-ing) when in a particular hurry.
  • In the video for the Barenaked Ladies "One Week", they are featured doing the Dukes' "hood slide" across a replica "General Lee" Dodge Charger, sliding in through the windows of the closed doors, and spinning out as they race off.
  • In the movie Mars Attacks!, one of the shows the martians pick up on their monitors is the Dukes of Hazzard.
  • In one episode of the cartoon Johnny Bravo, the title character believes that time has stopped. One of the reasons for this is that he turns on the TV in the image is that of the Genaral Lee hanging in the air, prior to the resuming of the show.
  • The 2006 TV Land Awards - During the show's opening montage of classic television theme songs, Tom Wopat and John Schneider sing a portion of "Good Ol' Boys" while scenes and opening credits of "The Dukes of Hazzard" roll on a jumbotron behind them. Later in the program, Wopat and Schneider presented the TV Land Pop Culture Award to the cast of "Dallas", the show "The Dukes of Hazzard" preceded for its entire 7-season run on CBS.
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Trivia

  • The Dukes license plate was CNH320.
  • Hazzard County used to be named Sleepy City.
  • In the course of filming 309 General Lee's were destroyed.
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External links

fr:Shérif, fais-moi peur ! nl:The Dukes of Hazzard

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