Classic TV: The Dukes of Hazzard (1979)

 Inspired by Gy Waldron's 1975 film, "Moonrunners", The Dukes of Hazzard, also created by Waldron, landed at CBS as a mid-season replacement in the winter of 1979.

For the entirety of the series' 7 seasons (January 1979-February 1985), the main plot centered on former Ridge Raiders Jesse Duke (Denver Pyle, ex-The Life & Times of Grizzly Adams, The Andy Griffith Show, The Doris Day Show, Tammy) and his former friend turned nemesis, Jefferson Davis "Boss" Hogg (Sorrell Booke), a crooked wolf in a white suit. Jesse gave up running moonshine to save his nephews, Luke (Tom Wopat) & Bo (John Schneider) from prison, leaving them to serve 5 years probation. Cousin Daisy (Catherine Bach) was employed at Hogg's club, the Boar's Nest, but often had to help her uncle & cousins deal with her employer's crooked schemes.

Hogg's second in command, sheriff Rosco Coltrane (James Best), was a character in "Moonrunners" as well. Corrupted by Hogg, Coltrane is stuck between doing his duty and following orders from Hogg, who married Rosco's sister, Lulu (Peggy Rea).

The success of Dukes may well have prompted NBC to spin off The Misadventures of Sheriff Lobo from B. J. & The Bear, but in doing so turned Elroy Lobo (Claude Akins) from being corrupt into more of a law abiding sheriff whose schemes never found fruition any more than Hogg's did. Unfortunately, Lobo lasted two seasons.

Dukes spawned two spin-offs. The first was Enos, set up when Deputy Enos Strate (Sonny Schroyer, "The Longest Yard") accepted a job in Los Angeles (Enos has previously been reviewed), so Hogg replaced him with his own nephew, Cletus (Rick Hurst, ex-On The Rocks), who was just as naive as Enos, but while he was inclined to go along with his uncle's schemes, his budding friendship with the Dukes negated the corruption. Enos, however, would eventually return home.

Country singer Waylon Jennings served as the Balladeer (narrator), and recorded the title song, "The Good Ol' Boys", which hit the country charts two years into the show's run. The following open comes from season 3 or 4, when Hurst replaced Schroyer in the opening credits.

During season 5, Wopat & Schneider left in a contract dispute, so Bo & Luke disappeared for a while, replaced by Coy & Vance (Christopher Mayer & Byron Cherry), who were not popular. The other spin-off? A Saturday morning cartoon, The Dukes, which was a mid-season replacement itself for CBS, and ran for 2 seasons (spring 1983-1985), with Uncle Jesse (Pyle) as narrator. Most of the cast reprised their live-action roles.

Despite the recurring "celebrity speed trap" gimmick that brought country stars like Loretta Lynn and Tammy Wynette to the show, Wopat & Schneider, each budding country singers in their own right, didn't sing on the show. 

As I've often shared here, my folks were into Dukes. What did you expect in a house that favored country music?

Rating: A-.