Synopsis:
Laura Bardsley, a professor at the State University, comes to Hazzard looking for a buried regimental payroll dating back to the eve of the Battle of Hazzard in 1862. Dr. James Fenwick and Stacy Williams have also seen the letter about the payroll, and try to stop Laura by sawing through the supports on a bridge.
Unfortunately, Bo and Luke get to the bridge first.
Laura goes to ask for help from Boss Hogg, who’s furious when his new sheriff, Lester Crabb, suggests asking the Dukes. Out at the farm, Jesse digs out the old Duke family Bible to see if they can identify the old marker locations. The bible has “all the birthings and dyings in it since Caleb Duke came west in the middle 1700s.” Finding one of the markers requires a trip into some swampland, and a meeting with the eccentric Jeb McCobb and his scantily-clad twin granddaughters.
On the way to see Jeb, Laura falls in the water (where “the last census showed that alligators outnumbered people about 1,000-to-1”), and Bo has to wrestle an alligator to save her.
A visit to Colonial City for the last marker point sees the Dukes and Laura face to face with Fenwick and Williams.
Knowing that Boss is after the treasure, the Dukes make a fake map with the Boar’s Nest named as the location. As soon as they get the map, Boss and Lester immediately attack the floor with axes.
Meanwhile, Laura and the Dukes find the Yankee strongbox, but have it stolen by Fenwick and Williams. They give chase in the General, and then in a boat into the swamp, even stopping to rescue the twins, who’ve been knocked onto the water by the fleeing felons. Everyone meets up back on land, and Fenwick and Williams try to steal Dixie, but Bo and Luke reach for their dynamite arrows and bring their flight to a halt.
After realizing they’ve been duped, Boss and Lester arrive just as the fighting’s over. Boss agrees to a deal where he gets the money and Laura gets everything else in the box. He ends up with a bundle of worthless Confederate money while Laura gets the real treasure in the box: the original orders to bury the Confederate payroll bearing the signature of President Abraham Lincoln.
Commentary:
As Cooter returns, Rosco leaves. In this episode Rosco’s absence is explained by him supposedly receiving more training. In reality, James Best became the second person to have a dispute with the program’s makers, this time over working conditions. He argued that he should have motorhome dressing room since he ended up in the water so often. His request was turned down, and he was absent from several episodes.
For some reason there’s no “On The Dukes of Hazzard” pre-title highlight sequence on this episode. Subsequently, it’s about 30 seconds shorter than other episodes.
Highlights:
When Jesse mentions Jeb’s granddaughters, Bo can’t believe there are girls in Hazzard who he doesn’t know about. Jesse explains that Jeb is trying to keep them away from the temptations of people like Bo. Bo questions this, and is surprised by the response: “I know you’re just like your Uncle Jesse … used to be.” When Bo meets the McCobb twins he gets close to finding out what it’s like to be the hunted instead of the hunter, not that he seems to mind.
Trivia:
This isn’t the first time that Clifton James has played a sheriff: he appeared as Sheriff J.W. Pepper in two James Bond movies, Live and Let Die (1973) and The Man with the Golden Gun (1974).
Doris Dowling (Stacy Williams) returns in season 7 when she plays Jeremiah Duke’s wife Jenny in Go West, Young Dukes.
Jeannie Wilson (Laura Bardsley) was seen previously as blonde Mary Kaye Porter in the first season episode Mary Kaye’s Baby.
–synopsis and vidcaps by Hoss (with info from The Dukes of Hazzard Unofficial Companion).
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