Mark B / Scooter Davenport

Yes, Hoss eliminated that from my original drawing (think he was just demonstrating the middle room switch-around). That wall was always there in Boss' office, but the 'closet' door appeared sometime late in the series. I'm sure there was an episode where the needed a closet for something in the script, so the door was added. I first noticed it when I was watching 'Opening Night at the Boar's Nest' and have seen it in some other eps. M

I'm slowly going through several episodes from various seasons (DVR'd from CMT from the last few weeks), and so far it seems that the set was reversed mid way through season 3 and stayed that way the rest of the series. M

Has anyone every figured this out? Been watching some eps on CMT and trying to nail down the interior layout. Of course I've noticed the way they changed things around occasionally. From what I've observed so far, it looks like at some point they completely swapped the two sides of the room relative to the front door. Here's a start (although not perfectly scaled): https://www.flickr.com/photos/10867551@N00/14610424077/sizes/l/

Its that area just above those 'office' windows on the inside- you can see that area in my second round of pics of the model. In the diagram in my first post, it would be in the area where the 'ladder' is just to the left of the General Lee (orang rectangle). Mark

Thanks for the van art Hoss! Spectacular as always. I love the 'almost real' look of the apex van. I used to do that kind of graphic work for TV shows, so I can sympathise with whoever was trying t keep the decals consistant on the vans. They probably had minutes to get it thrown on the vans and knew that nobody would ever notice the lettering moving around from scene to scene (until HossC 30 years later). I made a few boo-boos in my time that ended up on national TV- fortunatley most of if isn't on DVD yet! I'm going to build a 1/25 Rhuebottoms van soon! M

Indeed! A friend across the pond is one more blessing to count! Mark

Haha- if you use google maps to zoom in on that spot of the backlot, you can actually see where that curve is on the sidwalk and where a (lighter colored) repair was made exactly where the cracks are in the screen cap! Mark

The streets and sidewalks tend to stay even when facades come and go- on the Universal backlot, they kept the sidewalk footprints even after fire destroyed the facades and were rebuilt. M

Nevermind- if I'm correct, its between bldg E and F on New York Street? (page 8 map).

HossC: Are those facades on the backside of the Hazzard County Building? There probably used to be some garage door in place of that facade similar to the 'impound garage' entrance seen on the show.

That kind of thing is a very common sight on studio backlots. Looks like that facade once had a driveway running through it.

OK, I'm going to derail this thread, but... Couldn't help but notice the faux weathering on the wood- typical movie set two-color paint job to make it look like worn wood. You can see the lighter color dry-brushed over the darker color. OK, back to the knife discussion! M

The blueprints appear to be elevation drawings (side views), likely of buildings from Hazzard Square. In your second screencap, you can see what looks like that building from the square that has the tower (your building #15). That's probably the most we ever see of the office part of Cooter's! It's really neat that when they take off the 'office' sign, you can see where the licence plates used to be several years earlier in season 1! M

The models appear to be at 1/4"=1' scale (or 1/48th). This is a standard architectural scale and the most common scale for backlot buildings to be drawn in, at least in my experience. For those into model railroading, this is closest to 'O' scale. Boss's stores were probably done with art markers over a pencil drawing- the model is probably the original marker art as color copying wasn't a common thing in '83. Boy, would I love to have those blueprints!!! Mark

And then there's this: A musical number in front of Cooters!!! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jbhnRuJBHLs And one inside!!: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PujvRmxvtao M

Ha! Guess what I found?? Character name Jacey Squires from 'The Music Man'. Take a look at this pic: http://www.imdb.com/media/rm3634923264/tt0056262 Mark

That is amazing! Needless to say, I haven't come across this ep yet. This is very exciting to me- what you have there is what we call a 'white model'. It involves taking the blueprint drawings (in this case, xeroxed copies) and gluing them to a more solid medium like foam core, heavy cardstock, or matteboard and cutting out the parts to build the model. Therefore, what you are seeing is essentially a 3-d blueprint. I can say with nearly 100% assurance that you are looking at studio drawings of that backlot building. This was likely the most up to date drawing they had on this building at the time- the differences you are seeing reflect an earlier incarnation of the building; possibly even the version when it was first built; either that, or the last major alteration (probably for a larger budget feature and not a tv show). Backlot buildings get altered for different productions and many times the blueprints on file don't get updated for years- sometimes decades at a time. The wierd differences in the office are the strangest part- almost like they put the wrong drawings on that wall. Great!! Mark

As long as we are gathered here at the Mutual Admiration Society for HossC, let me throw in my 2 shillings; I congradulate HossC for recongizing that the visuals and settings of DOH consist of more than just The General Lee (Don't get me wrong, I LOVE the GL!) and that these sets deserve at least a fraction of the detailed attention that the cars get. Mark

Given that DOH was very much an 'in house' studio production, the odds are very high that those plates were culled from the Warner Bros. prop department. Given that the evidince you show points to them being fake anyway, I'd bet that's where they came from. My personal experience with prop plates is that they are most often vacuformed plastic and not always 'exactly' like real ones in design- not for any particular reason, but because the makers only bother to get things 'close enough' for film. M

HossC- you beat me to it! Saw this yesterday while the kids were watching Disney Channel; had to roll it back and pause it on the DVR (annoying the kids the process!). M

That is delightful! M

I thought those following this thread might enjoy this: (Hopping around Hazzard!) Mark

I really like where county music is at present- in the last couple years, country stations are the only thing I'll have the radio tuned to when its on. There are very few artist that they play that I don't enjoy hearing- TK is great and I like more and more songs by Brad Paisley. M

Thanks folks! Its been fun so far. I'm getting anxious to see it in paint, but I'm not there yet. Mark

A little update to the project: More in the album: http://www.flickr.com/photos/10867551@N00/sets/72157627880370884/with/6342131315/ -Mark