P.J. Gathergood

This certainly is one of the real clunker episodes, it was produced only a couple from the end of the show's run and really symbolises the show's dying breaths. I rememeber watching it as a child, when it turned up one Sunday afternoon on BBC 1 (oddly, with the Beeb's shuffling episode episode order, it wasn't one of the very final episodes shown by them) and thinking to myself, even as a boy, that the show was pretty much over when they did this kinda episode. Actually, I have to say that there are other episodes that I enjoy watching even less (a number of the sixth and seventh episodes were pretty dire), very occasionally I can stand this one from a more kitsch "what the HELL" kinda angle. But the whole idea of an alien was too far outside of the show's context or 'rules' even when bearing in mind one or two of the other far fetched episodes they attempted. But compare this episode to one from the first couple of seasons... it's almost like a different series entirely!

Yep, it's 35 years ago today I have that Radio Times, have posted a scan of the page online several times over the years (one of my sad old collecting hobbies is / was collecting old Radio and TV Times, from an era when more detailed cast listings was more detailed). The RT spelled Gy Waldron wrong for quite a while in their listings; similiarly, they spelled Sonny Shroyer "Sonny Schroyer" for a long time. The series soon moved to an earlier time-slot to accommodate the huge child fanbase. As I've said in my "introducing myself" post, pretty much my first memory is sitting by my Dad watching 'Dukes' (I was born '78, so pretty much grew up with the Dukes run). Sadly, other than more obscure satellite channels the series never really got a repeat run after the original broadcasts had concluded, unlike shows like 'The A-Team' and 'Knight Rider' on ITV which were reran (albeit in a hotch-potch order and often very edited state) several times over, so it's testimony to the show that it is still so fondly remembered and loved by so many in the U.K. (A couple of years ago, when sorting through a load of my old childhood things, I found an old school "news and storys" workbook from the mid-1980s. By the later episodes of Dukes, when viewing ratings were lower, they were sometimes shown as fillers on Sunday afternoons. One week "The Boar's Nest Bears" (s6) was apparently shown, and the following day I wrote about watching it in my workbook, complete with a crayon drawing of the cast, including the General Lee jumping over Sheriff Little's head! If I find it again, I'll try and scan it so we can all have mirth at my poor drawing skills circa 1985)

The car that Coy and Vance arrive at the farm in, in "The New Dukes", is a Plymouth Roadrunner, although it is all blue and doesn't have the white stripe around it that MaryAnne recalls. The car was quite likely a respray of one of Daisy's old Plymouth Roadrunners, and the cars were repainted and appeared in various episodes for a few seasons after it's demise as Daisy's Roadrunner in s2's "The Runaway". On the subject of Coy and Vance's car, am interesting thought that only became apparent to me six months or so ago... Coy and Vance arrive in it in "The New Dukes". Literally a couple of minutes after their arrival, and without them even going inside the farm(!), Uncle Jesse sends them off in it on a chore, taking Daisy with them. On the way back, the Mean Green Machine toasts the car, and the trio only just escape in time. My nitpick... the "new" Dukes didn't even go inside the farm or take any luggage from the car, so presumably anything they brought with them (one would expect a couple of suitcases at least) was still inside the car when it was incinerated!! (For all of the above, read "the Coy and Vance scripts were simply adapted from ones written for Bo and Luke, so Coy and Vance's arrival was tacked into the plot).

This is very interesting. In my many years as a Dukes fan (and of the Georgia episodes in particular), I have half-noticed this through the years but never fully questioned it. However, in "High Octane", part of me has always felt / wondered that the scene(s) in the Boar's Nest look like the Hollywood version of the location. Maybe it was just down to lighting - certainly it was different from the dark, rowdy Boar's Nest seen in the first episode.

I think it's a common misconception amongst casual fans that the 00 returned in the Reunion movie from an original episode. It was created for the Reunion movie ... though if it had have been in one of the original episodes, it would have been really cool. Then again, it was "the only car that ever beat the General Lee", so I suppose in the context of an episode, it would be a bit hard to have the usual happy ending on that one really wouldn't it.

I can't say I've heard this particular one. There's one or two episodes from the last couple of seasons I'm not as familiar with, but I can't say in all my years of Dukes watching (and rewatching... and rewatching...) that I have ever spotted this one.

Season 5 is certainly where everything changed, where a lot of fans were driven away and when, even after the return of Bo and Luke at the end of the season, the show was somehow never quite the same again. But I gotta say, after all these years, we know that Bo and Luke eventually return. There is no angry "If they don't get the original actors back I refuse to watch any more". We know that Coy and Vance aren't exactly the greatest (carbon copies of the originals, the only single difference being that they flipped their shirt colours over for the characters!). But... it's still Dukes. Still some decent General jumps, other characters that are welcome to see (and let's not forget the return of Enos), and whilst I do agree with other comments that by this stage, Boss and Rosco were often becoming too cartoony and slapstick, it still gives us some classic Boss and Rosco moments. In fact, in one sense, it might even be argued that Boss and Rosco save much of s5 and make it still watchable! Also, whilst as with every single season of 'Dukes' the plots are a mixed bunch in terms of quality, I've long thought that plot-wise (and bear in mind that the original Coy and Vance scripts were written for Bo and Luke, and the names merely changed), that many of the plots were actually stronger, in concept at least, than many fourth season ones (where the generic, formulaic nature setting in was criticized by both some cast, and fans). It's not the best season of Dukes, but I still find it managable. And actually possibly more watchable than the "dying breaths" of the show which is season 7.

One of the fun (or sometimes, one of the semi annoying) things about the series, is how many of Boss's powers and positions would change from episode to episode. For example, sometimes he would be able to pull off huge plots with no trouble as it was 'in his power' to do so, but on other occasions he really had to scheme and hussle to get them through. It was very much down to who was writing the episode that week. Also, the series does have a habit of effectively pressing the reset button after most episodes, as in the events in one episode very seldom have a (direct) affect on any other episode. In one way this was always fun, but on the other hand, especially during the last couple of seasons, began to limit the show and prevent it from developing any further, which didn't help it's increasingly formulaic nature and might be argued was ultimately part of it's demise. I believe I've heard Ben Jones and a couple of other cast members air similar thoughts to this.

It's a goof of sorts. It was actually a recycled stock shot from the first episode. Occasionally episodes would lift a shot or two from other episodes if one was needed during the post-production editing stage, a common practice for such TV shows. Course, when it comes to the car jumps, they lift footage from all over the places and often package it into one sequence, 'specially in later episodes!!

Whilst I haven't cried at the scene, as it takes a lot to make my ol' eyes start a watering*, it is definitely one of the most emotional sequences in the entire show's run. * - Much to my annoyance sometimes! James Best has named it as one of his favourite moments, and similiarly, the sequence with himself with Enos waiting to snare the Dukes in one of the very first episodes, "Repo Men", discussing how he turned corrupt after being cheated out of his pension, is equally as moving (and a classic case of the funniest of clowns being able to give the most serious of performances). 'Course, as the show and it's characters evolved, this theme of Rosco's cheated pension and his 'corruptness', was soon forgotten by the end of the first season (and ironically, despite Jimmy sometimes calling it his "favourite scene from the show", is/was usually edited out of syndicated re-runs in the US for timing reasons). Whilst we're on the subject of "The Ghost of General Lee", am I the only one who actually felt disappointed by the final act of the episode? Sure, the "ghost" of the General is a fun idea and the overall 'gimmick' of the episode, but against what is otherwise one of the most dramatic and emotional stories of the entire 145 episode run, to suddenly flip into a cartoony outcome always felt to let the episode down slightly to me. It would have been great in another episode, but for such a classic episode, I always felt that a more emotional and pleasing outcome was deserved. Maybe I'm alone on that one.

Odd - I finally sign up to the forums after browsing them for several years, and two of the first posts I comment on are "night scenes in the series". Nevermind the General's best jumps, Daisy's most attractive costume or anything like that, discussion of night scenes seems to be where it's at!! There are quite a few scenes in episodes that I've picked up on over the years where shots where quite clearly done late in the day. Occasionally this even leads to continuity problems, as the shadows are longer (though not too often, as clever lighting usually got around this being too obvious). In particularly to look out for are close up shots, in street scenes, where the sequence has been filmed during the day, but some close up "pick up" or reaction shots were needed, and it's apparent (after watching the episode for the 27th time!!) that they were filmed much later, with the lighting tweaked to try and match the daytime.

I'm pleased to say I could recall instantly the scene with multiple Roscos (actually, Enos) that Calderone mentions, and that it was from "Enos's Last Chance". I can remember the specific day I watched this on BBC 1 here in the U.K. back in the 1980s, down to what I had been doing beforehand, and coming in out of the sunny day to watch it (Okay, I didn't say it was a remotely useful memory). Also the series was getting decidedly more tired and hit-and-miss by the sixth season, 'Last Chance is one of the far, far better episodes, and the "I'm Spartacus" climax that Calderone recalls, also stuck firmly in my head for many years, until I began making / trading recordings of the show on VHS in the late 1990s and saw the episode again. Also, seeing as "Duke Vs. Duke" is being covered - one of my top ten all-time favourite episodes of the series (outside of the Georgia episodes, it probably makes my top five).

I know exactly the piece of music you mean, BDG! It's a very catchy one, that I still often find myself whistling to this day! It was also used near the start of "Jude Emery" where Bo and Luke are doing a 'speed tyre change' before Sheriff Grady Girl (temporary Rosco replacement) catches up, and became more frequently used during the third season - often as the action resumed after a commercial break. The best example I always think of is during "The Great Santa Claus Chase", where Cletus swerves, and knocks a workman putting up Christmas decorations over the street off of his ladder. One of my other favourites (and boy it's hard describing these bits of music in text isn't it ) is a piece that was used a couple of times during the fifth season for Boss Hogg, played on a fiddle. It was used most prominently during "The Hazzardgate Tape" (an episode that I have a personal fondness for, maybe I'll tell that story sometime!) I've long wanted to see a CD / MP3 release of some of the instrumental scores used in the show, either the catchy scores played by Waylon and his band in the early first season episodes, or a selection of those frequently heard and re-worked during later seasons.

Nope, the Dukes never went to 'Vegas, Hobie I can only deduct maybe you're possibly thinking of either s7's "The Dukes In Hollywood" or the second reunion movie, "Hazzard In Hollywood" and getting hazy, which I don't think you are, or maybe some promotion involving General and / or cast member(s) at some point. HossC, I think you're quickly becoming one of my favourite people - finally someone else who knows those old '80s classics as well as I do (translation: I wasted my life!) 'Course, when half those shows "went" to Vegas, it was quite often the standard filming areas, with a few blocks of Las Vegas stock footage spliced in here and there to give it authenticity.

For some reason, I had always understood that "Shérif Fais Moi Peur" translated as "(The) Sheriff Hates Me", I didn't realise it meant that it translated as "...Scares Me". Actually, I think the former would work better, as we all know the Dukes ain't scared of ol' Rosco! It's also a fun fact to find that Google auto-translates "Shérif Fais Moi Peur" into "Dukes of Hazzard", I hadn't realised that. (Sad geeky fact: Back in the heyday of my vintage TV collecting, I made a collection of overseas TV show titles adaptations. One of my favourites was 'Kojak' in, I think, Spanish, where it was given the title, translated, as "Lion with No Mane". Okay, getting off thread now!)

Heck, nevermind who patrols Hazzard at night - it' amazing that Rosco and co. manage to bumble their way through it just in the day!! Of all my many years of Dukes watching (and re-watching... and studying... and nit-picking), the night scene in "Jude Emery" is the only time in the entire run that I can recall seeing the neon Police sign lit up. It may well have been there in other scenes (as in, scenes filmed during daylight), but as others have said, night time scenes were fairly uncommon in the show, other than occasional ones at the Duke farm (I love those scenes where something is troubling one of the characters, they'd get up for some milk from the refrigerator, the other would get up, kinda thing) or the Boar's Nest. On few occasions when there was outdoor action at night, it was quite often done during daylight or dusk, with the film tinted to make it look darker. The only time I can recall we ever saw the General driving at night (and therefore, the only time we saw the headlights on) was at the start of the first season finale, "Double Sting". Occasionally Rosco would creep around outside the Duke farm at night to plant evidence (where he'd meet an owl or something!); Bo and Luke broke into an office in the sixth season episode "The Ransom of Hazzard County" at night; there were some night scenes, obviously, in the late "Strange Visitor to Hazzard"... okay, I'm just playing trivia with myself now "Let's name all of the night time scenes ever seen in the series(!)"

The most famous example of an attached camera being in shot, as already mentioned in the thread, is in "Double Sting" (recycled several times in other episodes, and used on the opening credits from the second season) when the General jumps the Styx river. What I always found distracting re. cameras and filming, would be in shots of Bo and Luke driving along in the General (or indeed Rosco in his patrol car, etc.) where they would have back projection of the road moving behind them, but on the side of the car nearest the camera, big bright lighting rights could be seen to be shining static lighting reflections on the car's body, making it clear they were in a studio. The early episodes all had "live" filmed car shots, but from the second season onwards, increasingly more was sadly done with back projection, mostly as a time and money saver. Also regarding cameras in shot, on a similar subject, in the fifth season episode "The Hazzardgate Tape", when Boss Sharkey and his men are meeting in the abandoned barn as they plan to bump off Boss, in an overhead shot looking down at them, a sound boom can briefly be seen to drop into the top of the shot!

It's pretty much been covered already in the thread, but James Best boycotted the show for a few episodes over unsuitable and occasionally dangerous dressing room conditions. He didn't mind getting covered in mud, etc. for scenes where Rosco would crash his car into a lake, etc., but was reportedly unhappy with the changing room conditions afterwards - according to him, he would sometimes just be "hosed down" in the middle of a field, and when there were changing facilities on site, they were dangerous (exposed nails, etc.) In the series, it was mentioned that Rosco had gone to a refresher course in Atlanta, although it is played quite vaguely and in several episodes Enos asks Boss Hogg, upon arrival of replacement Sheriff, if it means Rosco is out for good. The initial replacement of Hughie in "Arrest Jesse Duke" was odd, in that it wasn't the usual conniving Hughie, but instead pretty much Jeff Altman reading most of James Best's dialogue, as he was brought in at the last minute to fill Best's absence. (Also, confusingly, this is the first time viewers saw the character, as Hughie's 'introduction' episode, "Uncle Boss", despite being intended as the second episode of the second season, was held back and not shown until the third season.) Sheriff Lester Crabb in "Treasure of Hazzard" didn't work IMO as Clifton James is too physically similar to Sorrel Booke, and gruff tubby Sherrif vs. bossy tubby county commissioner just didn't work. (Which is a shame because given the right role, James is really good). Dick Sergeant was the only replacement to last two episodes (in "Officer Daisy Duke" and "Jude Emery") and the series seemed to be settling on him as a replacement (even reflected in new full-cast publicity shots, including an impressive, commonly seen one taken on the set of "Jude Emery"), but personally I didn't like him. I felt he was basically "I can play Rosco... but better!" and apparently several of the cast didn't take to him either. Only James Hampton, who worked alongside Best on a number of movies in the 70s, the final 'Rosco replacement' in "Return of the Ridge Raiders", showed any vague likeability, though he was pretty quiet, usually seen with a hangdog expression on his face. According to James Best, Sorrel Booke in particular was vocal about his absence, saying that he couldn't work with any of the replacements, and championing for his return to be secured. Trivia: After his return to the series, Best only misses one other episode of the entire run - the third season's "The Legacy". In that episode whilst he's away, Cletus is promoted to temporary Sheriff, with Emery Potter made deputy. For the first of two times in the series. Challenge: who can name the other episode?

It was a fun thing in the series, how location names (often quite generic sounding) would often be made up to throw into a story and never used again. It is always quite fun to spot the ones ever used more than once. One of the most notable (and amusing) landmarks in the series is surely Waylon Corners, in the late episode "Danger on the Hazzard Express". Actually, "fun place names" probably deserves it's own threat - actually, I dare say one exists already

There a few "regular costume" variations, such as scenes where Boss would be scene working out (the "I need to lose weight" plot would be used typically at least once per season) where he would be dressed in all-white, but a jogging costume (usually with JDH on the breast pocket) and a sweat band around his head. One completely different costume change that springs to mind is in "The Great Bank Robbery", one of my favourite fourth season episodes. During the climax, as a diversion to allow Bo and Luke to return some money taken from the bank, Uncle Jesse stages a fire - cue Boss running out in full fireman outfit as part of the Hazzard volunteer fire service! (He also wore a fireman's helmet, with his regular white suit, in the third season episode "The Return of Hughie Hogg").

I always though it was a shame that Nancy Lou never made a return appearance after "Cooter's Girl" (which one was one of the far better episodes from the mix last two seasons). At a time when the series was starting to feel rather tired and slightly limited, I always thought these new characters should've been given room to develop, potential new blood to the series. Though it did follow that odd Dukes trend of a "key" new character being introduced and never mentioned again (Luke's brother earlier in s6 in "Brotherly Love"; motorcycle riding Jeb Stuart Duke in s3's "Along Came a Duke"... and Coy & Vance who?? On a similar note, whatever happened to Cooter's farm? It was seen just once (s2's "Mason Dixon's Girls" if I recall correctly), but never really mentioned again; much of the time it might be assumed that Cooter lived over the garage.

Hey y'all. Well, I've been reading these forums on and off for several years, and have finally got around to signing up! (I work and often live on a boat, so internet access comes and goes!) I've been a Dukes fan my whole live. I was born in 1978, and Dukes began here in the U.K. in March '79, so I guess you could say I've literally grown up with it. One of my first memories is sitting on my Dad's knee (or by him when I was old enough to say "I'm old enough now!) watching Dukes. Even though our family has sadly had some hard times and very much fallen apart, Dukes remains one of the few 'bonding' things between my Dad and I. When something breaks he'd mention about having to "play Cooter" (his favourite character) to fix it, and any (male) manager at work would invariably be referred to as "Boss Hogg". Bizarrely, from someone who grew up worshipping TV (the golden 1980s era of so many great US shows), collecting and documenting it, and working in it for a time, I actually don't have a television set now - which I never imagined I'd say just a few years ago. I'm all about the outdoors now, and educating local schools and community groups about the beauty of, and protecting, the environment around us as part of my job, which is something I think / hope Uncle Jesse and the Dukes would love. But I have every episode on DVD (having had numerous off-air recordings over the years beforehand) and Dukes is still one of the most important influences on my life. The way of doing things - not always the most conventional, but finding a way to do something. The morals of the series have influenced so many of us. (...It's even influenced my fashion sense, as I often dress good ol' boy style, much to the light-hearted ribbing of my friends. I'm even known to often dress in Bo's traditional colours, of cream shirt and blue tshirt with jeans... sometimes without even realising it!)