You and the Dukes

[Silverado]

I am 33 years old. And I still recall my first exposure to the Dukes TV show. I believe I was 6 years old. I think The Incredible Hulk was still on. My mother was watching the tube when I saw a colorful racing car jumping. It was bright orange; had the lettering of "General Lee" on the roof; a Confederate flag on the roof and the numbers "01" on the doors. At 6 years old, I was just enchanted by the car. I soon learned that the TV show was called The Dukes of Hazzard. There were cousins Bo, Luke, Daisy, their Uncle Jesse; their friend Cooter Davenport and their enemies Boss Hogg and Sheriff Rosco P. Coltrane. They also had friend with honest deputy Enos Strate.

Ever since that night, I was glued to my TV on CBS on Friday nights watching the Dukes sticking it to crooked Boss and Rosco. For toys, I had the Hot Wheels-sized cars of the General; Boss' caddy and a cop car. I was always in hog heaven. I also had the larger; die cast metal General and the plastic General with the flip-top lid and the two figures. I had a small-sized model, a LARGE sized model and a General knock off with "07" on the doors and a Confederate flag on the roof. I had a poster of Luke sitting on the General's door and another poster of the airborne General.

After the Dukes' last season, it was a surprise that it'd been cancelled. They'd been part of my life from the first through seventh grade. When I was seventeen, I tried watching the Dukes, but I just couldn't get into it.

Then, the Dukes started airing on TNN. Now 24, I could really appreciate what was going on between the car action. As I watched One-Armed Bandits, I was shocked when Bo said, as he hugged Daisy in an Unfamily-like way, "You know, you're so pretty that if you weren't my cousin, I'd marry you."

"It hasn't stopped anybody in this family before!" She responded! In addition, the scenery and background was so nice, so real. Eventually, I wound up with a VHS tape of High Octane. In 1998, I got David Hofstede's The Dukes of Hazzard: The Unofficial Companion. When I saw it, I immediately bought it and it was worth every cent. Sure enough, the first season was NOT the family-friendly show it became! Which was just fine with me. I was so used to the wholesomeness that it just kept throwing me. I also found out that the first five episodes were filmed in Covington, GA. I think that's why I love those episodes so much. I'd have to say that Swamp Molly is my favorite episode. Now I was recording episodes off TNN. In addition, I learned to appreciate the comedy chemistry of Sorrell Booke and James Best. Probably when Rosco thumbtacked Boss' finger is my most memorable moment. Favorite Boss moment was in Duke of Duke with the fits that Boss had when he found out he'd been tricked into paying those taxes! The book also explained, clearly, the reasons behind Tom Wopat and John Schneider's walkout.

Then came the news I'd been waiting for: THE DUKES OF HAZZARD WAS COMING TO DVD! I had no hesitation in buying season one…or the subsequent seasons.

And then I found out that the Dukes were coming to the movie screen in 2005. When I found out that Johnny Knoxville and Seann William Scott were in the film, I knew it wouldn't be family friendly. But I figured if I could enjoy the Owen Wilson/Ben Stiller Starsky & Hutch movie, I could enjoy this new Dukes film. I loved the film. I saw it four times. One of the times was with my mother…who was celebrating her 55th birthday. She's just deranged enough to enjoy wild stuff…and she loved the Dukes movie.

I've also seen something of a full circle. John Schneider started off as the heroic Bo Duke, regularly going to Uncle Jesse for advice...now HE'S the father(Jonathan Kent)...giving advice to his son...the future Superman! I am a Smallville fan.

That's my story, let's hear yours.

[Qualapec the She-Wolf]

My first exposure was when I read something in Anime Insider. Talking about what Dukes would be like if it were an anime. I googled it and got interested. Both my parents hate it. And my mom just roled her eyes when I started watching on CMT. She of course thought the show was totally stupid. Don't worry ya'll, she's warmed up to it since then and I think she's really starting to like it.

The first couple episodes I saw were the ones with Coy and Vance. When Bo and Luke showed up I didn't like them at first because I'd just gotten used to Coy and Vance. I didn't watch for a while, then I decided to give em' a chance and flipped to CMT. The first scene I saw was them seeing Rosco's car in the lake and thinking he was dead. So I sorta fell in love with them after that.

~She-Wolf

[DixieRose_00]

I remember hearing some about the Dukes when I was little but since it wasn't on too many years after I was born I don't remember too much about it.

When I got older my sister started watching the re-runs on CMT and I still wasn't too impressed by it. But suddenly I laid eyes on Bo and then the General Lee and I was hooked. As soon as they put out Dukes on dvd I started buying the Seasons so I could watch them all the time anytime I wanted. And I still do that

[Dukes Fan]

I heard about DoH from my parents in 1996, when they said they used to watch them at tea time as a routine each week and day.

i have since then and up to now, been a big fan of the dukes and have started to build up a collection of merchandise from DVD's to 1:18 and 1:32 scale models and so on

[miz_smarteepantz]

I don't remember in detail my first viewing of the Dukes of Hazzard but I do remember I'd been watching the Incredible Hulk and loved it but then when it was replaced by Dukes guess that's when I got into them. I have loved the show ever since!

Brandy

[Bo_Duke_girl]

Hmmmmm well if I can recall correctly ........

I was watching Smallville ( Which at the time was my latest and greatest obsession) my dad came in and pointed out john schneider. He told he was from the dukes of hazzard.

I always thought they were a bunch of hillbillys who drank beer and whiskey most of their day until they were drunk.

Well as time grew on, and the day for the dukes movie was drawing near and I was looking at the TV guide channel all of sudden I saw the dukes of hazzard credit roll up and immidediatly I changed the channel to spike TV and began waiting the agonizing 10 full minutes and finally it came on.

The carnival of thrils. PRT 1&2 were my first dukes episode I ever watched.

A very good way to end the summer and start the fall as a freshmen

[thegeneral]

I first saw the dukes of hazzard film (which i now think is naff compared to the TV show) aged 15 and then i was flicking through the chanels one night and saw that TDoH was on so i waited for it to start then was glued to it. The first episode i remember seeing was the one where uncle jesse witnesses a robery and hides out at boss's house. Ever since then i have been hooked to TDoH like boss Hogg is to money.

[hazzard chic]

I'll love dukes forever!

[Generalee001]

Iv'e been a hard dukes fan for about 7 years, ever since the first game on playstaion ever came out, i was hocked and helled for life!

[TRPColtrane95]

well, I remember watch 1979 when i was 3 year old saw dukes of hazzard coming out... nice .. cool to remember myself and now still watch dukes of hazzard on CMT still not stopping... love watch and I have collections as well too and I have each seasons DVD boxsets myself too.. thanks.

[seraphsaiyan]

Well unlike a lot of folks out there I'm way too young to have watched the show originally (I'm 19 btw). So my boyfriend got me watching Smallville like crazy cause he is a big superman fan. Well I went onto my computer one night and I watched a country music video by Trick Pony called "The Bride" well it had John Schneider in it! I was like "Holy cow! It's Jonathan Kent!" Well I did a little background check on what he had starred in and saw he was originially in DOH and from Mt. Kisco, the place where I was born (I moved when I was 9). Well I asked my mom (who grew up there) if she had known him and she said yes! Her and John used to be good buddies hanging around his aparment! Cool huh? Well I decided one day to check out DOH. I was very apprihensive thinking it was a show that made fun of the south more than anything. Boy was I wrong! Immediatly fell in love. My first episode was Along Came a Duke.

[waikiki23]

I also was too young for the first airing of the show. I had heard about DoH in little ways all my life, but never had watched the show. Then one day, CMT was showing the first Reunion movie. I decided to watch. I totally fell in love with John Schneider and Tom Wopat after they had gotten a little older. I watched the whole movie and decided to buy the Dukes on DVD. My first season was Season 2, as that was the only one Walmart had at the time. First episode I watched was The Ghost of General Lee. I cried with Enos when he begged Rosco to help him find the boys, even though I knew the boys weren't even in the car! I laughed so hard I had tears in my eyes when they made Rosco think the General was a ghost with the luminous paint. I was hooked. I then I bought Season 4, because again that was all Walmart had. Now I own Seasons 1-4 and Season 6. Still working on the other ones. But, now, I love the original show better than the movies just because that is how I will always see the characters. They will never grow old or die in my mind. Hazzard will always be as we have for 7 seasons. They will always be alive and racing the back hills of Hazzard County.

[mirabella]

I started watching when it was first on. I can't remember if it was 1st or 2nd season, but I didn't remember the Georgia eps when I was watching back then so I must have started when it was later in season 2. I was about 5 when I saw the first shows so I was really young. When I was a teenager, they were in repeats and on at time when I was getting done work so I watched it while doing homework, this was in the 80s.

A few years back I saw season 1 on dvd in the store and bought it. I picked up season 2 and 3 here and here over the years and now I have season 6 and 7 on order (supposed to be here this week)

I honestly can't remember what episode I saw first because it was so long ago but Carnival of Thrills and Officer Daisy Duke always stuck out in my memory so I must have seen them pretty early on.