John Schneider Archives - Page 4 of 6

Hazzard Homecoming Made Fans Happy

The dour economy and an iffy weather forecast couldn’t keep Dukes of Hazzard fans away from Sperryville, Virginia. Thousands of fans traveled from around the country and the globe to be a part of Hazzard Homecoming this last weekend. Cast members who attended the event included promoter and organizer Ben Jones, along with James Best, Cathy Bach, John Schneider, Rick Hurst, and Sonny Shroyer. There were also plenty of General Lee’s to admire.

If you didn’t get to go to Hazzard Homecoming, you can get a feel for the event by watching this newscast by WYMT-TV. Reporter Steve Hensley interviewed a few cast members and talked to some fans at the event. One of the fans looks suspiciously like Paul Harrington of the Canadian Dukes. We’re pointing this out just to see if he’s paying attention.

Back to the reporter – Steve is the same reporter who shared the original WYMT video of the Dukes of Hazzard cast appearances in Hazard Kentucky in 1981. We featured this video in our June 5th article. This reporter has been very kind to Dukes fans, so we figure it’s only fair to give him a big salute here on HazzardNet. Steve, you might just be our Fan of the Month for September, at this rate!

At the end of the Hazzard Homecoming newscast, there’s a hint of “more to come” from Dukes cast members during the next Black Gold Festival in Hazard, Kentucky. We don’t know if that means they’re just going to recap the 1981 highlights, or if there’s direct cast involvement in this year’s event. We’ll try to find out!

25 Million Dollar Sheriff

Dukes of Hazzard fans may remember an episode called “10 Million Dollar Sheriff” where Rosco inherits money by mistake. Here in the real world, James Best, who played Sheriff Rosco P. Coltrane, is saying there’s been a mistake, alright, and Warner Bros. made it.

A lawsuit filed by Best against TimeWarner states that he has been shorted his share of royalties from Dukes of Hazzard merchandise. Specifically, merchandise that bears his likeness. Best was entitled to 5% of these proceeds. (is that 50% of 50% of 50%?) The dispute arises from the lack of accounting by Warner Bros; Best has received $175,000 in the past 30 years from merchandise sales – but he reckons he should have received 5 to 25 million.

Doing the math roughly, Warner is saying it made 3.5 million from Dukes merchandise with Best’s likeness – while Best is saying they probably made more like…a billion.

Best’s claim also includes a share of merchandise revenue from any Dukes product with Flash on it. Adding the dog to the show was his idea and he held 50% ownership of the pooch.

We took a quick look at what we could find with Sheriff Rosco’s likeness, and came up with the following: packaging for Mego action figures, back cover cases for Columbia House VHS tapes, the front artwork for The Dukes of Hazzard music CD, and DVD box back covers for Seasons 1, 2, 3, and 7. There were also a number of metal TV trays, wastebaskets, and…heck, we can’t count all the stuff Warner Bros authorized back in the day with Rosco on it.

But Warner Bros is going to have to count it, and disclose it, to settle this lawsuit. Best claims he made numerous efforts over the years to obtain fair accounting, without success.

Tom Wopat and John Schneider sued Warner Bros over merchandising revenue during the 5th season of the show. The dispute resulted in a temporary walkout by the two actors and the introduction of temporary replacement stars, Byron Cherry and Christopher Mayer. It was eventually resolved to Wopat and Schneider’s satisfaction, and the replacements were given the heave-ho without fanfare.

We will keep you posted as this story continues. Who knows…maybe ol’ Rosco will get his “pension” here, after all! And what a pension it could be.

Christopher Mayer, “Vance Duke” Reported Dead

Christopher Mayer, who portrayed “Vance Duke” on The Dukes of Hazzard during the strike of Tom Wopat and John Schneider, has been reported dead. The sudden passing of the 57-year old actor is being reported by entertainment media sources, as per the disclosure of his fiancee, Catherine Irvine.

Mayer died unexpectedly on Saturday July 23. The cause has not been released. Mayer was actively working on a new film project at the time. We will share further details as we receive them.

Dukes of Hazzard fans everywhere are expressing heartfelt condolences to Mayer’s family and loved ones. Vance Duke, you were taken away from us too soon.

*UPDATE* Byron Cherry, who played Coy Duke, has made reference to Mayer’s passing in a recent Facebook update. While the Facebook page is private, a copy of the entry has been provided to us:

“I’m so sad to say that my best friend, buddy, pal Chris Mayer “Vance Duke” passed away suddenly. He was so special to me and my kids and family. He will be so missed and I pray that we all just remember him for all that he did to put a smile on our face. He was just 01 great guy and I’m just so thankful that I knew him at all. He taught me so much about life and Jesus and how to live life. It will be hard knowing I can’t just pick up the phone and call him for a good laugh and inspiration. We will meet again.”

Well said, Byron.

Speed Into Summer with The Dukes of Hazzard!

Officially, summer just started, but it already feels like it’s flying by! One thing you don’t want to skip this summer is the good ol’ fashioned family road trip, especially when you can meet some of the original cast members of The Dukes of Hazzard! Here’s a quick list of what’s going on and who’s gonna be there:

July 01 – Rick Hurst, otherwise known as Deputy Cletus Hogg, will be at Cooter’s Place in Gatlinburg TN!

July 02 – Catherine Bach, Daisy Duke herself, will be at Cooter’s Place in Gatlinburg TN!

July 04 – Ben “Cooter” Jones will be at…no, not Cooter’s Place! Fooled ya. He’ll be at the community 4th of July shindig in Sperryville VA!

July 08-10 – John Schneider, known around here as Bo Duke, will be at the Carlisle Chrysler Nationals in Carlisle, PA!

July 16 – Sonny Shroyer, a/k/a Deputy Enos Strate, will be at the Johnny Lightning collectibles shindig in Dyersville, IA!

July 30-31 – John Schneider will be at the Marilla Car, Truck & Cycle Show in Marilla, NY!

Aug 13-14 – James Best, ol’ Rosco P.Coltrane, makes his only summer appearance scheduled thus far, at the Hazzard Homecoming in Sperryville, VA! Hazzard Homecoming is the big Dukes shindig of the summer, organized by Ben Jones and the lovely Miss Alma. Catherine Bach, Sonny Shroyer, and Rick Hurst will also be joining Ben Jones at this event. This is the place to see a General Lee, and to enjoy bluegrass music, all surrounded in the beauty of the Blue Ridge Mountains.

*UPDATE* John Schneider will also be at Hazzard Homecoming but *ONLY* on Sunday, August 14th!

What about Tom Wopat, of Luke Duke fame? He’s given his regards – and time – to Broadway! You can see him in the Tony-award winning musical, “Catch Me if You Can.”

Note, many of the above events, such as Hazzard Homecoming, and the car shows, require an admission fee. We will be adding more event details and links to our Forums section for each cast member. Also, please be aware that cast members generally do not give “free” autographs. An autograph may be included if you make a merchandise purchase from them, but if you bring an item of your own to have signed, be prepared to pay. Cast members each have their own rules n’ deals on these matters, and generally reserve the right to restrict their autographs to approved merchandise.

Being a Dukes of Hazzard Fan

This gem from YouTube shows the passion and dedication of Dukes of Hazzard fans who gathered in Hazard, Kentucky, in 1981. Some folks call this the first, true Dukes fan event and they may be correct.

Much has changed since 1981. Sorrell “Boss Hogg” Booke is no longer with us. Nor is the terminally ill child in this video, who referred to herself as “JoJo P. Coltrane.”

What remains, is the passion and dedication of Dukes of Hazzard fans around the world, of all ages, of all walks of life. We are fortunate that we have many cast members still with us, who are willing to meet and greet fans at appearances and events. People like Ben Jones, James Best, Rick Hurst, Catherine Bach, Sonny Shroyer, John Schneider and Tom Wopat. Who would have thought, that 32 years after The Dukes of Hazzard hit the air, people would still be talking about Cooter, Rosco, Cletus, Daisy, Enos, Bo and Luke? Or lining up to meet them whenever the opportunity arose?

In the upcoming days we will be posting more news and info about upcoming cast appearances. For now, enjoy this look back in time. This is what it was like – and is like – to be a Dukes of Hazzard fan.