The Great Hazzard Hijack

Title screen

Season 3, Episode 21
Original Air Date: 27 March 1981
Directed by: John Florea
Written by: William Raynor and Myles Wilder
Created by: Gy Waldron

Plot Summary

Flash in camouflage gear

While out racing with Cooter, Bo and Luke get the General stuck in Hazzard Creek. Before Cooter can attach a rope, Luke finds $1,000 floating by. After drying the money, Jesse tells them that they'll have to hand it over to Boss, but not before making sure that the handover is photographed to stop Boss keeping it. The photograph makes front page news on the Hazzard Gazette when the found money is linked to a $1 million hijack five years earlier. As soon as the story spreads, Hazzard is inundated with treasure hunters, and Boss wastes no time charging extortionate prices for parking, hotel rooms and treasure maps. Of course, he also suspects the Dukes of the robbery, and sends Rosco to keep an eye on them, complete with camouflage outfit and patrol car.

On their way back to the farm, Bo and Luke hear a CB call for help from someone who's being pursued. They quickly catch up and push the pursuing car off the road, but it's only when they stop next to the car which called for help that Luke recognizes the driver as an old Marine buddy, Phil Ackley, who once saved his life. Phil introduces his associates as his sister, Kate, and their friend, Tommy Dunkirk. He then explains that Kate was the despatcher for the armored car that was hijacked, and that she was a suspect for a while, so they've come to find the money and clear her name. Luke takes a shine to Kate, and all three are invited to stay at the Duke Farm while they study Luke's map of the creek to figure out where to look for the money.

The next day, Bo and Luke go off treasure hunting with Phil, while Kate and Dunkirk stay at the farm. Jesse makes an excuse to go into town to follow a hunch, and checks out an old copy of the Hazzard Gazette, found for him by Miz Tisdale. He takes the newspaper back to the farm and shows Kate a story naming her as Sandra Rhodes. The story also has a sketch of one of the suspects, which looks like Phil. With their cover blown, Kate and Dunkirk tie up Jesse and Daisy before heading off in Dixie to join Phil.

At the creek, Luke agrees to jump the General across with Phil while Bo goes back to the farm to check on Jesse and Daisy, who don't answer their CB calls. When they reach Bear Point, Luke begins to suspect that Phil knows more about the money's location than he's letting on. Just after Luke saves Phil from a bear trap, they find the bags of money, and Luke confronts him about the robbery. Phil admits to being involved, and that they hid the money afterwards, but it got washed away by a flood before they could retrieve it. They're soon joined by Bo, Daisy, Jesse, Boss, Rosco and the mystery pursuer, who turns out to be a special investigator for the armored car company.

Commentary

Although it's already been established that Miz Tisdale is sweet on Jesse, this episode takes her interest up a level or two. When they meet at the Hazzard Gazette, she holds his hand, suggests that the right man could make her change her name, and tells Jesse that he can drop the borrowed newspaper back to her house one evening. Jesse seems to politely ignore her advances.

Trivia

Roy Orbison with Daisy

• Roy Orbison gets caught in the Celebrity Speed Trap. The beer is free, but the glasses cost $10!
• As well as working at the Post Office, Miz Tisdale also works at the Hazzard Gazette.
• Rick Hill (Phil Ackley) returned as Matt in Ding, Dong, the Boss is Dead.
• This is the second of three Dukes appearances for Sam Melville (Dunkirk). He was previously Snake in Jude Emery, and returned as Rick in Happy Birthday, General Lee.

Bloopers

• The newspaper showing Kate as Sandra Rhodes has the same few paragraphs of text repeated in every story.
• The special investigator's car changes from a Plymouth Fury to an AMC Matador for its jump during the early chase.
• Despite a huge number of treasure hunters turning up to look for the money, none of them are seen at the creek.
• The camera on the side of the General is visible during the creek jump.

Regular Cast

• Tom Wopat as Luke Duke
• John Schneider as Bo Duke
• Catherine Bach as Daisy Duke
• Denver Pyle as Uncle Jesse
• Rick Hurst as Cletus
• Ben Jones as Cooter
• James Best as Sheriff Rosco Coltrane
• Sorrell Booke as Boss Hogg
• Waylon Jennings as The Balladeer (voice)

Guest Cast

• Roy Orbison as Himself
• Rick Hill (as Richard Hill) as Phil Ackley
• Sam Melville as Tommy Dunkirk
• Simone Griffeth as Kate Ackley/Sandra Rhodes
• Nedra Volz as Miz Tisdale

• 
  Rick Hill as Phil Ackley
• 
  Sam Melville as Tommy Dunkirk

• 
  Simone Griffeth
  as Kate Ackley/Sandra Rhodes
• 
  Nedra Volz as Miz Tisdale

Crew

• Supervising Producer: Rod Amateau
• Produced by: Myles Wilder and Ralph Riskin
• Executive Producer: Paul R. Picard
• Executive Story Consultants: William Raynor and Myles Wilder
• Executive Story Editor: Martin Roth
• Executive Story Supervisor: Si Rose
• Story Editor: Bruce Howard
• Creative Consultant: Gy Waldron
• Associate Producers: Skip Ward and Gilles de Turenne (as Gilles A. de Turenne)
• Director of Photography: Jack Whitman
• Art Director: Robert I. Jillson (as Bob Jillson)
• Title Song Composed and Sung by: Waylon Jennings
• Music by: Fred Werner
• Unit Production Manager: Gilles de Turenne (as Gilles A. de Turenne)
• First Assistant Director: Jon Paré
• Second Assistant Director: Nicholas Batchelor
• Second Unit Director: Paul Baxley
• Second Unit Director of Photography: Arthur R. Botham (as Arthur Botham)
• Second Unit First Assistant Director: Richard T. Schor (as Richard Schor)
• Supervising Editor: Russell Livingstone (as Russ Livingstone)
• Editor: Jamie Caylor
• Music Editor: Abby Marable
• Sound Editor: Ron Tinsley
• Sound: Victor Goode
• Set Decorator: Tom Bugenhagen
• Property: Beverly Hadley
• Special Effects: John James
• Makeup: Ray Brooks
• Hair Stylist: Virginia Darcy
• Men's Costume Supervisor: Bob Christenson
• Women's Costume Supervisor: Linda Hickman
• Casting: Melissa Skoff
• Creative Consultant: Philip Mandelker
• Some Automobiles Supplied by: AMC
• Location Facilities Provided by: The Burbank Studios
• A Lou Step Production in Association with Warner Bros Television

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The Great Hazzard Hijack
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