One Armed Bandits

Title screen

Season 1, Episode 1
Original Air Date: January 26, 1979
Directed by: Rod Amateau
Written by: Gy Waldron
Created by: Gy Waldron

Plot Summary

Sheriff Rosco Coltrane of Hazzard County figures to use illegal slot machines to fund his re-election. But when cousins Bo and Luke Duke steal them with the help of their pretty cousin Daisy, they give them to the civic organizations, take the proceeds and donate them to the orphanage. Rosco figures to nail the boys and Daisy for stealing the slot machines, until he learns that the donations to the orphanage were made in his name, thus securing his re-election.

Commentary

"Welcome, to Hazzard County." And what a welcome! Balladeer Waylon Jennings made it clear that things were done different in Hazzard, and he wasn't kidding. The episode opens with a patrol car flying into the air, followed by the General Lee. At the end of the chase we find out it's Cooter Davenport who took the Sheriff's car "because he impounded mine. Thought it was only fair to take his."

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  Cooter Davenport! You ain't got the sense the good Lord promised a turkey!
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This, the first of the five episodes filmed in Covington, Georgia, introduced us to the Duke family, Jesse, Bo, Luke and Daisy, Boss Jefferson Davis Hogg, Sheriff Rosco Coltrane, Deputy Enos Strate and town mechanic Cooter Davenport, and of course The General Lee, characters who would remain with the show through out it's entire 7 year run. However, the family oriented tone had not been established yet. In fact, the first episode was quite risqué in some aspects. Bo's comment to Daisy about if they weren't cousins, he'd marry her. To which she replied, "That never stopped anybody in this family before!" certainly would raise an eyebrow or two. Rosco called Enos "jackass" and said "Damn!" as freely as he would later say "Judas Priest on a Pony!" Another scene shows Jill, the young girl Bo has taken an interest in, visiting the farm in her quest to get donations for the orphanage. Luke shows no interest in helping out the cause, to which Bo says, "What do you mean nope? It's your civic duty. Why, at least two of them kids at that orphanage could be yours."

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  Well we gotta change his mind!
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Many new fans to the show, who never saw the original run of the series, have to make due with the 'chopped' episodes as they run on TNN. Several scenes are cut from this pilot (and plenty other episodes to make room for more commercials) enough that watching the TNN version, it doesn't make any sense! By watching the TNN version all we know is that Rosco brings in the slots, thinking he's going to fund his reelection. The boys steal them, give them to the civic clubs and all and take 30% of the proceeds, which they turn around and give to the orphanage. Sure, you figure "Okay, they're messin' up Rosco's chance for reelection." Well, not quite, the donations are done in Rosco's name (which wins him a lot of brownie points with the voting public. So much so, he gets re-elected). Boss has a fit because the slot machines were really his and he wanted the orphanage shut down so he could put in a shopping center! Thus, the Dukes spoil Boss' plan.

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Trivia

• The red Ford Torino that Cooter drives in the race through the junkyard looks a lot like the Starsky and Hutch car don't it?
• Yes, Sorrell Booke really ate that raw liver. Blech!!
• Daisy's red bikini, along with the first pair of daisy dukes, were sewn by Catherine Bach.
• Ernie Lively (Dobro) returned to Hazzard as Longstreet B. Davenport in Duke of Duke, The Runaway and Follow That Still, and as Clyde, The Guard in The Ransom of Hazzard County.
• Ernie's stepson, Jason Lively (Rudy), also returned as Rod Moffet in The Boar's Nest Bears.
• Dennis Haskins (Moss), AKA. Mr. Belding from Saved by the Bell, also appeared as Customer in The Late J.D. Hogg and Elmo in Cale Yarborough Comes to Hazzard. There's also a character called Moss in Luke's Love Story, but the part is played by Patrick Wright.
• Rocky Laidler reprised the role of Brodie in High Octane.
• The hat worn by Bo belonged to the makeup man, Guy Del Russo.
• Jesse's speech to the boys about the family's history of moonshining after he finds the gambling machines in the barn has parallels to the speech that Uncle Jesse Hagg gives to his nephews in Moonrunners. Jesse even says "Besides, when we were making corn whiskey, we paid taxes on the corn."

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Bloopers

• Pay attention to the chase scene through town near the end of the episode. There's another orange Dodge Charger parked in front of one of the stores. No '01' on the door, but some of the early publicity shots for the show showed a General with no '01' on the door. Perhaps this was it?
• In the chase at the beginning, Cooter is first seen driving a stolen 1975 Dodge Monaco patrol car, but it changes to a 1970 Dodge Polara by the time he rolls it. The patrol cars also swap places just before the famous "LEE 1" jump.
• When Enos is practicing his gun draw, the crew is reflected in the General's front fender.
• Rosco's patrol car is empty when the piano hits it, even though Daisy should be in the driver's seat.

Quotes

• At the start of the show:
  Balladeer: "You've probably noticed there's something different here. Well, this is Hazzard County. They do things different here."
• After Cooter flips the patrol car:
  Luke: "Cooter, do you realize what it's gonna take to straighten all this out?"
  Cooter: "No."

Regular Cast

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

Guest Cast

• Ben Jones as Cooter
• Sonny Shroyer as Enos
• Tisch Raye as Jill Rae Dodson
• Ernie Lively (as Ernie Brown) as Dobro Doolan
• Dan Fitzgerald as Driver
• Gillaaron Houck as Shotgun
• Lou Walker as Workman
• Dennis Haskins as Moss
• Sandra Dorsey as Hazel
• Ralph Pace as Harvey
  NB. Ralph Pace is credited as Harvey, but he's not the same actor who played Ed Monroe in High Octane (which definitely is Ralph Pace), so it looks like this credit is wrong.
• Jason Lively as Rudy
• Jerry Campbell as Jerry - Bartender (uncredited)
• Rocky Laidler as Brodie (uncredited)
• Jack Gordon as Honest John Ledbetter (uncredited)

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  Tisch Raye as Jill Rae Dodson
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  Ernie Lively as Dobro Doolan
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  Gillaaron Houck as Shotgun
  and Dan Fitzgerald as Driver

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  Lou Walker as Workman
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  Dennis Haskins as Moss
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  Sandra Dorsey as Hazel

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  ??? as Harvey
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  Jason Lively as Rudy
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  Rocky Laidler as Brodie

Crew

• Supervising Producer: Joseph Gantman
• Co-Produced by: Gy Waldron and William Kelley (as Bill Kelley)
• Executive Producers: Paul R. Picard and Philip Mandelker
• Associate Producer: Skip Ward
• Director of Photography: Robert C. Jessup (as Robert Jessup) A.S.C.
• Art Director: Charles L. Hughes (as Charles Hughes)
• Title Song Composed and Sung by: Waylon Jennings
• Music Performed by: The Waylors
• Music Produced by: Richie Albright
• Unit Production Manager: Albert J. Salzer
• First Assistant Director: Bill Baker
• Second Assistant Director: Fred Wardell
• Second Unit Director: Paul Baxley
• Second Unit Director of Photography: Allen Facemire (as Alan Facemire)
• Second Unit First Assistant Director: Scott U. Adam (as Scott U. Adams)
• Film Editor: Russell Livingstone (as Russ Livingstone)
• Music Editor: Donald Harris (as Don Harris)
• Sound Editors: Angel Editorial, Inc.
• Sound: Don Sanders
• Set Decorator: Frank Lombardo (as Francis Lombardo)
• Property: Ernie Sawyers
• Special Effects: Charles Spurgeon (as Charlie Spurgeon)
• Makeup: Guy Del Russo
• Hair Stylist: Irene Aparicio
• Wardrobe: Paula Lynn Kaatz (as Paula Kaatz)
• Additional Music by: Fred Werner
• Archery Equipment and Program Consideration Furnished by: Martin Archery
• Casting: Linda Otto Associates
• Atlanta Casting: Stratton Leopold (as Stratton P. Leopold)
• Los Angeles Casting: Vivian McRae
• Location Facilities Provided by: The Burbank Studios
• Paul R. Picard Productions and Piggy Productions, Inc.
  in Association with Warner Bros Television

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