Moonrunners

Poster

Release Date: 14 May 1975
Directed by: Gy Waldron
Written by: Gy Waldron

Plot Summary

Cousins Bobby Lee and Grady Hagg arrive at local bar the Boar's Nest pursued by the police. They're known moonshiners, and the police have spotted their car speeding and running low. However, when they open the trunk, all they find is a guitar, amplifier and bags of fertilizer. Bobby Lee explains that he'd been offered a chance to play and they were running late. While Bobby Lee is on stage, a rowdy patron insults his playing, and the ensuing fight gets him 30 days in jail.

Hitching home from jail, Bobby Lee comes across Beth Ann Eubanks with a broken down car. After fixing the car, Bobby Lee is offered a lift. He finds out that Beth Ann is from Mississippi, and she's run away with her step-daddy's car because he tried to marry her off to settle a debt. Her step-daddy also happens to be a sheriff. On the way home, Bobby Lee and Beth go to a biker bar, but leave after Beth gets hit on and Bobby Lee has a beer poured over his head. Beth is surprised that Bobby Lee didn't start a fight, but he says there are other ways to do things. He then reverses Beth's car through the wall of the bar before driving off.

Back at the Hagg's home, Bobby Lee introduces Beth to his Uncle Jesse. He explains her situation, and they agree to let her stay. Beth is given a tour, which includes a still and some liquor. Jesse tells her that he won't use plastic jugs, or sell liquor which hasn't been aged for two years. He also tells Bobby Lee that another 'shiner, Jake Rainey, has got in with a syndicate up north and has all bootleggers driving for him. Later, Bobby Lee introduces Beth to Grady, and shows her their stock car, Traveler.

Bobby Lee, Grady and Beth go to a stock car race where they meet up with fellow bootleggers Zeebo and Cooter. They also bring along a little 'shine to share around and handicap the opposition. When their race comes around, Grady spins near the end, and Zeebo wins the prize money, trophy and custom-made Justin boots. He also wins the side bet they'd made. Unhappy with the result, Bobby Lee challenges Zeebo to a race to deliver 'shine for Jake Rainey. He also suggests tipping off the sheriff to make it more interesting. Zeebo skids and loses most of his load at a road block, but escapes. Meanwhile, Bobby Lee makes it through and delivers his load to Jake at his truck stop. Paying the $150 delivery fee, Jake tries to persuade the Hagg family to join his group, but Bobby Lee declines.

Back home, Jesse tells Bobby Lee that he knows that he was delivering for the competition. Over a game of checkers, he also argues with the preacher about the rights and wrongs of making 'shine. Bobby Lee is sent off to help Grady at the still, but he hasn't been there long when it gets raided by federal agents. The boys escape, but the agents blow up the still and confiscate the Hagg's mule. The next day, Bobby Lee's back transporting 'shine, as the family have been doing for 200 years.

Jake goes to ask Jesse directly to join his group. When Jesse refuses, Jake warns him that his men will run the boys off the road and destroy their stills if they find them. The boys respond by blowing up a still belonging to the Pettigrew brothers who are working with Jake. Jake then plans to get his revenge by setting up the Hagg Boys by getting Zeebo to lead them into a road block. Unfortunately for Jake, his wife, Reba is sleeping with Grady, and she tips off the boys. Even though they avoid the road block, Jake has a backup plan to ambush them, damage their car and steal their liquor.

Jake rewards his group with some of his girls and a hog roast. Soon after, he's visited by members of the New York syndicate who tell him he's late with his deliveries. Desperate to fill the order, he tries to buy 'shine from Jesse at double the normal price. Jesse stands by his principles, and refuses to let his 'shine be diluted with that of inferior rivals. With that, Jake vows to stop the Haggs making their deliveries. The Haggs counter with a plan to use Bobby Lee's car as a decoy, and Beth's car, painted yellow, to run the 'shine. The plan would've worked out fine if Grady hadn't got carried away with Reba and forgotten to make the run. With Grady missing, Jesse takes the car to make the delivery. He obviously relishes the chance to drive again, but it sadly proves too much, and as he pulls up outside his house, the boys go out to find him dead at the wheel.

With Jesse out of the way, Jake approaches the boys again, but they pledge to carry on the way Jesse would've wanted. Zeebo visits the boys, and tells them he's had enough of Jake and wants to join with them. All three then go to Jake's warehouse that night where they shoot up the liquor before blowing up the building. The next morning, Bobby Lee and Grady arrive at the destroyed warehouse to commiserate with Jake about the unfortunate "lightning strike". With all of Jake's liquor gone, the boys offer to sell him the remainder of Jesse's stock at the regular price seeing as it can't be polluted. Bobby Lee announces that him and Beth are off to Nashville so he can become a star. After Grady turns down a job with Jake, Bobby Lee promises to call him if he makes it. They drive off with Jake chuckling about how the Hagg Boys finally got one over on him.

Commentary

It's not hard to see the roots of the Dukes of Hazzard in this movie. A couple of bootlegging cousins living with their moonshining Uncle Jesse are a good start. Instead of a female cousin, we have a love interest for one of the male cousins. Jake Rainey is the closest character to Boss Hogg. He's a local businessman who makes 'shine, owns a bar and has the local sheriff in his pocket. He also smokes cigars and drives a big white Cadillac.

Some of the names will also be familiar to Dukes fans, although not all in the same places. The Boar's Nest is seen briefly at the start of the movie, but doesn't get visited again. The only character which transferred virtually unchanged was Sheriff Roscoe Coltrane. Hagg is close to Hogg, but the sides were obviously switched for Dukes. Cooter also makes an appearance, but he's Cooter Pettigrew, a fellow bootlegger. Perhaps most amusingly, the Haggs' mule is called Beauregard. Maybe that's why Bo didn't like his full name!

Ben Jones, who's seen here as a federal agent, is the only actor who got a regular part in Dukes, although Pete Munro (Zeebo) and Dukes inspiration Jerry Rushing both appeared in single episodes. Maybe most importantly, Waylon Jennings reprised his role as balladeer, which helped to set the tone of the show.

In terms of feel, this movie is most like the Georgia episodes of Dukes. Not only is there real Georgia scenery, but also a certain roughness to the characters and the inclusion of prostitution (remember Ms. Mabel, the Mobile Madame in Daisy's Song?). It wasn't until the show moved to California that it was toned down to become more family friendly.

Trivia

• Bobby Lee is named after General Robert E. Lee.
• Bobby Lee and Grady's stock car is named Traveler after General Lee's horse. It was also the name of Jerry Rushing's bootlegging car.
• Jesse and Jake hauled 'shine for Jesse's father back in 1934.
• Jesse pays taxes on the income from his moonshine, but declares it as corn.
• While using the Bible to argue about the sinfulness of liquor, the preacher quotes Proverbs 20 verse 1, and Jesse replies with Proverbs 31 verses 6 & 7.
• Pete Munro (Zeebo) appeared as Willie, one of "Snake" Harmon's gang in Dukes season 2 episode Jude Emery.
• The inspiration for Moonrunners and the Dukes of Hazzard, Jerry Rushing, gets an uncredited role here as Jake Rainey's bodyguard. He went on to appear as car salesman Ace Parker in Dukes season 1 episode Repo Men.

Bloopers

• Bobby Lee smashes his guitar during the bar fight at the beginning, but he's carrying his guitar when he's released from jail 30 days later.
• The rear of Beth's car appears to be virtually undamaged when Bobby Lee pulls away from the bar he's just reversed into, but when he pulls over a few minutes later, the bumper is loose and the trunk lid is bent.
• While Bobby Lee and Zeebo are making their run from Roy's to Jake's, the amount of darkness varies considerably between shots.

Quotes

• Opening line:
  Balladeer: "The next time you see the moon out, ain't everybody asleep. Some folks are working."

• After reversing through the wall of a bar where he got beer poured over his head:
  Bobby Lee: "Hey! Y'all got curb service?"

• Describing his uncle to Beth:
  Bobby Lee: "Uncle Jesse's a Bible-thumper. He believes in two things: God and whiskey."

• Introducing Beth to Uncle Jesse:
  Bobby Lee: "Jesse, she's in trouble."
  Uncle Jesse: "D'you do it?"
  Bobby Lee: "It ain't that kind of trouble."

• Negotiating staying with the Haggs:
  Beth: "Mr. Hagg, I can cook a little."
  Uncle Jesse: "That's good, 'cause a little's all we ever got to cook around here."

• Making the delivery more interesting by tipping off the sheriff:
  Bobby Lee: "You got a phone, Roy?"
  Roy: "Yeah, indoor plumbing too!"

• While discussing moonshine:
  Uncle Jesse: "There's no short cuts to quality."

• On Sheriff Roscoe Coltrane:
  Balladeer: "After a career of being honest, Roscoe was going to retire on a bad case of haemorrhoids and $643 in the Shiloh County Bank."

• Jesse explains the importance of his 'shine:
  Jesse: "You know what that is?"
  Bobby Lee: "Yeah, it's a jug of liquor."
  Jesse: "Look again. That's the Model-T Ford, that's the Winchester repeating rifle, it's a Whitney cotton gin."
  Grady: "Jesse, are you OK?"
  Jesse: "You see, that's one of a kind, the best of its kind. That there little jug is history."

Cast

Starring

• James Mitchum as Grady Hagg
• Kiel Martin as Bobby Lee Hagg
• Arthur Hunnicutt as Uncle Jesse Hagg

Introducing

• Chris Forbes as Beth Ann Eubanks
• George Ellis as Jake Rainey, Bootlegger

Special Guests

• Elaine 'Spanky' McFarlane (as Spanky McFarlan) as Precious, Jake Rainey's bartender
• Joey Giardello (as Joey Giordello) as Syndicate man
• Rick Hunter as Rowdy Boar's Nest patron
• Dick Steinborn as Obnoxious bar patron
• Happy Humphrey (as Happy Humphery) as Tiny, Syndicate man

With

• Pete Munro as Zeebo, Bootlegger
• Joan Blackman as Reba Rainey
• Waylon Jennings as The Balladeer
• John Chappell as Luther, short deputy sheriff
• Bill Moses as Federal Agent in charge
• Bob Hannah as Roy Adderholt
• Bruce Atkins as Sheriff Roscoe Coltrane
• Bobby Dunn
• Edie Kramer as Jake Rainey's truck stop girl
• Anita Allen
• Lois Zeitlin as Jake Rainey's truck stop girl
• Kay Simpson
• Bill Gribble as Cooter Pettigrew
• James Beard as Minister
• Philip Pleasants (as Phil Pleasants) as Cooter's brother
• Ben Jones as Fred - Chicago Federal Agent
• John Clower
• Rhona Pope
• Patty Shaw
• Laura Frost
• Grace McEachron
• Cathy Rushing
• Jerry Rushing as Jake Rainey's bodyguard (uncredited)

The Musicians

• Vocals: Waylon Jennings
• Steel Guitar and Dobro: Ralph Mooney
• Harmonica: Don Brooks
• Lead Guitar: Waylon Jennings and Fred Newell
• Rhythm Guitar: Larry Whitemore
• Banjo: Fred Newell
• Bass: Duke Goff
• Percussion: Richie Albright
• Music Soundtrack Recorded at: Glaser Sound Studios, Inc.
• Engineer: Kyle Lehning

Songs

• "Slow Rollin' Low" by Billy Joe Shaver
• "Today is Mine" by Jerry Reed
• "Lightning Rod" Written and Performed by Jerry Reed
• "Whiskey Man" by Lee Clayton

Stunts

• Stunt Coordinator/Stunt Driver: Jerry Randell
• Stunt Driver: Charles Mincey
• Stunt Driver: Jim Hogan
• Stunt Driver: Mike Head
• Stunt Driver: Jerry Rushing

Crew

• Director of Photography: Brian Roy
• Executive Producer: Bob Clark (as Robert B. Clark)
• Musical Director: Waylon Jennings
• Supervising Editor: William K. Chulack (as William Chulack)
• Editor: Avrum M. Fine (as Avrum Fine)
• Assistant Editor: Denis Dutton
• Art Director: Pat Mann
• Production Manager: Peter Cornberg
• Assistant Director and Second Unit: Don Walters
• Continuity: B. Alexandra Fedack (as Alexandria Fedak)
• Costumes: Patty Shaw
• Key Grip: Bert Bertolami
• Gaffer: James Latham (as Jim Lathan)
• Special Technical Assistance by: Advance Producers Service
• Sound: Jim Hawkins and Joe Clayton
• Camera Operators: Sean Doyle and Allan Facemire
• Assistant Cameramen: George Mooradian and Bruce McCallum
• Still Photographer: Betty Bennett
• Dialogue Coach: Jim Way
• Production and Technical Staff:
  Bill Britton
  Robert Shelley
  Thomas Oliver
  Frank Harris
  Mike Mosley
  Tom Skarda (as Tom Scarda)
• Special Promotional Material by:
  Wing Archery Company
  Justin Boot Company
  Wrangler Blue Bell
  Holiday Inn, Griffin, Georgia
• "Traveler" Courtesy of: Mike Head
• Racing Sequences Filmed at: West Atlanta Raceway
• Casting by: The Phoenix Agency
• Sound by: Glen Glenn
• Color by: Deluxe®
• Copyright: MCMLXXIV United Artists Corporation

The Producers Wish to Thank

• Sheriff J.A. Jones of Fayette County, Sheriff G.A. Massey of Cowetta County and their Deputies, and Mr. William Estes and W.C. Adamson and the citizens of Haralson and Griffin, Georgia for their cooperation and generous assistance