Officer Daisy Duke

Season 2, Episode 17
Original Air Date: 1 February 1980
Directed by: Dick Moder
Written by: Martin Roth
Created by: Gy Waldron

Plot Summary

When Bo and Luke persuade Daisy to ask for a long-overdue raise at the Boar's Nest, Boss responds by firing her. Back in town they look at the 'Help Wanted' board, but can't find anything suitable, until Enos appears and suggests that Daisy applies to become a deputy.

With Rosco still away, Grady Byrd is promoted from his job as night watchman at the Hazzard County gravel pit. Boss is quick to show him a wanted poster for a pair of bank robbers that carries a $10,000 reward. It's not long before Enos spots the bank robbers, and, with un-Hazzardlike efficiency, Grady soon has them locked up. Meanwhile, still feeling guilty about Daisy's firing, Bo and Luke help her prepare for her upcoming tests, and tackle the household chores.

Daisy sails through the tests and becomes a Hazzard deputy. Bo and Luke, still feeling protective of their cousin, keep Daisy out of danger by turning up to crimes and resolving situations before she can get there, like a free-fer-all brawl at the Boar's Nest. When Daisy finds out what's been happening, she's not happy and proceeds to berate Bo and Luke telling them to "back off". Jesse is impressed with her spirit and comments "if my hands weren't full I'd take my hat off to that girl." Boss isn't so happy about having a Duke in the police department, and puts Daisy on cleaning duties in the jail. While she's there, the prisoners trick her into letting them escape. Daisy sets off in pursuit, closely followed by Boss and Grady, Bo and Luke, and Jesse and Cooter. Daisy picks up Enos along the way, but he sprains his ankle when they get out to chase the robbers on foot.

Enos even gets a quick kiss on the lips when he tells Daisy, "I really care for you," before she heads off alone. Unfortunately, Daisy soon gets kidnapped, and the robbers try to fly off with her in a small plane they meet at Morgan's Airfield. Bo and Luke arrive just in time to halt their departure with some well-placed dynamite arrows. The FBI decorates Daisy for bravery and hand her the reward money, which she donates to the Hazzard Children's Orphanage (minus the repair bill for the General). Boss decides that he's had enough of Daisy as a deputy and gives her her old job back at the Boar's Nest.

Commentary

Uncle Jesse seems to be a lot more receptive to a Duke becoming a deputy in this episode. Back in Deputy Dukes, the boys made Daisy swear that she wouldn't tell Jesse that they'd been made deputies because "Old Jesse's allergic to police uniforms. They give him the hives."

Trivia

The town of Piru (previously seen in Luke's Love Story) stands in for Hazzard in the chase scenes after the prisoners escape. It was also used as the setting for Hazzard in The Dukes of Hazzard: The Beginning.
Stand-in sheriff Dick Sargent is probably best known for playing Darrin Stephens in the TV show Bewitched during the late ‘60s/early ‘70s. He took over the role when the original Darrin, Dick York, became ill.
Glenn Morshower, who was uncredited in his role of the Good Samaritan in this episode, returned as Vern in Daisy's Shotgun Wedding.

Bloopers

The close-up of the map showing Morgan's Airfield reveals that it's actually a mirrored map of an area near Walnut Creek, CA.
When Boss realizes that his driver is missing and tells Grady to drive, Grady says "Why're you making me drive? I never drove a big car like this." Yet two episodes later in Jude Emery, he's happy enough driving his mama's 1959 Series 62 Cadillac, which is exactly the same length as Boss' car (225.0 in/5,715 mm).

Quotes

As Bo tries to persuade Daisy to ask for a raise:
Bo: "Listen to me. You gotta call in the dogs to see if they're wet or you're not gonna find out if it's raining outside."
While trying to convince Daisy to become a deputy:
Enos: "Yeah, look here. This here Equal Opportunities law says that the sheriff's office has gotta open jobs for ladies now, just like regular people."