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“The Dukes of Hazzard,” an hour-long tv sitcom in regards to the rural adventures of two charming “good ol’ boys” and “modern day Robin Hoods” who evade corrupt native lawmen in their scorching, southern-fried 1969 Dodge Charger, debuted on tv on this day in historical past, Jan. 26, 1979.
It grew to become a shock pop-culture phenomenon — defying trade consultants and even the expectations of CBS executives.
“The Dukes of Hazzard” ran for seven seasons and 147 episodes, drawing as many as 40 million viewers each Friday evening — greater than twice as many eyeballs as the typical NFL sport in 2022.
“It’s develop into a everlasting half of Americana, like Mickey Mouse or ‘I Love Lucy,'” actor Ben Jones, who played Duke sidekick Cooter Davenport in the show, told Fox News Digital.
The program starred John Schneider and Tom Wopat as cousins Bo and Luke Duke.
American actors (left to right) John Schneider, Catherine Bach and Tom Wopat in a promotional portrait for the TV show “the Dukes of Hazzard,” circa 1980. They played Bo, Daisy and Luke Duke, respectively. (Silver Screen Collection/Getty Images)
They were joined in their exploits by country vixen cousin Daisy Duke, played by Catherine Bach (known for her famously revealing shorts) and their American muscle car dubbed the General Lee, complete with Confederate flag on the roof and a horn that played “Dixie.”
“The Dukes of Hazzard” ran for seven seasons and 147 episodes, drawing as many as 40 million viewers each Friday night.
“The Dukes of Hazzard” proved more than just an unexpected American ratings bonanza.
It’s been a TV hit around the world and spawned a series of remakes, reunions and merchandising successes. It still influences the American cultural lexicon in surprising ways.
“Daisy Dukes” are now an American synonym for tight-fitting short shorts — the phrase and the fashion known by millions of people born long after the show aired.
The General Lee rolls down the freeway of American reminiscence as one of essentially the most iconic automobiles in display screen historical past.
One model of the car owned by actor Schneider bought for $10 million at public sale in 2007 — among the many highest costs ever paid for any car.
This commercial appeared in the March 17, 1984, concern of TV Guide journal. It was an advert for the Friday evening adventure-comedy, “The Dukes of Hazzard,” starring Tom Wopat (as Luke Duke, darkish hair), John Schneider (as Bo Duke, blonde hair) and Catherine Bach (as Daisy Duke). (CBS through Getty Images)
The General Lee obtained 35,000 fan letters every month on the top of the present’s reputation, reported Warner Bros., which produced the present, on the time.
Performer Waylon Jennings loved a no. 1 nation music hit with “Theme from the Dukes of Hazzard (Good Ol’ Boys)” in 1980.
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“Just the good old boys/Never meanin’ no harm,” sings Jennings, dubbed “The Balladeer,” in the opening credit.
“Beats all you never saw/Been in trouble with the law since the day they was born.”
“The show also spurred the music careers of Schneider and Wopat, who themselves became country chart regulars in the ’80s,” Billboard reported in a 2015 historical past of the theme track.
The automobile chase scenes have been essentially the most spectacular in tv historical past. So many automobiles have been ruined taping the gravity-defying stunts that as many 300 Chargers apparently performed the position of the General Lee in the sequence.
“The appeal of the show hasn’t changed much … We still drive old cars down dirt roads.” — Actor Ben Jones
“The appeal of the show hasn’t changed much,” mentioned Jones. “Americans still love old cars, we still wear blue jeans, work shirts, ball caps and cowboy hats. Nothing much has changed in rural in America. We still drive old cars down dirt roads.”
But this system provided a a lot deeper connection to viewers than simply its superficial enchantment of quick vehicles and lengthy legs.
“The Dukes of Hazzard” forged members Tom Wopat, Catherine Bach and John Schneider are proven in 1981. (CBS through Getty Images)
Bo, Luke and Daisy Duke have been orphaned cousins raised by wisdom-spinning Uncle Jesse (Denver Pyle).
The Dukes flouted the regulation, however solely as a result of the regulation was corrupt. The Dukes caught collectively by thick and skinny, serving to the neighborhood alongside the way in which.
“It was a family show, it was clean, there was no profanity, no blood — and it was watched by families all across the nation,” mentioned Jones.
“It was a Robin Hood story in which the bad guys were actually the good guys. It was a morality tale where if you do the right thing, you’ll be rewarded at the end. It offered a sense of right and wrong that’s missing on television today.”
American actors (left to proper) John Schneider, Tom Wopat and Ben Jones as Bo Duke, Luke Duke and Cooter, respectively, in the TV sequence “The Dukes of Hazzard,” circa 1983. They have been posing with the General Lee, a 1969 Dodge Charger prominently featured in the sequence. (Fotos International/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)
Jones rode the success “The Dukes of Hazzard” all the way in which to Congress.
He served two phrases in the House of Representatives as a Democrat from Georgia (1989-1993).
He additionally operates Cooter’s Place, a trio of “The Dukes of Hazzard” museums in Nashville, Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, and Luray, Virginia.
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For all its success, this system would not go muster in immediately’s cancel tradition.
It unapologetically displayed the Confederate flag on its iconic muscle automobile, named for Confederate General Robert E. Lee.
“The program was totally benign,” mentioned Jones. “There was never one complaint about the flag, not even from our African American viewers, and we had a large African American viewership.”
The “Dukes of Hazzard” museum in Nashville is positioned in a strip mall outdoors Opryland in entrance of a sprawling honky-tonk district. (Kerry J. Byrne/Fox News Digital)
Despite current criticisms, this system continues to thrive in digital format in the U.S. and world wide.
“You can never tell when something’s gonna pop,” Wopat instructed Fox News Digital in November.
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“But some time in the first year, we just knew we had something amazing here,” he additionally mentioned.
“The fans are unique in that they hand down their love for the show from generation to generation. I’ve met third- and fourth-generation fans. It’s amazing. It’s a gift. The show will long outlive me, that’s for sure.”
For extra Lifestyle articles, go to www.foxnews.com/way of life.
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