Tagline: Cousins. Outlaws. Thrillbillies.
Set in present day, The Dukes of Hazzard follows the adventures of “good old boy” cousins, Bo (Seann William Scott) and Luke (Johnny Knoxville) Duke, who with the help of their eye-catching cousin Daisy (Jessica Simpson) and moonshine running Uncle Jesse (Willie Nelson), try and save the family farm from being destroyed by Hazzard County’s corrupt commissioner Boss Hogg (Burt Reynolds).
Their efforts constantly find the “Duke Boys” eluding authorities in “The General Lee,” their famed 1969 orange Dodge Charger that keeps them one step ahead of the dimwitted antics of the small southern town’s Sheriff Roscoe P. Coltrane (M.C. Gainey).
Yeeeeeeeee Haaaaaaawwww!
Fun-lovin’, fast-drivin’, good ol’ boy cousins Bo (Seann William Scott) and Luke (Johnny Knoxville) Duke are back on the road and up to no good, along with their cousin Daisy Duke (Jessica Simpson), proud owner of the shortest shorts in the South. Hazzard County boasts some of the most axel-busting back roads, hair-raising moonshine, and best-looking farm girls in all of Georgia — and the Duke boys enjoy all three. Frequently.
The Duke family’s business is moonshine, and the boys’ Uncle Jesse (Willie Nelson) concocts the tastiest brew in Dixie. More often than not, the boys find themselves on the wrong side of the law as they race to make their deliveries, leading the sheriff’s department on some truly wild goose chases in their infamous orange Dodge Charger, the General Lee.
After a long day on the job, there’s nothing like relaxing with an ice cold beer at Hazzard County’s finest drinking establishment, The Boar’s Nest, where Daisy waits tables. From time to time, an out-of-towner makes the mistake of getting a little too familiar with the most beautiful girl in Hazzard County.
They quickly find out (the hard way) that Daisy isn’t just a pretty face — she kicks ass like a Duke, and with Bo and Luke in the mix, that usually means a good old-fashioned knock-down, drag-out bar brawl. But it’s not all moonshine and farm girls these days — when Bo and Luke discover evidence that their neighbors’ properties are being unlawfully seized by crooked commissioner Boss Hogg (Burt Reynolds), their only chance to protect their hometown is to put the pedal to the metal in a last-ditch scheme to save Hazzard County.
About the Production
When The Dukes of Hazzard careened onto CBS’s broadcast schedule in 1979, the show’s distinctive blend of Southern flavor and non-stop action centered around two good ol’ boys never meanin’ no harm – charismatic cousins Bo and Luke Duke, played by Tom Wopat and John Schneider – made the series a runaway hit. Six seasons and 147 episodes later, The Dukes of Hazzard had amassed an immense and loyal fan base that has only grown with the show’s popularity in syndication.
More than two decades after the last original episode aired, The Dukes of Hazzard and its beloved cast of characters remain iconic fixtures in pop culture lore. Bo and Luke Dukes’ infamous 1969 orange Dodge Charger, “the General Lee,” has become one of the most recognizable American automobiles in the world, and the name Daisy Duke has become synonymous with the very shortest of short shorts.
Serving up a slice of Americana every Friday night, The Dukes of Hazzard gave audiences a chance to escape to Hazzard County for some down-home goodness, riproaring car chases and jaw-dropping jumps. It was those elements, coupled with the show’s light-hearted tone, that convinced producer Bill Gerber to take the Dukes to the big screen.
“I was searching for a project that really captured the American spirit,” says Gerber. “The heart of The Dukes of Hazzard is family and protecting what you love. Bo and Luke were such endearing characters and had a very playful attitude about the law – I liked the Robin Hood aspect of the show, and when you add the allure of Daisy Duke, it just felt like the timing was right to bring the concept.”
After developing a script with screenwriter John O’Brien that captures the show’s mischievous attitude and breakneck comedic tone, Gerber tapped Jay Chandrasekhar, director of the comedies Super Troopers and Club Dread, to helm the film. Both Super Troopers and Club Dread were scripted by the comedy writing team Broken Lizard, of which Chandrasekhar is a member.
“Broken Lizard’s comedic tone is very similar in spirit to The Dukes of Hazzard in that it’s not highbrow – it’s meant to be accessible,” says Gerber. “We knew Jay could bring an edginess to the humor that would bring Hazzard County and the Dukes into 2005.”
For the thirty-seven-year-old Chandrasekhar, the chance to direct a film based on one of his favorite television shows was an opportunity he couldn’t refuse. “I grew up watching The Dukes of Hazzard and loved outlaw films like Smokey and the Bandit,” says the director. “I’ve always wanted to make a movie that had a Seventies feel to it, with a bunch of cars screeching around and an alternate view of law enforcement.
“I also had a poster of Daisy Duke on my wall when I was nine that was very inspiring,” he adds, “and when you combine the prospect of a new Daisy Duke with the opportunity to send the General Lee flying through the air again, it was impossible for me to say no.”
There are two things in Hazzard County that you can always count on: knockyou- on-your-ass moonshine and Bo Duke behind the wheel of his beloved orange charger. For Seann William Scott, playing the role of Bo took him back to his childhood days in Minnesota.
“I was a big fan of The Dukes of Hazzard as a kid,” reveals the actor, star of the hit American Pie trilogy and the upcoming comedy Mr. Woodcock, “and I thought it would be fun to be a part of the film. These guys are just two good ole’ boys who like fast cars, fast women and good moonshine.”
Knoxville, creator and star of the hit MTV show Jackass, as well as its highly successful feature film incarnation, was cast as Luke, Bo’s older cousin who is a bit more worldly and experienced with the ladies.
“Bo and Luke are essentially good guys,” says Knoxville, a Tennessee native from – you guessed it – Knoxville, “they’re just reckless as all hell. Mean as snakes, but in a good way. I mean they are respectful to women, and they are more than happy to deck someone who isn’t. But really the only real trouble they get in is selling moonshine and outrunning the law.”
“If we were making this movie in 1979, I would have hired Burt Reynolds to play Bo Duke,” says Chandrasekhar. “I wanted to find two guys who embody that Reynolds kind of mentality. Seann is such a wild force of energy and Johnny is a very funny exstunt man who’s also a damn good actor. They were the perfect combination of being a little crazy with a hint of Southern rebellion.”
“Johnny and I had a great time making the film,” says Scott, “and it comes off on the screen. He’s crazy and likes to have a good time, so I knew we’d get along. I wouldn’t have done the film without him.”
“I love Seann, he is completely off his nutter, but in the best possible way,” says Knoxville. “He is brilliant and funny as all hell to work with and watch onscreen. We had a ball jumping in and out of the General Lee, blowing stuff up, and fighting in bars. Man, it was a fun movie to shoot.”
While the General Lee keeps Bo and Luke one step ahead of the law, their cousin Daisy’s secret weapon is a very special pair of shorts. Played by Catherine Bach in the original series, the filmmakers cast popular recording artist Jessica Simpson as Daisy Duke, a true Southern girl who’s as tough as she is sexy.
“We met with almost every young actress in Hollywood, but we really wanted someone who had a true Southern background,” says Gerber. “When Jessica walked into the room, everything about her just screamed that she was Daisy Duke. We didn’t hire her because she’s a famous singer; she simply came in, had a great audition and blew everyone away with her presence and energy.”
For Simpson, who named her dog Daisy as an homage to the character, the role was ideal for making her feature film debut. “I’ve loved Daisy Duke ever since I was a kid,” she says. “She was definitely a role model and someone girls looked up to, because she was powerful, very sexy and always got the job done. Daisy’s an all-American girl who’s courageous, really cares about her family and at the end of the day wants to help them out of every sticky situation.”
Simpson also enjoyed sharing her first film experience with co-stars Knoxville and Scott. “Seann and Johnny both really took me under their wings and taught me a lot,” says Simpson. “My first day on set I was so nervous and they made me feel comfortable and helped calm my nerves.”
“Jessica came in incredibly well-prepared,” compliments Chandrasekhar. “She’s really funny and has a lot of charisma on screen.” Sean William Scott concurs. “Jessica did a great job, kicking butt and looking sexy. And a lot of people are going to be really happy when they see her in the Daisy Dukes.”
Indeed, the shorts were so minute that they called for their own training regimen. “I took stunt driving classes and fight training and it was a blast,” says Simpson, “ but the real work for me was working out with my personal trainer to make sure I looked good in the Daisy Dukes, because they really don’t cover much! I worked out two hours a day and cut sugar and fried foods out of my diet. I felt confident going into the film because I had put a lot of time and hard work in at the gym.”
Simpson not only lent her acting talents to the film, but her considerable musical talents as well – on the film’s soundtrack, she duets with fellow Dukes star Willie Nelson in a funky, sexy rendition of Nancy Sinatra’s classic 1966 hit single, These Boots Are Made For Walkin’.
“Willie Nelson is a legend and someone I’ve always admired,” says Simpson. “Working with him has been a dream come true, it’s like we are musical soulmates.” The recording features a brand new section of lyrics that Simpson wrote in the voice of Daisy Duke.
Columbia Records/Sony Music Soundtrax will release The Dukes Of Hazzard – Music From The Motion Picture on Tuesday, July 19th.
The album features classic Southern rock tracks by legendary musicians The Allman Brothers Band, Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble, Lynyrd Skynyrd, The Charlie Daniels Band, Molly Hatchet, Montgomery Gentry, Ram Jam, Southern Culture on the Skids, The Blueskins, Blues Explosion and The James Gang. Nic Harcourt, host of the innovative radio program “Morning Becomes Eclectic,” served as music supervisor, and Nathan Barr composed the film’s original music.
In the film, Uncle Jesse is thrown in jail by his longtime nemesis, Boss Hogg, who is trying to steal the Duke family farm in his usual underhanded style. With his trademark white suit, white boots and big white Stetson, Jefferson Davis Hogg is as canny as a fox, tough as a badger and as crooked as a hillbilly’s smile.
“I don’t like soft villains in comedies,” says Chandrasekhar. “I feel like it undercuts the story if you have an antagonist who’s not actually threatening or menacing. There’s really nobody else you could cast in this role besides Burt Reynolds. Burt in Smokey and the Bandit is the reason why The Dukes of Hazzard even exists.
“I’ve never taken the blame for The Dukes of Hazzard, but I have taken the credit a couple of times,” Reynolds says with a laugh. “When they started talking to me about playing Boss Hogg I told a bunch of my longtime friends and at first they all started laughing real hard. I didn’t know if that was a good sign, but they all said, ‘You just gotta do it.’ Boss Hogg is real Southern, and I grew up around a lot of guys like him so I was very attracted to the fact that he was an obnoxious, loud-mouthed, but amusingly self-indulgent character. I spent fifteen years trying to get rid of my Southern accent before I finally got to use it in Deliverance and it’s great to dust it off again for Boss Hogg.”
While Boss Hogg is Hazzard County’s corrupt commissioner, the closest thing to law enforcement is Sheriff Roscoe P. Coltrane, who has been after the Duke boys since the day they started walking. Chandrasekhar turned to respected character actor M.C. Gainey.
“Roscoe is a petty tyrant who has no experience whatsoever as a law officer,” says Gainey. “He truly dislikes the Dukes, in the most profound terms imaginable. They are slimmer, younger and cooler and have always treated him with a certain level of contempt. The other thing I love about Roscoe is that there’s a Wile E. Coyote factor to him – he’s got the ACME box with the plan to catch the Dukes, but somehow it never quite works out.”
No angry sheriff is complete without a bumbling deputy, and in Hazzard County that distinction falls into the incompetent hands of Enos Strate. Always in Roscoe’s doghouse, Enos just can’t keep his mouth shut when in the seductive presence of Daisy Duke.
“I had a huge crush on Daisy Duke, which is where I found the core of this character,” says Michael Weston, who used his own childhood infatuation with the sex symbol as the jumping-off point for his character. “You can always find Enos looking for Daisy in every leaf and cloud. She is his reason to get up in the morning, and the rest of the day is one big dream about Daisy Duke. It gets him into trouble, because throughout the film he has a hard time keeping information from Daisy that helps the Dukes.”
When one of the Duke boys’ near-impossible jumps in the General Lee turns out to be nearer to impossible than they anticipated, there’s only one mechanic in Hazzard County who can bring the wrecked car back to life – Cooter Davenport.
“In the beginning of the film, Bo demolishes the General Lee and Cooter and his boys rebuild it better than new, with a beautiful, polished, detailed look,” explains David Koechner, who plays the mechanical wizard. “It’s kind of like Hazzard County’s own Pimp My Ride. I know very little about cars, and to me, Cooter’s clearly a genius if he can take a wreck of a car and turn it into the General Lee.”
While the filmmakers brought back all of the iconic characters from the original series, they also added a few new faces to the mix. One such newcomer is Pauline, a beautiful woman who is the picture of country charm and the object of Uncle Jesse’s affection. When the Dukes’ farm is taken away, Pauline helps them carry out their plan to defeat Boss Hogg and save Hazzard County from being strip-mined.
In casting the role, the filmmakers tapped 70s television icon Lynda Carter, best known for her title role on the hit show Wonder Woman. “Pauline is a little more settled in her thinking than the Dukes,” remarks Carter, “and she tries to keep them on track as they careen through the movie.
“Being cast in this film was a little bit surreal,” she adds, “because we shot Wonder Woman at Warner Bros. and The Dukes of Hazzard filmed two soundstages down from ours!”
“When we started casting the film, we made a conscious effort to hire as many true Southerners as possible because we all felt it would give the film a more authentic feel,” explains Chandrasekhar. “Johnny Knoxville, Jessica Simpson, Willie Nelson, Burt Reynolds, M.C. Gainey and David Koechner are from the South and they inherently understand the tone and flavor of the material.”
The Dukes of Hazzard (2005)
Directed by: Jay Chandrasekhar
Starring: Johnny Knoxville, Seann William Scott, Jessica Simpson, Burt Reynolds, Heather Hemmens, Mitch Braswell, Rusty Tennant, Heather Hemmens, David Leitch, Dolan Wilson
Screenplay by: Jonathan Davis, John O’Brien, Broken Lizard
Production Design by: Jon Gary Steele
Cinematography by: Lawrence Sher
Film Editing by: Jay Chandrasekhar, Lee Haxall, Myron I. Kerstein
Costume Design by: Genevieve Tyrrell
Set Decoration by: Traci Kirshbaum
Art Direction by: Chris Cornwell, Simon Dobbin
Music by: Nathan Barr
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for sexual content, crude and drug-related humor, language and comic action violence.
Distributed by: Warner Bros. Pictures
Release Date: August 5, 2005
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