The Dukes of Hazzard was one of the most popular TV shows in the late 1970s and early 1980s. It was so popular, in fact, that a movie was recently made with the same title and plot of
the show which ended its run in 1985. But there are many things you may not have known about the show even if you were one of its biggest fans.
Luke’s real name was Lucas and his middle initial is K., although nobody knows for sure what the K stands for. Luke is the older of the two cousins and he is a USMC veteran and a former boxer, which is why he is more physical than his younger, fair-haired cousin, Bo.
Bo’s character’s real name was Beauregard. He is the more impulsive of the two cousins and he is also a former stock car driver. He was named after Uncle Jesse’s mule, which was also named Beauregard in the movie on which the TV show was based.
The TV show “The Dukes of Hazzard” was based on a movie named “Moonrunners.” This movie stared Kiel Martin and James Mitchum as the two cousins and it also had Waylon Jennings as the balladeer. In addition, the movie and TV series both had The Boar’s Nest as the popular tavern and Uncle Jesse is basically the same character in both.
Daisy Duke worked at The Boars Nest, the tavern owned by Boss Hogg, as a result of a deal made between Hogg and Uncle Jesse. In exchange for her working at the tavern, the family was given a lower interest rate on their mortgage so the cousins could pay for the entrance fee for a stock car race that they wanted to enter.
Uncle Jesse and Boss Hogg had a love/hate relationship that spanned decades. They were both ridge runners in their younger days and they were in direct competition with each other, which is why they have an obvious feud in the TV series. However, they would help each other out in dire circumstances.
Roscoe P. Coltrane’s middle name was Purvis. He was the brother-in-law of Boss Hogg. In early episodes, it is mentioned that Coltrane was an honest lawman for 20 years, but when his pension was taken away, he went into corrupt business with Boss Hogg to help fund his retirement.
These are just a few of the facts that make watching
The Dukes of Hazzard a little more fun. Next time you watch the Duke boys on TV, you’ll have some inside information that those around you probably aren’t privy to.
