The Dukes of Hazzard Series Two
The Dukes of Hazzard settled into a comfortable run in
season two. The show,
originally shot on location in Covington, Georgia, was now permanently produced
on a backlot in Burbank, California. While a couple of cast members (Ben Jones,
who plays mechanic Cooter Davenport, and James Best, who portrays Sheriff Rosco
P. Coltrane) briefly boycotted the series in its second year (ushering in a
parade of brief replacements, including Mickey Jones of the New Christy
Minstrels, Dick Sargent of Bewitched, and James Hampton of F Troop), the actors
relaxed into their now thoroughly cartoonish characters.
What else can one say, throughout season two:
The General Lee, the souped-up '69, orange Dodge Charger that belongs to cousins
Bo (John Schneider) and Luke (Tom Wopat) Duke, has a full tank and is ready to
ride. The Duke boys, scions of a proud--though reformed--moonshining family, are
still on probation with the law but continue to root out the criminal schemes of
diminutive villain Boss Hogg (Sorrell Brooke) and his Wile E. Coyote-like
lackey, Sheriff Coltrane. Uncle Jesse (Denver Pyle) is still a fount of grizzled
wisdom as well as Boss Hogg's old whiskey-running nemesis. Cousin Daisy
(Catherine Bach) still burns up the road with her short-shorts, and Coltrane's
deputies Enos (Sonny Shroyer) and Cletus (Rick Hurst) remain idiots with an edge
of sympathy. Season 2 highlights include a funny fan favorite called "The Ghost
of General Lee" (also co-star Schneider's favorite episode), in which Bo and
Luke are assumed to have drowned when their stolen car ends up at the bottom of
a pond. Hearing that Boss Hogg plans to blame them anyway for a theft they
didn't commit, the Duke boys haunt him and Coltrane with apparitions of the
General Lee as a "ghost." NASCAR legend Cale Yarborough makes an appealing guest
in a story about the development of a secret turbo charger and Hogg's effort to
steal it, while Loretta Lynn turns up as herself in a damsel-in-distress tale,
featuring the country superstar as a kidnapped hostage. "Witness for the
Persecution" introduces a recurring theme on Dukes: Occasions in which the vile
Hogg must be protected from his enemies by hiding out with (gasp) the Dukes. The
best of The Complete Second Season, however, may be "Days of Shine and Roses,"
in which Hogg and Uncle Jesse, after watching a film of their old
moonshine-delivery exploits with the Ridge Runners Association, get into an
argument about who was best and decide to resolve the question with a grudge
race. Special features include Wopat and Schneider's screen tests, and a
documentary about the Dukes' 25th anniversary festival in Tennessee, featuring
series stars and stunt drivers. --Tom Keogh
Season Two
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
62 of 68 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars One of the Best Comedy/Adventure Shows "(Good Ol' Boys), November 3, 2004
By Metch
This review is from: The Dukes of Hazzard - The Complete Second Season (DVD)
The Dukes of Hazzard aired from January 26, 1979 to August 16, 1985 for a total of 7 seasons and 145 episodes.
Season 2 contain 23 episodes originally aired as follows:
#14. Days of Shine and Roses (September 21,1979)
#15. Gold Fever (September 28,1979)
#16. The Rustlers (October 5,1979)
#17. The Meeting (October 12,1979)
#18. Road Pirates (October 19,1979)
#19. The Ghost of General Lee (October 26,1979)
#20. The Dukes Meet Cale Yarborough (November 2,1979)
#21. Hazzard Connection (November 9,1979)
#22. Witness for the Persecution (November 16,1979)
#23. Granny Annie (November 23,1979)
#24. People's Choice (November 30,1979)
#25. Arrest Jesse Duke (December 14,1979)
#26. Duke of Duke (January 4,1980)
#27. The Runaway (January 11,1980
#28. Follow That Still (January 18,1980)
#29. Treasure of Hazzard (January 25,1980)
#30. Officer Daisy Duke (February 1,1980)
#31. Find Loretta Lynn (February 8,1980)
#32. Jude Emery (February 15,1980)
#33. Return of the Ridgerraiders (February 22,1980)
#34. Mason Dixon's Girls (February 29,1980)
#35. R.I.P. Henry Flatt (March 14,1980)
#36. Southern Comfurts (March 21,1980)
Five seasons and a total of 109 episodes remains until we all have the full collection. Plus, I would like to see the CBS (120 Minutes) MADE-FOR-TELEVISION MOVIE aired on: April 25, 1997 and the name of the movie is "The Dukes of Hazzard: Reunion".
There is also the Enos and The Dukes Cartoon Series (November 12, 1980 - May 20, 1981) which I also would like to see released on DVD sets.
30 of 34 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars It is Great To Have the "Good Ol' Boys" Back, January 28, 2005
By Scott Kolecki
This review is from: The Dukes of Hazzard - The Complete Second Season (DVD)
It is very exciting to have the original series, "The Dukes of Hazzard" available on DVD after so many years. The shows absence on television, due largely to its contriversal "star" the confederate flag bearing General Lee, has been a generations long frustrations to fans of the series who grew up with the show as part of their childhood culture. The fact is, the show presents about as much racism as it does deep intellectual thought...this was a show about being a couple of "good ol' boys" fighting the system to help anyone they could. The show itself presented family values, the triumph of good over evil and more laughs and action than anything available on television today....and all without the crude (and often graphic) portrayals of drugs, sex and violence that is synonymous with todays media programming.
The central story surrounds Bo and Luke Duke, two cousins who are sent to live with their uncle Jessie and cousin Daisy after being placed on parole for running moonshine in a "dry" county. The boys, reckless and mischevous, go about the affairs of their family while trying to keep their noses clean, despite the best efforts of Boss Hogg and Sheriff Roscoe to bring them down. Hogg, Hazzard's "criminal mastermind" heads up the corrupt (but ever bumbling) police department, and is always scheming to bust the Duke boys for anything possible, since he, too, was a moon-shiner in competition with the Duke family.
Confused? Well, its hard to pack seven years of backstory into a couple short paragraphs. Let me say that this is a series for all ages...created in a time that was more innocent than the world of today. Boys will love the bright orange "01 General Lee" which is as much a leading member of the cast as is any of the actors themselves. Girls will love the Duke Boys, Bo (John Schneider (SMALLVILLE)), and Luke (Tom Wopat (ANNIE GET YOUR GUN)). Parents will love the comedic, often silly, antics of the show combined with the appearant lack of "all that stuff" that makes T.V. viewing so jaded today. Its a family friendly show with a little bit of something for everybody.
This DVD set contains the complete second season of the show along with outtakes, audio commentary from the cast and enough extras to keep even hardcore Dukes of Hazzard fans coming back for more. The digital "clean-up" of the show has restored the original quality of video and audio to as good - or even better - than it originally looked and sounded in 1979-1980.
THis is a must have for fans of the show, and for anyone looking for something fun to watch with the whole family. Give it a try...I am sure you will love it.
-Scott Kolecki
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Very nicely done, January 26, 2005
By Paul Binder
This review is from: The Dukes of Hazzard - The Complete Second Season (DVD)
Warner Bros. should be proud of this product. Everything from the packaging to the great looking episodes themselves. Its very nicely done!! And, NO...I don't work for Warner Bros. As a long time Duke's fan, I've always felt that the 2nd Season was the best season overall. Its really great to see them all un-edited also. The most popular season of the Dukes is Season 3, with the "Carnival of Thrills", with a little luck, Warner Bros. will make that DVD later this year. Maybe for that DVD, the cast can be re-united again to talk about episodes from all of the released DVD's. Its always interesting to hear about memories from certain episodes from the cast! The Dukes 2nd Season DVD is excellent! Thanks.
|
|