The Dukes of Hazard began in 1975 when Gy Waldron wrote and directed a film called The Moonrunners, based on moonshine smugglers. Waldron later cleaned up the premise and presented it to Warner Bros.
John Schneider was only 18 when he was cast as Bo Duke.
John Schneider got married before he and Tom Wopat went on strike for a season. When they came back in 1983, John Schneider almost always wore his wedding ring in the show.
James Best, who played Rosco P. Coltrane, is a Juilliard-trained Shakespearian actor. He also has a karate black belt!
The "P." in Sheriff Rosco P. Coltrane wasn't added until the 2nd season.
As seen in one episode where Sheriff Roscoe P. Coltrane's middle name was revealed in one episode as being "Purvis".
Sorrell Booke, who played Boss Hogg, was a 1949 graduate of Columbia University.
Sorrell Booke wore padding under his suit when playing over-weight Boss Hogg.
Boss Hogg had a twin brother (Sorrell Booke in a dual role), who appeared in only one episode. He was the literal opposite of Jefferson Davis Hogg - he was law-abiding, wore black, and was called Abraham Lincoln Hogg.
Waylon Jennings provided the voice of the Balladeer for every single episode of the series (as well as singing the theme song), but only ever appeared on-screen in one episode, in the 7th season's 'Welcome, Waylon Jennings', in which he plays himself visiting Hazzard.
Waylon Jennings's band, 'The Waylords', provided the in-episode music for early episodes.
Bo and Luke used bows and arrows instead of guns because the boys were on probation for moonshine running and any use of firearms would be seen as a probation violation.
The show was filmed in southern Gwinnett County, Georgia, in addition to some spots in California.
The real Duke farm and Boar's Nest are in Covington, Georgia, where the first episode was filmed.
The makers of the Dukes Of Hazzard used 1968 and 1970 Dodge Chargers in addition to the regular 1969 Chargers. They were used in close-up shots.
According to Warner Bros., an average of three General Lees were destroyed per episode, thus the reason for the constant building of Second Unit General Lees.
Replacing the old Dodge Chargers ("General Lee") was not easy, as they weren't made anymore. It got to the point where producers would spot a Charger on the street and would approach the owner and offer to buy it on the spot.
There were a total of 229 "General Lee" cars (some of them were 1968 and 1970 model Dodges) created and mostly destroyed during the series. About 20, in various states of disrepair, still exist.
Dodge Chargers used on the show had tan and black interiors. They also had both manual and automatic transmissions. Daisy's Jeep "Dixie" did, too.
The Dixie horn was purchased by Picard and Waldron while traveling in Georgia. They happened to be driving down the highway and heard the distinctive horn. Quickly turning around they caught up with the owner of the vehicle and attemtped to purchase it. After several minutes of bargaining and considerable cash, they acquired this important prop only to find out that the horn was a regular item in the local auto parts store.
The song Dixie was written by a Yank!
The series' third episode, 'Mary Kaye's Baby', is the only episode of the entire run not to feature the General Lee (instead, the Duke boys drive around in a car borrowed from Cooter).
They used 1973 to 1979 Ford trucks for Jesse.
Daisy originally drove a yellow 1973 Plymouth 340 Roadrunner, until the brakes went when Bo and Luke were driving it in the 2nd season episode 'The Runaway' and it went over a cliff - with them getting out just in time. At the end of that episode, she got her white 1979-83 Jeep CJ7, called 'Dixie'.
They used 1977 and 1979 Plymouth Furys for the Hazzard County police car.
Boss Hogg's car was a 1970 Cadillac.
They used 1969 GMC, 1967 Ford tow truck for Cooter's truck.
During the 1981-82 season, 'John Schneider' and Tom Wopat demanded huge raises, claiming they were the keys to the show's success. Producers proved otherwise by replacing the characters of Bo and Luke with Coy and Vance for the '82-'83 season, which barely affected the show's ratings. Schneider and Wopat returned the following year without argument.
Various members of the Dukes cast have directed episodes, including Tom Wopat, James Best, Sonny Shroyer, Denver Pyle, and Sorrell Booke.
Boss Hogg and Enos made cameos on an episode of "Alice". Hogg wanted to take over Mel's Diner, bulldoze it, and put up a shopping mall. He also had Mel rename the diner "Boar's Nest West" in the interim. Enos said that Phoenix was more relaxed because people weren't jumping over rivers in their cars.
John Schneider (Bo) went on to star as Jonathan Kent in "Smallville".
