THE DUKES OF HAZZARD

MOST MEMORABLE

MOMENT THE OUTTAKES DURING THE END CREDITS SHOWING THE STUNTS GOING HAYWIRE

The first decade of the 21st century saw several old television series resuscitated for the big screen. In 2005 it was the turn of arguably the most recognisable celebrity Charger of them all – the orange General Lee of Bo and Luke Duke. The Dukes of Hazzard was based on the 1979-1985 television show, featuring Johnny Knoxville as Luke, Seann William Scott as Bo and Jessica Simpson as Daisy. Burt Reynolds – no stranger to chase movies – turned up as the white-suited Boss Hogg.

The plot – such as it was between the General Lee leaping over handily placed jumps all over Hazzard County – sees the Dukes save their home from being turned into a strip mine and win a local road rally. Much cruder and lacking the more innocent, good-natured fun and charm of the original TV series, the film was nevertheless a financial success and also made a whole new generation appreciate how difficult it was to destroy an orange Dodge Charger, even if it did land on its nose after leaping a river. While between 255 and 325 Chargers were utilised – and mostly destroyed – by the TV show, the movie was at least a little more restrained, with 24 Chargers dating from 1968 to 1970 used during production. Painted in American Motors Corporation Big Bad Orange, the movie cars were generally faithful to the TV vehicles. For some of the more dramatic jumps, a diesel-driven catapult similar to that used on aircraft carriers was employed to launch engine- and gearbox-less cars through the air. Yee-ha!