Customer Reviews

The Dukes of Hazzard: The Unofficial Companion

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The Dukes Of Hazzard: The Unofficial Companion is an excellent, well researched book on the classic TV series of 1979-1985. Everything you want to know about the show is all here: from cast and crew interviews, along with bundles of information, and great pictures, this book has it all. It also includes a section on the 1997 TV reunion movie, and even has a section on how to build your own General Lee, the Dukes' trusted 1969 Dodge Charger! Author David Hofstede did a wonderful job on this book which I think should have been called The Official Companion, because it really reads like one. It even includes a foreword written by Daisy Duke herself, actress Catherine Bach. For an Unofficial Companion, this book is just a great read page by page! To all fans of the Dukes of Hazzard TV series, I highly recommend this book!

There's also the upcoming second reunion TV movie, "The Dukes Of Hazzard: Hazzard in Hollywood" on the CBS network to be aired on May 19th, so don't miss it! I wonder if they'll publish an updated edition of this book to include this new TV reunion film?

David Hofstede did an excellent job on his look back at the Dukes. From the history behind the scenes before the show premiered all the way to what the cast members are doing now, David leaves no stone unturned and no creek unjumped.

Most every living cast member from the series was interviewed (well, the important ones at least). The book also features interviews with the late Denver Pyle and a fun foreword with anecdotes from Daisy Duke herself, Cathy Bach.

The Dukes Of Hazzard: The Unofficial Companion is an excellent, thoroughly researched book on the classic TV series of 1979-1985. Everything you wanted to know about this show is all here: from cast and crew interviews, pictures, various behind-the-scenes information, an episode guide with critical comments (including a section on the 1997 TV reunion movie), a merchandise listing of every Dukes of Hazzard product made at the time, as well as a list of various fan websites on the show (although some of these links listed in the book may now be defunct), this book just has it all! Author David Hofstede did a wonderful job on this book about one of the greatest TV shows of the 1980s.

This book also includes a foreword written by one of the show's regular stars, actress Catherine Bach, Daisy Duke herself!

To all fans of the Dukes of Hazzard TV series, I highly recommend this book to your reading collection! You will not regret it.

The Dukes of Hazzard is the greatest theatrical production of all time and this is the greatest book of all time!

There! Only the maximum praise can be given to this incredible tome! This book is not only a must have for Dukes of Hazzard fans, but a must have for the human race! We are not advancing properly as a species if Renaissance Books does not translate this great work in to ALL languages, so that every human culture of the world can properly enjoy and digest the story of the greatness, no, awesomeness, no, HUMAN PERFECTION THAT IS THE DUKES OF HAZZARD!

Hofstede tells tales that any fan of years gone by or the ever developing new fans that follow the show on TNN had to have wondered when they watched the show from 1979-85 or over six months in re-runs. The dumbing down of Rosco Pervis Coltrane. The change of the show from what I honestly believe were the five greatest episodes of television ever in the very beginning to the eventual dumbing down. There are so many tales around the Dukes. Hofstede explains almost all of them.

First up, there is the Jerry Rushing/Gy Waldron feud. Waldron, the writer credited for saving One Day at a Time and the guiding force behind "Billionare Boys Club" created the show, and relied heavily on many stories told to him by Rushing, a North Carolina bootlegger in the '50's and '60's who made an appearance in the Dukes' third episode as Ace Parker. If you listen to Rushing, many of the show's characters were taken from his own life. Waldron, however, did meet with 12 bootleggers. I have enjoyed great conversations with both gentlemen. Waldron does admit he used Rushing's stories, but not to the extent Rushing believes. Rushing claims that Waldron couldn't sell his stories until meeting with him, and doesn't respect Waldron's writing ability. Norman Lear, the driving force behind television comedies of the 1970's, believes Waldron is a good writer. If you think this is a difficult tale to weave, you're right. And Hofstede does it with class and accuracy, reporting not a "he said, she said" story, but an accurate tale that leaves both men coming off well, as they should.

You read how Dukes went from being a show based on Waldron's life experiences and research of moonshiners, to a Hollywoodized version of a country comedy written by the driving force behind such unfunny "think pieces" as Gilligan's Island, McHale's Navy, Good Times, and McDuff, the Crime Dog.

After a gradual dumbing down of the show for the first four seasons, we learn how talented the actors and actresses on the show really were. For it was Waldron's characters and the foundation that the actors created for them in the early episodes that carried the show, and Hofstede accurately reveals the writing staff's lack of respect for the show and for Waldron's creation, and how the cast hated them for it.

By the time Coy and Vance came in, the Scab Duke Boys, the foundation Tom Wopat and John Schneider laid out was gone, and certainly Bruce Howard and Co's writing couldn't sustain the show. Hence, the negative reactions that Dukes has developed at times. Hofstede again tastefully explains the contractual disputes of Wopat and Schneider and why they left the show, and gives the reader an understanding and appriciation of both the actors and Warner Brothers' side of the tale. And Hofstede adds poigant commentary that Dukes became a true family show after the none-to-soon departure of Coy and Vance, how the writing improved, and how the show was able to stay on for another couple of years because of that.

Oh, there are nitpicks. Devoting a chapter on the city of Hazard, KY (and native Kentuckian Waldron WAS influenced by the name of this town in naming his series) is a stroke of genius, and Hofstede does another superb job of illustrating what the series did for the local lifestyle and economy of the town. But why not also Covington, Georgia, the location of the first and best Dukes episodes, the real life Hazzard County where many of the filming sights of the show (such as the Boar's Nest on Flat Rock Rd and Oxford College campus) still stand today? And there's a major boo-boo on pg. 136. Dave, that's a Ford Torino, not a Dodge Charger that hasn't been repainted to a General Lee, chasing the Dukes in ep. 10, "Deputy Dukes". I also enjoyed how Hofstede wrote his episode guides, not revealing the entire story but rather giving us a taste so we HAVE to catch it again.

I do not ask that you buy this book. I am not telling you to buy this book. But your life will be greatly more fulfilled and happy if and when you read this work of greatness from cover to cover and feature it in your library.

Being a huge dutch Dukes fan, triggered by the second re-run here in the Netherlands, I started looking around for background info on the series. Bought the book second hand here on Amazon. It's an absolute must-read for any Dukes fan; great book.

I gave this book to my son for his birthday. He and my younger son are die hard Dukes of Hazzard Fans. The series started when my youngest son was about 5, and he LIVED to watch it every Friday night. He loved the book.

An EXCELLENT synopsis of all 145 episodes, laden with background and backstage gritz'n'grease which kept me awake until 2:30 a.m. checking it all out. The only thing keeping it from 5 starz was, although there are photo-shots galore of the cast, there was little else by way of visual viagra. For instance, no display of Main Street Hazzard County, or the Boar's Nest, Flash, Daisy's jeep Dixie, or even a full-length of the General. We have the partial on the cover in front of (a partial of) the Hazzard Garage, but that's it. Still, this old boy's worth its shillings for its literary content, after all, it IS an "unofficial" companion. Hot pursuit!

This is a great read for any Dukes of Hazzard fan. The author gives a detailed history describing Waldron's inspirations for the show, facts on the personal and acting history of each cast member, as well as an episode by episode discussion of all eight seasons! Even guest stars are discussed. I found out many interesting unknown facts about the guest stars which made the show even more fun to watch (for instance, I didn't not know that the lady playing the character of Sherry Tolliver in the episode 'The Rustlers' was the future Mrs. James Best.) The author then ends it all by giving updates on each member of the cast. Hats off to Hofstede for a job well done!

This book misses nothing! Instructions for building a General Lee, cast biographies, episode list and guide, merchandise list, even website listings! Folks, if you like the Dukes Of Hazzard or just want to learn more about the show, this is definetly the book for you! It will introduce you to a show that when it aired, became a part of everyone's family night! Unofficial companion couldn't have been a better title. Dukes fans will keep this book at their side 24-7!

In the late 1970s, the highlight of the week for most 4th and 5th Graders at Huegel Elementary School in Madison, WI was the Friday night TV lineup on CBS: The Incredible Hulk, The Dukes of Hazzard, and Dallas. Of this trio, "The Dukes" was truly the "alpha TV show". Any youngster not prepared to discuss the past weekend's Dukes episode on Monday morning was clearly an outcast.

Yours truly, an educated suburban professional who lives far from the back woods of the deep south where the "Dukes" was set, proudly pleads guilty to occasionally tuning in to cable's Nashville Network to catch an episode. Watching the show brings back memories of childhood innocence, and the show is, in fact, laugh-out-loud hilarious.

David Hofstede brings back those childhood memories in his guide to "The Dukes".

Hofstede argues that although the show was never a hit with culturally elite intellectual snobs, it was a big hit in middle America . . . and the author points out, correctly, that the show embodied noble themes of:

family values: the genuine affection within the Duke family and their friends

doing what's right: Uncle Jesse and the Duke boys and Cooter always helped those in need and were always honest

good triumphing over evil: Boss Hogg always lost . . . and even as the bad guy, Boss Hogg never had any schemes that posed physical harm to others or involved drugs or other "heavy duty" crime.

Moreover, the show had its theatrical merits . . .Hofstede agreed with what I've always said when forced to defend my enjoyment of the show, which is that Boss Hogg and Roscoe were one of the funniest comedy duos in the history of television.

The book includes a complete episode guide. Also quite interesting is a detailed discussion of when John Schneider and Tom Wopat (Bo and Luke) went on strike for the majority of one of the seasons, and were replaced by look-alikes Vance and Coy. Vance and Coy never developed any chemistry with each other, other cast members, or the viewers.

Although his retrospective is mainly one of fondness for the show, Hofstede does not hesitate to provide criticism where it is due. For example, in the synopsis of episode 143, "Strange Visitor to Hazzard", one of the more ridiculous episodes (featuring a little green alien who lands in Hazzard), the author warns viewers to keep a barf bag nearby for when Luke calls the space man "L'il cousin".

Loyal visitors will enjoy ample trivia about the show, retrospectives from many of the actors and actresses, a good collection of photos, and "where are they now" tidbits about the cast.

Thumbs up.