The Dukes (TV series)

Plot

The animated series centers on the Duke boys and their cousin Daisy as they race around the globe against Boss Hogg, Sheriff Rosco P. Coltrane, and Rosco’s basset hound Flash. The prize money is what the Dukes need to prevent Boss Hogg from foreclosing on the family farm, though Hogg wants both the cash and the land for himself. To stop the Dukes, Hogg, Rosco, and Flash hatch various schemes that backfire in comedic ways. Most episodes unfold through a postcard that Uncle Jesse Duke reads aloud to his pet raccoon, Smokey.

The first season took place while the live-action series temporarily replaced its original actors with similar characters, Coy and Vance Duke, after Tom Wopat and John Schneider left due to a merchandise royalty dispute. Consequently, Coy and Vance appeared throughout the first season of this cartoon. Bo and Luke took over from Coy and Vance in the second season’s first episode, “Boss O’Hogg and the Little People,” after Wopat and Schneider returned to the live show when the dispute ended near the close of its fifth season. That episode also introduced a new opening sequence and voiceover to reflect the character swap.

The show’s route made no geographic sense; for example, back-to-back episodes visited Venice, Morocco, the Arctic Ocean, London, Greece, India, Uzbekistan, Hong Kong, and Scotland.

Cast

Byron Cherry voiced Coy Duke in the first season, and Christopher Mayer voiced Vance Duke in the first season. Tom Wopat voiced Luke Duke in the second season, and John Schneider voiced Bo Duke in the second season. Catherine Bach voiced Daisy Duke, Denver Pyle voiced Uncle Jesse Duke, James Best voiced Sheriff Rosco P. Coltrane, and Sorrell Booke voiced Boss Hogg. Frank Welker voiced Flash, Smokey, and The General Lee. Live-action co-stars and supporting characters Waylon Jennings, Ben Jones, Sonny Shroyer, and Rick Hurst did not appear in this cartoon version. Additional voice actors included Jack Angel, Chris Anthony (Season 1), Jered Barclay (Season 1), Michael Bell (Season 1), Susan Blu (Season 2), Bill Callaway (Season 1), Rick Cimino (Season 2), Phil Clarke, Peter Cullen (Season 1), Keene Curtis, Jennifer Darling (Season 1), Dick Erdman, Pat Fraley (Season 2), Linda Gary (Season 1), Joan Gerber (Season 1), Gary Goren (Season 2), Joy Gronic (Season 2), Ernest Harada (Season 1), Phil Hartman (Season 2), Bob Holt, Arte Johnson (Season 2), Stanley Jones, Paul Kirby, Peter Leeds (Season 1), Sherry Lynn (Season 2), Ken Mars (Season 1), Edie McClurg (Season 1), Scott Menville (Season 1), Larry Moss (Season 1), Laurel Page (Season 1), Pat Pinney (Season 2), Henry Polic II (Season 1), Tony Pope (Season 1), Phil Proctor (Season 1), Bob Ridgely (Season 1), Neil Ross (Season 1), Mike Rye (Season 1), Marilyn Schreffler (Season 1), Hal Smith (Season 1), John Stephenson, Janet Waldo (Season 2), and Alan Young (Season 2).