Bo Duke
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Beauregard "Bo" Duke is a fictional character in the American television series The Dukes of Hazzard, which ran from 1979 to 1985. He was played by John Schneider.
Bo and his cousin Luke Duke (Tom Wopat) live in an unincorporated area of the fictional Hazzard County, in Georgia. Bo and Luke own a 1969 Dodge Charger,named The General Lee, which is painted orange, with the Confederate flag on top, and 01 painted on the sides with the name "General Lee" inscribed above the doors that were welded shut for safety. Bo and Luke evade the corrupt officials of Hazzard County, such as Boss Hogg and Sheriff Rosco P. Coltrane.
The Dukes (including cousin Daisy Duke and Uncle Jesse Duke) were well known for their role in the moonshine business among other interests. Bo and Luke had both been sentenced to probation for illegal transportation of moonshine. As a result, neither was permitted to use firearms, instead preferring to use bow and arrows. It should also be noted that the terms of Bo and Luke's probation included staying within the boundaries of Hazzard County (unless given special permission by their Probation Officer, J.D. Hogg).
Bo (the blond-haired Duke) was the younger of the two Duke boys, and the more impulsive one of the pair. He often reacted to situations without first thinking or planning, and was the one more likely to get into a fight, although Luke was the better fighter (having been in the Marines). In general, it was usually Bo who got the two into trouble. The character of Bo was best known for his rebel yell exclamation of the catchphrase, "Yee-Haa!"
Most of the time, it was Bo who drove The General Lee, while his cousin Luke rode shotgun. Bo was an ex-stock car driver, and he was typically the one known for taking the General off most of its legendary jumps. Because its doors were welded shut, Bo and Luke always had to climb in and out of the car through the windows. Actors John Schneider and Tom Wopat admitted that, on occasions that the roles were reversed and Luke drove, they found it much more difficult to climb in and out of the opposite window to which they were accustomed.
Bo later left Hazzard County, along with his cousin Luke, to join the NASCAR circuit (they both returned the following year).
According to the 1997 Reunion movie, Bo left Hazzard again to pursue a successful NASCAR career, this time without Luke. Shortly before his return to Hazzard, he crashed his car, and is still in Hazzard in the 2000 Hazzard in Hollywood film. Although he was a lifelong bachelor, in the 2000 movie he met a woman named Gabrielle (nicknamed Gabby) in Los Angeles, and convinced her to go Hazzard to be with him.
[edit] Bo Duke in film
Bo Duke was later played by Seann William Scott in the subsequent cinematic version. He was also played by Jonathan Bennett in the prequel film The Dukes of Hazzard: The Beginning.
[edit] Trivia
- Bo and Luke's probation generally indicated that they weren't allowed to leave Hazzard County; however, the exact details of this agreement varied from episode to episode. Sometimes it seemed that if they simply set foot outside of Hazzard they would be breaking probation, whereas other times they seemed able to leave as long as they were back by a certain time. And just how they were able to leave to race on the NASCAR circuit in the fifth season was never explained, but their probation was back in place when they returned.
- Bo's famous "Yee-Haa" call was actually used for both Bo and Luke. For example, at the end of the opening credits, where it sounds like both Bo and Luke are calling it, it is actually Bo's call used twice. Tom Wopat (Luke) didn't start to master it for himself until the mid-second season.
- The images of John Schneider as Bo during the opening credits were updated in the fourth season (even though they were still from the first few episodes, "One Armed Bandits" and "Mary Kaye's Baby"), whereas the rest of the cast generally had the same shots throughout the run.
- When the role of Bo Duke was being cast, the producers wanted a "country boy" around the age of twenty-five, so the then-eighteen year old John Schneider showed up for his audition driving a beat-up pickup truck and lied about his age so he could get the role.
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