Moonrunners | |
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![]() Theatrical release poster | |
Directed by | Gy Waldron |
Written by | Gy Waldron |
Produced by | Robert B. Clark |
Starring | James Mitchum Kiel Martin Arthur Hunnicutt Chris Forbes |
Narrated by | Waylon Jennings |
Cinematography | Brian W. Roy |
Edited by | William Chulack Avrum Fine |
Music by | Waylon Jennings |
Distributed by | United Artists |
Release date |
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Running time | 110 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Moonrunners is a 1975 action comedy film starring James Mitchum, about a Southern family who runs bootleg liquor. It was reworked four years later into the popular long-running television series The Dukes of Hazzard , and the two productions share some similarities. Mitchum had co-starred with his father, Robert Mitchum, in the similar drive-in favorite Thunder Road 18 years earlier, which also focused upon moonshine-running bootleggers using fast cars to elude federal agents. Moonrunners, a B movie, was filmed in 1973 and awaited release for over a year. Its soundtrack reflects the outlaw music boom of the 1970s during which the film was released.
The film was written and directed by Gy Waldron and is based on the life and stories of ex-moonshiner Jerry Rushing, who has a small role in the movie as a heavy at the Boar's Nest bar. It is listed in the book The Greatest Movie Car Chases of All Time. [1]
The story is narrated by the Balladeer (Waylon Jennings), who introduces and comments on the story of cousins, Grady and Bobby Lee Hagg, who run bootleg liquor for their uncle Jesse Hagg of Shiloh County.
Uncle Jesse is a Baptist who knows the Bible better than the local preacher. He has been a widower since Aunt Libby died 10 years ago. He still makes liquor, according to his "granddaddy's granddaddy's" recipe, in stills named Molly and Beulah. Every drop is aged two years, and bottled in glass (never plastic). The Haggs have been making their recipe since before the American Revolutionary War, and Jesse only sells to a friend in nearby Florence to ensure that his liquor is never blended with any other.
Bobby Lee (also called "Lee") is a smart-mouthed schemer, named after Confederate General Robert E. Lee. In the opening, Bobby Lee is placed in the Pikkens County jail for a bar fight at the Boar's Nest. On his way home, he helps Beth Ann Eubanks, who is on the run from family trouble in Mississippi. Uncle Jesse lodges her at his home, and Lee courts her.
Grady is a laconic "Romeo" who drives their 1955 Chevrolet stock car (#54, named Traveller after General Lee's horse). Grady is briefly mentioned as probably having a number of children around Shiloh and Tennessee (in the pilot episode of The Dukes of Hazzard, "One Armed Bandits", Bo half-jokes that half of the children in the local orphanage could be his cousin Luke's, although this and similar concepts were quickly dropped as the series found its more family-friendly tone).
The cousins take Beth to the next race at the local track. The other stock-car drivers include "good ol' boy" Zeebo, and Zeebo's lackey Cooter Pettigrew. Zeebo (driving #31) and Cooter (driving #28) team up to beat Grady in the race, leading to a moonlit bootlegger road race between Bobby Lee and Zeebo.
The county boss is Jake Rainey, a friend of Jesse's from the old days, when they both bootlegged for Jesse's father in 1934, and owner of the local bar and brothel. Jake has control of all the other moonshine in the county, and sells it to the New York syndicate (mob). He needs Jesse's supply to fill an order, but Jesse will not sell to Jake, since he would mix it with lesser-quality liquor.
To get at Jesse's supply, Jake uses Sheriff Rosco Coltrane to harass the cousins. At the same time, he uses Zeebo and Reba (Jake's wife who is having an affair with Grady) to goad the boys into a trap. During these events, Uncle Jesse calls Jake "hog" (effectively making Jake "Boss Hogg") as a put-down. Uncle Jesse dies after completing a moonshine run. The cousins, who are on probation and cannot own guns, use a bow with explosive arrows to put Jake Rainey's moonshining factory out of business.
Moonrunners was filmed during the fall of 1973 in Williamson and Haralson, Georgia. Many of the original filming locations have changed significantly since the film was produced. A comprehensive photo journal of filming locations as they exist now is part of the Dukesofhazzard01.com website. [2]
Several names, places, and situations from the film were used in The Dukes of Hazzard, with little or no alteration. [3] [4] [5] Waylon Jennings is the Balladeer, and the Boar's Nest is a tavern in both. Although toned down for the TV series, the relationship between cousins Bo and Luke Duke is similar to that of Bobby Lee and Grady in Moonrunners.
Uncle Jesse is the family patriarch. In both, he is a widowed, bearded moonshiner with strong religious beliefs, raising his nephews. They dress similarly, in overalls and a shirt. The film and series feature a corrupt county boss (Jake Rainey and Boss Hogg) who ran moonshine with Uncle Jesse, owns many local businesses, and bribes local law enforcement. Their opposing views and Jake's dishonesty make the Haggses and Rainey adversaries, as the Dukes and Boss Hogg were in the series. Sheriff Rosco P. Coltrane is a once-honest officer who turned to corruption with the county boss after he was cheated out of his pension. This theme carried over to the end of the first season of the series. Much of the Balladeer's dialogue introducing Rosco in Moonrunners is similar to that in Rosco's first scene in the first episode of The Dukes of Hazzard. In the film and series, the boys have a talented mechanic friend. On probation for running moonshine, they use hunting bows tipped with dynamite since they are forbidden to use firearms.
Other names or roles were altered, while retaining recognizable connections. [3] [4] [5] In the film, Uncle Jesse and the boys have the surname Hagg; in the series, their antagonist's surname is Hogg. In Moonrunners, Beth Ann is an honest, naïve young woman in trouble who is taken in by the Haggs; the character resembles Daisy Duke, a member of the family. The Haggs' stock car is named Traveller after General Lee's horse, and the Dukes' stock car is named The General Lee . Jake Rainey is said to have organized-crime connections, and in early episodes of the TV series, Boss Hogg attempts to ally with a syndicate. Uncle Jesse's mule in the film is named Beauregard, a name which would be given to Bo (Beauregard) Duke in the series.
These actors appeared in both Moonrunners and The Dukes of Hazzard:
The Dukes of Hazzard is an American action comedy television series created by Gy Waldron that aired on CBS from January 26, 1979, to February 8, 1985, with a total of seven seasons consisting of 147 episodes. It was consistently among the top-rated television series in the late 1970s and early 1980s.
The Dukes is a 30-minute Saturday morning animated series based on the live-action television series The Dukes of Hazzard which aired on CBS from February 5 to October 29, 1983. Hanna-Barbera Productions produced the series in association with Warner Bros. Television, producer of the original series. 20 episodes were produced.
Daisy Duke is a fictional character, played by Catherine Bach, from the American television series The Dukes of Hazzard. She is the cousin of Bo and Luke, the protagonists of the show, and the three live on a farm on the outskirts of Hazzard County with their Uncle Jesse.
The Dukes of Hazzard is a 2005 American action comedy film loosely based on the television series of the same name. The film was directed by Jay Chandrasekhar and released on August 5, 2005, by Warner Bros. Pictures. As in the television series, the film depicts the adventures of cousins Bo, Luke, and Daisy, and their Uncle Jesse, as they outfox crooked Hazzard County Commissioner Boss Hogg and Sheriff Rosco P. Coltrane.
Jefferson Davis "J.D." Hogg, known as Boss Hogg, is a fictional character featured in the American television series The Dukes of Hazzard. He was the commissioner of Hazzard County, and the county's political boss. Boss Hogg almost always wore an all-white suit with a white cowboy hat and regularly smoked cigars. He is the namesake of Jefferson Davis, the President of the Confederate States of America. The role of Boss Hogg was played by Sorrell Booke, who performed frequently on radio, stage, television, and film prior to his role in The Dukes of Hazzard. The character was played by Burt Reynolds in the 2005 film.
Richard Douglas Hurst is an American actor who portrayed Deputy Cletus Hogg, Boss Hogg's cousin, in the 1980 to 1983 seasons of The Dukes of Hazzard as well as The Dukes of Hazzard: Reunion! in 1997 and The Dukes of Hazzard: Hazzard in Hollywood in 2000.
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.
Lucas K. "Luke" Duke is a fictional character in The Dukes of Hazzard, an American comedy television series which ran from 1979 to 1985. Played by Tom Wopat in the original TV series, Luke is the dark-haired, older cousin to the character Bo Duke. He is often the one who comes up with plans to get the Duke family out of trouble. He performs more of the physical stunts, while his cousin Bo does most of the driving. Both Duke boys are known for their signature "hood slide" across the General Lee, their 1969 Dodge Charger. Luke acted hypocritically on occasion, most prominently in season 1 episode 6 "Swamp Molly".
Jerry Elijah Rushing was an American best known for his years as a bootlegger or "moonrunner".
The Boar's Nest is a fictional local restaurant and tavern appearing in the television series The Dukes of Hazzard and its various spinoff films and other productions, and the movie Moonrunners.
The Dukes of Hazzard: Reunion! is a 1997 American made-for-television action-adventure film, reuniting the surviving cast members of the 1979–1985 television series The Dukes of Hazzard, which originally aired on CBS on April 25, 1997. The film was directed by Lewis Teague, written by series creator Gy Waldron, and produced by Ira Marvin and Skip Ward.
The Dukes of Hazzard: The Beginning is a 2007 American made-for-television buddy comedy film and a prequel to the 2005 film The Dukes of Hazzard. An edited version of the film originally aired on ABC Family channel on March 4, 2007, and the 'R'-rated and unrated versions were released on DVD March 13.
The Dukes of Hazzard: Hazzard in Hollywood is a 2000 American made-for-television action-adventure comedy film based on the 1979–1985 television series The Dukes of Hazzard which aired on CBS on May 19, 2000.
The "Theme from The Dukes of Hazzard" is a song written and recorded by American country music singer Waylon Jennings. It was released in August 1980 as the second single from the album Music Man. Recognizable to fans as the theme to the CBS comedy adventure television series The Dukes of Hazzard, the song became a #1 hit on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart in 1980.
James Mitchum is an American actor.
The Dukes of Hazzard: Racing for Home is a racing video game published by SouthPeak Interactive that was released for the PlayStation in 1999. The game was later released for Game Boy Color and Microsoft Windows in 2000. It is based on the television show, The Dukes of Hazzard. Waylon Jennings, James Best, Ben Jones, Sonny Shroyer, and Tom Wopat reprised their characters by providing their voices to the PC and PlayStation versions of the game. A sequel titled The Dukes of Hazzard II: Daisy Dukes It Out was released in 2000.
The General Lee is an orange 1969 Dodge Charger driven in the television series The Dukes of Hazzard by the characters the Duke boys, Bo and Luke, along with cousins Coy and Vance. It is known for its signature horn, its police chases, stunts—especially its long jumps—and for having its doors welded shut, leaving the Dukes to climb in and out through the windows. The car appears in every episode but one. The car's name is a reference to Robert E. Lee, general of the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. It bears a Confederate battle flag on its roof, and also has a horn which plays the first 12 notes of the song "Dixie".
Rosco Purvis Coltrane is a fictional sheriff character who first appeared in the 1975 film Moonrunners, which inspired the creation of the American TV series The Dukes of Hazzard.
The Dukes of Hazzard II: Daisy Dukes It Out is a racing video game developed by Sinister Games and published by SouthPeak Interactive in North America and Ubi Soft in Europe for the PlayStation in 2000. It is based on the television series The Dukes of Hazzard, which aired from 1979 to 1985; and is a sequel to the 1999 racing video game The Dukes of Hazzard: Racing for Home, also developed by Sinister Games.
Cooter's Place, also known simply as Cooter's, is the collective name of three museums in the United States, exhibiting memorabilia from the American action comedy TV series The Dukes of Hazzard. The museums are named after Cooter Davenport, one of the main characters in the show.
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