The original (X-rated?) Dukes Of Hazzard!

[kipper15]

Seeing an advert for the forthcoming "Dukes of Hazzard Vol.1" DVD - soon to be released on R2 over here - prompted me to think of a film I saw on TV some years ago which was without doubt a film which later was used as the basis for the TV series. However, the film I saw was far removed from the fun, all-round-family-entertainment show that graced our TV screens on Saturday evenings in the late 70s and early 80s.

I didn't see the film in its entirety...I stumbled across it during a spot of late-night channel-hopping. IIRC the characters were basically the same as the TV series and the names of the characters were identical, or at least near-identical, to the TV show characters.

However, this film - which appeared to be made in the early or mid 70s (going by the hairstyles and fashions) played more like a toned-town Russ Meyer flick!!! Yep, the 'Daisy' character I remember seeing naked in a lake and there was quite a lot of bad or at least not what I call "family-friendly" language! The characters were a lot harder and meaner than the TV counterparts and the film played much more a like a drama than a comedy.

Now, it's been buggin' me for a few days...I can't remember what this film was. I've tried searching on imdb.com and other sites but can find no reference to this movie. I remember at the time being a little shocked at how different it was to the light-hearted TV series which it obviously inspired - with the obvious exception that this was close to, if not an actual X-rated movie. I mean, "Daisy" in the nude and "Boss Hogg" and "Rosco" really were nasty!

Any film gurus on the forum able to put me out of my misery?

Cheers

[Pope V]

Moonrunners - 1975

http://us.imdb.com/Title?0071854

[guy incognito]

I've seen Moonrunners and can definitely see where "Dukes" might have been aspired by it. It wouldn't be the first time a straight-faced movie was reworked into a TV comedy; remember when Scorcese's somber Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore became the sitcom "Alice"?

Of course, I always thought the success of Smokey and the Bandit was the biggest inspiration for "Dukes"...

[lsupro]

This is all news to me....

Thanks

[-=Rudy=-]

For thinking it was X-rated, IMDB showed a "PG" rating. Hmmm....just what HAVE you been watching?? ;)

[kipper15]

Thanks guys....it was frustrating the hell out of me why I couldn't remember the name of the film! Now I've been put out of my misery :)

Well, looking at reviews of the movie it seems I was right - some of the characters in the "Moonrunners movie" were almost identical to the later TV series...the 'girl' was a runaway though, not a relative of the the Uncle and his two nephews.

As for me thinking "Moonrunners" may have been X-rated, well the film seemed to have quite a lot of swearing (from what I remember) and was much more 'serious' in tone than the obviously watered-down TV series which it inspired and followed some years later. Interesting that Waylon Jennings did the music for both this film and the DOH TV series.

And as I mentioned in the initial post, I do seem to recall some brief/mild female nudity. Well, if it was a PG then so be...I doubt imdb.com's rating is incorrect, then again films like "Airplane" have been graded PG, and that has its share swearing and nudity too!

Cheers,

[Casemeister]

"Moonrunners" WAS where the Dukes came from, and, yeah, Waylon did the music for both. It's a shame a soundtrack was never issued, as he did a fantastic song called "Today Is Mine" that never made it to any record. Great lyrics and just an all-round cool ballad.