Wondering About The General Lee.

General Robert E. Lee was the commander of the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia.

No, I am not talking about that Robert E. Lee but this Robert E. Lee depicted in this painting:

Yep, it shows a typical chase by the local sheriff who was under the control of the evil Boss Hogg.  I remember that show, The Dukes of Hazard, very well and enjoyed watching it although I knew no automobile could withstand the terrible and exciting stuff that they put that car though and survive.

Do you remember the three who usually rode in that car?  Yep, they were Bo and Luke along with their cousin, Daisy.  Here is a picture of all three of them and the famous car:

 These characters along with Uncle Jesse made up most of the cast, along with Waylon Jennings who sang the theme song, but the most famous member and the one that got the most fan mail, was the car, The General Lee.

Here is a composite picture showing many of its huge, huge jumps.

No car could take that kind of punishment and survive.  Even though the cars used as The General Lee had beefed up suspension and a protective push bar on the front, they demolished at least one car per episode.  The producers sent people out to purchase all the Dodge Chargers they could find around the 1969 vintage.  They also loaded the trunk with either concrete or lead weight to keep the car from flipping over during the long jumps, and they tampered with the brakes to allow it to allow it to make those 180 degree turns.

Do you remember the tune that the car's horn played?  It was the first 12 notes of "Dixie".  To me, it was a silly show, but fun to watch.  Yes, I watched it and I bet some of you did, too.  Now if you venture out today don't drive like the Dukes but be safe and have a great day, you hear?

P.S., the reason I wrote about them today is that on this day in 1978, the General Lee made its first jump over a police car and that jump (16 feet high and 82 feet long) made TV history.