The General Lee

Infobox Automobile|name=The General Lee


aka=Dodge Charger
manufacturer=Chrysler Corporation
production=1969
class=Muscle car
body_style=2-door coupé
platform=FR B-body
transmission=3-speed TorqueFlite automatic
similar=1968–1970

"The General Lee" is the automobile driven by the Duke cousins Bo and Luke in the television series "The Dukes of Hazzard" and was rented to them by Andrew Lane for filming. It is known for the chases and stunts, especially high jumps, in almost every episode, and for having the doors welded up, leaving the Dukes to climb in and out through the windows. The car appears in all but one episode of the series (the third broadcast, "Mary Kaye's Baby"). The car's name is a reference to the Confederate General Robert E. Lee, and indeed the vehicle embodies the Southern United States, bearing as it does a Confederate flag on its roof and a horn which plays a bar from the song "Dixie".

The idea for the "General Lee" was developed from the famous bootlegger Jerry Rushing's car, which was named for General Lee's favorite horse, Traveler. Traveler was also the name of the car in "Moonrunners", the 1975 movie precursor to "The Dukes of Hazzard".

History

Although the exact number of "General Lee"s used varies from different sources, according to Ben Jones ("Cooter" in the show), as well as builders involved with the show, 256 "General Lee"s were used to film the series. Others claim about 321 were used in the series. Approximately seventeen still exist in various states of repair. On average, more than one "General Lee" was used up per show. When filming a jump, anywhere from 500 to 1,000 pounds of sand bags or concrete ballast was placed in the trunk to prevent the car from nosing over. Later in the series the mechanics would raise the front end of the car to keep it from scraping against the ramp causing it to lose speed, thereby providing a cushion for the driver upon landing. Stunt drivers report enjoying the flights but hating the landings. Despite the ballast, the landing attitude of the car was somewhat unpredictable, resulting in moderate to extremely violent forces, depending on how it landed. (On a DVD player, using slower settings will reveal that on many of the jumps the cars literally bent upon impact.) All cars used in large jumps were immediately retired due to structural damage.

From 1979 to 1985, Chargers of 1968 and 1969 vintage were sourced and converted to "General Lee" specifications. Despite popular belief, no 1970 models were used, according to all builders involved over the years. Also, a list containing a Vehicle Identification Number for each Charger used as a "General Lee" was given to Wayne Wooten of the Dodge Charger Registry; no 1970 models were listed. Obtaining cars was not an issue until later years. By that time, the car was the star of the show and Warner Brothers moved building of the cars in house to keep the cars consistent in appearance. Later in the show's run, when it got too hard and/or expensive to continue procuring more Chargers, the producers started using more 'jump footage' from previous episodes (something that had already been done occasionally previously) and in the final season, according to various interviews and segments on the various episode DVD releases, radio-controlled miniatures were occasionally used to the chagrin of several cast members.

Episodes 1 to 5 were filmed in the Georgia towns of Covington and Conyers in November and December 1978. Georgia episode cars consisted of 6 Dodge Chargers. The first General Lees were built by Warner Brothers (WB) and shipped to Georgia where John Marendi (picture car coordinator) labeled the first 3 cars LEE 1, LEE 2, and LEE 3 in no particular order for film editing purposes. LEE 1 [cite web |last=Bell |first=Travis |url=http://www.generalleeone.com/~jimshi2/lee1/homepage/about/about_team_lee1.htm |title=About LEE 1 |publisher=GeneralLeeEnterprises.com |accessdate=2008-01-05] was a 2nd unit car with a full rollcage. It is a 383 V8-powered 1969 Charger equipped with air conditioning (A/C). It was originally code T3 "Light Bronze Metallic" with tan interior, 3 speaker dash, and chrome rocker trim. The car is the only "General Lee" to have appeared in every episode (With the exception of the Coy and Vance episodes). After the now-famous jump over Rosco P. Coltrane's police cruiser by stuntman Craig Baxley, it was stripped of its front seats and 1969-specific grill and taillight panel. LEE 1 was used once more as the "Richard Petty" tire test car in the fourth episode "Repo Men" and afterwards was retired to a junkyard in Georgia, but later bought and restored. It is currently for sale. LEE 2 was also a 2nd unit car with a full rollcage and black interior. It was used for the opening scene in "One Armed Bandits". In this scene, Bo and Luke were chasing Rosco's police cruiser with the "General" after Cooter stole it; during this chase, LEE 2 is shown making a jump(the second that Baxley performed).LEE 3 was the unit 1 close-up car and the first General Lee built by Warner Bros and is seen in the first publicity photos with the doors open and no "01's" on the side. This car was a Charger R/T Special Edition(SE) model. It was powered by a 440 Magnum V8 and also had A/C with power windows and a woodgrain dash. This car had a tan interior and a removable roll bar that allowed installation of a camera for in-car shots. Eventually the first 3 "General Lees" started to show visible damage, so the crew had to start making more. The first "General Lee" built in Georgia was a 1968 Charger converted to look like a 1969; the tail light panel, front grill, and front seats taken from LEE 1 were used. The paint used on these cars was 1975 Corvette Flame Red. Interiors not originally tan were sprayed with SEM brand "Saddle tan" vinyl dye. All of the 6 Georgia "Lees" had a set of crossed flags (a Confederate flag and checkered flag) on the panel between the rear window and trunk lid. The 3 surviving cars went back to California and had the crossed flags removed upon reconditioning. The wheels were 14X7 inch American Racing brand "Vectors" throughout the show and were mounted on P235/70R14 B.F. Goodrich "Radial T/A" tires with the blackwall side facing out.

The Valuzet era

Andre and Renaud Valuzet built "General Lees" for WB from the 2nd season into the 4th season. Viewers can also see two "Georgia" cars used often up into the early second season. LEE 3 and a specially caged car never appearing (but built) in Georgia were used heavily in early California episodes. The Valuzets were somewhat inconsistent in how they built the cars, so this is when the most variations from specification are found. The paint was Flame Red just like the "Georgia" cars, but there does appear to be some variance here: interiors were mostly dyed brown and occasionally SEM Saddle Tan. According to some sources, the Valuzets charged WB $250 a week per car for rental and a lump sum of $2000 to $3000 upon destruction of the vehicles; this included police cars as well. WB mechanics had to maintain the cars at company expense.

The money generated by building "General Lees" financed the Valuzet family project of restoring Gene Autry's Melody Ranch; it had burned in the 1960s. This ranch is where many classic Western flims were shot as well as the television series "Gunsmoke". Today, it is a fully-functional movie ranch where shows like HBO's "Deadwood" are filmed.

The Warner Brothers. era

By 1983, Warner Brothers turned total control of building "General Lee"s to a man named Ken Fritz because the Valuzets were caught selling wrecked cars that had received cosmetic repairs and forged VINs. Fritz didn't have the ya job long before he too was fired and at this point Warner Brothers moved full production in-house. The "General Lee" was now the highlight of the series, and WB received enormous amounts of "Lee"-specific fan mail that nit-picked the inconsistencies of the cars. Because of "General Lee's" fame, WB had their staff mechanics build the cars to a specific appearance, even underneath. All graphics had to meet specifications, all side markers and rocker panel chrome trim were removed; and roll bars and push bars had to meet an exact specification. However, some changes were made before the specifications were laid-out: the push bar became wider, the interior became a light beige color, and the roll bars were covered in a black foam padding. During this period, the only true way for fans to distinguish the 1968 conversions from the 1969 originals is by the shape of the dashpad.

As the WB era rolled on, finding the cars became an issue: Piper Cubs were hired to search for 1968 and 1969 Chargers amongst the populace; the jumped cars were now no longer scrapped after one jump if deemed salvageable, and were repaired and used until they could no longer function; and, as last resort, miniature radio-controlled models were also brought in toward the end of the series to replace most of the big jump stunts, thereby saving more cars - something that proved unpopular with many episode directors (including Tom Wopat) who felt that the models looked too fake. By this time, there was also a rivalry for "TV's greatest car" with the "Knight Rider" series, leading to the models being used more and more for greater jumps to try and out-do that series. Taking full control also saved some money as now WB had the ability to buy cars, recondition them, and use them without paying daily rental fees.

The "General Lee" from "The Dukes Of Hazzard" Motion Picture

At the beginning of the movie, the "General" was a faded orange with a hand-painted "01" on the doors, black steel wheels, standard front bumper, and no Confederate flag. Midway through the film, Cooter repairs the "General" after it's vandalized by Boss Hogg's hirelings. He repaints it a bright orange and adds the well-known trademarks (American Racing "Vector" 10-spoke "turbine" wheels, octagonal "01", black grille guard, Confederate flag on the roof, "Dixie" horn, and "General Lee" above the door window openings). In an era of Political Correctness, the Confederate flag on the roof is made an object of conflict in the movie on two occasions. In the first occasion, the Dukes are stuck in an Atlanta traffic jam. During this time passing drivers make remarks towards them that alternate between cheering the South and condemning them as practicing racism, leaving the Duke boys puzzled; the last to comment says, "Nice roof, redneck!..join the "rest" of us in the twenty-first century?!" and displays obscene hand gestures. Mystified, Bo and Luke slide out of the windows so they could sit on the windowsill to look at the roof and, to their horror, discover the flag. In the second incident, the Dukes wind up with coaldust on their faces, giving them the appearance of driving around in blackface; they stop at a traffic light and some African American youths notice this and the Confederate flag on the "General". The youths come to the conclusion that the Dukes are making a racist statement and are about to give them a physical opinion of their roof graphic and facial appearance. Just as the youths were about to assault Bo and Luke, two black police officers show up and throw the Dukes in jail. The movie "General" not only flies and makes controlled landings, but in the age of "The Fast and the Furious," also drifts with the aid of professional drifter Rhys Millen. During jump scenes, some stunt cars were jumped under their own power by stunt drivers; others had their engines and transmissions removed. The engineless Chargers were then launched without drivers by a gas-driven catapult similar in principle to those used on aircraft carriers. Approximately twenty-four 1968 to 1970 Chargers were used in the film.

Unlike the TV show era "Lees", the movie cars used aftermarket graphic kits. The movie gave them new credibility and are no longer considered to be an inaccurate choice. Otherwise, except for the white letters on the Goodrich "Radial T/A" tires, the exterior of the movie's "close-up" "General Lees" varied little from the TV show cars. The paint was Big Bad Orange (an American Motors Corporation color) rather than Corvette Flame Red; the interior headliner was black instead of tan, an actual roll cage was used; a 3-spoke Grant wood-trimmed steering wheel replaced the standard wheel, an AM/FM stereo radio with Compact Disc player was installed in the dashboard; and the interiors were a custom color vinyl fabric made to look like the dye/paint used in the later eras of the TV show. One still can differentiate the '68 Chargers by looking at the dash pad, but now 1970 Chargers were thrown in the mix. Overall the cars resembled an average "General Lee clone car" from the late 1990s to early 2000s, but the overall flavor of the "General Lee" is still obvious.

Eleven of the cars used for the movie had been purchased from the Luedtke Auto Group. Many of the cars needed extensive restoration and most had been cut up to allow for inside camera views. Luedtke Auto Group has been accused of selling "lemons" to many Mopar enthusiasts and class action lawsuit is being pursued against the company.

Two of the "General Lees" (a 1969 R/T SE and a 1970 made to appear as a 1969) were temporarily sold to Warner Brothers by Everett "J.R." Barton of Wichita, Kansas. The 1970 Charger was used to make the "freeway jump" during the police chase after Bo and Luke escaped from their Atlanta Police Department escorts; it had the longest jump of any "Lee" that appeared on screen. In the "outtakes" it has a less than perfect landing; it veers off toward the guard rail. This particular "General Lee" is once again in running condition and moving under its own power; it still wears its battle scars and can be seen at auto shows in the Midwest.

Engines

Engines in the TV show "General Lee"s varied; 318, 383, and 440 CID V8s were used. However, the "close-up" "Lees" were 383-powered. The special purpose built "Ski Car" (the car that was used for stunts involving driving on the left side or right side wheels with the opposite side wheels in the air) had a 318, as it was lighter weight. Most of the 'workhorse' stunt cars had 318s and 440s. The stunt drivers tended to prefer 440s (a higher performance engine) for jumps, so 440-powered stunt "Lees" were often saved for the higher and longer jumps. Also, though early sound effects led many people to believe otherwise, only a handful of Chargers had manual transmissions; most had "727 TorqueFlite" automatic transmissions. Also in "The Dukes of Hazzard" motion picture Cooter put a 426 Hemi inplace of the 383.

Exit and entry

The General Lee, except in the beginning of the movie, does not have opening doors. In the TV series, it is explained that racing cars have their doors welded shut. In the movie, the car has been repaired after being trashed, but the doors could not be fixed fast enough. The driver and passenger must slide in the window (as in NASCAR). For a running entry, Bo and Luke also slide over the hood rather than walk around the front of the car. However, in the sequel "", the left door was welded shut while the right one was not.

Exhaust systems

Exhaust systems were basic: some had glasspack mufflers, but most had standard exhausts with the pipe cut just before the rear end. The exhaust sound that can be heard on most of the California-era episode "General Lees" is from a "Thrush" brand glasspack. The sounds came from the exhaust systems fitted to the "close-up" cars; the parts used were "Blackjack" brand headers, dual exhausts, and the aforementioned Thrush mufflers. However, the sounds were dubbed in after the scene was filmed.

The original General Lee

The first General Lee ever built, LEE 1, [cite web |last=Huffman |first=John Pearley |url=http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/Features/articleId=119349# |title=The first '69 Dodge Charger to portray The Dukes of Hazzard's "General Lee" returns to its flight line |publisher=edmunds "Inside Line" |date=2007-02-06 |accessdate=2008-01-05] , was salvaged out of a Georgia junkyard in August 2001 by Travis Bell, [cite web |last=Bell |first=Travis |url=http://www.generalleeone.com/ |title=LEE 1: The Return of An American Icon |accessdate=2008-01-05] and Gary Schneider. [cite web |last=Schneider |first=Gary |url=http://www.mygenerallee.com/ |title=Gary Schneider's General Lee |accessdate=2008-01-05] The car has since been fully restored to its on screen appearance. It was officially unveiled to the public November 11, 2006 with John Schneider behind the wheel.It is currently for sale.

References

External links

* [http://www.generalleefanclub.com " The General Lee Fan Club"]
* [http://www.generalleeone.com " The Official Lee1 website"]
* [http://dukesofhazzardhistorian.com " Georgia Era Information"]
* [http://xroads.virginia.edu/~CAP/LEE/hazard.html "TV Guide" article (1982) by David Barry]
* [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0400074/ The 20th Anniversary Hazzard County Barbecue]
* [http://www.hazzardnet.com " HazzardNet.com"]