‘Cooter’ Urges Fans to Skip ‘Dukes’ Movie
‘Cooter’ Urges Fans to Skip ‘Dukes’ Movie (AP)
If television’s “Crazy Cooter” has his way, fans of the “Dukes of Hazzard” may be speeding away from a new movie version of the cornpone classic faster than the Duke boys running from Sheriff Roscoe P. Coltrane.
Ben Jones, a former Georgia congressman who played the wisecracking mechanic on the popular series from 1979-85, said profanity and sexual content in the film make a mockery of the family friendly show. “Basically, they trashed our show,” said Jones, who now lives in the mountains of Washington, Va. “It’s one thing to do whatever movie they want to do, but to take a classic family show and do that is like taking “I Love Lucy” and making her a crackhead or something.”
Jones said he read a script of the movie, which is scheduled to be released next month, and that it contained profanity, “constant sexual innuendo and some very clear sexual situations.” On Wednesday, Jones wrote an open letter to fans on his web site, cootersplace.com, urging them to stay away.
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In the movie, Johnny Knoxville, who made his name on MTV’s controversial stuntfest “Jackass,” and Seann William Scott, who starred in the raunchy “American Pie” movies, play the main characters. Pop star turned reality TV icon Jessica Simpson plays Daisy Duke.
I saw a preview of the movie last night and found the casting of Knoxville and Scott most unfortunate. As with the “Beverly Hillbillies” movie, they had either never seen the show or did not understand its appeal. The Bo and Luke Duke characters are portrayed in the film as idiots, not the clever good ol’ boys (never meanin’ no harm) from the original.
Jones is correct that the television show was aimed at a family audience. Still, by the standards of its day (1979-1985) the show had a lot of sexual inuendo. The Daisy Duke character was certainly there mostly for sex appeal; she didn’t sport those incredibly short “Daisy Duke” cut-off jean shorts and high heels for comfort. Indeed, from the bit shown in the preview, it appears that Jessica Simpson captured the essence of that character nicely.
Has there been any movie remake of an undistinguished television show that hasn’t, in Jones’ words, “trashed” the original?
The whole remake phenomenon is indicative of the uttere lack of creativity amongst the Hollywood executives who are unable to think outside of any preconceived formula.
Next: Barney and Friends, starring Paris Hilton.
what, you think the movies should be more conservative and republican in nature?
what, you think the movies should be more conservative and republican in nature?
I dunno about that (especially since Ben Jones is a Democrat). “Entertaining” would be nice, though.
Evidently, no one offered Cooter a cameo.