Luke Duke
Encyclopedia
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
in the American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
television series The Dukes of Hazzard
The Dukes of Hazzard
The Dukes of Hazzard is an American television series that aired on the CBS television network from 1979 to 1985.The series was inspired by the 1975 film Moonrunners, which was also created by Gy Waldron and had many identical or similar character names and concepts.- Overview :The Dukes of Hazzard...
which ran from 1979 to 1985. Luke was played by Tom Wopat
Tom Wopat
Tom Wopat is an American actor and singer. He first achieved fame as Luke Duke in the long-running 1979 television series The Dukes of Hazzard, along with John Schneider. He also played Jeff, one of Cybill Shepherd's ex-husbands in the TV series Cybill.-Life and career:Wopat was born in Lodi,...
.
Luke, and his younger cousin Bo Duke
Bo Duke
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. The name of Beauregard may have been chosen after the famous Confederate General P.G.T. Beauregard.Bo and his cousin Luke Duke live in...
live in an unincorporated area
Unincorporated area
In law, an unincorporated area is a region of land that is not a part of any municipality.To "incorporate" in this context means to form a municipal corporation, a city, town, or village with its own government. An unincorporated community is usually not subject to or taxed by a municipal government...
of the fictional Hazzard County, in Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
. Luke and Bo own a 1969 Dodge Charger, nicknamed The General Lee
The General Lee
The General Lee is the modified Dodge Charger driven by the Duke cousins Bo and Luke in the television series The Dukes of Hazzard. It is known for the chases and stunts, especially high jumps, in almost every episode, and for having the doors welded shut, leaving the Dukes to climb in and out...
, which is painted orange, with the Confederate Flag on top, and 01 painted on the sides. Luke and Bo evade the corrupt politicians of Hazzard County, such as Boss Hogg
Boss Hogg
Jefferson Davis "J.D." Hogg, better known as "Boss" Hogg, is a fictional character featured in the American television series The Dukes of Hazzard. He was the greedy, unethical commissioner of Hazzard County. A stereotypical villainous glutton, Boss Hogg always wore an all-white suit with a white...
and Sheriff Rosco P. Coltrane
Sheriff Rosco P. Coltrane
On the American TV series The Dukes of Hazzard, Rosco Purvis Coltrane is the bumbling sheriff of Hazzard County and right-hand man of its corrupt county commissioner, Jefferson Davis "J.D." Hogg ....
.
The Duke family, including cousin Daisy Duke
Daisy Duke
Daisy Mae Duke is a fictional character, played by Catherine Bach, from the American television series The Dukes of Hazzard. She was the cousin of Bo and Luke, the main protagonists of the show, who were also cousins, and the three lived on a farm on the outskirts of Hazzard County with their Uncle...
and Uncle Jesse Duke, is well known for their role in the moonshine
Moonshine
Moonshine is an illegally produced distilled beverage...
business among other interests. Bo and Luke had both been sentenced to probation
Probation
Probation literally means testing of behaviour or abilities. In a legal sense, an offender on probation is ordered to follow certain conditions set forth by the court, often under the supervision of a probation officer...
for illegal transportation of moonshine. As a result, neither was permitted to use firearms, instead preferring to use bow and arrows
Bow (weapon)
The bow and arrow is a projectile weapon system that predates recorded history and is common to most cultures.-Description:A bow is a flexible arc that shoots aerodynamic projectiles by means of elastic energy. Essentially, the bow is a form of spring powered by a string or cord...
. It should also be noted that the terms of Bo and Luke's probation included staying within the boundaries of Hazzard County (unless given special permission by their Probation Officer, who happened to be Boss Hogg).
Of the two Duke boys, Luke was considered to be the more intelligent, "cool-headed" one. Where Bo was the one known to get the two into trouble, Luke was the one who usually got them out of it. Luke was older, and more mature than his younger cousin Bo. He usually thought his way through situations that arose, in contrast to Bo, whose actions were much more precarious. In one episode, Bo mentions that Luke had served in the U.S. Marine corps
United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...
. His service in the Marines is confirmed in the episode titled "Mason Dixon Girls" where Luke explains he learned to hang glide in the Marines and also in "Sittn' Dukes" where two convicts break out of prison and head to the nearby Dukes farm because one remembers Luke as his sergeant from the marines who busted him and as payback forces the Dukes to help them escape across the state line. However, when it came to fisticuffs, Luke was by far the more skilled fighter of the two, and was an amateur boxer in the Corps
United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...
. Luke was also the more physical one, often performing stunts like jumping onto moving cars during high speed chases and rescuing Bo from sticky situations.
Luke's famous "hood slide" (as seen in the opening credits, originating from the second episode, "Daisy's Song") is the trick most commonly associated with the character. In a subsequent TV interview, Tom Wopat admitted that the move was actually a mistake; it originated when he was trying to vault over the car to get to the passenger side and his foot accidentally caught the edge of the hood, causing his leg to slide across it. They actually reshot it without the stumble, but for some unknown reason the show aired the slide with the stumble. The move eventually caught on and became the character's hallmark. Additionally, in this initial slide, Wopat caught his leg on the hood radio arial, leading to the arial being removed from all later examples of the car to avoid risk of injury.
Despite being quite a skilled driver, Luke rarely ever drove The General Lee; he usually preferred to ride shotgun
Calling shotgun
Riding shotgun refers to the practice of sitting alongside the driver in a moving vehicle.The expression "riding shotgun" was apparently not used in the days of actual stagecoach travel. At that time, the position next to the driver was said to be occupied by an "express messenger" or sometimes...
because the General Lee had too much Horse power, which was why Bo drove the General Lee in almost every episode.
In the pilot episode, Bo commented (possibly just as a joke) that Luke was probably the father of at least two of the children who lived at the Hazzard County Orphanage.
Luke later left Hazzard County, along with his cousin Bo, to join the NASCAR
NASCAR
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing is a family-owned and -operated business venture that sanctions and governs multiple auto racing sports events. It was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1947–48. As of 2009, the CEO for the company is Brian France, grandson of the late Bill France Sr...
circuit (they both returned the following year). His cousin Vance
Vance Duke
Vance Duke was a television character on the 1982-1983 season of The Dukes of Hazzard. Vance was a replacement for Luke...
replaced him during that time.
According to the 1997 Reunion movie, Luke eventually would leave Hazzard for good, and put his military training to good use by becoming a fire jumper for the U.S. Forest Service. During training in Montana, he met and fell in love with a woman named Anita Blackwell, who was a talented singer. He convinced her to leave to pursue her dreams, and she became a successful country music star. Luke met her again in the 2000 Hazzard in Hollywood movie, although by then she was married.
Luke Duke was later played by Johnny Knoxville
Johnny Knoxville
Philip John Clapp , better known by his stage name Johnny Knoxville, is an American actor, comedian, screenwriter, stunt performer, best known for being the co-creator and principal star of the MTV reality series Jackass, with the catchphrase "I'm Johnny Knoxville, and welcome to Jackass."-Early...
in the subsequent cinematic version
The Dukes of Hazzard (film)
The Dukes of Hazzard is a 2005 comedy film based on the American television series of the same name. The film was directed by Jay Chandrasekhar and released on August 5, 2005 by Warner Bros. Pictures...
. Luke Duke was then played by Randy Wayne
Randy Wayne
Randy Wayne is an American actor.Wayne was born and raised in Moore, Oklahoma. He appeared on the 2002 season of the British reality show Shipwrecked, which led to guest appearances on the television shows The Closer, Huff, NCIS, Jack & Bobby, and Numb3rs as well as a series regular role as the...
in The Dukes of Hazzard: The Beginning
The Dukes of Hazzard: The Beginning
The Dukes of Hazzard: The Beginning is a prequel to the 2005 theatrical-release film The Dukes of Hazzard. An edited version of the film debuted on the ABC Family cable television channel on March 4, 2007. 'R'-rated and unrated versions were released on DVD March 13.- Plot :Bo Duke is arrested for...
.