Jerry Elijah Rushing (September 1, 1937 – July 23, 2017) was an American best known for his years as a bootlegger or "moonrunner" (

moonshine Moonshine is high-proof liquor that is usually produced illegally. The name was derived from a tradition of creating the alcohol during the nighttime, thereby avoiding detection. In the first decades of the 21st century, commercial dist ...

runner, "running" being a form of smuggling). Rushing was born into a family business making illegal

whiskey Whisky or whiskey is a type of distilled alcoholic beverage made from fermented grain mash. Various grains (which may be malted) are used for different varieties, including barley, corn, rye, and wheat. Whisky is typically aged in wooden c ...

. As a young man he became a delivery driver, a job requiring late-night high-speed driving, often without headlights; for this he used a modified 1958 Chrysler 300D capable of 140 mph (225 km/h) speeds, easily more than most

police The police are a constituted body of persons empowered by a state, with the aim to enforce the law, to ensure the safety, health and possessions of citizens, and to prevent crime and civil disorder. Their lawful powers include arrest a ...

vehicles, which he nicknamed Traveller, after

Robert E. Lee Robert Edward Lee (January 19, 1807 – October 12, 1870) was a Confederate general during the American Civil War, towards the end of which he was appointed the overall commander of the Confederate States Army. He led the Army of Nort ...

's favorite horse Traveller. The car was eventually abandoned when it ran out of fuel during a chase, was sold from a police impound into the private collector's market, and has since been restored by Lawrence Wolfel. Rushing eventually turned to a career in early stock car racing. Among the drivers he raced were

Junior Johnson Robert Glenn Johnson Jr. (June 28, 1931 – December 20, 2019), better known as Junior Johnson, was an American NASCAR driver of the 1950s and 1960s. He won 50 NASCAR races in his career before retiring in 1966. In the 1970s and 1980s, he became ...

, himself a former moonrunner, and

Wendell Scott Wendell Oliver Scott (August 29, 1921 – December 23, 1990) was an American stock car racing driver. He was one of the first African-American drivers in NASCAR and the first African-American to win a race in the Grand National Series, NASCAR's h ...

. In the early 1970s, while doing research for an upcoming movie, producer Gy Waldron obtained an

oral history Oral history is the collection and study of historical information about individuals, families, important events, or everyday life using audiotapes, videotapes, or transcriptions of planned interviews. These interviews are conducted with people w ...

from Rushing. Waldron would later use these interviews, along with his own experiences growing up in

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virgini ...

, as material for the 1975

B-movie A B movie or B film is a low-budget commercial motion picture. In its original usage, during the Golden Age of Hollywood, the term more precisely identified films intended for distribution as the less-publicized bottom half of a double feature ...

Moonrunners ''Moonrunners'' is a 1975 Action comedy film, action comedy film starring James Mitchum, about a Southern United States, Southern family who rum-running, runs bootleg liquor. It was reworked four years later into the popular long-running televisi ...

'', which would go on to be reworked as the basis for the TV series ''

The Dukes of Hazzard ''The Dukes of Hazzard'' is an American action comedy TV series that was aired on CBS from January 26, 1979 to February 8, 1985. The show aired for 147 episodes spanning seven seasons. It was consistently among the top-rated television serie ...

'' (1979–1985). Rushing was not credited for the biographical details he claims were recreated in both works, and sued for royalties, receiving an undisclosed settlement. Rushing claims thirteen characters from the film or series were modeled on himself or people he knew, including: * He was the inspiration for

Bo Duke Beauregard "Bo" Duke (born circa 1957) 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. Bo and his cousin Lucas K. "Luke" Duke ( Tom Wopat) liv ...

* His Uncle Worley was the inspiration for Uncle Jesse * His car ''Traveler'' was the inspiration for the '' General Lee'' (indeed, a car named ''Traveler'' is seen in ''Moonrunners'', and the name for the ''General Lee'' in pre-production was also ''Traveler'') Rushing performed

stunt work A stunt is an unusual and difficult physical feat or an act requiring a special skill, performed for artistic purposes usually on television, theaters, or cinema. Stunts are a feature of many action films. Before computer generated imagery spe ...

and appeared uncredited as Jake Rainey's bodyguard in ''

.'' He also had a guest role in a very early episode of the ''Dukes'' series, as crooked used car salesman Ace Parker in the episode "Repo Men". Rushing had understood the performance to be the start of a recurring role, return in part for his supplying creative material from his experiences, but it was the only time the character was ever seen or mentioned. This appearance led to a career as a minor

character actor A character actor is a supporting actor who plays unusual, interesting, or eccentric characters.28 April 2013, The New York Acting SchoolTen Best Character Actors of All Time Retrieved 7 August 2014, "..a breed of actor who has the ability to ...

, mainly playing

rednecks ''Redneck'' is a derogatory term chiefly, but not exclusively, applied to white Americans perceived to be crass and unsophisticated, closely associated with rural whites of the Southern United States.Harold Wentworth, and Stuart Berg Flexner, '' ...

, sheriffs, and truckers. With the release of the ''Dukes of Hazzard'' movie, Rushing had stepped up marketing for a self-produced documentary called ''Traveler''. Rushing owned and operated a wild boar hunting preserve near

Taylorsville, North Carolina Taylorsville is a town in Alexander County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 2,098 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Alexander County. Taylorsville is part of the Hickory– Lenoir– Morganton Metropolitan Sta ...

named Chestnut Hunting Lodge. He retired during the summer of 2013 and the lodge closed.Rushing, Update
A Note of Thanks to Our Friends and Hunters
''Chestnut Hunting Lodge'' He died at his home on July 23, 2017.

References

External links

Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large na ...

, August 7, 2005
Traveler Movie

Dukes of Hazzard history & Hazzard County Car Club

The Real Duke of Hazzard: The Jerry Rushing Story

Jerry Rushing's Chestnut Hunting Lodge
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rushing, Jerry 1937 births 2017 deaths American bootleggers The Dukes of Hazzard People from Union County, North Carolina People from Taylorsville, North Carolina

References

Further reading

External links