''Moonrunners'' is a 1975

action comedy The action comedy is a film genre that applies to action films where humor plays a much more central role. While early films feature stuntwork and humor, academic Cynthia King wrote that the genre only came into its own as a mainstay of the America ...

film starring

James Mitchum James Mitchum (born May 8, 1941) is an American actor. Mitchum was born in Los Angeles, California, the elder son of actor Robert Mitchum (whom he closely resembled) and his wife, Dorothy Spence. His brother is actor Christopher Mitchum, and he ...

, about a Southern family that runs bootleg liquor. It was reworked four years later into the popular long-running television series ''

The Dukes of Hazzard ''The Dukes of Hazzard'' is an American action comedy television series created by Gy Waldron that aired on CBS from January 26, 1979, to February 8, 1985, with a total of seven seasons consisting of List of The Dukes of Hazzard episodes, 147 ...

'', and the two productions share some similarities. Mitchum had co-starred with his father,

Robert Mitchum Robert Charles Durman Mitchum (August 6, 1917 – July 1, 1997) was an American actor. He is known for his antihero roles and film noir appearances. He received nominations for an Academy Award and a BAFTA Award. He received a star on the Holl ...

, in the similar

drive-in A drive-in is a facility (such as a restaurant or Drive-in theater, movie theater) where one can driving, drive in with an automobile for service. At a drive-in restaurant, for example, customers park their vehicles and are usually served by ...

favorite '' Thunder Road'' 18 years earlier, which also focused upon

moonshine Moonshine is alcohol proof, high-proof liquor, traditionally made or distributed alcohol law, illegally. The name was derived from a tradition of distilling the alcohol (drug), alcohol at night to avoid detection. In the first decades of the ...

-running bootleggers using fast cars to elude federal agents. ''Moonrunners'', a

B movie A B movie, or B film, is a type of cheap, low-budget commercial motion picture. Originally, during the Classical Hollywood cinema, Golden Age of Hollywood, this term specifically referred to films meant to be shown as the lesser-known second ...

, was filmed in 1973 and awaited release for over a year. Its soundtrack reflects the outlaw music boom of the 1970s during which the film was released. The film was written and directed by

Gy Waldron Gyneth Markley "Gy" Waldron (born August 5, 1932) is an American screenwriter best known as the writer/director of the movie '' Moonrunners'', and creator of the television series, ''The Dukes of Hazzard''. Life and career Born in Lenoxburg, K ...

and is based on the life and stories of ex-moonshiner

Jerry Rushing Jerry Elijah Rushing (September 1, 1937 – July 23, 2017) was an American best known for his years as a bootlegger or "moonrunner" (moonshine runner, "running" being a form of smuggling). Rushing was born into a family business making illegal w ...

, who has a small role in the movie as a heavy at the

Boar's Nest The Boar's Nest is a fictional local restaurant and tavern appearing in the television series ''The Dukes of Hazzard'' and its various spinoff films and other productions, and the movie ''Moonrunners''. It is the oldest establishment in Hazzard Co ...

bar. It is listed in the book ''The Greatest Movie Car Chases of All Time''.

Plot

The story is narrated by the Balladeer (

Waylon Jennings Waylon Arnold Jennings (June 15, 1937 – February 13, 2002) was an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. He is considered one of the pioneers of the Outlaw country, outlaw movement in country music. Jennings started playing ...

), who introduces and comments on the story of cousins, Grady and Bobby Lee Hagg, who run bootleg liquor for their uncle Jesse Hagg of Shiloh County. Uncle Jesse is a

Baptist Baptists are a Christian denomination, denomination within Protestant Christianity distinguished by baptizing only professing Christian believers (believer's baptism) and doing so by complete Immersion baptism, immersion. Baptist churches ge ...

who knows the Bible better than the local preacher. He has been a widower since Aunt Libby died 10 years ago. He still makes liquor, according to his "granddaddy's granddaddy's" recipe, in

still A still is an apparatus used to distillation, distill liquid mixtures by heating to selectively Boiling, boil and then cooling to Condensation, condense the vapor. A still uses the same concepts as a basic Distillation#Laboratory_procedures, ...

s named Molly and Beulah. Every drop is aged two years, and bottled in glass (never plastic). The Haggs have been making their recipe since before the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which Am ...

, and Jesse only sells to a friend in nearby Florence to ensure that his liquor is never blended with any other. Bobby Lee (also called "Lee") is a smart-mouthed schemer, named after Confederate General

Robert E. Lee Robert Edward Lee (January 19, 1807 – October 12, 1870) was a general officers in the Confederate States Army, Confederate general during the American Civil War, who was appointed the General in Chief of the Armies of the Confederate ...

. In the opening, Bobby Lee is placed in the Pikkens County jail for a bar fight at the Boar's Nest. On his way home, he helps Beth Ann Eubanks, who is on the run from family trouble in Mississippi. Uncle Jesse lodges her at his home, and Lee courts her. Grady is a laconic "Romeo" who drives their 1955 Chevrolet

stock car Stock car racing is a form of automobile racing run on oval tracks and road courses. It originally used production-model cars, hence the name "stock car", but is now run using cars specifically built for racing. It originated in the southe ...

(#54, named ''

Traveller Traveler(s), traveller(s), The Traveler, or The Traveller may refer to: People *Anyone engaged in travel Groups * Romani people, or Roma, or Gypsies, and their subgroups in various countries * Indigenous Norwegian Travellers * Irish Travellers ...

'' after General Lee's horse). Grady is briefly mentioned as probably having a number of children around Shiloh and Tennessee (in the pilot episode of ''The Dukes of Hazzard'', "One Armed Bandits", Bo half-jokes that half of the children in the local orphanage could be his cousin Luke's, although this and similar concepts were quickly dropped as the series found its more

family-friendly A family-friendly product or service is one that is considered to be suitable for all members of an average family. Family-friendly restaurants are ones that provide service to families that have young children. Frequently, family-friendly produc ...

tone). The cousins take Beth to the next race at the local track. The other stock-car drivers include "good ol' boy" Zeebo, and Zeebo's lackey Cooter Pettigrew. Zeebo (driving #31) and Cooter (driving #28) team up to beat Grady in the race, leading to a moonlit bootlegger road race between Bobby Lee and Zeebo. The county boss is Jake Rainey, a friend of Jesse's from the old days, when they both bootlegged for Jesse's father in 1934, and owner of the local bar and brothel. Jake has control of all the other moonshine in the county, and sells it to the New York syndicate (

mob Mob or MOB may refer to: Behavioral phenomena * Crowd * Smart mob, a temporary self-structuring social organization, coordinated through telecommunication Crime and law enforcement * American Mafia, also known as the Mob * Irish Mob, a US crimi ...

). He needs Jesse's supply to fill an order, but Jesse will not sell to Jake, since he would mix it with lesser-quality liquor. To get at Jesse's supply, Jake uses Sheriff Rosco Coltrane to harass the cousins. At the same time, he uses Zeebo and Reba (Jake's wife who is having an affair with Grady) to goad the boys into a trap. During these events, Uncle Jesse calls Jake "hog" (effectively making Jake "Boss Hogg") as a put-down. Uncle Jesse dies after completing a moonshine run. The cousins, who are on

probation Probation in criminal law is a period of supervision over an offence (law), offender, ordered by the court often in lieu of incarceration. In some jurisdictions, the term ''probation'' applies only to community sentences (alternatives to incar ...

and cannot own guns, use a bow with explosive arrows to put Jake Rainey's moonshining factory out of business.

Cast

as Grady Hagg *

Kiel Martin Kiel Urban Mueller (July 26, 1944 – December 28, 1990), known professionally as Kiel Martin, was an American actor best known for his role as Detective John "J. D." LaRue on the 1980s television police drama '' Hill Street Blues.'' Early years ...

as Bobby Lee Hagg *

Arthur Hunnicutt Arthur Lee Hunnicutt (February 17, 1910 – September 26, 1979) was an American actor known for his portrayal of old, wise, grizzled rural characters. He received an Academy Awards, Academy Award nomination for Academy Award for Best Supporting ...

as Uncle Jesse Hagg * Chris Forbes as Beth Ann Eubanks * George Ellis as Jake Rainey * Pete Munro as "Zeebo" *

Joan Blackman Joan Blackman (born May 17, 1938, San Francisco, California) is an American former actress. Film Blackman appeared in her first motion picture, '' Good Day for a Hanging'', in 1959. She had significant roles in two Elvis Presley films: she play ...

as Reba Rainey *

as The Balladeer *

Spanky McFarlane Elaine "Spanky" McFarlane (born June 19, 1942) is an American singer best known for fronting the vocal group Spanky and Our Gang in the late 1960s. She was nicknamed "The Queen of Sunshine Pop". Early years In 1959, McFarlane arrived in Chicago ...

as "Precious", Jake's Bartender * Joey Giordello as Syndicate Man *

Happy Humphrey William Joseph Cobb (July 16, 1926 – March 14, 1989), best known by his ring and screen names of Happy Humphrey, Happy Farmer Humphrey, and "Squasher" Humphrey, was an American professional wrestler, known as the heaviest professional wrestl ...

as "Tiny", Syndicate Man * Bill Gribble as "Cooter" Pettigrew * Bruce Atkins as Sheriff Rosco Coltrane * Ben Jones as Agent Fred From Chicago

Production

''Moonrunners'' was filmed during the fall of 1973 in Williamson and

Haralson, Georgia Haralson is a town in Coweta County, Georgia, Coweta and Meriwether County, Georgia, Meriwether counties in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. The population was 172 at the 2020 census. It is noted for being one of the filming locat ...

Legacy

Several names, places, and situations from the film were used in ''The Dukes of Hazzard'', with little or no alteration. Waylon Jennings is the Balladeer, and the Boar's Nest is a tavern in both. Although toned down for the TV series, the relationship between cousins Bo and

Luke Duke Lucas K. "Luke" Duke is a fictional character in ''The Dukes of Hazzard'', and the main protagonist in the show, an American comedy television series which ran from 1979 to 1985. Played by Tom Wopat in the original TV series, Luke is main prota ...

is similar to that of Bobby Lee and Grady in ''Moonrunners''. Uncle Jesse is the family patriarch. In both, he is a

widow A widow (female) or widower (male) is a person whose spouse has Death, died and has usually not remarried. The male form, "widower", is first attested in the 14th century, by the 19th century supplanting "widow" with reference to men. The adjecti ...

ed, bearded moonshiner with strong religious beliefs, raising his nephews. They dress similarly, in

overalls Overalls or bib-and-brace overalls, also called dungarees in British English, are a type of garment usually used as protective clothing when working. The garments are commonly referred to as a "pair of overalls" by analogy with "pair of trousers ...

and a shirt. The film and series feature a corrupt county boss (Jake Rainey and

Boss Hogg Jefferson Davis Hogg, known as Boss Hogg, is a fictional character featured in the American television series ''The Dukes of Hazzard''. He was the commissioner of Hazzard County, and the county's political boss and the main antagonist of the sho ...

) who ran moonshine with Uncle Jesse, owns many local businesses, and bribes local law enforcement. Their opposing views and Jake's dishonesty make the Haggses and Rainey adversaries, as the Dukes and Boss Hogg were in the series.

Sheriff Rosco P. Coltrane Rosco Purvis Coltrane is a fictional sheriff character who first appeared in the 1975 film '' Moonrunners'', which inspired the creation of the American TV series ''The Dukes of Hazzard'' (and related spin-off films). In ''Moonrunners'', he was p ...

is a once-honest officer who turned to corruption with the county boss after he was cheated out of his pension. This theme carried over to the end of the first season of the series. Much of the Balladeer's dialogue introducing Rosco in ''Moonrunners'' is similar to that in Rosco's first scene in the first episode of ''The Dukes of Hazzard''. In the film and series, the boys have a talented mechanic friend. On probation for running moonshine, they use hunting bows tipped with

dynamite Dynamite is an explosive made of nitroglycerin, sorbents (such as powdered shells or clay), and Stabilizer (chemistry), stabilizers. It was invented by the Swedish people, Swedish chemist and engineer Alfred Nobel in Geesthacht, Northern German ...

since they are forbidden to use firearms. Other names or roles were altered, while retaining recognizable connections. In the film, Uncle Jesse and the boys have the surname Hagg; in the series, their antagonist's surname is Hogg. In ''Moonrunners'', Beth Ann is an honest,

naïve Naivety (also spelled naïvety), naiveness, or naïveté is the state of being naive. It refers to an apparent or actual lack of experience and sophistication, often describing a neglect of pragmatism in favor of moral idealism. A ''naïve'' may ...

young woman in trouble who is taken in by the Haggs; the character resembles

Daisy Duke Daisy Duke is a fictional character, played by Catherine Bach, from the American television series ''The Dukes of Hazzard''. She is the cousin of Bo and Luke, the third main protagonists of the show, and the three live on a farm on the outskir ...

, a member of the family. The Haggs' stock car is named ''

'' after General Lee's horse, and the Dukes' stock car is named '' The General Lee''. Jake Rainey is said to have organized-crime connections, and in early episodes of the TV series, Boss Hogg attempts to ally with a syndicate. Uncle Jesse's

mule The mule is a domestic equine hybrid between a donkey, and a horse. It is the offspring of a male donkey (a jack) and a female horse (a mare). The horse and the donkey are different species, with different numbers of chromosomes; of the two ...

in the film is named Beauregard, a name which would be given to Bo (Beauregard) Duke in the series. These actors appeared in both ''Moonrunners'' and ''The Dukes of Hazzard'': * Ben Jones as Fred (a revenue agent) in the film and the Dukes' best friend, Cooter Davenport, in the series * C. Pete Munro as Zeebo in the film and Willie in the season-two episode "Jude Emery" * Bill Gribble as Cooter in the film and Carson in the second episode, "Daisy's Song" *

as Jake Rainey's bodyguard in the film and crooked used-car salesman Ace Parker in the fourth episode, "Repo Men"

References

External links

"Moonrunners"
* * * * {{The Dukes of Hazzard 1975 films 1975 action comedy films 1970s crime comedy films 1970s chase films 1970s adventure comedy films American action comedy films American auto racing films American crime comedy films Films about automobiles Films adapted into television shows Films set in Appalachia Films shot in Georgia (U.S. state) The Dukes of Hazzard films United Artists films American chase films American adventure films Moonshine in popular culture 1970s English-language films 1970s American films English-language crime comedy films English-language action comedy films English-language action thriller films English-language adventure comedy films