'Dukes of Hazzard' star John Schneider defends General Lee car
Actor and singer John Schneider defends the famous General Lee car and goes inside his new movie honoring its legacy on 'Fox & Friends.'
A couple of would be Duke boys ran out of luck — and road — when they wrecked their "General Lee" muscle car in Missouri on Sunday.
The pair ran off of Highway 165 in Hollister, outside Branson, on Sunday afternoon, seriously damaging the vehicle.
Photos posted by the Western Taney County Fire Protection District show the iconic orange Dodge Charger on a grassy roadside embankment.
Its front end crumpled in from hitting a tree.
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This General Lee replica was driven off the road in Hollister, Mo. (Western Taney County Fire)
According to authorities, the occupants, whose names were not released, were evaluated at the scene and taken to a hospital, but only suffered minor injuries.
But while early reports identified the car as one of the dozens used during the making of either the "Dukes of Hazzard" TV show or the 2005 film based on it, a Western Taney County Fire Protection District spokeswoman told to Fox News Digital that it was just a custom-built replica.
The two occupants suffered minor injuries. (Western Taney County Fire)
Part of the confusion stemmed from the fact that it had been autographed by cast members, but the owner of the car, who was not present during the accident, reached out to the agency to confirm that it was not a screen-used vehicle.
It did have all the signature features of the classic, however, including a front push bar, the number 01 on the doors and the controversial Confederate battle flag still painted on the roof.
Initial reports said the car had been used on the TV show. (Western Taney County Fire)
Many other copies and several of the remaining authentic cars have had their flags covered or removed in recent years.
Pro golfer Bubba Watson purchased the "General Lee" that was used to jump over a police car in the show's opening credits at the Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale, Arizona, auction in 2012 for $121,000 and in 2015 said on Twitter that he was going to cover the flag.
"All men ARE created equal, I believe that so I will be painting the American flag over the roof of the General Lee #USA," Watson wrote.
Bubba Watson drove his General Lee to the Waste Management Phoenix Open at TPC Scottsdale, Ariz., shortly after buying it at a nearby auction. (Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
"Obviously, I don't stand for the Confederate flag," he also at the time. "The Confederate flag was not used (in the show) for what people see it as today, so that's sad. But NASCAR was built on moonshining, so the show was built on moonshining. I thought it was fun. I didn't buy the car to get publicity; I bought it because I love it."
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However, the car has not been seen in public since and Bo Duke actor John Schneider told Fox and Friends in 2019 that he doesn't believe Watson ever followed through on the promise.
"I’ve heard that he took the flag off, but, honestly, I have no reason to believe that that’s true," said Schneider, who was promoting his film "Christmas Cars" that featured a General Lee replica with the flag.
Over 300 General Lees were reportedly built during the "Dukes of Hazzard" TV show's run. (CBS Photo Archive/Getty Images)
"No, I don’t think that he would do that, I certainly have not done that and I’m from New York."
The following year, Watson told Golfweek he was looking for a museum to donate the car to.
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As for the Dukes of Hollister, Police Chief Preston Schmidt told the Springfield News-Leadeer on Monday that "it was determined the driver of the vehicle was traveling too fast for the road conditions and lost control of the vehicle he was operating," and that no charges had been filed.