THE classic show of my childhood was “The Dukes of Hazzard.” Parked in front of the TV at 8 p.m. on Friday night was the only place to be for boys my age.
All my friends and I watched the Duke boys spin and jump the General Lee all over Georgia back roads. I talk about this in a later chapter of my forthcoming book, Galvanized: The Unlikely Odyssey of a Reluctant Carolina Confederate.
The hilarious bad guy we all loved to hate was Jefferson Davis “Boss” Hogg, played by Sorrell Booke. The character was so great, his name has become slang for ‘good ol’ boy politics’ all across the South.
Booke seemed like a goof and played the part to the hilt. What most people don’t know is that he had degrees from Columbia and Yale, and served in the U.S. Army in counterintelligence during the Korean War.
And, despite that syrupy drawl, he was from Olean, New York.
He was fluent in five languages, Japanese and Russian among them.
It’s funny that despite all he did and his wealth of education, he will forever be best known for playing a goofy villain on a campy, but classic TV show.
You can read more about him here:
https://www.warhistoryonline.com/instant-articles/boss-hogg-sorrell-booke.html?fbclid=IwAR3RgD_J1GPE_Vv67z2VJgVOAGPhw7DxkvGIeS8jxbYuSkn1RoP7cTi_cLk