Sunday, June 22, 2008
Quick, A+E, Q&A

Getting revved up with John Schneider

The “Dukes of Hazzard” and “Smallville” star has kept busy with a bundle of projects...

It’s been a hectic year so far for former Atlantan and onetime country music star John Schneider. The “Dukes of Hazzard” and “Smallville” star has kept busy with a bundle of projects, including the Hallmark Channel movie “Shark Swarm” with Darryl Hannah, playing opposite Catherine Zeta-Jones in the feature film “The Rebound” and directing two installments of the six-hour miniseries “26 Miles.” All that on top of taking the reins of the annual “Dukes of Hazzard” celebration DukesFest, which brings a host of that show’s stars—including Tom Wopat (Luke Duke), Catherine Bach (Daisy Duke) and former U.S. Representative Ben Jones (Cooter)--to Atlanta this week.

The one true Bo Duke called The Sunday Paper to discuss the festival and the show’s legacy.

Q You and your wife, Elly, recently took over producing DukesFest. What brought that about?

A Well, Ben [Jones] has done it for a long, long time and wanted to relax, basically. He wanted to be able to sit back and write a book and not work his butt off anymore. So he approached us first and that worked out great. My wife actually is the big chief. I keep saying, “I’m Bo, that’s all I am. I’m Bo!” Which is a good thing to be.

You’ve got practically the whole cast coming out for DukesFest. Everyone seems to be embracing it. Nobody’s distancing themselves from it?

Nobody’s distancing. Nobody’s ashamed of it. It’s been running for—my gosh, it’s our 30th anniversary and people still love it. You can still go to Wal-Mart and get a, now it’s a 2009 calendar, so it’s a good thing. I think we would all agree that “Dukes of Hazzard” is a delightful part of the history of TV and we’re honored to be a part of it.

Care to share your thoughts on the “Dukes of Hazzard” movie?

I think the movie was the first and final nail in [seeing] “The Dukes of Hazzard” on the big screen, sadly, because it could have been a really fantastic franchise, I believe, like “Star Trek” was. But they blew it. It had nothing to do, really with the heart and soul of the show. They got the cars, the color of the cars right, and the stunts. But other than that …

What else are you working on?

“26 Miles” is a big one for me. I’m on a show for ABC Family called “The Secret Life of an American Teenager”—I play one of the fathers on that, [which is] executive-produced by Brenda Hampton, who produced “7th Heaven.” And I’m still on “Nip/Tuck,” where I play the not-so-lovable porn producer Ram Peters.

You graduated from North Springs High School here in Atlanta. How long did you live here, and do you visit often?

I haven’t been back to visit in quite awhile, except the [Atlanta Motor] Speedway. I lived there for four years and I loved it. I used to go up to Helen, Ga., and jump off the cliffs at High Shoals Falls. I worked at Six Flags, I was in a barbershop quartet there for two summers. And of course it’s where we started “Dukes,” in Conyers, Covington. It’s where I learned to drive—there you go! It’s where Bo Duke learned to drive! SP

John Schneider will perform at a pre-festival concert at Wild Bill’s in Duluth on Friday, June 27, with Cooter’s Garage Band. For more information, visit www.wildbillsatlanta.com.