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‘Dukes of Hazzard’: One Star Spoke Out on Why Daisy Duke Did ‘Everything Better’ Than the Guys

On the Dukes of Hazzard, Bo and Luke Duke were the star characters, but sometimes cousin Daisy stole the show.

Catherine Bach portrayed Daisy Duke as a modern woman. She did everything those Duke boys could do. And according to Bach, she did it all better.

Bach told all about Daisy in a 1997 interview with Entertainment Weekly. She was promoting the Dukes of Hazzard Reunion movie. And, in turn, EW called Daisy Duke “right up there with Xena, Charlie’s Angels, and Emma Peel when it comes to models of female power and pulchritude.”

Bach agreed with the assessment of Daily, saying:

“Whatever she did, she could shoot better, drive better, do everything better than a guy. Whenever the guys were in trouble, she stepped in. She wasn’t acting tough, she just was.”

Dukes of Hazzard First Wanted Daisy to be Dolly Parton Clone

The actress took Daisy in another direction than show creators initially intended. Her character was pitched as a version of Dolly Parton. And why not, when the Dukes of Hazzard debuted in 1979, Parton was riding a string of eight No. 1 hits. Show creators wanted Daily to dress in a blonde wig, go-go boots and a white turtleneck. Daisy would want to be a country singer.

But rather than Dolly 2.0, Bach made Daisy an original. She wore tiny denim shorts to show off her legs. And her outfit impacted fashion so much that Daisy Dukes became a thing. Her cousins Bo and Luke Duke drove around Hazzard County, Georgia in a bright orange 69 Dodge Charger.

Meanwhile, Daisy was behind the wheel of some really cool cars. She drove a yellow and black Plymouth Roadrunner, then traded it in for a white Jeep named Dixie. A golden eagle was painted on the hood.

Daisy worked as a waitress at local haunt the Boar’s Nest. Boss Hogg, the arch-nemesis of the Duke boys, owned the restaurant. Daisy would pass along any information she gleaned from the restaurant on to her cousins.

Fans loved Dukes of Hazzard. At one point, the show was almost as popular as Dallas. For three years, Dukes of Hazzard was among the nation’s top 10 shows. But by 1985, it dropped to 41st.

Entertainment Weekly asked Bach if any current characters reminded her of Daisy. Keep in mind, this interview was conducted in 1997, so 1990s TV was the time frame.

“I’m just going to tell you the people I love,” Bach said. “Roseanne copied me, didn’t she? She’s pretty down-to-earth. And I think Ellen DeGeneres definitely copied me. And Cybill (Shepherd). I think the Nanny, if she had a Southern drawl, could be like me too. I don’t know if they ripped me off, but I like them.”

But we can all agree that the Dukes of Hazzard wouldn’t be the same without Daisy Duke.