Don McDougall Movies

The Dukes are dumbfounded when Daisy (Catherine Bach) is identified as the long-lost granddaughter of millionaire Carter Stewart (played by versatile veteran Lyle Talbot). Though Boss Hogg doubts that Daisy is indeed the heiress, he hires the disreputable Professor Crandall (Walker Edmiston) to hypnotize the girl into believing that she is truly whom Stewart thinks she is--little suspecting that the old man's other relatives intend to murder Daisy the minute she sets foot on the Stewart estate. Though traditionally unbilled for his contributions as the series' "balladeer", Waylon Jennings is afforded a rare on-screen starring credit in this episode. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Cooter (Ben Jones) nervously prepares for a visit from his daughter Nancy Lou (Kim Richards), whom he's never met. With the help of the Dukes, Cooter is able to clean up his property and himself sufficiently to be a respectable parent. Unfortunately, as far as Nancy Lou is concerned, Cooter is now too respectable to help those disreputable Duke boys battle a pair of evil landowners who plan to dump toxic wastes in Hazzard County! (Trivia note: Actress Kim Richards is the Aunt of the inimitable Paris Hilton). ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

A beautiful Russian gymnast named Natasha (Dawn Jeffory) decides to defect, and to this purpose hides out on the Duke farm. A Soviet spy finagle Boss Hogg (Sorrell Booke) into helping him retrieve Natasha, dangling a possible Nobel Peace Prize in front of Boss--not to mention a load o' cash. Gosh only knows what horrible fate would befall Natasha were it not for the flying lessons being taken by the resourceful Daisy Duke (Catherine Bach). ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Henry Jones guest stars as Hector Farley, an old moonshining pal of Jesse Duke (Denver Pyle). Freshly sprung from jail, Hector intends to get even with Boss Hogg (Sorrell Booke) for swiping his land. Meanwhile, the Duke cousins are framed for destroying county property after wrecking one of Roscoe (James Best) and Cletus' (Rick Hurst) illegal radar guns. Wanna bet that these two separate plotlines eventually collide head-on? ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Sheriff Roscoe (James Best) is up for re-election, and of course Boss Hogg (Sorrell Booke) is using every means at his disposal (most of them crooked) to make sure that his boy wins. All this changes abruptly when Boss throws his support behind another candidate--his own nephew Hughie (Jeff Altman). No, it isn't a case of nepotism: blackmailing Hughie has "got the goods" on Boss, and he'll tell all unless he's elected Sheriff in Roscoe's place. And how do the Dukes figure into all this? Well, that's another story... ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Boss Hogg (Sorrell Booke) flim-flams a newlywed couple, Carrie and Jeb Morton (Phyllis Hall, Jay W Baker) into purchasing some worthless swampland. Fortunately for the Mortons, their next-door neighbors are the Dukes, who intend to pull a "sting" to hornswoggle Hogg into buying back the land--at a loss. The plan involves a phony gold strike, replete with several strategically planted nuggets! ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Not an entry in the Planet of the Apes theatrical-movie series, Farewell to the Planet of the Apes is made up of two episodes from the spin-off TV series of the same name. Originally telecast from September 13 to December 27, 1974, the Apes TV weekly stars Ron Harper and James Naughton as astronauts Alan Virdon and Pete Burke, who like Charlton Heston before them have been hurled 2000 years into the future, and smack dab in the middle of an Earth ruled by articulate apes. Roddy McDowall, prosthetic ape makeup and all, repeats his Planet of the Apes characterization as sympathetic simian Galen. The title of this "feature film" is slightly misleading. Although it incorporates the final episodes of Planet of the Apes, the astronauts don't get to go home. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

A sexy transient named Mindy Lou (Laurette Spang) overhears Boss Hogg (Sorrell Booke) and Sheriff Roscoe (James Best) conspiring to steal some motorcycles and then sell them to a crooked motor race. The Dukes offer Mindy Lou protection from the conspirators, leading to a variety of complications involving fast chases and close calls. This week's victim of Boss' "celebrity speed trap" is Johnny Paycheck, who performs--what else?--"Take This Job and Shove It." Originally filmed for the series' third season, this episode was rescheduled as the Season Four opener on October 6, 1981, but ultimately aired a few weeks later on November 3. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Illegal alcohol is causing problems for the Duke family, but not for the usual reasons in this episode of the popular TV action-comedy series The Dukes of Hazzard. In "High Octane," a pollution control group is sponsoring a contest to create a new source of fuel which can be used to run automobiles, but without using petroleum products, with a 10,000-dollar prize going to the winner. Uncle Jesse (Denver Pyle) thinks he has just the stuff to do the job, but his alternative fuel recipe is pretty much the same as his moonshine, and soon a revenue agent (Carlene Watkins) is hot on his trail. Boss Hogg (Sorrell Booke) is also after Jesse, but his concerns don't really involve protecting the law -- Hogg also wants to enter the contest, and wants to seize as much of Jesse's mixture as he can, convinced the elder Duke is a shoo-in to win. Of course, confusion reigns, and it's up to Bo (John Schneider) and Luke (Tom Wopat) to set things straight. "High Octane" first aired on February 23, 1979. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

In his final all-out act of larceny, mechanic "Crazy" Cooter (Ben Jones) hot-wires the Presidential limousine, which President Carter has sent ahead to Hazzard County in preparation for a trip home to Georgia. Taking "Limo One" on a joyride, Cooter ends up hiding it in the Dukes' barn, forcing Jesse (Denver Pyle) to do some quick thinking to return the vehicle without landing in Federal Prison. Meanwhile, Boss Hogg (Sorrell Booke) worries that the disappearance of the limo will expose his own crooked chop-shop operation. In the light of this episode's plotline, it's a bit ironic that Ben Jones (Cooter) would later leave show business to become a Georgia congressman! Featured among the supporting players Gordon Hurst, brother of Rick Hurst, who would soon join the regular cast in the role of Deputy Cletus Hogg. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

The Gemini Man (Ben Murphy) is a guy who was exposed to a laboratory mix-up that gave him the power to become invisible at will. With such a skill he's appointed a dangerous task that brings him into contact with a crazed scientist who's involved in a deadly scheme. ~ Rovi

Ironside (Raymond Burr) and Ed (Don Galloway) travel to a farming community, in hopes of helping Porter Yarborough (William Katt), recently paroled son of crusty rancher Clint Yarborough (John Larch). In addition to clearing Porter of a cattle-rustling charge, Ironside also endeavors to mend the rift between the rough-hewn Clint and his artistically inclined son. Featured in the cast is guest star William Katt's real-life father Bill Williams, the husband of Raymond Burr's longtime Perry Mason costar Barbara Hale. Though filmed for Ironside's eighth season, this episode remained unshown when the series was abruptly cancelled by NBC in January of 1975, and would not be aired until the show went into syndication. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Made for television, The Mark of Zorro is virtually a scene-for-scene remake of the 1940 Tyrone Power theatrical film--the principal difference being that, where Power's version ran 93 minutes, the TV version blurs along at a mere 78 minutes. Frank Langella plays Don Diego, the supposedly foppish Spanish California nobleman who fights for the people's rights in the guise of Zorro. Ricardo Montalban appears in the Basil Rathbone role as the evil oppressor whom Zorro eventually bests with his sword. Gilbert Roland is cast as Zorro's father, allowed a bit of swashbuckling on his own (the 69 year old Roland is astonishingly athletic). Alfred Newman's pulsating score from the original Mark of Zorro is cleverly redeployed in this remake. What's missing in the 1974 Mark of Zorro is the freshness and virtuosity of the earlier film's director Rouben Mamoulien; and, in all due respect to his considerable talent, Frank Langella is no Tyrone Power. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi