would the '69 charger be an icon if there was no DOH?

[Brock Lee]

People that didnt like the Dukes show MUST have the sense of humor of a rock.  I hate dealing with people that are serious all of the time. Store clerks, waitstaff, DMV employees. These flatliners must have very little joy in their lives. If not the Dukes slapstick humor, what then? I find Monty Python type stuff annoying, but I dont insult it. Maybe the serious types have no control of what they find funny. That is very sad for them.

The original topic? No, the car certainly IS more popular because of the show. 147 episodes, 2 TV movies , one large scale Hollywood movie and maybe a couple more that went straight to video.... The car was and IS as popular as it is because of the show. It is a great car on its own merit, but the Dukes gave it worldwide exposure.

Lets see... Dukes is a comedy and Monty Python is annoying. Mmmkay!

[ChargerSG]

Doh isent my favorit serie but i love Monty python

I think the Doh is a American thing, it never runned in Sweden that i know. The first Charger i saw on tv was Bullet, and it was woow and when my father bought a 1969 trackpack RT/SE in 75 the goal was set since it is the best Charger

So no, here in Sweden anyway

[Chris G.]

DOH has Zero to do with the value of the '69 Charger.

[Ghoste]

Huh?  Some of the funniest posts I've ever read on this site were by people who don't like the DOH.  I don't understand how the things that different people find funny have to do with whether or not the DOH made the 69 Charger iconic.

[UH60L]

Not one reply to the attached thread said the equivalent to, "My attraction to the Charger was via DOH only and therefore I would have never have been a Mopar fan."  In other words, if DOH was such agreat influence, wouldn't there have been more answers along that line? 
So one could answer "yes" to your question and sight the thread as empirical data. (does that make sense or am I taking a leap in logic and should just have another beer?)

http://www.dodgecharger.com/forum/index.php/topic,80138.0.html

I would say "yes", I considered it iconic before DOH. 

Well, one of the replies to this thread will...right now.

I was born in 1970.  I didn't know what a mopar was, or what a dodge charger was, until I saw the show when I was 9 years old.  It was completely because of the show that I became a mopar guy (though more charger guy than mopar guy).  If it had not been for that show, I would not own a '69 charger right now.  (I'd probably own a mustang because my wife really loves those....)

Many people won't admit that the show influenced them to be charger guys because they are afraid of the stigma of the confederate navy jack (flag) that was on the roof of the car.  Even though that show was in no way racist; it promoted helping your neighbors, no matter who they were or what they looked like.

The funny thing is, when I was driving my car, before it went in for body work, it was painted all white, and 90% of the people who asked me if I was gonna make a general lee were black.  Not one of them had any heartache about it.  One black kid that worked at the nearest chevron station would always ask "how the general was doin" every time I stopped for gas.

But hey, what do I know.  I'm just living my life, you guys ave "empirical data" about my life, so I must be wrong....     

Oh, and as for the original question, I think they would still be popular cars, but there might be fewer of them around. 

[UH60L]

It would be for me. I dont think I have ever seen an episode of that stupid show. The Charger for me has always been the ultimate american musclecar design.

I always equate comments like this to little kids who say they don't like onions.  Mom "why don't you like onions?" Kid "they're yucky" Mom "have you ever tried eating them?" Kid "no"  Mom "then how do you know they're yucky?"  Kid "they just are, and I'm not eating them and you can't make me!"

I have never watched a single minute of the "2003 to whenever" attempt at remaking the tv series "battlestar galactica".  Thus I can not honestly tell you if that show was "stupid", or if the directing sucked, or if the characters were overplayed, or anything else about it.  What I can honestly say is that I have no desire to watch it based on the information that the Sci-Fi channel released ahead of time about the new show. (and comments from friend who watched it)

But hey, keep hating them onions...

[UH60L]

   
DOH's producers chose the Charger in 1978 because it was already iconic. 

They picked the car because the car in the show was supposed to be a race car, a "stock car".  The charger would have been an easy pick in 1978/79 because of it's use in NASCAR less than 10 years prior.

Also, the show and it's inspirational movie were based on a real life moonshine runner, Jerry Rushing.  The car he used in real life was "a modified 1958 Chrysler 300D capable of 140 mph", so they needed something that would live up to that, without the fins.       

[1969chargerrtse]

Just this weekend two guys that saw my car made Duke jokes. It kinda bugs me but I know the GL was loved by most so I let it go.

[7chargers]

My  is that maybe not for everyone but for me it made me fall in love with the Charger from when I was young boy. I continued to love the car and even more becuase they were not like your average 60's mustang that alot of the kids had in high school. So when you saw a Charger in the wild it was a big deal. I didnt even get my first ride in a Charger until a few years back and it was everything and more. Well as the years went on my love fell more for the car not nessarly the Orange paint and the 01 but as luck would have it I stumbled on a 69 Charger GENERAL LEE and it's a blast.. My kids still watch re-runs on CMT and love when dad take them out in the car they see on T.V just like I thought it was cool back in the early 80's. As far as the ones that disrespect there show and can't stand the publicity the 2nd gen Chargers get because of the show/movie I say good for you! Your exercizing your right to be an American and voice your opionion and me knowing I did 3 tours to preserve those right didnt go to waist!!!

[SRT-68]

I never watched the Dukes until AFTER I got my Charger. It was Bullitt that did it for me. Granted that was a '68, even better 

That movie had much more effect on me than the DOH. I have always been a Mopar fan and always loved the Charger.

[Patronus]

yawn... 

[Mike DC]

They picked the car because the car in the show was supposed to be a race car, a "stock car".  The charger would have been an easy pick in 1978/79 because of it's use in NASCAR less than 10 years prior.

Also, the show and it's inspirational movie were based on a real life moonshine runner, Jerry Rushing.  The car he used in real life was "a modified 1958 Chrysler 300D capable of 140 mph", so they needed something that would live up to that, without the fins.

Yeah, I know the GL's backstory. 

I'm just saying the producers didn't make the Charger a great car.  They picked it because it already was a great car.




Having said that, IMHO the General Lee certainly didn't hurt the Charger's popularity. 

When's the last time you heard someone say "I wouldn't want some mullet-head redneck car like a 69 Charger"?  It doesn't happen.  The DOH helped the Charger's image in some people's eyes but I don't think it really hurt the car's image in the eyes of other people.  It's too easy to remember the car in Bullitt where it had such a different mojo.   

(But the effect of "Smokey and the Bandit" on the image of the late-70s Trans Am, on the other hand . . . )

[G-man]

The fact is, it IS more popular due to it. Irrelivant of who may think what, thats a fact.

A lot of 'non' car people know the Charger because of DOH, Fact. Thats how media advertising works. Do you think Dodge would have let there car be advertised that way if the whole world already knew how good a Charger was? Even they themself knew the power of advertising. Like it or not, the fact is it is more popular because of it. If DOH was never made, then many people (non car people) would just think its an old beat up car (the very thing it was back then, just an old  car). Nobody knew these cars would rise in price back then.

It doesnt say NOBODY would care about the charger if it wasnt for DOH but the fact is many people that wouldnt know 2 cents about it now do due to DOH which means by fact it is more known/popular. Just go to the car shows and you will understand. Its a concept unavoidable, thats just how it is.

[Back N Black]

Whats up with the GL fans? why so sensitive when discussing the GL. Get over it! 

[BIGBLCK11]

The funny thing is, when I was driving my car, before it went in for body work, it was painted all white, and 90% of the people who asked me if I was gonna make a general lee were black.  Not one of them had any heartache about it.  One black kid that worked at the nearest chevron station would always ask "how the general was doin" every time I stopped for gas.

 I was talking to Skip68 about the flag, even on the front plate for my Charger.  He can chime in on this if he wants (although not a post), about having his GL back in Tennessee.  The ONLY people that had a problem with the flag were white.  Although, I am not saying it is keeping anyone from admitting the show's influence or not.

[SFRT]

Actually, I love onions.

[SFRT]

see the thing is...lets say your a fan of DOH and got yerself a Charger because of it....what if....they had used  a different car...say a Mustang or a Camaro or Chevelle....

would you guys be building a General Lee Chevelle? or Camaro?

[TiMopar]

Would it be?  It was already iconic BEFORE that show.

What he said.

[bill440rt]

Well, good morning Punxsutawney!! It's Groundhog Day...  again.

[SRT-68]

Pretty much anybody in the world can ID  Mickey Mouse, McDonalds and the General Lee. Just like any car guy in the world is well aware of what a '71 Hemi 'Cuda is.   Despite my obvious bias towards Mopar cars, the Dodge Charger is the best looking car from the muscle car era. DOH, Bullitt, Dirty Mary Crazy Larry just made it a superstar. Like others have said, look what Smokey and the bandit did for the trans am.

[aussiemuscle]

People that didnt like the Dukes show MUST have the sense of humor of a rock.  I hate dealing with people that are serious all of the time. Store clerks, waitstaff, DMV employees. These flatliners must have very little joy in their lives. If not the Dukes slapstick humor, what then? I find Monty Python type stuff annoying, but I dont insult it. Maybe the serious types have no control of what they find funny. That is very sad for them.

The original topic? No, the car certainly IS more popular because of the show. 147 episodes, 2 TV movies , one large scale Hollywood movie and maybe a couple more that went straight to video.... The car was and IS as popular as it is because of the show. It is a great car on its own merit, but the Dukes gave it worldwide exposure.

Lets see... Dukes is a comedy and Monty Python is annoying. Mmmkay!

To be fair, Python is british, which have a slightly different view of 'funny', british tend to be more 'wordy' in their humour.

my earliest memory of the Charger is matchbox Snake Dragster

i think every range has it's 'best' model, 69 for the 2nd gen charger, so it'll always be the most desirable. I'm sure if it was for Dukes, more 'average' people wouldn't know one charger from the other.

[Brock Lee]

Monty Python does at times go over the heads of some that don't like thinking with their comedy. However it seems most that I have known that don't like it either can't relate with the types portrayed, can't laugh at themselves, or have a problem with Python picking on some of their ideas and/or beliefs.

Dukes of Hazzard was NOT a comedy. It was an action/adventure show with comedic elements. However, I will be the first to say that looking at the acting and some of the crap they tried to pass off in that show, it truly was a comedy. Just like all the horror movies of years past are looked back on as "funny".

[UH60L]

see the thing is...lets say your a fan of DOH and got yerself a Charger because of it....what if....they had used  a different car...say a Mustang or a Camaro or Chevelle....

would you guys be building a General Lee Chevelle? or Camaro?

Good point. 

Actaully, yes, I probably would own whatever car they had used in the show.  That show is the reason that I kept wanting a '68 or '69 charger since 1979.  It took me until 2004 to finally get one.  In between, I finished high school, got married, joined the Army, went to places all around the world, had 2 kids, got out of the Army and joined the National Guard, got a full time job back in my home town, bought a house, and all of the intimate and inticate details involved in all of those things.  Yet, all throughout my life, I have wanted a charger.  Thank goodness for e-bay, otherwise I might still be looking.

So, yeah, if they had used a chevelle, then I would probably be chevy guy with a chevelle in the garage right now.  (maybe it would have been cheaper to restore/get parts...)  If they had used a mustang, I would have gotten one  along time ago...my wife has a fascination with old mustangs.

[UH60L]

Whats up with the GL fans? why so sensitive when discussing the GL. Get over it! 

The same could be said about  non-fans....  some people tend to be posting things which appear to be nothing more than a troll to start an argument.

Sometimes it seems there is no in-between, people on here are either:

1) a fan of the show at one time or another and see nothing wrong with someone taking a car they own and making it look like the General Lee...

or

2) never a fan (or in some cases supposedly never watched the show) and therefore hate the very thought of the show, any mention of the show, or any thread discussing any topic related to the show concerning the dodge charger or more specifically the '69 model.

Maybe we should talk about the much beloved bullit chase secene.  You know, the one where, to an average person who wasn't a mopar fan, it looked like a mustang could keep up with a '68 charger, that said mustang could handle all those jumps as well as a '68 charger, and that quite frankly used the same beetle so many times that VW got better product placement than Ford or Dodge. 

(I remember reading somewhere that the mustangs had to have their suspension repaired after nearly every "jump" going down that steep road, and that they had some mechanical problems as well, but the chargers withstood almost everything the stunt guys threw at them)

I like the bullit chase too, but let's be realistic, to the average person watching that movie, even today, it makes the'68 charger look like it couldn't outrun a pony car.  How is that a good thing?

Now on the other hand, a certain tv show portrayed the charger as a car that was almost superhero like, could jump over or outrun almost anything, and quite frankly the charger was the most popular star of the show.  Regardless of the show's stories, plots or setting, I would think that the tv show did more good for the car than the bullit chase scene did.

It cause me to spend 25 years looking and finally get a charger in 2004.

I set two life-long goals for myself when I was a kid.  One was to own and drive a '69 charger.  The other was to own, and fly, an F4U Corsair.  Gee, I wonder why that's my favorite WWII fighter plane.....Baaaaa....Baaaaa....Baaaaa (cue air raid siren).   

One down, one to go.