Bo Duke never gave up the General

The golden boy behind the 1969 Dodge Charger has returned to the road. John Schneider, who earned his fame as Bo Duke on the '80s television series “The Dukes of Hazzard,” will pull into the Louisiana Boardwalk's Regal Cinemas on Tuesday to promote his self-produced movie, “Collier & Co.”

The movie will be screened at 7 p.m. He will start signing autographs at 5 p.m.

"I haven't had this much fun since I was 16 and shooting a super 8 movie of me driving fast around a corner in a yellow Capri," Schneider said.

The star wrote the first draft of “Collier” while working on the “Dukes” set more than 20 years ago. It’s about a car thief trying to put his family back together. And yes, for "Collier" he does drive an orange 1969 Dodge Charger for getaway scenes. It’s called the Traveller (or "I don't own the copyright" for short), the name of General Robert E. Lee’s horse.

And it seems the Traveller is attracting just as much trouble as its predecessor. Schneider is towing two orange Chargers on the back of a Dodge truck from city to city for single screenings. Two nights ago while driving near Enterprise, Ala., a bullet supposedly went through a Charger window.

"There was glass coming out of the jump car. Somebody had shot out the window," Schneider claimed, but failed to blame the real culprit. "I can't think anybody was doing it on purpose."

A three-word hint: "Gyet, gyet, gyet!"

Schneider hopes people laugh at what he calls a family movie. His production company paid for it.

"It’s a very ambitious home movie. I recognize this when I watch this," Schneider said.

He has been touring cities throughout the South, and in some cases, delivering the movie reels to the projectionist himself.

"Walking up the dark stairs and seeing where the movies go and how to load reels onto the projector, this has been really fantastic," he said. "This is the most important end of the motion picture industry."
______

IF YOU GO
What: Screening of “Collier & Co.” starring John Schneider.
When: 7 p.m. Nov. 7. Autographs begin at 5 p.m.
Where: Louisiana Boardwalk’s Regal Cinemas, Bossier City.
Admission: $10.
Website: www.collierandcomovie.com.