Sheriff Rosco P. Coltrane
Encyclopedia
On the American
TV series The Dukes of Hazzard
, Rosco Purvis Coltrane is the bumbling sheriff of Hazzard County and right-hand man of its corrupt county commissioner
, Jefferson Davis "J.D." Hogg
("Boss Hogg").
The role of Rosco was played by James Best
, who had appeared in numerous film
s and TV series before landing the role as top (and inept) lawman of Hazzard County.
Rosco's name is sometimes spelt with an E, which is incorrect and James Best confirmed it was spelt without an E on his website.
s being illegally imported into the county), whereas he would soon become a bumbling accomplice, sometimes even unwillingly, with Boss Hogg the brains behind the various scams.
Also in "One Armed Bandits", it was explained that Rosco had served Hazzard County for 30 years as "a fairly honest lawman" but became embittered after watching his pension get wiped out following a failed bond referendum, and with just a few months left in office (something that was soon overlooked as the show settled into its lengthy seven-season run) decided to grab whatever money he could, by whatever means. This notion was explored again in a couple of other very early episodes, most notably a scene where Deputy Enos
asks him why he turned so corrupt, in the fourth broadcast episode, "Repo Men". It wasn't until creator Gy Waldron
realized that he had found an audience with children that the character was toned down to the more comedic and bumbling persona for which he is best known; something that James Best himself had large input on, insisting that, while Rosco technically was corrupt, he never wanted children viewing to feel afraid to grow up to be a lawman.
and Luke Duke
(Hogg's most frequent adversaries), but the Duke boys are often able to elude Rosco, who usually winds up wrecking his patrol car (or "scuffing his vehicle" as he called it) in various ways (always escaping uninjured). Why Rosco does not simply arrest the boys at their farm for resisting arrest
because of these chases is never addressed.
Starting with the third season (1980–1981), Rosco got a pet dog—a lazy basset hound
he calls "Flash" and nicknames "Velvet Ears"—which he mothered and loved dearly (Rosco was a bachelor and childless), that loved the Dukes but always barked at Boss Hogg. Early on, the dog's gender was male, but this would change in later episodes. (Flash is never 'introduced' to the series as such, first appearing in the episode "Enos Strate to the Top" with no fanfare.)
Boss Hogg and Rosco are brothers-in-law because Rosco's older sister, Lulu Coltrane
, is married to Boss Hogg.
Rosco has just more than $43 in his savings account, and often tries to join Boss in indulging in high-calorie dishes (which usually results in him getting his hands slapped). His patrol car (in the first season a 1974-5 AMC Matador
or a 1970 Dodge Polara and in later seasons a 1977 or 1978 Dodge Monaco
or Plymouth Fury
) also serves as his daily driver except for a few episodes where he has other cars, such as a 1977 Pontiac Lemans
in the 3rd season episode "To Catch a Duke" which he apparently saved his nickels and dimes for, as he claims. This car can routinely be seen parked outside the Police station in stock footage exterior shots for the rest of the series. His personal vehicle in the 5th season episode "The Revenge of Hughie Hogg" is a 1967-1968 Chevrolet Impala
which he kicks apart. Rosco carries a pearl-handled .38 caliber pistol, with which he is an expert shot, although when he has to use it in the line of duty, he gets too nervous to hit anything (the exception being the first season episode, "Mary Kaye's Baby"). His main deputies — whom he often calls "dipstick" — include Enos Strate
and Cletus Hogg
. Although he often henpecks and belittles his deputies, he is also shown to be very fond of them (particularly Enos) and shows great concern when they might be in real danger.
Rosco's mentality is that of a clumsy, somewhat slow-witted buffoon. He speaks with a childish vernacular and repeats his favorite catchphrases constantly, one of which was his laugh itself, which was a choppy and excited chuckle that was produced from the back of the throat ("Kew-kew-kew-kew!") and became one of the most recognizable aspects of the character (a clip of this laugh was played over the closing Warner Bros. Television
logo on the end credits for nearly all episodes). He is easily excitable and genuinely enjoys law enforcement, especially chasing criminals, which he refers to as "hot pursuit". Rosco's favorite story is Jack and the Beanstalk
.
Rosco was married briefly in an episode, "Mrs. Rosco P. Coltrane", during the third season (1980–1981), to a woman he purportedly met through a computer dating service, but the marriage was a sham—his "bride" robbed banks with her husband and his associate — and the union was quickly annulled. Rosco has shown on numerous occasions (especially on episodes where characters either were thought to have died or found themselves in serious trouble) that he is much more of a caring man than he ordinarily lets on. This is particularly clear when the safety of his best friend Boss Hogg is threatened by somebody.
During the second season (1979–1980) of the series, James Best left over a dispute about the changing-room conditions. His gripe was that he didn’t mind getting soaked and / or covered in mud, etc., when filming Rosco crashing his car into rivers and suchlike, but was unhappy with the poor changing facilities afterwards. During his absence, Rosco was replaced by a number of stand-in sheriffs (played by such actors as James Hampton
and Dick Sargent
). Eventually the dispute was settled, and Best returned as Rosco, remaining for the rest of the show's run.
Following the death of actor Sorrell Booke
who played Boss Hogg, the first reunion film
also showed that Boss Hogg had died. Rosco inherited his money (and documents of dirty schemes) and he also became Hazzard County's Commissioner as well as serving as Sheriff (almost 20 years after it was said that he only had a short time in office left).
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
TV series The Dukes of Hazzard
The Dukes of Hazzard
The Dukes of Hazzard is an American television series that aired on the CBS television network from 1979 to 1985.The series was inspired by the 1975 film Moonrunners, which was also created by Gy Waldron and had many identical or similar character names and concepts.- Overview :The Dukes of Hazzard...
, Rosco Purvis Coltrane is the bumbling sheriff of Hazzard County and right-hand man of its corrupt county commissioner
Commissioner
Commissioner is in principle the title given to a member of a commission or to an individual who has been given a commission ....
, Jefferson Davis "J.D." Hogg
Boss Hogg
Jefferson Davis "J.D." Hogg, better known as "Boss" Hogg, is a fictional character featured in the American television series The Dukes of Hazzard. He was the greedy, unethical commissioner of Hazzard County. A stereotypical villainous glutton, Boss Hogg always wore an all-white suit with a white...
("Boss Hogg").
The role of Rosco was played by James Best
James Best
James Best is an American actor best known for his role as bumbling Sheriff Rosco P. Coltrane in the CBS television series The Dukes of Hazzard. He has also worked as an acting coach, artist, and musician.-Early years:...
, who had appeared in numerous film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
s and TV series before landing the role as top (and inept) lawman of Hazzard County.
Rosco's name is sometimes spelt with an E, which is incorrect and James Best confirmed it was spelt without an E on his website.
Early episodes
In the early episodes, the character of Rosco was a serious one. He is depicted as a more hard-nosed, focused, and aggressive sheriff, and actually shot a criminal (not fatally) in an early episode ("Mary Kaye's Baby", the third episode broadcast). He was a much more willing accomplice to Boss Hogg's schemes, fueled by a sense of bitterness and resentment, and also appeared to have the ingenuity to arrange such schemes himself (in the pilot episode, "One Armed Bandits", for example, he seems to be the key organizer behind slot machineSlot machine
A slot machine , informally fruit machine , the slots , poker machine or "pokies" or simply slot is a casino gambling machine with three or more reels which spin when a button is pushed...
s being illegally imported into the county), whereas he would soon become a bumbling accomplice, sometimes even unwillingly, with Boss Hogg the brains behind the various scams.
Also in "One Armed Bandits", it was explained that Rosco had served Hazzard County for 30 years as "a fairly honest lawman" but became embittered after watching his pension get wiped out following a failed bond referendum, and with just a few months left in office (something that was soon overlooked as the show settled into its lengthy seven-season run) decided to grab whatever money he could, by whatever means. This notion was explored again in a couple of other very early episodes, most notably a scene where Deputy Enos
Enos Strate
Enos Strate is a character on the television series, The Dukes of Hazzard played by Sonny Shroyer.-Fictional biography:Enos was born in Hazzard County to a loving family, and grew up as friends with Bo and Luke Duke. At the age of sixteen, he enrolled at the Hazzard Police Academy, graduated at the...
asks him why he turned so corrupt, in the fourth broadcast episode, "Repo Men". It wasn't until creator Gy Waldron
Gy Waldron
Gyneth Markley "Gy" Waldron is an American screenwriter and director best known as the writer/director of the movie Moonrunners, and creator of the television series, The Dukes of Hazzard.-Life and career:...
realized that he had found an audience with children that the character was toned down to the more comedic and bumbling persona for which he is best known; something that James Best himself had large input on, insisting that, while Rosco technically was corrupt, he never wanted children viewing to feel afraid to grow up to be a lawman.
General information
Rosco frequently initiates car chases with BoBo Duke
Beauregard "Bo" Duke is a fictional character in the American television series The Dukes of Hazzard, which ran from 1979 to 1985. He was played by John Schneider. The name of Beauregard may have been chosen after the famous Confederate General P.G.T. Beauregard.Bo and his cousin Luke Duke live in...
and Luke Duke
Luke Duke
Lucas K. "Luke" Duke is a fictional character in the American television series The Dukes of Hazzard which ran from 1979 to 1985. Luke was played by Tom Wopat....
(Hogg's most frequent adversaries), but the Duke boys are often able to elude Rosco, who usually winds up wrecking his patrol car (or "scuffing his vehicle" as he called it) in various ways (always escaping uninjured). Why Rosco does not simply arrest the boys at their farm for resisting arrest
Resisting arrest
Resisting arrest is a term used to describe a criminal charge against an individual who has committed, depending on the jurisdiction, at least one of the following acts:* threatening a police officer with physical violence while being arrested...
because of these chases is never addressed.
Starting with the third season (1980–1981), Rosco got a pet dog—a lazy basset hound
Basset Hound
The Basset Hound is a short-legged breed of dog of the hound family. They are scent hounds, bred to hunt rabbits and hare by scent. Their sense of smell for tracking is second only to that of the Bloodhound....
he calls "Flash" and nicknames "Velvet Ears"—which he mothered and loved dearly (Rosco was a bachelor and childless), that loved the Dukes but always barked at Boss Hogg. Early on, the dog's gender was male, but this would change in later episodes. (Flash is never 'introduced' to the series as such, first appearing in the episode "Enos Strate to the Top" with no fanfare.)
Boss Hogg and Rosco are brothers-in-law because Rosco's older sister, Lulu Coltrane
Lulu Coltrane Hogg
Lulu Coltrane Hogg is a fictional character on the American television series The Dukes of Hazzard played by the late Peggy Rea.Lulu is Boss Hogg's wife, and Roscoe's "fat sister", making Boss and Roscoe brothers-in-law. Boss and Lulu are childless and live in a large mansion in Hazzard County....
, is married to Boss Hogg.
Rosco has just more than $43 in his savings account, and often tries to join Boss in indulging in high-calorie dishes (which usually results in him getting his hands slapped). His patrol car (in the first season a 1974-5 AMC Matador
AMC Matador
The AMC Matador is a mid-size car that was built and sold by American Motors Corporation from 1971 to 1978. The Matador came in two generations: 1971 to 1973 and a major redesign from 1974 to 1978...
or a 1970 Dodge Polara and in later seasons a 1977 or 1978 Dodge Monaco
Dodge Monaco
The Dodge Monaco was a full-size automobile built and sold by the Dodge division of the Chrysler Corporation between 1965 to 1978, and 1990 to 1992.-A Grand Prix competitor:...
or Plymouth Fury
Plymouth Fury
The Plymouth Fury is an automobile which was produced by the Plymouth division of the Chrysler Corporation from 1956 to 1978. The Fury was introduced as a premium-priced model designed to showcase the line, with the intent to draw consumers into showrooms....
) also serves as his daily driver except for a few episodes where he has other cars, such as a 1977 Pontiac Lemans
Pontiac LeMans
The Pontiac LeMans was a model name applied to compact and intermediate-sized automobiles offered by the Pontiac division of General Motors from 1962 to 1981. The LeMans was replaced by the downsized Pontiac Bonneville for the 1982 model year...
in the 3rd season episode "To Catch a Duke" which he apparently saved his nickels and dimes for, as he claims. This car can routinely be seen parked outside the Police station in stock footage exterior shots for the rest of the series. His personal vehicle in the 5th season episode "The Revenge of Hughie Hogg" is a 1967-1968 Chevrolet Impala
Chevrolet Impala
The Chevrolet Impala is a full-size automobile built by the Chevrolet division of General Motors introduced for the 1958 model year. Deriving its name from the southern African antelope, Chevrolet's most expensive passenger model through 1965 had become the best-selling automobile in the United...
which he kicks apart. Rosco carries a pearl-handled .38 caliber pistol, with which he is an expert shot, although when he has to use it in the line of duty, he gets too nervous to hit anything (the exception being the first season episode, "Mary Kaye's Baby"). His main deputies — whom he often calls "dipstick" — include Enos Strate
Enos Strate
Enos Strate is a character on the television series, The Dukes of Hazzard played by Sonny Shroyer.-Fictional biography:Enos was born in Hazzard County to a loving family, and grew up as friends with Bo and Luke Duke. At the age of sixteen, he enrolled at the Hazzard Police Academy, graduated at the...
and Cletus Hogg
Cletus Hogg
Deputy Cletus Hogg is a fictional character featured in the American television series, The Dukes of Hazzard. He was played by Rick Hurst....
. Although he often henpecks and belittles his deputies, he is also shown to be very fond of them (particularly Enos) and shows great concern when they might be in real danger.
Rosco's mentality is that of a clumsy, somewhat slow-witted buffoon. He speaks with a childish vernacular and repeats his favorite catchphrases constantly, one of which was his laugh itself, which was a choppy and excited chuckle that was produced from the back of the throat ("Kew-kew-kew-kew!") and became one of the most recognizable aspects of the character (a clip of this laugh was played over the closing Warner Bros. Television
Warner Bros. Television
Warner Bros. Television is the television production arm of Warner Bros. Entertainment, itself part of Time Warner. Alongside CBS Television Studios, it serves as a television production arm of The CW Television Network , though it also produces shows for other networks, such as Shameless on...
logo on the end credits for nearly all episodes). He is easily excitable and genuinely enjoys law enforcement, especially chasing criminals, which he refers to as "hot pursuit". Rosco's favorite story is Jack and the Beanstalk
Jack and the Beanstalk
Jack and the Beanstalk is a folktale said by English historian Francis Palgrave to be an oral legend that arrived in England with the Vikings. The tale is closely associated with the tale of Jack the Giant-killer. It is known under a number of versions...
.
Rosco was married briefly in an episode, "Mrs. Rosco P. Coltrane", during the third season (1980–1981), to a woman he purportedly met through a computer dating service, but the marriage was a sham—his "bride" robbed banks with her husband and his associate — and the union was quickly annulled. Rosco has shown on numerous occasions (especially on episodes where characters either were thought to have died or found themselves in serious trouble) that he is much more of a caring man than he ordinarily lets on. This is particularly clear when the safety of his best friend Boss Hogg is threatened by somebody.
During the second season (1979–1980) of the series, James Best left over a dispute about the changing-room conditions. His gripe was that he didn’t mind getting soaked and / or covered in mud, etc., when filming Rosco crashing his car into rivers and suchlike, but was unhappy with the poor changing facilities afterwards. During his absence, Rosco was replaced by a number of stand-in sheriffs (played by such actors as James Hampton
James Hampton
James Hampton may refer to:* James G. Hampton , member of the U.S. House of Representatives from New Jersey's 1st district* James Hampton , American folk artist* James Hampton , television and film actor...
and Dick Sargent
Dick Sargent
Richard Stanford Cox , known professionally as Dick Sargent, was an American actor, notable as the second actor to portray Darrin Stephens on the television series Bewitched...
). Eventually the dispute was settled, and Best returned as Rosco, remaining for the rest of the show's run.
Following the death of actor Sorrell Booke
Sorrell Booke
Sorrell Booke was an American actor who performed on stage, screen, and television. He is best known for his role as the heavyset, corrupt politician "Boss" Hogg in the television show The Dukes of Hazzard....
who played Boss Hogg, the first reunion film
The Dukes of Hazzard: Reunion!
The Dukes of Hazzard: Reunion! is a made-for-television film from 1997 which aired on CBS and reunites the surviving cast members of the American TV series, The Dukes of Hazzard...
also showed that Boss Hogg had died. Rosco inherited his money (and documents of dirty schemes) and he also became Hazzard County's Commissioner as well as serving as Sheriff (almost 20 years after it was said that he only had a short time in office left).
Rosco P. Coltrane in film
- The character originated in the 19751975 in filmThe year 1975 in film involved some significant events, with Steven Spielberg's thriller Jaws topping the box office.-Events:*March 26 - The film version of The Who's Tommy premieres in London....
film MoonrunnersMoonrunnersMoonrunners is a 1975 film starring James Mitchum, and the precursor to The Dukes of Hazzard television series. Mitchum had co-starred with his famous father, Robert Mitchum, in the similar drive-in favorite Thunder Road eighteen years earlier, which also focused upon moonshine-running bootleggers...
. This film was the precursor to The Dukes of Hazzard. The role was played by actor Bruce Atkins and portrayed a more serious version of Rosco, with mention of going crooked because the county took away his pension (something that was mentioned in very early episodes of The Dukes).
- M.C. Gainey portrayed Rosco in the 20052005 in film- Highest-grossing films :Please note that following the tradition of the English-language film industry, these are the top-grossing films that were first released in the United States in 2005...
film The Dukes of HazzardThe Dukes of Hazzard (film)The Dukes of Hazzard is a 2005 comedy film based on the American television series of the same name. The film was directed by Jay Chandrasekhar and released on August 5, 2005 by Warner Bros. Pictures...
. Gainey's Rosco did not incorporate the childlike qualities of Best's interpretation or the prominent middle initial P; the character was portrayed as a much more serious, wicked sheriff who genuinely detested the Dukes.
- Harland WilliamsHarland WilliamsHarland Williams is a Canadian actor, comedian, author, artist, musician and radio personality.-Personal life:Harland Reesor Williams was born on November 14, 1962, in Toronto, Ontario, to Lorraine , a social worker, and John Reesor Williams, who worked as a member of the Ontario Provincial...
played Rosco in The Dukes of Hazzard: The BeginningThe Dukes of Hazzard: The BeginningThe Dukes of Hazzard: The Beginning is a prequel to the 2005 theatrical-release film The Dukes of Hazzard. An edited version of the film debuted on the ABC Family cable television channel on March 4, 2007. 'R'-rated and unrated versions were released on DVD March 13.- Plot :Bo Duke is arrested for...
. His portrayal was much more in line with Best's bumbling portrayal from the TV series. This version of Rosco was said to have been married, and was lodging with Boss Hogg and Lulu, after his wife had thrown him out.
See also
- J.W. Pepper
- Buford T. JusticeBuford T. JusticeSheriff Buford T. Justice is the fictional character played by Jackie Gleason in the movies Smokey and the Bandit , Smokey and the Bandit II and Smokey and the Bandit Part 3...