‘The Dukes of Hazzard’ May Be Pulled From Amazon’s IMDb TV Due to Confederate Flag
Amazon's IMDb streaming service is considering removing Dukes of Hazzard from its platform due to its use of the Confederate flag.
Variety reports that the streaming service may pull the popular 1980s show, as the Confederate flag is painted on the roof of Bo and Luke Duke's car, the General Lee, in reference to the commander of the Confederate States Army during the Civil War, General Robert E. Lee.
The show, which aired on CBS from 1979 to 1985, starred John Schneider, Tom Wopat and Catherine Bach, and it was set in the fictional Hazzard County in Georgia. The Dukes of Hazzard followed the exploits of Bo and Luke, who the song's theme songs described as having "been in trouble with the law since the day they was born."
Many of the scenes center around car chases and some improbable jumps they make in the General Lee, including lots of footage of the Confederate flag emblazoned on the roof of the car.
Dukes also came under fire in 2015 for the use of the Confederate flag, when Warner Brothers studio ceased licensing toy merchandise of the General Lee. TV Land also removed reruns of The Dukes of Hazzard from its lineup in 2015 after a racially-motivated mass shooting at a church in Charleston, S.C. Pictures emerged afterward of the shooter, Dylann Roof, holding a Confederate flag, and he had posted racist manifestos online as well.
The Confederate flag has come under scrutiny once again in the wake of the death of George Floyd, a 46-year-old black man in Minneapolis who died after a white police officer Derek Chauvin was filmed kneeling on his neck for nearly nine minutes. Chauvin has been fired, arrested and charged in Floyd's death, which has sparked protests nationwide around the wider topics of policing and racial inequality.
HBO Max announced on Tuesday (June 9) that it is removing Gone With the Wind, the Academy Award-winning 1939 film that depicts the South during the Reconstruction Era after the Civil War, from its service for perpetuating black stereotypes and ignoring slavery, romanticizing that period. NASCAR also announced on Wednesday (June 10) that it's banning the use of the Confederate flag during races.
"The presence of the Confederate flag at NASCAR events runs contrary to our commitment to providing a welcoming and inclusive environment for all fans, our competitors, and our industry," the organization says in a statement. "Bringing people together around a love for racing and the community that it creates is what makes our fans and sport special. The display of the Confederate flag will be prohibited from all NASCAR events and properties."
See the Cast of The Dukes of Hazzard Then and Now: