My Dad always thought that The Dukes of Hazzard was the dumbest show on television. At one point I had picked up the DVDs for several seasons of the show, and I must admit, I was inclined to agree. But instead of watching it with disdain, I couldn’t help but enjoy it and its southern good ol’ boy humor. I had had the opportunity to meet the ‘replacements’ DukeĀ cousins Coy and Vance (Byron Cherry and Christopher Mayer), who took over for Bo and Luke (John Schneider and Tom Wopat) during a contract dispute, but I bypassed them. I now regret this since Mayer since passed away unexpectedly.
But back to the original Dukes… I had resigned myself to pick up autographs and go for the encounters with the principal cast members if I ever had the chance. I thought for sure that I’d be meeting Schneider and Catherine Bach at some point soon since I knew they were doing the celebrity show circuit. But so far, no dice.
In contrast, I hadn’t seen any appearances of Tom Wopat, so I assumed he’d be the toughest one to get. This concern was quickly put to rest when it was announced that he’d be appearing at the Chiller Theatre show in Parsippany, New Jersey, on October 27, 2012. Our encounter wasn’t all that memorable, although he seemed just as friendly as his Dukes of Hazzard character would indicate. The autograph was only $20, which wasn’t bad at all, but I later came to regret shelling out the additional $20 for the photo op.
Other than Dukes, and Wopat’s guest appearance on Smallville along his former co-star John Schneider, who played the regular role of Jonathan Kent, I wasn’t familiar with much of his other works. So it took me by surprise when I realized that he would be starring (alongside a mostly black cast) in the Broadway production of A Trip to Bountiful, when I saw it on May 28, 2013, almost exactly seven months after our first encounter. Who would have thought I’d meet him not just once, but twice within a year.
I quite enjoyed the play, and Tom Wopat gave a smooth, if understated performance, as the sheriff. Naturally my friend Bob and I waited outside of the Stephen Sondheim Theatre for the actors to come out. Wopat was one of only two who even bothered with us fans. He came out carrying his bicycle and dutifully signed autographs and posed for pictures (for free this time!), while he passed out flyers for his upcoming album I’ve Got Your Number. He was well prepared for us, and satisfied every fan before bicycling off into the night.
I’m hoping all Dukes are as nice – and as accessible – as Luke was.
Return to Tuesday in New York City…
Celebrities of the Fall 2012 Chiller Theatre show will continue…
Celebrity encounters of the celebrities in New York City during my 2013 visit will continue…
First of all, let me say that I do agree with Mr. F*rrell’s assessment of the TV series. And sadly, I can’t enjoy it the way you did.
Next, I thought of all the celebrities that day at Chiller, Tom Wopat was especially kind and friendly. I messed up at least one of the photos by covering the flash with my fingers. Wopat was more than happy to pose again.
Finally, I very much enjoyed Wopat’s appearance in “Django Unchained.”
Peter
September 3rd, 2013
There were no Duke brothers they were all cousins. Tom Wopat is very accessible if you go to his website and look at his events page. They tell you where he’s going to be most of the time. There was just a big event in Texas October 19-20 where all the cast from The Dukes of Hazzard got together. Also you can follow most of them on Facebook. I know Tom Wopat’s fan page is https://www.facebook.com/tomwopat as for John Schneider, he has his own FB page and so does Catherine.
Kimberly
October 26th, 2013
Oops I forgot the link to Tom Wopat’s website. http://tomwopat.com/
Kimberly
October 26th, 2013