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Rating:  -
If you are a woman you may find some of the language in this book degrading and very offensive. I recommend you stay away from this book.
The synopsis and title of the book are misleading because the book talks little about the show (except for an interesting tidbit here and there) and focuses more on the friendship between the author and his very immature friend.
Rating: -
I have just read the insert from the book and all the reviews on the Amazon website.... And have ordered a used, not full price copy.... So that I won't be out much money, when I burn it!!
I don't know if John's mom remembers me.... But I met her and John at a local radio station in Atlanta in 1980.... Where I gave her a picture of John that I had taken at his concert at Six Flags Over Georgia, with a letter telling her about my fan club for John.... They were both so nice... They posed for pictures and talked with us for a while.... And his mom actually contacted me a few days later and invited me to her home, where I helped her hang the picture in her "Dukes room".... At that time she was just starting her own fan club for John.... So we discussed ideas and helped each other with our fan clubs....
They even invited me over to their home at Christmas.... Where I met John's brother, Bob.... Believe me, they are nothing like the author describes them in this book!!
Rating: -
John R. Schneider's mom, Shirley Conklin, asked me to post this review on here for her. Since I already have a review posted, I had to ask a friend to post this one.
Phyllis Hinkle
Re: Richard Jensen's book "Trespass in Hazzard County"
To introduce myself: Shirley Conklin, John R. Schneider's mom
I read Richard's book a couple of years ago and felt like I was reading his autobiography with derogatory remarks about John thrown in here and there. John and Richard were good friends in high school, both dreamed about going to Hollywood...whereas John went to every available audition and would take any part no matter how small and even help clean the theater and sell tickets, I think Richard thought someone would knock on his door and he would be a "star."
Richard spent a lot of time at my home...he and John were fun to be around, acting, playing guitars and I honestly believed Richard would make it in "Show Biz" but as a comic. When John got his break on "Dukes" and they moved to LA he probably paid Richard's way out, I don't know but anyhow John gave Richard and his wife a paying job of answering his mail...the volume was unbelievable. This gave Richard his chance to follow his dreams. John got Richard a part for two "Dukes" shows if I remember correctly. John hadn't been there long enough to make demands for Richard and did all he could for him...it was Richard's responsibility to pursue his own career in "Hollywood."
Richard wrote his book as he saw things. Instead of being happy for his friend he was bitter and jealous, trashing him in every way he could. Trashing John was bad enough but his attacking me, John's mother, shows what kind of degenerate he really is. If you read this Richard I am ashamed of you that you would sink so low. I treated you like family and encouraged you in your endeavor as I did John. I don't see your name in the TV Guide nor on the Marque at the theater. Instead of blaming John or myself, blame your own inadequacy for lack of pursuing your dream.
Those of you that are die hard "Dukes" fans would be interested in a wonderful book about the "Dukes" first five episodes filmed in Conyers, GA. "The Roads Back to Early Hazzard"...by Jon Holland.....ISBN: 978-1-4196-6384-0....another no. ISBN 1-4196-6384-4 First print 2007....the name of the publisher isn't on the book so this is all the information I have.
Rating:  -
While the suggested title in the title review might not be a perfect choice, it offers a far clearer picture of the book you are thinking of reading.
Any Dukes fan who picks up this book and thinks they are going to get to read something about their favorite show is going to be sadly disappointed that the entire writings concerning the Dukes and the cast contained within the 170 page book can easily be read sitting in a drive thru line with one car ahead of you. That is, if you are hoping to read about anything or anyone other than John Schneider.
This book boils down to being nothing more than the temper-tantrum of a fourty-something year old who has been holding a grudge for twenty-plus years because one of his best former friends, John Schnieder, made it big in Hollywood and he didn't.
Page after page concentrates on every fault he finds with Schneider, from his acting skills, his looks, his attitude, to his taste in women. In short, the author describes himself as being better than Schneider in every way, from convincing the reader he would have been a better actor, had better taste in women and so forth.
Ironically as the president of John's fan club, he criticized the club as having been put in place to do no more than to swamp unsuspecting members with unsolicited advertising, to more or less use John's name to sell. Well talk about the pot calling the kettle black! Jensen has slapped "Hazzard" onto the title of his autobiography and used it to sell his book!
Also, he insults the show itself, saying in one portion that 'no talent was needed to star in the Dukes'. This coming from the man who, again, twenty-plus years later, continues to bemoan his agent in the book for not having sent him to the Dukes audition! If he thought so lowly of the show, why the grudge?
It also appears that Jensen is quite upset that John didn't do more to help him in his Hollywood career, an agreement they had supposedly both made as struggling actors in the event that 'one of them should make it big.' John did get him the guest roll on the Dukes in the 'Carnival of Thrills' episode, and also offered him a part in his tv movie 'Coming Home', so he was making effort. But John was a young, a new star in Hollywood and I doubt there was much more he could have done to promote Jensen's career other than help him get these bit parts. What was he supposed to have done? Go to the Dukes directors and say 'Hire Jensen as a permanent cast member or I quit?' Of course, after reading this, I wouldn't have been suprised if Jensen HAD wanted that!
To Jensen's credit, he does include some of his personal photos of John that are nice to see, and gives you a glimps of John's early high school theater days. For these reasons it was worth it to have the book. But if you really want to read about the show, you'd be far better off picking up a copy of 'The Dukes of Hazzard: The Unofficial Companion' by David Hofesteade.
Rating:  -
I don't understand the bad reviews of this book. This entertaining book gave me a lot of insight into the background of the Dukes of Hazzard. Parts of the story are a little sad, but overall it was a lot of fun to read. I've always enjoyed books that tell the true story behind the scenes, instead of the version that is filtered through the studio PR department. I was particularly interested in reading about John Schneider's early days as an actor, before he hit it big at such a young age. This book was fun and fascinating, and it is well worth reading.
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