This is an iHeart podcast. Guaranteed human. Then the space hamster flew his hot air balloon all the way to the bottom of the ocean. Where did that story come from? Book?
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Up next, the Dukes of Hazard spent seven seasons regaling television viewers with the antics of a group of southern cousins as they dealt with everyday life that somehow involved leaping over ramps in their iconic car. General Lee. Opposing the Cousins with all the skills of Barney Fife on Valium stood among others Commissioner Boss Haag, a corrupt and greedy politician that managed to embody every Southern stereotype while still being a beloved character. many who watched the show. Played by longtime actor Sarrel Book.
The man himself had a much wider range of skill and talents than the bumbling boss would have some believe. Let's take a listen to the story. Just a good old voice When you hear the name Boss Hogg, what do you think of? Most likely the corrupt boss of Hazard County that was forever trying to entrap those rascally Duke boys and lock them up on one false charge after another. Ah!
Glory be. Glory, Glory. If you boys are gonna be out of my hand for two years, hallelujah! You conjure up images of a bald, portly, short man and his trusty sidekick, Roscoe P. Coltrane.
who together ruled Hazard County, Georgia with an iron fist. You probably don't give much thought to the actor who portrayed Boss Hogg's Srell book. After all, there was nothing particularly noteworthy about him. Other than that, he seemed to have perfected the buffoonish, cartoon-like character that was Boss Hogg. But what if I told you that Sorrel book The man who played boss hog of the Dukes of Hazzard was actually a bona fide genius and a legitimate war hero.
Would you believe me?
Well, it is true. I'm Nick Ragone, host of the popular YouTube channel This Date in History with Nick Ragone. And we've been doing a series of videos on Hollywood heroes. the men and women of film and TV who served their country during wartime.
So many of the people that we admired from the movies and TV also served in combat. and rarely if ever spoke about it. People like Russell Johnson, the professor from Gilligans Island. The guy flew 44 combat missions in the Pacific during World War II and received a Purple Heart. Ark Carney of the Honeymooners also received a Purple Heart during World War II.
Betty White and B. Arthur to the Golden Girls. served in the Army and Marines respectively during the Second World War. The list of actors and athletes who have served during combat just goes on and on and on. But the person who has received the most interest by far in our series has been Sorrell Book Boss Hogg.
and it's not even close. People are absolutely stunned and fascinated to learn that Sorrell Book was the polar opposite of his most iconic character, Boss Haad. Besides that truth serum was creeping into his domestic bliss. Jefferson Davis, Hogg, you are a low-down pole cat, if ever there was one. Yeah, but Luluki, I didn't mean what I said.
That is, I meant it, but I didn't mean to say it. No, no, no, no, I mean, what I mean is, I can't help for some compelling reason from saying anything but the awful truth. That you married me for my money. That was the only way to get it. And I'm as big as a house.
Well, they're all different sized houses. And that when I went to the beauty parlor, it looked like I never got waited on. Did you? I mean, didn't you? I mean, oh, I don't know what I mean.
I just know that that that I can't help what's come over me. This is what's going on. The truth will out. You are out! It just goes to show that you should never judge a book by its cover, pun intended.
You know, the word genius gets thrown around a lot, way too much in fact. But the case of Sorrel Book, it really does apply. The man was an honest-to-goodness genius, the kind with an IQ that's off the charts. You don't believe me? Try this on for size.
Surreal Book graduated. He graduated from Columbia University one of the most prestigious and difficult colleges in the country at that time, At the age of 19, Mind you, most people are wrapping up high school or entering their freshman year at that age. and he's already earned a degree in drama. During his time at Columbia, He was a very accomplished Shakespearean actor, and he immediately went out to receive a master's degree from the Yale School of Drama. the premier program for serious thespians.
By the time he was 21, So Sorrell book is 21 years old. has degrees in drama from Columbia and Yale. He's already well regarded and making a name for himself in the stage community. And what does he decide to do? He joins the United States Army.
The Korean War had just begun, and there was a need for counterintelligence officers who were fluent in Korean and Chinese and who could help with translations, interrogations, counterintelligence operations, misinformation. and a whole bunch of other classified work.
Well, the part I haven't told you yet Is that Sorot Book was also fluent in 12 languages? And as he put it, semi-fluid or conversational in six other languages. And those languages included Russian, Chinese, and Korean, among others. which came in really handy during the Cold War and specifically the Korean War. Look, mastering more than a few languages is really, really hard.
Being fluent in a dozen or so languages isn't only off the charts insanely difficult. but it probably made him one of only a handful of people on the planet at the time. who is fluent or semi-fluent in more than a dozen languages. especially some really difficult ones. He quite literally could have done anything he wanted to.
He was that brilliant. And yet he chose to serve his country at the onset of the Cold War a time when the world was a pretty scary place. Remember, the Soviets had just acquired the atomic bomb a few years earlier. There was now a hot war in Korea that most Americans really didn't understand. The red scare in the US was just beginning to take off.
Our country was on edge. and they were still fatigued from World War II remember. But Sorrel Book answered the call when he didn't have to. And that may be the most impressive thing about the guy. This wasn't World War II.
which almost everyone felt compelled to assist in some way. This was the Korean War, a much different situation. And for a man with this many options, this brilliant, To put his life and career on hold to serve his country is a pretty extraordinary thing to do. Sadly, much of his work during the Korean War remains classified to this day. There's really not much in the public domain about specifically what he did.
other than that he specialized in counter intelligence. I really hope someday that his file is declassified.
so we can better understand what he worked on. And of course Sorell like so many of the greatest generation heroes, never ever spoke a word of his service. In fact, whenever anyone asked him about being in the army or serving in the Korean War, his standard answer was. I'm just an ordinary guy from Buffalo, New York. What's so fascinating about Sorrell isn't just his service during the Korean War.
and his true genius, but also his career arc.
So many actors that are identified with one character tend to denigrate or downgrade that role. or even run away from the character. Think Carol O'Connor with Archie Bunker. Robert Reid is Mike Brady. Even Jason Alexander is George to some extent.
Because they don't want to be solely remembered for that. or sometimes they don't even love the character that much or even like them. the characters beneath them or not really who they are. But that was never the case with Tsoral Book. He played one of the most ridiculous characters in TV history.
And I dare you to find a quote from him denigrating Boss Hog or the show. You won't find it because it doesn't exist. You probably remember seeing him on MASH or Colombo, Gunsmoke, The Rocker Files, and a million other shows. You may not have always recognized him because, as boss hog, he actually wore a fat suit, believe it or not. And there's no way he could have known that the Dukes of Hazard would be a smash hit and run for as long as it did.
and that he would sorta be the breakout star in a way. That show wouldn't have been nearly as entertaining without him. And the thing that people remember about the Dukes of Hazzard is the car, the General Lee, boss hog. and of course Daisy Duke, or more specifically Daisy Duke's. And so that's what we remember him for, Boss Hog.
It would have been nice to know all this about him while the show is running. But these heroes just didn't work that way. They weren't going to talk about themselves and they rarely did. It certainly would have changed the way I looked at the character of Boss Hog for sure. God bless this extraordinary man and patriot, Sorrel Book.
I bet there's a reward in all this big enough to choke a plowhorse. Choke him, choke up, didn't you?
Well, what are you standing there for, late heads? Mount a massive man, hunt. They ain't the two of us, Mr. Hall. Then spread out.
I want Boo and the Look Doke. Then you get him. We're gone. Get him, boy. Will you get him?
Oh, well, sir, shit. Fighting the system like a two modern day Robin Hood. Woo! And a terrific job on the storytelling, production, and editing by our own Greg Hengler. And a special thanks to Nick Ragone.
You can find him on YouTube's This Date in History. What a story he told about Sorel Book. the polar opposite of the character he played in The Dukes of Hazzard. And of course, he graduated from the Yale School of Drama, the best in the country, at the age of 21, and then decides to volunteer for the Korean War, being involved in the most important part of warfare. And that, of course, is counterintelligence.
The story of Boss Hogg, that is the man who played him, Sorrell Book. Here on Our American Stories. Then the space hamster flew his hot air balloon all the way to the bottom of the ocean. Where did that story come from? Book?
Dream? Nope, it came from a conversation. Meet Miko Mini Plus, the AI companion that co-creates personalized story adventures with your child in real time. What color was the hamster's cape? And what did he pack for lunch?
Unlock your child's imagination. Discover Miko Mini Plus and the magic of AI exclusively at Costco. Come for the Black Friday seasonal savings. Stay for the award-winning reporting. For a limited time, access to the Washington Post is just 99 cents.
That's unlimited access to all of the posts for only 99 cents every four weeks. That's a great deal for the first year. After that, it'll cost $12 every four weeks. You can cancel any time. But don't wait, this Black Friday seasonal offer won't be here for long.
Go to Washington Post dot com slash iHeart and grab this deal before it's gone. That's Washington Post dot com slash iHeart. Experience entertainment on an epic scale with Vizio's large-screen 100-inch QLED TV, now available at Walmart for only $12.98, a savings of $400. Immerse yourself in breathtaking color and contrast with cutting-edge QLED on a screen so large it transforms any room into your personal theater. And with Watch Free Plus built in, you'll enjoy free live and on-demand TV right out of the box.
You can even stream your favorite music and podcasts with the iHeartRadio app. Head to Walmart.com and bring home the Vizio 100-inch QLED TV today. The only thing between you and your best self is a start button. This Cyber Monday, explore the world with Nordic Track. From the peaks of Peru to the streets of Paris, every workout moves you somewhere new with iFit trainers leading the way.
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PayPal Inc. NMLS 910-457. This is an iHeart podcast. Guaranteed human. Mm-hmm.
