For Immediate Release

James Best Scheduled to Appear at the 2010 Carlisle Chrysler Nationals

Better Known as Rosco P. Coltrane, “The Dukes of Hazzard”

Thursday, July 01, 2010

Carlisle Events is proud to announce the scheduled appearance of James Best who is most widely known for his role as Roscoe P. Coltrane in the long-running television series, The Dukes of Hazzard, at the 2010 Carlisle Chrysler Nationals. James Best has built an impressive career on both stage and screen, and has taught and guided the careers of some of the film industry's biggest stars.

About James Best

Born in Kentucky and reared in Indiana, Best's first professional stage experience came after WW II in a European tour of My Sister Eileen which was produced and directed by Arthur Penn. Penn would later go on to direct Best in Left Handed Gun with Paul Newman.

With the completion of the European tour, Best returned to New York, where he performed in both summer and winter stock productions. Additionally, he performed on stage throughout the northeast, and toured nationally for almost 18 months in the Broadway touring company musical Marinka.

Upon his return to New York, an executive for Universal Pictures noticed James, and he moved to California and was placed under contract to Universal Studios for two years. He then embarked on a freelance career that firmly established his credentials in the performance arena of Hollywood.

Since then, he has appeared in more than 600 television shows, including The Twilight Zone, Gunsmoke, Andy Griffith Show, Rawhide, Wagon Train, The Rebel, Bonanza, Mod Squad, Perry Mason, and The Fugitive, to name a few.

During the years in Hollywood, he has also made 83 features, working with some of the screen's most prominent stars like Jimmy Stewart, Humphrey Bogart, Henry Fonda, Jerry Lewis, Rock Hudson and Anthony Quinn. He also worked on three films with Burt Reynolds including Gator on which he served as Associate Producer and script writer, The End which he also helped write and direct while Reynolds was on camera, and Hooper in which he co-starred and did the re-writes on the script.

Best's friendship with Reynolds led to appearances at the latter's renowned Dinner Theatre in Jupiter, Florida. He directed and starred in Goodbye Charlie with Luci Arnez, starred in the Reynold's-directed Bus Stop with Sally Field and Robert Urich, and directed The Fantasticks.

In the early 1970's Best decided to semi-retire and became an artist-in-residence at the University of Mississippi. During his two years there, he taught Motion Picture Technique and Drama, directed four plays, established the Mississippi Film Commission and was elected to the University's Hall of Fame.

While the years in Mississippi were productive, Best returned to California and signed with Warner Brothers to do his first regular TV series, an hour-long comedy/adventure series set in the rural America. The Dukes of Hazzard of course went on to become one of the biggest hits in television history. The CBS show, which ran for seven seasons, was the top-rated series on the air for three full years. The popularity remains to this day and periodically it returns to syndication.

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Journalist note: Information about Carlisle Events, its event listings, auction offerings and the Carlisle Expo Center is available to journalists by phone:


Chris Hann
Director of Creative Services & Technology
717-243-7855 ext. 123
chrish@carlisleevents.com

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