Friday, June 21, 2013

DUCK HUNTING

On the outskirts of Monroe, Louisiana, in West Monroe, you'll find the homes and  business headquarters of these four guys who have a hit show, "Duck Dynasty" on A & E.



West Monroe is a typical suburban town in the northern part of the state, and these guys are typical Louisianans, who love their families, duck hunting, and the Bible.   

Back in the eighties, I probably drove past the sprawling home of Phil Robertson, who created the show -- he's probably the most famous duck caller in the U.S. On my way to the theater at the University in Monroe to set up for a performance, I remember how surprised I was to see so many churches -- churches on every corner, and one was bigger than the Holiday Inn where I was staying. 

Phil Robertson, 67, is the patriarch of this family of born-again Christian duck callers, which includes his four sons --Alan, Willie Jase, Jep, and Phil's younger brother, Si, a Vietnam vet. Phil proudly has said, more than once, "Yes, we're basically Godly, I didn't think that would work on American television."

The fact is, the 3rd season premiere of "Duck Dynasty" drew the highest ratings the A & E channel has ever seen -- with 8.2. million viewers, it's the most watched program on cable, (after "The Walking Dead"); its April 25th finale beat "American Idol" in the ratings.

Phil is also a bestselling author. His latest book, "Happy, Happy, Happy: My life and Legacy as the Duck Hunter Commander," describes his childhood -- no running water, electricity, outdoor commode, all the kids sleeping in the same bed. Though Phil attended Louisiana Tech University on a football scholarship, he ignored future possibilities as a starting quarterback.  He went into the duck hunting business, creating a duck caller with a double reed (like an Oboe), with a dimple in each reed to keep them separated, which he sold at Duck Commanders, his newly opened store.

Aside from the show, the Robertsons go hunting and fishing together -- they say,  "for food and for souls." They look like hillbillies, but they're not -- Phil patented his duck caller. Last year, along with supplies to the 2.3. million water fowl hunters around the world, Duck Commanders sold 185,000 duck callers.

And other family members are making money on their best-selling books which are published now, and distributed by Simon & Schuster.

"Duck Dynasty" has inspired and is influencing other shows, affecting our culture. I couldn't write about my husband's acting career if I didn't know anything about Shakespeare -- I couldn't be discussing the power of TV today is I hadn't glimpsed "Family Guy," or some of the NCIS shows, or "Duck Dynasty."  

The Robertsons -- their beards, the way they talk and what they talk about --  seeing flocks of birds flying free while the humans below are below are having fun shooting them down -- it's not my cup of tea.

Okay, if I sat down with them they'd think I was weird. They are not weird, they just very different from me.

Here are two video clips. I couldn't watch all of the second clip -- maybe YOU can. They're fellow Americans -- good guys, kind of like neighbors we need to respect and like for what they are.







5 comments:

Carola said...

Not my type of show, but I do love to watch the shows on Animal Planet.

Stan said...

When I see this show coming on television I turn the channel immediately. Calling birds and killing them isn't my cup of tea. There must be many people that love the dynasty, but I'm not one of them. To me, they dumb down our English language and our civility. Hey, that's just me.

Linda Phillips said...

Em, you amaze me! Where DO YOU find this stuff? ;-) No one can accuse you of having repetitive, boring blogs. That is for sure!

Much love,

Linda

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Anonymous said...

Hehe, Hillbillies they are not but they play the part. I don't like to watch it so I don't watch it.
Why do people love the show so much beats the heck out of me.
Killing ducks and chasing them is boring but sad to see them DIE.
However it made them all very rich.
I swat flies all day and chase them after kids leave the doors open. It is a job but I have to do it. I have to kill those pesty flies. I do believe in killing those nasty things. I went as far as to trap a fly in a bathroom and stay in there till I killed it. I hate the things. Okay enough about my hating flies.
I love ducks but hate seeing the drop dead out of the sky. I am from Kentucky and they call us hillbillies...and Yep, I am one for sure in a good way.
Thanks EM, you amaze me with your great blogs as I no doubt amaze you with my down to earth answers. Jan

Maureen Jacobs said...

I respect what these folks do, but reality shows are not my bag baby. Half the time the producers of the reality shows like to stir the pot. To me, that is not reality. It is staged reality. If you want real, follow me. I keep it real and put on no airs. Just so know why I don have my own show....no drama. I have no drama, no exes with issues, no skeletons that need to come out, nothing. So that, my friend, shows why folks tend to enhance their reality shows. Life isn't always that dramatic.