The Other Dukes
One of the most popular shows of the late 70s & early 80s was The Dukes of Hazzard, a story of moonshiners and race cars in the deep south. The show has a connection to Sea Girt.
For 30 years, the seven children of the Mayer family of Ridgewood enjoyed their summer home at the corner of Baltimore and First in Sea Girt. Their Grandparents (Paul and Dorothy Williams) bought the house from the Linketters in 1963, and when they passed away, their daughter Patrina Mayer and her husband George (Jack) and their children continued to summer there. Eventually, the Mayer children gave them seventeen grandchildren. Jack, a pilot and race fan, was a naval vet and managed a trucking business. Patrina was very involved in community affairs in Ridgewood and later Sea Girt.
Their oldest, George III, known as Chip in his school days, struck out for Hollywood after graduating from Colgate. Six-two and with a beach body, he took the stage name “Christopher Mayer” in 1982 and landed the role of Vance Duke, the cousin of Luke Duke in the CBS series "Duke's of Hazzard". He was one of seven Mayer children who played at the beach. 5 of 7 siblings settled in the area.
1980s publicity photo of Christopher ‘Chip’ Mayer
While the lead actors on the Dukes, Tom Wopat and John Schneider (Bo and Luke), were in a contract dispute with CBS, the network recast look-alike cousins Vance and Coy Duke to take over until the dispute was resolved. It was supposed to be a guest role, but the contract issues continued, and Vance and Coy rolled into 1983.
The Original Cast of the Dukes
After 19 episodes of driving the General Lee, the contact issue was resolved and the look-alike cousins turned the General Lee back to the original stars.
It's real fame when you are on kid's lunch box. Chris as the replacement on the left.
It was the breakthrough of a successful acting career of the kid who grew up summering at Baltimore and First. He made movies (Liar, Liar) and soaps and was a frequent guest star on TV shows like Silk Stalkings, Star Trek: Deep Space 9, Flipper, Sliders, Renegade, and Weird Science. Chip returned to the beach. He got to guest-star on an episode of Baywatch in 1998. Christopher passed away in 2011 in LA.