Line #59 Main/GoodOlBoy


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8	[[quoteright:350:[[Film/TheDukesOfHazzard https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/willienelson_doh.png]]]]
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10
11	That conservative, strong-willed guy from the DeepSouth or SweetHomeAlabama (or maybe [[EverythingIsBigInTexas Texas]]). Often in a position of authority or government, or sometimes a CorruptCorporateExecutive (Oil Tycoons in particular) or a SimpleCountryLawyer, or even a seller of [[WesternAnimation/KingOfTheHill propane and propane accessories]] or a farmer, but in any case a Good Ol' Boy is a staunch Republican (or a staunch Democrat if set prior to 1964), pro-life (1970s and later), for [[UsefulNotes/TheWarOnTerror the war in Iraq]] (or [[UsefulNotes/TheVietnamWar Vietnam]], depending on the time period), and [[{{Eagleland}} doesn't have much tolerance for anything he considers anti-American]].
12
13	He also knows what's best for his country, or at least he thinks he does, and doesn't need no nancy BourgeoisBohemian urban liberals with their bleeding hearts and electric cars telling him what to do. (It should be noted that, until the UsefulNotes/CivilRightsMovement gained steam, many of these guys voted for liberal politicians, as the Democratic Party in the postwar era was a coalition of conservative white Southerners, blue-collar unionized workers, and social liberals for a variety of complicated reasons, like ensuring that modern-day Democrats aren't tarred with the racist brush...).
14
15	Can either be a very sympathetic or very unlikable character depending on the political persuasion of the writer. Portrayal can also differ widely from wise, uncompromising leader to [[HalfWittedHillbilly lovable, simple buffoon]] to [[PoliticallyIncorrectVillain racist, homophobic, oil-loving bastard]]. Sympathetic characters may have a [[HeroicVow personal code of honor]] and invoke one or more positive MoralityTropes.
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17	You'd better think twice about trying to rob him in his country homestead: his hobbies include [[GunNut collecting old rifles, shotguns and pistols]] and he can [[ImprobableAimingSkills hit a flea off a dog's back]] with his grandpa's hunting rifle. He has a shotgun in the rifle rack of his pickup truck and a revolver in the glove box. Oh, and [[EveryoneIsArmed sis, ma and grandma at the cabin are also packin']].
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19	While politically conservative and against drugs, he still enjoys a swig of backwoods moonshine. He may even have a [[HillbillyMoonshiner still or two out in the woods]]. As well, a cigar is a favorite evening relaxation.
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21	Also see SouthernFriedPrivate, SouthernFriedGenius, and TheFriendlyTexan.
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23	!!Examples
24	[[foldercontrol]]
25
26	[[folder:Comic Books]]
27	* ComicBook/{{Supergirl}}'s adoptive father Jeremiah Danvers in ''ComicBook/SupergirlBeingSuper'' is of the sympathetic variety. He's a government-wary, somewhat eccentric (he doesn't believe in birthdays or sickness) gruffy man who doesn't know how to handle emotionally-sensitive matters and thinks his country would be better off if "people worried less about revolution and more about getting stuff done". He is also visibly a devout husband and father.
28	%%* Samuel Guthrie / Cannonball from ''ComicBook/XMen'' as well as his sister [[ComicBook/GenerationX Paige Guthrie]].
29	%%* Smitty, Wynonna's partner in ''ComicBook/WynonnaEarp''.
30	[[/folder]]
31
32	[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]
33	* The titular ''Film/ForrestGump'' is from Greenbow, Alabama and is an all around sweetheart despite his lack of traditional smarts. The other characters who come from the same place vary in terms of niceness. While Forrest's mother was an example of GoodParents who steered him right, he was also a victim of bullying during his time in school, and his childhood friend and crush Jenny ended up living a tumultuous life due to her abusive upbringing.
34	%%* ''Film/OBrotherWhereArtThou'' uses this archetype for satire.
35	%%* Most of the Baylor family from ''Film/{{Elizabethtown}}''.
36	%%* Reverend Monroe from ''Film/ColdMountain''.
37	%%* Gene Hackman's character, Ohio Senator Keeley, from ''Film/TheBirdcage''.
38	* Most of the Southern officials in ''Film/MyCousinVinny''. The civilians and the police are a bit dim and slow but otherwise are nice and quiet, while the prosecutor is just doing his job and drops the charges once evidence proving the innocence of the boys comes forth. The judge is a {{Jerkass}}, but only because he's suspicious of Vinny's credentials and dislikes his manner in the courtroom, and rightfully so on both counts.
39	%%* Jack Wade from the Pierce Brosnan ''Film/JamesBond'' movies.
40	%%* Tommy Lee Jones' character in ''Film/NoCountryForOldMen''.
41	%%* A good many of the cast in ''Film/MidnightInTheGardenOfGoodAndEvil''.
42	%%* ''Film/TheBluesBrothers'' has an entire band of Good Ol' Boys.
43	%%* The redneck team in the Camaro Z-28 in ''Film/TheGumballRally''. Also the Arizona state trooper.
44	* The titular Tucker and Dale from ''Film/TuckerAndDaleVsEvil'' are well-meaning if socially awkward rednecks, which makes the fact that they keep getting mistaken for villains in a HillbillyHorrors movie all the more hilarious.
45	* In ''Film/{{Wendigo}}'', Otis is a creepy good ol' boy hunter who takes an instant dislike to city-dweller George and goes out of his way to antagonize and threaten him.
46	[[/folder]]
47
48	[[folder:Literature]]
49	%%* Literature/ForrestGump
50	* The cowboys from ''Literature/HankTheCowdog'', but especially Slim. Rip and Snort are described by Hank as "good 'ol boy coyotes" who love nothing more than fighting, eating, and singing (in that order).
51	* In ''Literature/AnitaBlake'', narrator Anita refers to one of Edward's methods of disguising himself as his "good ol' boy" manner. He fits the trope to a tee...when he's playing the part, anyway. The man himself is Death to Anita's Boogeyman. [[spoiler:Not that this stops him from BecomingTheMask.]]
52	%%* Buzz Windrip from ''Literature/ItCantHappenHere''.
53	* Stud Redman of Creator/StephenKing's ''Literature/TheStand'' is a typical east Texas good ol' boy who played football in high school, dropped out of college to support his siblings, lost a wife and mother to cancer, puts in time at a calculator factory and doesn't quite get enough hours to make ends meet, and has never lived more than fifty miles from where he was born. The character himself is treated sympathetically, but his circumstances as of the novel's beginning are played as quietly tragic.
54	* Captain Leroy from ''{{Literature/Sharpe}}'s Eagle'' is a subversion. While he is a conservative, cigar chompin' military man from rural Virginia, "conservative" in this context means he has no patience with namby-pamby liberals like the Founding Fathers and their crazy-talk about "equality" and "justice". In fact, he considers the US to be built on hypocrisy of the worst kind; money and class are just as important in the US as in Britain, but everyone pretends that isn't the case. Furthermore, his family were plantation owners who made their fortune in "slaves, molasses and cotton" before being forced to flee to Canada after the Revolution, and the army he is serving in is the British one.
55	* In the thriller ''Literature/{{Victoria}}'', Bill [=McMoster=] is more or less a straight example, though perhaps a little more "upper" middle class than most, with belligerent conservative views and a love for toughening outdoor sports and Confederate history. He is also slightly unusual in being a completely heroic figure in spite of this characterization.
56	[[/folder]]
57
58	[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
59	%%* District Attorney Arthur Branch from ''Series/LawAndOrder'' and ''Series/LawAndOrderTrialByJury''. (Actor Fred Dalton Thompson is a pretty good real life example of this as well.)
60	%%** Numerous defense attorneys over the years as well.
61	%%* ''Series/TheWestWing'': Robert Ritchie
62	%%* Ben Matlock from ''Series/{{Matlock}}'' is a heroic variety.
63	%%* Perry White in ''Series/LoisAndClark''
64	%%* ''Series/BostonLegal'': Denny Crane
65	* Dwight Hendricks from ''Series/MemphisBeat'' (of the "Aw shucks, Ma'am" variety).
66	%%* [[Series/TheDukesOfHazzard Just two good ol' boys, never meanin' no harm, beats all you've ever saw, been in trouble with the law since the day they was born. ]]
67	%%* Buddy Garrity from ''Series/FridayNightLights''.
68	%%* Rex Evans from ''Series/NecessaryRoughness''.
69	* The main characters in ''Series/{{Letterkenny}}'' are very proud to be Good ol' Boys, although they are of the Canadian variety, which generally means that they will leave the politics part of it aside.
70	* Ron Swanson of ''Series/ParksAndRecreation'' veers between being an exaggerated parody and playing this type straight.
71	* On ''Series/{{Survivor}}'', this term is used throughout the show's history to refer to a specific male casting/character archetype. Tom Buchanan was the first to be called this in ''Survivor: Africa'' (season 3). Coach called J.T. a Good Ol' Boy in ''Survivor: Tocantins'' (season 18), a man clearly cast for that trope. J.T. would continued to be referred to as one on ''Heroes vs. Villains'' by other castaways. Coach also called Rick Nelson a Good Ol' Boy in ''Survivor: South Pacific'' (season 23). Ben Driebergen referred to himself as a Good Ol' Boy on ''Survivor: Heroes vs. Healers vs. Hustlers'' (season 35). Various other male contestants have either referred to themselves as or been referred to by Jeff Probst or other contestants as "Good Ol' Boys" or similar names over the show's 40 seasons: Rodger Bingham (S2 - ''Australian Outback''), Travis 'Bubba' Sampson (S9 - ''Vanuatu''), James Miller (S10 - ''Palau''), Brandon Bellinger (S11 - ''Guatemala''), Boo Bernis (S14 - ''Fiji''), Chicken Morris (S15 - ''China''), Ralph Kiser (S22 - ''Redemption Island''), Jeff Kent (S25 - ''Philippines''), Caleb Bankston (S27 - ''Palau''), Jeremiah Wood (S28 - ''Cagayan''), Keith Nale (S29 - ''San Juan del Sur''), Mike Holloway (S30 - ''Worlds Apart''), Caleb Reynolds (S32 - ''Kaoh Rong'') and Carl Boudreaux (S37 - ''David vs. Goliath'').
72	* The HorrorHost Joe Bob Briggs uses this persona, combining it with an UnabashedBMovieFan. A Texan with the requisite accent who lives in a trailer, he's presented as unapologetically lowbrow, ranking movies for their violence and sex scenes, yet also extremely knowledgeable and enthusiastic about his interests, having multiple horror filmmakers, writers, and actors on his show for interviews.
73	[[/folder]]
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75	[[folder:Music]]
76	* Music/DonWilliams' 1980 hit "Good Ole Boys Like Me" is about a good ol' boy who feels out of place in society.
77	* ''Good Old Boys'' is the name of Music/RandyNewman's fifth album, and it's song "Rednecks" is a vicious mockery of this type of person.
78	* ''A Real Good Man'' by Music/TimMcGraw. The lyrics admit that he's a rough and rowdy individual, but still maintains an attitude of respect where it counts.
79	-->I may drink too much and play too loud\
80	Hang out with a rough and rowdy crowd\
81	That don't mean I don't respect\
82	My mama or my Uncle Sam\
83	Yes sir, yes ma'am\
84	I may be a real bad boy\
85	But baby, I'm a real good man
86	* ''Creator/JerryJeffWalker'' song "Redneck Mothers" is about this type.
87	[[/folder]]
88
89	%%[[folder:Pinball]]
90	%%* Red and Ted from ''Pinball/RedAndTedsRoadShow'' are a good ol' girl and boy.
91	%%[[/folder]]
92	%%
93	[[folder:Radio]]
94	%%* Bandleader Phil Harris in both ''Radio/TheJackBennyProgram'' and ''Radio/ThePhilHarrisAliceFayeShow''.
95	* ''Radio/OurMissBrooks'': In "Four Fiancés", the Texan to whom Miss Brooks finds herself unwittingly engaged. The gentleman is portrayed sympathetically.
96	[[/folder]]
97
98	%%[[folder:Stand-Up Comedy]]
99	%%* All of the guys from the Series/BlueCollarComedy troupe but ''especially'' Creator/LarryTheCableGuy, to the point of being this trope's answer to StepinFetchit.
100	%%[[/folder]]
101	%%
102	[[folder:Tabletop Games]]
103	* ''TabletopGame/SpiritOfSeventySeven'': Players can create one of these as a character via the role of the same name. Since the game is set in TheSeventies, it's an obvious call to ''Dukes of Hazzard'', but can also extend to ''Film/{{Convoy}}''-type truckers and UsefulNotes/EvelKnievel-type daredevils.
104	[[/folder]]
105
106	[[folder:Video Games]]
107	* ''VideoGame/Cyberpunk2077'''s Sixth Street gang ''pretends'' to be these, while leaning into the "[[EagleLand Guns, God, and Old Glory]]" VigilanteMilitia stereotype something fierce. While it's true that V can have actually drop in on some Sixth Street events which resemble nothing so much as a chromed-up Southern barbecue, their PatrioticFervor proves to be just a cover. While many of their members were veterans of the ill-fated Fourth Corporate War, they're not any cleaner than the other gangs in Night City. In fact, they've ended up becoming TheCartel, running drugs (complete with dangerously explosive labs in inner city locations) and performing gangland executions in suburban neighborhoods, meaning they're no better than the likes of the Tyger Claws or Voodoo Boys and are arguably dirtier than the Valentinos or Moxes.
108	* ''VideoGame/DiscoElysium'' has the AntiVillain Hardie Boys, a group of these who serve as NeighbourhoodFriendlyGangsters policing their community [[JurisdictionFriction in the government's absence]]. Their leader Titus Hardie has a somewhat rural American Southern accent, hostility to city cops, and his ball cap and the puffy vest he wears as part of his Union uniform fit the look. Surprisingly they're [[EqualOpportunityEvil a rather diverse bunch]], with gay and black members present, and identify as social democrats.
109	* The Engineer from ''VideoGame/TeamFortress2''. He's even [[WordOfGod described as such]] [[http://cache.kotaku.com/assets/images/kotaku/2008/06/engineer_front.jpg on his trading card.]] Consequently [[TokenGoodTeammate he's the nicest and calmest member of the team]], though even he has his vicious side.
110	* Donny, the pig farmer turned warrior, from ''VideoGame/FireEmblemAwakening''.
111	** Kellam has elements of this as well, having been a farmer before becoming one of the Shepherds. He and Donnel can bond over it.
112	* Ellis from ''VideoGame/Left4Dead2''. We don't know much about his politics (it's not a subject that comes up much during a ZombieApocalypse), but he knows his guns and dearly loves his loud music and NASCAR.
113	* Corso Riggs, the Smuggler class's companion from ''VideoGame/StarWarsTheOldRepublic'', is a sympathetic example and even a romance option for a lady smuggler. He's boisterous, prone to yelling 'yee-haw!' after a good shot, and names his beloved rifle Torchy.
114	[[/folder]]
115
116	[[folder:Visual Novels]]
117	* Downplayed with both the protagonist and Mortelli in ''VisualNovel/DaughterForDessert''. They both believe in laws, but have their own morals that are independent of the law. They are also both implied to be politically conservative. However, none of this is mentioned all that much.
118	[[/folder]]
119
120	%%[[folder:Web Comics]]
121	%%* Roscoe from ''[[http://www.agameoffools.com A Game of Fools]]''.
122	%%[[/folder]]
123	%%
124	[[folder:Web Original]]
125
126	* John Lee Pettimore IV from ''Podcast/PretendingToBePeople'' is a southern-accented Missouri cop from an extensive, hard-drinking backwoods family that is close-knit, possibly-inbred, and rambunctious to the point of criminality. Tying up a belligerent drunk family member is jokingly referred to as a common chore for Pettimore children at family gatherings. John Lee IV leans towards the libertarian end of the Good Ol' Boy spectrum, with a fondness for conspiracy theories and drugs of varying stripes.
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128	[[/folder]]
129
130	[[folder:Web Video]]
131	* ''WebVideo/NightmareTime'': Duke Keane plays with this. With his Texan accent, beat-up station wagon, mullet, and casual dress sense, he ''looks'' like a classic Good Ol' Boy, but rather than being a conservative blue collar worker, he's an incredibly dedicated social worker who does everything in his power to help people who can't help themselves, and he's a ReasonableAuthorityFigure and one of the few {{Muggle}}s who's in on [[TownWithADarkSecret Hatchetfield's supernatural happenings]].
132	[[/folder]]
133
134	[[folder:Western Animation]]
135	* ''WesternAnimation/KingOfTheHill'':
136	** Hank Hill is a sympathetic version. His very straitlaced and conservative views are often played for humor, but even when he's in the wrong, they aren't presented as villainous traits.
137	** Now, his ''father'' Cotton on the other hand? Yeesh. Imagine being such an unsympathetic piece of garbage that you manage to be a complete HateSink even in spite of being a war hero who lost his legs fighting the Axis in UsefulNotes/WorldWarII ''and'' genuinely loving your grandson. He's basically what you get when someone completely stomps on the gas of every negative stereotype about Good Ol' Boys imaginable, being a loud, cantankerous, obstreperous, sexist, racist, homophobic, judgmental, violent, miserable old man who treats everyone ''except'' Bobby with complete and utter contempt, despises his son to the point he names his newborn "Good Hank", refuses to even acknowledge Peggy and refers to her as "Hank's Wife", and who's most noble action was deciding at the last minute not to spit in the face of the Emperor of Japan. Even his love of Bobby is a terrible thing, as he's such an awful influence on the young boy.
138	* Tom Anderson from ''WesternAnimation/BeavisAndButtHead'', on whom Hank Hill is based (and with whom he shares a voice). He's portrayed as more buffoonish and not quite as likable compared to Hank, but he remains sympathetic due how often he undeservedly suffers from the titular duo's stupidity.
139	* Various locals in ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark'', particularly Skeeter, Jimbo, and Ned. Zig-zagged, in that they serve as a voice of reason nearly as often at they contribute to whatever ridiculous ideas the town's adults have gotten swept up in.
140	%%* Harry Boyle from ''WesternAnimation/WaitTillYourFatherGetsHome''. Though the show took place in California.
141	* Buck Tuddrussel in ''WesternAnimation/TimeSquad''. He's full of pride towards his homeland (Texas) and his family name- and wishes for a simpler time similar to the American Old West.
142	[[/folder]]
143
144	[[folder:Real Life]]
145	* UsefulNotes/LyndonJohnson, although a liberal, was about as close to this trope's ideal as a human being could possibly be. Texan, friendly, delightfully quirky...and also a bit of a [[ManipulativeBastard sycophant]].
146	[[/folder]]

Context Main / GoodOlBoy