Speaking via a speaker phone at the home of his good friends Roger and Debi Yarborough, James Best, a veteran actor best known for his small screen roll as Sheriff Rosco P. Coltrane on the hit 1970s and ’80s TV series The Dukes of Hazzard, jumped in and out of character during a recent interview with The Cullman Times.

“It’s just so good to be back in Cullman,” Best said. “I’m looking forward to having a great time and seeing a lot of fans of the show.”

Those fans turned out in force during Saturday’s Dukes of Hazzard fundraising events benefiting the Cullman Area Animal Welfare Association (C.A.A.W.A.).

Best, the special guest during Saturday’s VIP reception at Cullman Regional Medical Center, also presented his one-man show at the Cullman High School Auditorium Saturday night. This afternoon he will be signing autographs from 1 to 3 p.m. at the Pet Depot.

A similar event at the Pet Depot last August raised $4,000 for C.A.A.W.A., a local group of pet owners and lovers who promote animal adoption.

It was during that event last year that Best said he promised to return to Cullman and present a Dukes of Hazzard weekend benefiting C.A.A.W.A.

“My wife Dorothy and I met Roger and Debi and we immediately hit it off and became friends. Then I discovered they were big into the animal shelter here and I asked them if I could help and here we are,” Best said. “Flash, the basset hound on the show was my dog. I actually got him from a pound. I love animals and we have three dogs now, two King Charles spaniels and a beagle puppy. I tell you, I’ve lost relatives that I haven’t cried as much for as when I lost one of my beagles.”

Prior to his Dukes days, Best, who will turn 80 this July, starred alongside such film giants as Jimmy Stewart, Humphrey Bogart, Charlton Heston, Henry Fonda, Paul Newman and Audie Murphy.

“Jimmy Stewart was my icon when I started acting in Hollywood, and I was privileged to have worked with him in five feature films including the western “Fire Creek,” which also starred Henry Fonda,” Best said. “Some of my other favorites were ‘Left-Handed Gun,’ in which I starred opposite Paul Newman, who portrayed Billy the Kid, and ‘Shenandoah,’ again with Jimmy Stewart.”

While he enjoys the time the big screen permits an actor to develop a character, Best said he equally enjoyed doing such TV shows as The Twilight Zone, Gun Smoke and Bananza.

“I can look back at my career and know that I’ve been blessed to have been in the business and to have sustained it this long,” Best said.

His years playing the role of Rosco, the lovable and often times inept sheriff who was always in the rearview mirror of Bo and Luke Duke and the General Lee, will forever be among his fondest.

At age 79, Best is showing no signs of slowing down with personal engagements and Dukes promotions booked throughout the year.

In his best Rosco, Best ended the interview by saying, “Until I see you again, keep the pedal to the metal, I’m gone.”