I agree.

With the actors Byron Cherry (Coy Duke) and Christopher Mayer (Vance Duke) in the picture, this picture was probably taken right after Tom and John resolved their contract disputes and returned to the show. To say they would have been uneasy would be my guess too.

As far as having the entire cast for a picture, I vaguely recall that the show was to continue on with all four actors (Tom, John, Coy and Vance) in their roles. Obviously, that didn't happen since the episode with the return of Tom and John, had Coy and Vance leave before the first commercial break.

CBS managed to take a top 10 show and ruin it by not following the contracts involving merchandising royalties and sharing the profits made from toys, plastic models, etc.

How much longer could the show have gone beyond seven seasons? Probably not much longer, maybe one or two seasons.

I enjoyed it since I was an early teenager at the time. It's a little sad to look at that picture and that four of those people have passed away, but it has been 43 years since the show started.

Mike.