The Beverly Hillbillies: Difference between revisions

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[[File:beverlyhillb.jpg|frame|"Y'all come back now, y'hear?"]]
A 1960s [[Sitcom]] about a family of Ozark-mountain folks who, when oil prospectors discover oil in their swamp, become fantastically rich and move to a mansion in Beverly Hills, where a greedy banker tries desperately to keep their money in his bank, which means keeping them happy in the foreign environment of Beverly Hills, while simultaneously keeping the city's residents from driving the Clampetts away. A great cast is aided by deceptively smart writing from creator Paul Henning, in a show which, contrary to popular perception, actually had great respect for the mountain people whom it portrayed. (Paul Henning was from Missouri and knew such simple yet honorable and proud people in his youth.). Incredibly successful, the show was eventually a victim of the so-called "Rural Purge" that eliminated shows from CBS' schedule that had a "country" or southern flavor. The series was canceled despite high ratings because they were the wrong ratings. It lasted from September, 1962 to March, 1971. A total of 274 episodes in 9 seasons.
 
The earlier seasons, in black and white, subvert the dumb hick stereotype to good comic effect by portraying the patriarch, Jed Clampett<ref>No relation to [[Bob Clampett|that other Clampett]], by the way</ref> (played in a typically low-key performance by Buddy Ebsen) as being obviously a lot smarter than city-dwellers assumed, always getting the better of conmen. Milburn Drysdale (Raymond Bailey chews the scenery gleefully in most of his scenes) was actually a friend of the Clampetts, whom he genuinely liked, and did not attempt to swindle them besides his greedy persona. With the exception of Jethro, the Clampetts were never portrayed as stupid, only unfamiliar with their Beverly Hills environment.
 
[[The Film of the Series]] was made in 1993 to mixed reviews. It focuses on the attempt of new characters Woodrow Tyler (Rob Schneider) and Laura Jackson (Lea Thompson) to conncon the Clampetts out of their money. The film was directed by [[Penelope Spheeris]], previously known for such films as ''[[Hollywood Vice Squad]]'' (1986) and ''[[Wayne's World|Waynes World]]'' (1992). It performed decently at the box office, earning a little less than $58 million in the worldwide market. 44 of these million came from the United States market, where it was the 32nd most successful film of its year.
 
===The cast consisted of:===
* '''Jedediah D. "Jed" Clampett''' - The apparent head of the family. A good -natured man with some common sense. But also an expert marksman. Played in the series by Buddy Ebsen and in the film by Jim Varney.
* '''Daisy Mae "Granny" Moses''' - The mother-in-law of Jed. A shotgun-wielding old woman with a nostalgia for the Confederate States of America. Played in the series by Irene Ryan and in the film by Cloris Leachman.
* '''Elly May Clampett''' - The only daughter of Jed. A beautiful tomboy with [[Lethal Chef]] skills. Played in the series by Donna Douglas and in the film by Erika Eleniak.
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* '''Margaret Drysdale''' - Milburn's wife. A haughty member of one of Boston's oldest families, she frequently acts like a blue-blood, forgetting her father had lost his fortune. Often at odds with Granny. Written out during the last two seasons. Played in the series by Harriet [[Mac Gibbon]] and in the film by Penny Fuller.
* '''Sonny Drysdale''' - Son of Margaret and stepson of Milburn. A thirty-something college student, infatuated with Elly. A minor but memorable character, he appeared in less than ten episodes between 1962 and 1966 but reportedly received more than his share of the fan mail. Played by Louis Nye.
** '''Morgan Drysdale''' - The son of Milburn and Margaret as seen in the 1993 movie. Drysdale Jr. is now seen as an average high school student/ButtMonkey[[Butt Monkey]] with slackerish tendencies, also infatuated with Elly. Played by Kevin Connolly.
* '''Jane Hathaway '''. The ever-efficient, ever-uptight secretary of Drysdale and closest friend to the Clampetts. Treated as a member of the family, infatuated with Jethro. Played in the series by Nancy Kulp and in the film by Lily Tomlin.
* '''Pearl Bodine'''. Cousin to Jed, mother to Jethro. A relatively late addition of the first season, subject to her own Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs song, "Pearl, Pearl, Pearl.". The character was popular with audiences but had to be dropped when the actress was cast as the lead in another Henning series, ''[[Petticoat Junction]]''. Played in the series by Bea Benaderet and in the film by Linda Carlson.
* '''Jethrine Bodine'''. Jethro's twin sister. Moved in with the Clampetts in the first season, but soon left to return to her sweetheart Jazzbo Depew. The character was portrayed by Max Baer, Jr. dressed in drag in the series, with the voice provided by Linda Kaye, and in the film by Diedrich Bader in drag.
 
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* [[Expository Theme Tune]]
* [[Farmer's Daughter]]: Elly May.
* [[Feuding Families]]: The seasonSeason 1 episode "The Great Feud" has the Clampetts and Drysdales getting into this.
* [[The Film of the Series]]: Released in 1993, it takes place in a different continuity than the original series.
* [[Fish Out of Water]]: The basic premise of the show.
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* [[Morally-Bankrupt Banker]]
* [[Ms. Fanservice]]: Elly Mae.
* [[Not-So-Imaginary Friend]]: One episode revolved around Granny trying to catch a "giant jackrabbit,", which is actually a kangaroo that has escaped from the neighbors' place.
* [[Obfuscating Stupidity]]: Played straight with Jed Clampett in that he isn't as simple as his speech and general appearance implies. [[Subverted Trope|Also subverted]] in one episode where officials believe that Jethro must be [[Obfuscating Stupidity]] in an attempt to get out of been conscripted as they cannot believe that anyone could be as stupid as Jethro seems to be.
* [[Rags to Riches]]
* [[Real Song Theme Tune]]: ''The Ballad of Jed Clampett'' recorded by legendary Bluegrass duo Flatt & Scruggs.
* [[Reunion Show]]: ''The Return of the Beverly Hillbillies'' (1981), which reunited Buddy Ebsen, Donna Douglas (Elly May), and Nancy Kulp (Miss Hathaway) from the original show but cast [[The Other Darrin|a different actor]] as Jethro and replaced Granny with Imogene Coca as [[Suspiciously Similar Substitute|Granny's Maw]].
* [[Rich Boredom]]: Jed Clampett .
* [[Same Sex Triplets]]: Ellie May mentioned having fought a set of triplets in [[The Film of the Series]]. While it was not specifically stated, it's implied the three of them are males.
* [[Sitcom]]
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* [[What a Piece of Junk!]]: Their car.
* [[X-Ray Sparks]]
* [[You Look Familiar]]: Buddy Ebsen appeared in a cameo in [[The Film of the Series]] ... as {{spoiler|his ''other'' TV role, [[Barnaby Jones]]}}.
** Bea Benaderet went from playing Cousin Pearl to starring in ''[[Petticoat Junction]]'' (which often crossed over with "Hillbillies").