Where was The Beverly Hillbillies filmed?
About The Beverly Hillbillies
The Beverly Hillbillies was a popular television series from 1962 to 1971. Fans loved the escapades of the Clampett and Bodine families and tuned in each week to see what Jed, Granny, Elly May, and Jethro were up to. The sitcom was ranked number one for two of its seasons and was in the top 20 television programs for eight of the nine total seasons. Some episodes are still on the most-watched list.
The television series, and subsequent 1993 film, tell the story of Jed Clampett, a hillbilly from Arkansas. He is out hunting one day and tries to shoot a rabbit. Although he misses the rabbit, he finds oil on his property when the bullet strikes the ground. Ozark Mountain Oil purchases his property for $1 billion. Jed is convinced by his sister Pearl to move to Beverly Hills, California, as this would be a better location and change of scenery for Elly May, Jed’s daughter. Daisy Moses, or Granny, as she is better known, is Jed’s mother-in-law, and reluctantly agrees to come along. The family also brings Jethro Bodine, Pearl’s son, with them.
The fun really starts once the clan arrives in California, and the best scenes in The Beverly Hillbillies are funny, if not slightly unrealistic. The movie stays true to the sitcom while allowing the new cast some individuality when it comes to their characters. Elly May navigates the dating and high school scene in her new town, Jethro is oblivious to the societal norms for everything from bowling to love interests, Granny stays true to her roots, and Jed seeks a new wife.
The cast includes Jim Varney as Jed Clampett, Diedrich Bader as Jethro, Erika Eleniak as Elly May, and Cloris Leachman as Granny. They are joined in Beverly Hills by Dabney Coleman as Millburn Drysdale, the CEO of the bank where all Jed’s money is. Lily Tomlin gave an excellent performance as Jane Hathaway, Drysdale’s secretary, who winds up entangling herself in all sorts of matters for the family.
Here’s a spoiler alert for you, if you haven’t seen the movie and want a surprise, it’s best to stop reading now. Although all the family members (except Granny) seem to be seeking love, none of them find it by the end of the movie, and yet, they somehow manage to have a happy ending with “one hellacious shindig” anyway.
The Beverly Hillbillies Locations
One of the best parts about the movie is that The Beverly Hillbillies’ locations were real places in and around the city. The television series only used Beverly Hills for the opening credits, but the film used locations in Beverly Hills and Pasadena extensively.
It’s fun to watch Jed, Elly May, Jethro, and Granny make their way around Beverly Hills in places that you or I could see on a visit to the city. The television series used Branson, Missouri for the original Arkansas scenes, but the movie kept all of its filming in California and used a studio for the brief opening scenes in Arkansas. While in California, they made the best use possible of the locations in Beverly Hills and Pasadena.
The arrival scene in The Beverly Hillbillies
The Clampett family goes from their humble home in Arkansas to a large, stately mansion in Beverly Hills. The home has an indoor pool, bowling alley, and all sorts of other amenities the family never would have experienced before. We first see the mansion through the family’s eyes.
“Do you reckon we’re at the wrong spot, Uncle Jed?” Jethro asks as they drive up to the large, beautiful, pink mansion with a perfectly landscaped yard.
“Could be, don’t know,” Jed replies.
“It’s the right address, Pa,” Elly May says as she looks at a piece of paper. She’s sitting in the back of Jethro’s truck, with the dog on the seat between her and Granny. In the previous scene, Granny was knocked out of her rocking chair, tied on top of the truck, by a low-hanging branch, and has wisely chosen to move into the seat next to Elly May.
They walk into the large foyer with the beautiful, bifurcated stairs and Jethro declares there’s a whole other house upstairs. He tells Elly May there are two sets of stairs because one is for going up and the other is for coming down.
A fun fact is that this is the same mansion that was used in the 1992 film, The Bodyguard, starring Whitney Houston and Kevin Costner.
The jail scene in The Beverly Hillbillies
Jane Hathaway, Drysdale’s secretary, is sent to welcome the Clampetts to their new home. However, when they arrive, she mistakes them for burglars and has them arrested. Mr. Drysdale is all apologetic and fires Ms. Hathaway. But Jed intervenes. He likes the efficiency that Jane Hathaway has and insists that Drysdale keep her employed.
“I reckon you done what you done because you didn’t know we was who we was. And if we hadn’t been who we was, we’d have still been much obliged for you to have done what you done,” Jed says.
In fact, he asks Ms. Hathaway to help him find a wife, and someone to help Elly May. Unfortunately, she may be a little too helpful with this mission, finding Laura Jackson for both “jobs” – and she almost ruins the family. You see, Laura, or Lauret as she introduces herself to the family, pretending to be French, is actually the girlfriend of Woodrow Tyler, a bank employee who wants to steal all Jed’s money.
This Beverly Hillbillies film shoot was done on location at the Beverly Hills Civic Center and City Hall, a historic and landmark location in the city. It has Spanish Revival architecture, along with post-modern and art deco styles. It’s also iconic Beverly Hills and is one of the ways the film’s producers connected the film back to the location.
