Slapstick comedy has long been a staple of television, but on The Beverly Hillbillies, one of its funniest running gags had a surprising element of truth. Whenever Granny, played by Irene Ryan, grew frustrated with her oversized grandson Jethro (Max Baer Jr.), she didn’t just pantomime a slap—she actually delivered it.
Ryan believed that a fake slap wouldn’t sell the joke. So when the script called for Granny to discipline Jethro, she smacked him with genuine gusto. The sound was real, the reaction authentic, and audiences roared with laughter. For Ryan, it wasn’t cruelty—it was comedy commitment. “If you’re going to do it,” she once quipped, “do it right.”
Max Baer Jr., towering over Ryan in both height and build, reportedly took the slaps in good humor. The son of heavyweight boxing champion Max Baer, he was no stranger to physicality. To him, the slaps were little more than taps—though audiences watching at home thought Granny had real firepower in her tiny hands.
The dynamic worked because it matched the characters. Granny was small but fierce, a matriarch who brooked no nonsense. Jethro was large but dim-witted, the perfect target for her discipline. The physical comedy underscored their relationship, and the fact that Ryan actually landed those slaps made the scenes all the more hilarious.
Behind the scenes, cast members admired Ryan’s dedication. She was in her 60s when she filmed The Beverly Hillbillies, yet she threw herself into the role with the energy of someone half her age. Her real slaps became a badge of honor, both for her commitment and for Baer Jr.’s ability to roll with them.
Even decades later, fans recall Granny’s smacks as some of the funniest moments in the series. They weren’t just gags—they were genuine, well-timed, and bursting with character. In a show built on exaggeration, Irene Ryan proved that sometimes, authenticity is the funniest act of all.
