Ebsen had to say goodbye to Jed Clampett, but couldn’t part ways with part of the character’s iconic outfit.
There are plenty of ways to immortalize a fond memory or experience. Some people choose to take pictures, others commemorate moments in a journal, and some people keep the fateful hat they wore for nearly a decade.
Buddy Ebsen apparently elected to take the third option at the end of The Beverly Hillbillies, according to an article in the Roanoke-Chowan News-Herald. The article stated that originally, the costumes for the Beverly Hillbillies were donated to an auction that was created to raise money for those in need.
In addition to costumes from The Beverly Hillbillies being included in the auction, clothing from Petticoat Junction and Green Acres were also donated as well.
So by the time an opportunity rolled around to recreate the iconic series in the 1993 made-for-television film The Beverly Hillbillies, the expectation was that all original costuming was lost, with no hope of being found…or so everyone thought.
The article stated that Buddy Ebsen was invited to assist in the production of the film, with the wardrobe department of the film attempting to “reassemble” some of Jed’s outfits starting with Ebsen himself. The actor apparently responded, “Heck, that won’t be necessary. I’ve got the ‘old fellow’ hanging in the closet.”
Buddy Ebsen was a real-life Jed Clampett
It was a memento that Ebsen still held close to his heart, even after all those years. He said, “I regard that old hat as a treasure.”
