Fun Behind-the-Scenes Secrets About The Beverly Hillbillies
“Come and listen to a story about a man named Jed…” If you just read that in your head to the tune of The Beverly Hillbillies’ theme song, then you’ve come to the right place to get your nostalgia on.
In 1962, CBS launched one of the funniest shows to ever hit the airwaves (still true to this day). Let’s take a look at some of the best kept secrets and unknown facts about the legendary actors who portrayed the Clampett clan (and friends) on The Beverly Hillbillies.
Granny Had No Problem Bringing Out Her Inner Slugger
Although Irene Ryan, who played Granny Clampett, was a sweet lady in real life, she had no problem dishing out some hilarious slaps on screen. The Beverly Hillbillies depicted Granny as a sassy old lady who would often slap a little sense into Jethro, the boneheaded member of the hillbilly crew.
During an interview, Ryan confessed that those weren’t stage slaps she was delivering. Max Baer Jr., who played Jethro Bodine, was the son of a champion boxer, and the wily actress put her full strength into every smack. Judging by his size (and hers), Baer probably felt nothing more than a little pat.
Jed Clampett Wasn’t Quite as Sharp in the Original Script
When Buddy Ebsen signed on to play the role of Jed Clampett, he had a few stipulations for the show’s writers. In the show’s original script, Jed was portrayed as uneducated and also utterly lacking in common sense. Ebsen made what turned out to be a good call by insisting there be a bit more smarts to the character.
He was able to convince the writers to portray Jethro, rather than Jed, as the family’s comedic simpleton — and the result was comic gold. Meanwhile, Jed displayed sharp intellect while still adding plenty of comedy to the show with his lack of understanding of city life.
Elly May Advanced the Popularity of Blue Jeans
Elly May Clampett was a fashion icon in her own roundabout way. Actress Donna Douglas usually wore flannel tops and tight-fitting blue jeans in each episode. Although her hillbilly chic may seem ordinary these days, it was unusual at the time and boosted the sale of denim products.
By the end of the first season, women everywhere were rocking blue jeans like never before. One Levi Strauss executive said, “Donna Douglas has done more for the sale of blue jeans in one year than cowboys have done in a hundred.”
Buddy Ebsen Started His Career on Broadway
Although most people associate Buddy Ebsen with his iconic performance as Jed Clampett, there was far more to him in real life than acting chops. He was also a singer and dancer who started out as a Broadway star in 1936.
In 1965, he even decided to revisit music by releasing a country-western album. Buddy Ebsen Says Howdy in Song and Story can still be purchased on Amazon to this day. If that’s not impressive enough, did we mention he also wrote a novel called Kelly’s Quest?
Elly May Once Sued Barbie
Back in 2010, Mattel released a new doll called the “Elly May” Barbie, which featured a photograph of Donna Douglas as Elly May on the packaging. The only problem was the toy company failed to ask for Douglas’ permission before creating and selling the doll.
The actress, who was 77 at the time, wasn’t happy about the toy company’s lack of communication and lack of compensation for their endeavor. She sued both CBS and Mattel for “engaging in the unauthorized use” of her image and won a settlement for an unknown amount in 2011.
The Show Was Originally Science Fiction
It’s now considered a classic TV comedy, but the show’s original premise was beyond strange. When writer Paul Henning was first hashing out the concept for the script, he envisioned a rural family from 1860 time traveling to modern-day New York City.
Surprisingly, it wasn’t the strange sci-fi aspect that turned out to be the idea’s biggest problem. The production company wasn’t willing to pay the high cost of shooting the show in New York, so it was moved back to more Hollywood-centric Beverly Hills. Thankfully, Henning realized a family from the Ozark Mountains was way more fun than time-traveling pioneers.
The Show’s Original Title Was Lame
It seems it took the writers a few tries to come up with a title as perfect as The Beverly Hillbillies. It was originally known as The Hillbillies of Beverly Hills. Sound a bit lame and redundant? The producers agreed and went back to the drawing board.
The longer title only made it as far as an early version of the pilot, called “The Clampetts Strike Oil.” Interestingly, records don’t indicate who the genius was who came up with the title we know and love, but it had been changed by the time the second episode aired.
Jethro May Have Sabotaged Max Baer Jr.’s Acting Career
Television work is tricky for actors. They want to become famous, but not so famous for a particular role that no one can envision them as anyone else. If the show does well, they could be guaranteed work for years, but if they become too identified with one character, it could be hard for fans to accept them in another role.
That’s exactly what happened to Max Baer Jr. After the show’s successful nine-year run, Baer found that casting directors couldn’t picture him as any other character than Jethro Bodine. He played a few minor roles after the show’s finale, but he eventually turned to producing, writing and directing instead.
Paul Henning Snuck in a Hometown Shout Out
We don’t see much of the Clampett’s journey to Beverly Hills on screen, although the series does have some episodes where they travel back home for various reasons. They certainly didn’t descend from some forgotten hill in California.
According to the show, the Clampetts hail from the Ozarks. Considering that Paul Henning, the show’s creator, grew up in Independence, Missouri, and a portion of the Ozark Mountain range runs into Missouri, his home state is a good guess for the original home of the Clampett clan. Henning even named Milburn Drysdale’s Commerce Bank after a bank he grew up near as a kid.
The Clampetts Were Filthy Rich (Even in Today’s Money)
Everyone knows the Clampett’s story, thanks to the show’s instantly recognizable theme song. Jed was out hunting on his Ozark property, and he accidentally stumbled upon a gurgling pool of oil. The oil field turned out to be huge, but exactly how much did he make? According to the show, Jed’s find netted the Clampett clan $25 million.
That would be more than $212 million in today’s currency, but it’s not like a mere $25 million today is pocket change. Given that no one in the family ever seemed to buy anything except the mansion, it’s no wonder that Mr. Drysdale considered them such an investment for his bank.
Sharon Tate Had a Recurring Role on the Show
Sadly, Sharon Tate’s name is usually remembered for her tragic murder at the hands of Charlie Manson’s cult. During her lifetime, the vibrant young actress starred in several TV shows and movies.
Her television roles included Janet Trego, who you may remember as Jethro’s girlfriend on The Beverly Hillbillies. Janet’s character appeared in 15 episodes of the popular sitcom and spawned a brief real-life romance between Tate and Baer. She later ended up marrying director Roman Polanski before her untimely death.
Nancy Kulp and Buddy Ebsen Had a Huge Feud
Nancy Kulp played the sometimes brainy/sometimes zany Miss Jane Hathaway on The Beverly Hillbillies. She was a brilliant lady in real life, and a decade after the sitcom ended, she decided to run for Congress as a Democrat in her home state of Pennsylvania.
After making an offhand remark about everyone from the show supporting her, she was shocked to learn that Buddy Ebsen, a Republican, actually didn’t. He even did a radio spot in support of her opponent. This obviously hurt Kulp, who lost the race, and the resulting feud between the two lasted until right before Kulp’s death in 1991.
Elly May’s Critters Were Cared for by the Best
“You’ve got so many critters, looks like the waiting room for the Ark,” Jed Clampett once remarked to his daughter, regarding her love for animals. As much as Elly May loved bringing home random creatures, the actress who played her was far too busy to care for them herself.
That was were Frank Inn took over. A legendary Hollywood animal trainer, he was also the guy who trained “Orangey,” the cat in Breakfast at Tiffany’s. Throughout the show, he cared for all the animals and trained them all to hit their marks when it was their turn to shine.
