The Beverly Hillbillies (1962–1971)
7/10
"A heaping helping of their hospitality"
7 September 2016
One thing about the Clampetts. Even after Jed became fabulously rich and moved from the Piney Woods to Beverly Hills and that big mansion, they never lost their common sense values. At least Buddy Ebsen never did. The others were grounded by him.

The Clampetts who moved consisted of mountaineer Jed Clampett, daughter Ellie Mae who had a love for those woods 'critters', her cousin Jethro Bodine well built, but not much between the ears, and Granny most suspicious of newfangled ways.

Donna Douglas was Ellie Mae who helped many a man in his youth mature fast with all those incredible curves showing in all those tight clothes she wore. Must have been fashionable in the hills. Max Baer as Jethro throughout the entire run of the show had his jeans held up by a rope. You would think with the Clampett millions he could go to Rodeo Drive and get a belt. Irene Ryan was Granny who could never deal with all those newfangled kitchen appliances.

Neighbors to the Clampetts were the Drysdales. Raymond Bailey was Mr. Drysdale in whose bank the Clampett millions resided. They became his biggest depositors and he went to any lengths to invest their money and make them happy. A more unscrupulous man would have seen the opportunities to embezzle and taken them. If nothing else Drysdale was honest. He even got them their mansion.

All that responsibility made no difference to Harriet MacGibbon. Mrs. Drysdale was old money from Boston and these hillbillies with no class just revolted her sense of propriety. It was the same every week, her bearing down Bailey to keep those Clampetts quiet and Bailey trying to keep peace. The first Granny cooked up a batch of moonshine signaled things to come.

Buddy Ebsen may have been illiterate, but he had a fount of common sense and was a real rock on that show. Maybe one of the best dads on television.

The Beverly Hillbillies was a great show with a lot of good fish out of water comedy.
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