From Rags To Riches

Yes, you guessed it . . . . that wonderful story of the family who discovered oil and headed for Beverly Hills!

The Beverly Hillbillies was a hilarious television show that aired for nine seasons from 1962-1971.  Jed, Elly May, Jethro and Granny really had one laughing all the way through!  Beverly Hills was not ready for their rather “countrified” thinking and certainly, the Clampetts were not ready for Beverly Hills (although they certainly thought they were!).

Here are a few Fun Facts about the show:

• The mansion in Beverly Hills where the Clampetts lived was actually the Kirkeby mansion in Bel Air. It was offered for sale in 2007 with an asking price of $30 million.

• An agreement was made between Filmways Productions and Arnold Kirkeby to film the exterior of the Kirkeby mansion. The agreement stipulated that the grounds had to be cleaned up after filming, and the address of the Kirkeby mansion was never to be divulged to the public.  The Kirkebys rented the house to the show for $500 a day.
• Just before the fourth season got underway, Mrs. Kirkeby apparently broke the agreement her late husband had made with Filmways Productions because the mansion’s address was leaked. It caused an endless stream of tourists to come to the mansion, looking for Jed and Granny. Filmways was not allowed to film the mansion’s exterior or any long shots of the mansion grounds after that.
• The mansion is located at 750 Bel Air Drive in Los Angeles.  It used to contain a swimming pool in the back right of the lot, but the pool and surroundings have been razed.
• The Clampett’s truck was a 1921 Oldsmobile. In the show, it was lent by Cousin Pearl when the family moved to California.

• Veteran character actress and voice artist Bea Benaderet was first considered for the role of Granny. Revisions in the character were made so that she would be more like “Mammy Yokum” in Al Capp’s “Li’l Abner” cartoon strip. Benaderet was too large and “busty” to fit that image. It was reportedly that Bea Benaderet, herself suggested Irene Ryan for the role, who by all accounts came in and “blew everyone away” with a wonderful screen test, which still survives today and is included as an extra on the DVD set.
• Series creator Paul Henning got the idea for the show while on a trip through the South in 1959, visiting Civil War sites with his mother-in-law. He wondered what it would be like to take someone from the rural South in the Civil War era and put them down in the middle of a modern, sophisticated community. Originally it was to have been set in New York, but because of cost considerations the setting was changed to Beverly Hills.
• The show rose to number one in the ratings quicker than any other show within the first three weeks since its debut, in television history. This is a feat that is still unmatched to this day. It remained number one for two years.
• John Wayne made a cameo appearance on “The Beverly Hillbillies” (1962) {The Indians Are Coming (#5.20)}, Wednesday, February 1st, 1967, to be exact. When asked how he wanted to be paid, he is best remembered answering back with: “Give me a fifth of bourbon – that’ll square it.”
• The 1971 cancellation of the series resulted from CBS’ desire to erase its image of being referred to as “The Country Broadcasting System” or “The Rural Network.” The first rural themed sitcom to be cancelled was Petticoat Junction, which was replaced by the Mary Tyler Moore Show in the Fall of 1970. Then the following year, The Beverly Hillibilles and Green Acres were both canceled along with other similarly themed programs on the schedule by then CBS President, Fred Silverman. Even though the shows were still popular overall with viewers and drawing decent ratings in their timeslots, they didn’t appeal to the younger urban demographic that advertisers wanted. Actor Pat Buttram who had played “Mr. Haney” on Green Acres was quoted as saying that “CBS canceled every show with a tree in it, …including Lassie!”.
• When the show first came into being, it was going to be called ‘The Hillbillies of Beverly Hills’.  Producers thought that it sounded better as ‘The Beverly Hillbillies’ so quickly changed it.
• Beverly Hillbillies received 7 Emmys in its nine season run….pretty impressive!

• Buddy Ebsen played the role of Jed Clampett, the main character who’s luck turns to the better when he realizes that he’s living on an oil field.  He also played the role of ‘Tin Man’ in Wizard of Oz.

• And here is Bessie, one of Elly May’s on-set monkeys.  Bessie and Skipper caused a lot of mischief on set!

We can hear the “Beverly Hillbillies” jingle ringing through our heads as we write this.  It brings huge smiles to our faces, for sure.  Hopefully it does the same for you.

Joy, pure joy!