User reviews

This is a hilarious 1960's comedy that I grew up with and still never tire of every time I chance to encounter it in re runs. It surely stands among the best of its genre. The series revolves around the sidesplitting culture clash that ensues when the country bumpkin Clampett family moves to Beverly Hills after father, Jed Clampett, stumbles upon oil on his land and becomes a multi millionaire. The rest of the family joining him at their new Beverly Hills mansion include Jed's mother-in-law Granny, pretty daughter Elly May, and nephew Jethro Bodine.

The Clampetts are of course...something else...as they enter this alien world, where their mansion has every luxury imaginable including a cement pond. The superstitious & feisty Granny makes certain her kin always have lots of vittles, especially such delicacies as hog jowls and possum belly. She hangs out her shingle for the purpose of imparting her unique brand of down home doctoring & dentistry, and firmly believes that the South won (or at least is winning) the Civil War. Much of her time is spent chasing her great nephew, Jethro, out of her kitchen with a broom, trying to curtail his endless appetite. The dim witted Jethro is a scheming would be playboy, who's all proud that he graduated sixth grade and can cipher. Jed's sweet, innocent, & beautiful daughter, Elly May, has a penchant for critters, including a pet chimpanzee named Bessie. Granny is terrified that Elly's destined to become an old maid, as alas, she's still unwed at the ripe old age of eighteen. Much of Granny's energy is put into seeking out suitable beaux, although any courtin' & sparkin' in the Clampett parlour must be suitably chaperoned (or rather, cheered on) by spying through the closed door's keyhole.

The gem of the series is Jed, around whose unfailing integrity this ongoing saga revolves. He always seems blissfully unaware that he's wealthy, feels and acts no differently than he did back in the hills, and treats everyone the same (whether rich or poor). He gives generously to country folk and city slickers alike, is equally kind to both neighbours and total strangers...all the while dealing with the crazy antics of both Granny and Jethro and seeing to the lovely & rich Elly's various suitors, not all of whom have the most honourable of intentions. As another commented, if only everyone was like Jed Clampett!

In dramatic contrast to these hillbillies are the wealthy and status conscious Beverly Hills citizenry, as personified by Jed's banker, Mr. Drysdale, whose life revolves around maintaining the favour of his bank's main customer, Mr. Clampett, and protecting that thirty million dollars (or whatever the figure). His wife, Mrs. Drysdale, is a superficial & snooty dame who comes into frequent conflict with her neighbour, Granny. Jane Hathaway is Mr. Drysdale's very properly spinsterish but man hunting and bird watching secretary. She is the constant victim of her boss's greedy schemes and actually becomes quite a genuine friend to the Clampetts.

The actors are all stellar in their roles...Irene Ryan (Granny), Donna Douglas (Elly May), Max Baer Jr. (Jethro), Raymond Bailey (Mr. Drysdale), Nancy Kulp (Miss Hathaway), and especially the wonderful Buddy Ebsen (Jed).

It's a hilarious and side splitting romp, each episode funnier than the last. Through it all, Jed's integrity and honesty always shine through. The humble and good hearted neighbourliness of the Clampetts stands in sharp contrast to their affluent environment. It's Jed Clampett's desire for the simple pleasures of home, family, friends, and hard honest work versus Milburn Drysdale's blatant materialism. Every viewer realizes that, despite all the absurdity and the utterly ridiculous scenarios, the Clampetts know exactly what's important in life and that this family of uprooted hillbillies has a real life lesson to teach us all.

If only there were more TV shows like it today! Alas, our society has become far too sophisticated for its own good.

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.

It's hard to believe this series debuted almost 60 years ago! Anyway, this was after-school staple viewing, along with Batman (the Adam West one), Gilligan's Island and I Dream of Jeannie. The humor was cornball but so what! Anyway, it was the 60s and I would have loved a spin-off set in San Francisco called The Beverly Hillbillies: Zodiac edition.

This series needs a reboot please. I suggest acclaimed British actor Danny Dyer play Jed.

Normally I don't critique sitcoms because, frankly, it's not worth the effort and are so crassly superficial that they don't require any serious attention. But in the case of "The Beverly Hillbillies" I will make an exception. This is because of one character: Jed Clampett, played by Buddy Ebsen. Jed Clampett is one of the most endearing yet complex characters ever created by the television industry. Superficially, Jed Clamptett doesn't seem to be the type of character that warrants much serious attention. After all he's just a simple, uneducated backwoodsman from the hills who's lived in a shack all of his life, and by pure dumb luck comes into a pile of money which doesn't seem to change him one bit. Which is what makes Jed Clampett such a wonderful character. For Jed Clampett has dignity and integrity and nothing will divert Mr. Clampett from remaining true to himself or altering the way he treats everyone - with openness, honesty and a real desire to be hospitable. Further, Jed Clampett commands respect, and is respected, not only by his immediate family who are utterly devoted to him, but even by that crass and conniving banker who, despite his air of superiority, reveals, episode after episode, what a buffoon he is compared to the calm and self-assured Mr. Clampett. Also, it should be noted the Jed Clampett protects and cares for not only his daughter, but his nephew and mother-in-law, the latter two a constant challenge to Jed's patience, which he never loses. If there were more Jed Clampetts in this world, then maybe we'd all be living in shacks, but at least we'd be getting along with each other and treating each other better.

Who gave away thousands to strangers like the con artist Jed Clampett and others. But he kept Pearl's truck for years with not a penny of rent. At least he could have bought her a new car. Such things gave a true meaning to 'They's kin so we got to treat them different.

If anyone's mind is pickled on older TV series, it is mine. And I know millions of others as well cherish "The Beverly Hillbillies" among the top of them all. The cast of this show fits so well with each other that they become the real deal. They became a part of our family somehow. Each regular character goes beyond typecast. The Scruggs/Flat music simply adds more of the same quality. I sometimes practice my guitar while watching the show so I can pick up a few licks each time.

I think that one of the most endearing qualities is that most any viewer can find something to identify with. The most obvious things are Uncle Jed's wisdom laden observations and Granny's energy and willingness to take up a cause. Jethro keeps her busy, but she never lacked for time to pick up her doctoring bag and charge full steam ahead to cure whoever might be ailing. From childhood to this day, I never seem to tire from watching this show. I can't say that about many others. Perhaps the Western series, "Bonanza", is one other that comes to mind. In both shows the characters own personalities forge their way into immortality.

Buddy Ebsen, almost a scarecrow in 1939, definitely a side kick to Davey Crockett in the 1950's, like Jed Clampett struck oil & gold in this series. He is a classic character that grows on you. The show has so many classic comic moments that I could not even list them.

The series had continuity as it would refer back to previous episodes very often throughout it's run. The show had very good production qualities, great locations, & was in a way spun off & in conjunction with Petticoat Junction & Green Acres. When Fred Silverman canceled it in the early 1970's, it was one of the most stupid things ever done by a television executive.

Irene Ryan was the kind of Granny who was like nobody else. She was a ball of fire who could hold her own with anyone. Jethro (Max Baer Jr) was the 6th grade graduate who was more like a college egghead except that routine was naive, not political. Donna Douglas (Elly Mae) was the tomboy everyone wanted to love but whose only love was her critters (animals).

This original series was so good that when a movie of it was tried with different actors, it just could not work. Lots of people popped into this show as guests. Everybody who was anybody would pop up from John Wayne & many other well known actors to athletes like pitchers Don Drysdale & Sandy Koufax of the Dodgers.

Animals from Giant Jack Rabbits to Possum, porpoises, poodles & a whole menagerie of animals were on the show. This series never lacked for variety either as almost everything us city folks do was on there. The show never lost it's freshness, even finding new ways to make banker Drysdale (Raymond Bailey) look like more of a Scrooge & even making him into a soldier when he and Jethro face off in tanks!

This is a show that never lost its naivety, charm, or ever wore out it's welcome with the American public when it ran on CBS. The last line of the shows credits always reverberates through my mind:

"Sit a spell, take your shoes off. You all come back now, hear?"

50 years ago...one of the greatest characters ever presented in the history of television premiered on CBS-TV on September 26,1962. "The Beverly Hillbillies",upon its debut became one of the biggest hits of the 1960's,spanning a record nine years on the air,producing 274 episodes. Out of the 274 episodes that were produced only 108 episodes from Seasons 1 thru 4 were in classic black and white from September 26,1962 through June 16,1965. 166 episodes of "The Beverly Hillbillies" from Seasons 4 through 9 were in color from September 15,1965 through March 23,1971. Throughout the show's entire nine-year run only actors Buddy Ebsen(Jed Clampett), Irene Ryan(Granny),Donna Douglas(Elly Mae), Max Baer, Jr.(Jethro Bodine),and Raymond Bailey(banker Milburn Drysdale)remained throughout the series entire run. Nancy Kulp(who played Mr. Drysdale's assistant Jane Hathaway)appeared in only 246 episodes.

This series under the created brainchild of Paul Henning,who also served as executive producer along with Al Simon,about a poor backwoods family from the hills of either Missouri or Tennessee are transplanted to the wealth of Beverly Hills,California after striking oil on their land. Produced under Filmways productions,creator and writer Paul Henning made it "a fish out of water" of themed television shows that spawned two spin-offs that were also country cousin shows for CBS-TV,among them were "Petticoat Junction" in 1963,and in 1965 he reversed the rags to riches model for "Green Acres". The show paved the way for later culture-conflict programs such as "McCloud", "Carter Country","The Dukes of Hazzard", "Doc", "The Nanny",and "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air". The reason why "The Beverly Hillbillies" are still a favorite among some of the great TV shows is because the episodes in their own right were hilariously funny. Jed Clampett was a wise poor mountain man who used his good old country wisdom in saying anything that came rational. Granny Moses,the world's most Confederate widow was tough but rational too,but when she gets riled up with people who want to tested her,when she has a jug of moonshine in one hand and the shotgun in the other. Jethro had the be one of the dumbest characters in the history of television..was the village idiot who basically got by on a sixth grade education,and then there was Elly Mae,the sexy tomboy who was gorgeous on one side and a fighting wildcat on the other. Add to this the cheap and opportunistic banker Milburn Drysdale and his voice of reason while Jane Hathaway(Mr. Drysdale's assistant)was just as normal as the rest of them,but later on turns out to be as crazy as the rest of them,especially in some of the episodes where she turns her vixen charms to seduce Jethro. Add in a variety of characters including Cousin Pearl(Bea Benaderet), Mrs. Drysdale(Harriet MacGibbon),and other zany characters and you have one hell of a funny sitcom that remains hilarious today as it was when audiences saw it back in 1962.

Its no wonder "The Beverly Hillbillies" was ranked among the top twelve most watched series on television for seven of its nine seasons,twice ranking the number one series of the year(It went straight to Number One three weeks prior to its debut in 1962). Several episodes do stand out as vintage classics,but this was a series that still brings on the laughs! The final episode on March 23,1971 was an end to an era of classic TV shows that were brilliant during the 1960's.

This show was always great fun to watch. It's premise was based on a family of humble hillbillies in Tennessee, named the Clampetts. One day the family patriarch, Jed, was out shooting at wild game. The bullet missed its target, striking a mound of dirt instead. Much to his surprise, Jed saw that crude oil came bubbling-up from that mound of dirt. So, Jed packs-up his newly wealthy family in their old Jalopy, and they head for a new affluent life in Beverley Hills, CA.

Needless to say, the Clampetts were fish-out-of-water, living in their mansion among the filthy rich denizens of Beverley Hills. The humor of this show, centered on the extreme culture-clash between the salt-of-the-earth Clampetts, and the privileged folks that they encounter in their new home, in Beverley Hills.

When they arrive in Beverely Hills, the Clampetts are taken under the wing of sophisticated, wily Banker, Milburn Drysdale. Drysdale is also the Clampetts neighbor. It was particularly hilarious, to watch super-snob Drysdale having to bow-and-scrape to the Clampetts, because they were his bank's most wealthy customers.

The cast for this show, were all perfect for their roles. The chemistry between them, jelled superbly. And each episode, was always side-splitting funny. The writers for this show, had to have been the most talented in the television industry.

The fish-out-of-water theme of this show, was common for 60s TV series. The 60s was about shaking-up the status quo, and television shows certainly reflected that trend. Many 60s shows had this fish-out-of-water theme, such as Bewitched, My Favorite Martian, and numerous others. But none of those other shows could compare to the loose-cannon style of comedy, that characterized The Beverley Hillbillies.

You can catch The Beverley Hillbillies on cable, on the TVLand network. You owe it yourself to watch it, and see why this show is one of the best classic sitcoms ever.

Before All in the Family, Roseanne, Married with Children, and all the other TV shows about trashy families, there was The Beverly Hillbillies. Hollywood discovered that it could make money by putting family values upside down.

During the 1950s there were lots of great shows like Father Knows Best, Andy Griffith Show, Leave it to Beaver, Ozzie & Harriet, and many others that provided positive and wholesome examples of family life with good role models. So the Beverly Hillbillies came along as counter-programming, and it succeeded.

The family was made up of Jed Clampett, who was the father or uncle of Jethro and Ellie May. Dirty Granny, who never changed her clothes and always looked filthy, was either Jed's wife or his aunt? Granny was the grandmother of Jethro and Ellie May? It was never very clear how all these folks were related. I always figured that Jethro was retarded, and that Uncle Jed was banging Ellie Mae, who was none too bright neither.

The funniest thing would have been for Mr. Drysdale to steal their money, that they were always giving away. Get them dumb rascals foreclosed out of their mansion, and sent back to the hills they came from. Maybe Miss Hathaway could have run off with Jethro, or Ellie May, or both. After all, this was Cali-For-Nay, free loving 1960s.

The Hillbillies was the funniest show of the 60's. In fact, I'm in my 20's and I prefer the classics to the sitcom wasteland of today. I catch them atleast twice a day on TV Land and they always make me laugh hard. The best episodes were the ones where somebody (or some critter) drank Granny's moonshine by accident. Then the fun would really begin. I didn't see anyone mention Harriet MacGibbon as Mrs. Drysdale and that's a shame because she was hilarious, always getting into fights with Granny and fainting. The comedy team of Raymond Bailey and Nancy Kulp had some of the best chemistry in TV history. Their reactions as they played off each other (and off the Clampetts) were side-splitting. Drysdale and Hathaway were a major factor in the show's success. I agree with someone else who commented that Irene Ryan should be up there in the same class with Lucille Ball. It's tragic that her name is all but forgotten today. But Granny lives on in the hearts of her fans.

Jed Clampett was a Tennessee hillbilly who struck oil one day while hunting for some food. Then some city slicker came and hustled him out of his land, which got "Granny" in an uproar when she heard he sold his land for about thirty dollars in some new special type of money. It was called "million" dollars. Granny would never have been taken in by that city slicker. This show was just hilarious. It was also funny. It also made you bust out crying with laughter. It was also hysterical. Did I mention it was hilarious? Because you not only had Jed and Granny moving to a mansion in Beverly Hills, you had the two "young uns", tomboy Ellie May, who was prettier than she realized, and sophisticated Hollywood producer, double naught spy, streetcar conductor Jethro Bodine, who was so embarrassed by his hillbilly relatives, and was so afraid they would ruin his sophisticated image. Then you had two more characters who really made you bust out laughing. Scroogish banker Milburn Drysdale and his perfectly deadpan honest secretary, Jane Hathaway, maybe the best straight "man" in history, and that does have a lot of connotations to it. These two were always there in times of greed, I mean need. For most people, Granny was their favorite, but I just couldn't get enough of Jethro and Mr. Drysdale. To say their characters were over the top would be an understatement. For the slapstick specialists involved in this show, dying was hard, and comedy was easy.

I have seen this show and it was a excellent show. Buddy Ebsen did a great Jed Clampet. The Christmas specials are Imense. Irene Ryan did a perfect Granny or Daisy May Mose. Donna Douglas did it just right as EllyMay Clampet. Max Baer did a nice and stupid Jethro Bodine. I like the gorilla. that episode was cute. Herbie the gorilla was Charming. Nancey Kulp did a great Jane Hathaway. Raymond Bailey did very fine at Milburn Drydsdale. The song of the Beverly Hillbillies by Jerry Scoggins was excellent. Watch the Beverly Hillbillies you will like it if you can't find the channel you might find the season of the Beverly Hillbillies.

I loved this show when I first saw it at the age of eight. I still love it. I watch it with my ten year old daughter.She loves it too. The humor is funny and clean. That can't be said about a lot of modern shows. The Clampetts ( with the possible exception of Jethro ) are as bright as anyone else. They come from a different culture so their ways are different. The downhome values of the Clampetts are something we could use more of. They were always forgiving of and friendly to Mrs. Drysdale no matter how much she insulted them. They were hardworking and grateful for what they had. They were honest and decent people. The Beverly Hillbillies is cute, funny and wholesome.

The original series THE BEVERLY HILLBILLIES was probably the most genuinely funny sitcom ever made with the possible exception of I LOVE LUCY. This endearingly wacky comedy is both audaciously cutting edge and family-friendly wholesome, no mean feat. I would put some of the finest Hillbillies episodes up against the best films of Preston Sturges for sheer pandemonium glee. Most of the episodes are excellent, several are brilliant. The cast is superb, especially Irene Ryan as the hot-tempered yet sentimental Granny, a five-foot elderly spitfire who was afraid of no one - and had no reason to be. Miss Ryan was twice nominated for the Best Actress Emmy award for Granny - she should have WON at least four times! Buddy Ebsen is excellent as Jed but Donna Douglas and Max Baer were equally fine as the "young uns". Donna's free-spirited, tomboy with curves Elly May is a total joy while Max is hilarious as the dim-witted Jethro (and quite wonderful in drag as his twin sister Jetherine, playing the character seriously as an over-sized female, not going for cheap "man-in-a-dress" laughs.) Raymond Bailey and Nancy Kulp are fine as their city friends and I cherish the episodes in which Harriet MacGibbon (as Mr. Drysdale's snooty socially prominent wife) and Bea Benaderet (as Cousin Pearl) appear - Mrs. Drysdale and Pearl often had to go head-on against Granny and both actresses rose to the challenge beautifully.

The Beverly Hillbillies are often closer to the classic comedy shorts of the 1930's and 1940's than a conventional sitcom. Their importance on television history can not be overstated - not only for the "country comedies" that came along after them but for opening the door to an "alternative universe" on television where 'real life' was thrown out the window and fantasy prevailed. THE MUNSTERS, BEWITCHED, I DREAM OF JEANNIE, STAR TREK, GREEN ACRES, WILD WILD WEST, THE ADDAMS FAMILY, GILLIGAN'S ISLAND, etc. - all the shows of the 1960's that pushed the reality envelope owe a debt to the Hillbillies and they probably wouldn't have been around with out the pioneering work done on this series.

What was Paul Henning THINKING? The first episode is funny. The rest? Eh. The concept just grows old after a while. Some season 4 episodes are okay, at best. The stupidity of them all just drives me insane. Granny is the funniest one (not that any of them are very funny, simply because she's a pouty old lady. Drysdale got old the second he appeared on screen. Hathaway was funny for a little while, until it got old. Jethro is what nightmares are made of. That's all I'll say about "it". Elly May looks like a vintage Barbie, accept Elly May is even uglier. I hate every character on the show, accept sometimes Granny is "okay."

I think the Beverly Hillbillies is one the funniest T.V. shows. The funny part about those Hillbillies is when they move from the Hills to California (Californie). They are so naive about the city life. Especially Jethro, the Dumbest Hillbilly of all who thinks he's a genius with his sixth grade education, along with his enormous appetite. My favorite episode is when the Clampets rush back to the Hills to find Elly May a husband after they heard about Elverna Bradshaw's daughter getting married, Granny wanted to make sure Elly beats Elverna's daughter to the Altar. One of the funniest scenes is after they arrived at the Hills, they dropped by the emporium to buy a wedding dress for Elly, where Granny runs into Elverna, They get into a large fight which attracted the whole crowd. Granny storms back to the hotel and tells Jed about making a bet with Elverna that Elly will get married ahead of Elverna's Daughter, and if she looses, Elverna gets to kick her up the top of the mountain. So she begs Jed to help her win the bet, but Jed refuses, and tells Granny that it's her own fault for making a bet with Elverna in the first place. The hilarious part is when Granny paints a couple of pictures of Elverna by making fun of her, and posting it on the town. Elverna spotted those pictures and gets furious. Elverna then storms over to the hotel where Granny, Jed, and Elly are sitting on top of the balcony. Elverna stops where they're at and starts yelling up at Granny, looking to pick a fight with her by calling her vicious names. Finally it was the last straw for Granny, she then jumps from the balcony and chases after Elverna.

My family was exceedingly fond of Granny as well as Jed. My grandfather who wouldn't watch TV except, except news, made a point of catching The Beverly Hillbillies every chance he got. As a southern man born in 1912, the TV was something he had NO use for really. The antics of granny and the creative uses for the swanky things in the mansion made my grandfather laugh til his bald head turned bright red. The billiard table as a dining table with "reaching poles" and special pockets for chicken bones was a favorite. We always enjoyed seeing the California elites being perplexed by old fashioned southern/mountain hospitality. While mostly pure farce, I could see a lot of the Tenn. mountain folk I knew as a child from visiting some family in the Clampets. They do things oddly, but they pretty much had the basics covered...even if they were as odd to me as I was to them as a city girl. The Clampets accurately depict the can do, friendly attitude of the southern mountain folk of the day...before technology withered their traditions.

The late great George Carlin once said that there are basically two types of comedy, 1) where the comedy is derived from being a victim of society (i.e. Charlie Chaplin). Or, 2) where the comedy comes from victimizing society (i.e. The Marx Brothers). And both George Carlin and The Beverly Hillbillies fall into the later of those two dynamics.

Like the Marx Brothers at the Opera, or at the Casablanca, or at an elitists University, the dirt poor Hillbillies turned multi-millionaires overnight invade Beverly Hills armed with only their shotguns and their down home simple ways. But, it's their simple ways that prove to be far more disruptive to the snobbish generational wealthy elites of Beverly Hills than their shotguns. Cause' "The Beverly Hillbillies" can't adapt to the cultural norms of Beverly Hills so it's the Beverly Hills folk that has to adapt to their mountain ways. And, Granny ain't going to give an inch either, or she'll shoot yuh'(seriously she will).

A comedic genius of a show (in the Marx Brothers sense of genius comedy) that truly broke the mold in its time of westerns and nuclear family shows that dominated the airways back then. The Beverly Hillbillies combined both the serious westerns and the fake nuclear family programming and turned them over on their collective heads.

As a result, episodes of The Beverly Hillbillies are still among the highest rated shows in TV history. And, "The Jackrabbit" episode of Season-2 is still the highest rated 30-minute sitcom ever televised, as of the year 2020. Sixty percent of the American population with television sets tuned in to watch that episode, and the following episode was the 4th highest rated show of that decade. Look it up if you don't believe me.

However, beyond the ratings success of The Beverly Hillbillies, what it comes down to is that the show was laugh out loud funny. It was hilarious back in the sixties, and it's still hilarious today. There was never a show like it when it debut in 1963, and they'll probably never will be a show like it again.

Even in our woke, politically correct - (whatever it is currently called) - society, this show is a refreshing laugh.

At a time when the pandemonium-demic, inflation and other pressures seem to be at an all time high, it's nice to take your shoes off, sit-a-spell and watch something light, profoundly simple and humorous.

Looking back almost 50 years at this show, at the moral wisdom and values clash between the Clampetts and California, it is easy to see why critics and so-called intellectuals hated/hate this show.

I did a little research and found that the first episodes aired shortly after the Kennedy Assassination - when the entire country was in tears and turmoil. Nothing like this show had ever been on television before... and for many reasons the nation loved it, apparently needed it, needed the laughter and occasional Jed Clampett wisdom. I think one of the best things about the Beverly Hillbillies is the fact the show still provides laughter and wisdom.

Maybe the reason the show still holds several television records and was number one for so long is simple. It just plain makes a person feel good inside.

I remember The Beverly Hillbillies from when I was a little kid, and then when I was 12 years old we had cable TV for the first time and I was able to catch it three times a day! That's when one of the stations decided to run all the episodes in their original sequence, starting from the first episode. Now Walmart has been selling Beverly Hillbillies' DVD's of 16 episodes at a time for around $10. It's a great deal, but the only drawback is that whoever puts out these DVD's didn't get the rights to use any of the opening and closing theme songs. There's plenty of good banjo playing, but no narration by Jerry Scoggins and no closing tune. Still the episodes are extremely enjoyable.

Of course some of it is cornball and dated, but this sitcom beats the pants off any current shows I've seen. Contrary to what some reviewers here have said, the Clampetts always seem to come out on top of every situation by simply being themselves. If that means they're stupid and backwards, then I'd rather be that than something else. By being themselves, decent and simple, they unintentionally expose everyone else's agenda's, phoniness, and crookedness, whether it's Mr. Drysdale's love affair with Clampett money or just some interloper trying to seduce Elly Mae, or whatever. I also find their unabashed Southern pride to be refreshing in today's stifled and overly-militant PC world. Again, they're simply being themselves. Maybe it helped that Irene Ryan was from Texas, Donna Douglas was from Louisiana, and Buddy Ebsen was from rural Illinois. I guess Max Baer was just a natural as Jethro, and he later dwelt on mainly Southern themes in his post-Jethro life as a film producer. PC or not, the show is funny!!

Buddy Ebsen (Jed), Irene Ryan (Granny), Donna Douglas (Elly May), and Max Baer Jr. (Jethro) for 9 great years made America laugh like it never laughed before. The most endearing characters televison has ever known made the world yearn every week for their wonderful wit and wisdom. Their sudden rags to riches story uprooted them to the wealthy and status conscious Beverly Hills social circles. Raymond Bailey (Milburn Drysdale) and assistant Nancy Kulp (Jane Hathaway), played off the Clampetts perfectly as the frustrated bankers in the middle of the culture clash for the ages. Every week was filled with great music and great guest stars including the renowned Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs. Through this, our country's fab four never changed but they changed us. Their incredible warmth, love and humor is alive for eternity in our hearts. I can't convey my love enough for the wonderful Beverly Hillbillies who will live on our hearts forever.

You know the drill: country bumpkin Jed Clampett (Buddy Ebsen)strikes oil and moves his family to Beverly Hills, where they continue living like hicks. Whether it's Granny's (Irene Ryan) superstitions, Elly Mae's (Donna Douglas) kindness gone overboard, or Jethro's (Max Baer) idiocy (he proudly admits to having a "sixth grade educated brain") that irk greedy banker Milburn Drysdale (Raymond Bailey) and his sassy secretary Jane Hathaway (Nancy Kulp), "The Beverly Hillbillies" always finds a way to make you laugh. It has truly withstood the test of time.

Among other things, I completely reject the idea that "Green Acres" was "The Beverly Hillbillies" in reverse. "The Beverly Hillbillies" is a timeless classic, and "Green Acres" is timeless garbage.

OK, so plenty of things about "The Beverly Hillbillies" date the show, but how can you not love it? My mom recalls how when she was growing up, everyone at school would talk about the previous night's episode.

Like a number of '60s shows - Bewitched, I Dream of Jeannie, The Flying Nun - it showed a new kind of person (or group of people) entering the scene and upsetting the old order. I suspect that it was one fun show to film.