Talk:The Beverly Hillbillies

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[edit] Location

I have watched the entire series and it never said the Clampetts hail from Bug Tussle nor does it indicate Bug Tussle is in Tennessee. Early episodes say Pearl plays piano over to the theatre in Bug Tussle, which would indicated the Clampetts don't live there. I reworded the section on the Clampetts original locale. The best guess is they are from the Ozarks, which makes sense as they are near western Oklahoma's oil. Only Granny clearly is from Tennessee and she's said to come from "across the river," probably meaning the Mississippi. Also numerous refernces by Jethro are made to Springfield and to Joplin where he goes to watch movies and to see the guy in the trolly make change. Mr Brewster the owner of OK Oil also lives in Tulsa about 50 miles from the Clampetts cabin or so it's stated. Again this all places them in Western Arkansas (or possibly Eastern Oklahoma or SW Missouri). 4.143.232.171 (talk) 00:00, 4 June 2008 (UTC)Eric

[edit] Theme Song

Is the use of the entire theme song lyrics fair usage, or is it a possible copyright violation? Rlquall 02:58, 13 May 2005 (UTC)

it's a copyright violation. I removed them and added an external link that reprints them. --FuriousFreddy 23:02, 8 August 2005 (UTC)

[edit] Pans and Shine

This entry is well done but it accepts the legend that the series was widely panned by critics. In fact, many of the major publications praised the series (at least in it's early years) including TV Guide. It was also nominated for the Outstanding Comedy Series Emmy it's first two seasons.

Was "moonshine" ever referred to by name on the show? I can't recall it although it was obvious was Granny was taking swigs of.

[edit] Proposed reality show?

Should the proposed reality show, now apparently not to be made, be mentioned in the article. It was a source of considerable controversy for several months. Rlquall 01:27, 24 May 2005 (UTC)

[edit] Max Baer, Jr.

Baer later directed several films; is it appropriate to mention any of them by name here? Clark Gable was also in It Happened One Night, but that doesn't necessarily belong in the Gone with the Wind (film) article. Rlquall 10:53, 26 May 2005 (UTC)

The only one I knew off the top of my head was Ode to Billy Joe. How about, "...later directed several films, among them (Ode, 2, 3, or whatever)"? Clark Gable was in oodles of films and it's no surprise to anyone to hear he was in another; I doubt many people know Jethro directed much of anything, which is why it's interesting. Doovinator 18:12, 26 May 2005 (UTC)

[edit] 'Unusual' storylines?

Shouldn't that be 'usual' storylines? Jeff Worthington 01:00, 9 August 2005 (UTC)

[edit] Vittles = Victuals

Why is this a malapropism or a "hickism"? It's how the word is pronounced, believe it or not. And a victualler is pronounced vitler. Just saying...Peter1968 12:42, 19 February 2006 (UTC)

The use of the word as a synonym for "food" is something of an archaism -- in normal modern American English, the word is rarely found outside of names of pet food brands... AnonMoos 00:39, 2 April 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Buying a DVD of the series

Is it possible to buy a DVD of any of the series past episode 56 - Lafe Returns? I can't seem to find anywhere selling it. --Fir0002 09:41, 7 June 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Grapes of Wrath?

Could the whole packing-up-the-truck-and-heading-to-California thing (complete with Granny) have been a sly send-up of The Grapes of Wrath? Cranston Lamont 19:39, 29 June 2006 (UT

Sounds possible. But for what it's worth, the character of Ellie May seems to have been inspired by the earlier Ellie May of Tobacco Road (film), John Ford's 1941 comic sendup of the still earlier - and far more tragic - Tobacco Road (novel). I haven't been able to get a copy of the film version to Tobacco Road yet to know for sure. There's supposed to be a huge difference between the novel and film. In any case, the John Ford film appears to be played fairly often, if irregularly, on the TCM channel.198.177.27.14 21:24, 6 May 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Family tree

I put in an ascii family tree so that it can be easily edited. It was taken from some discussions on the Beverly Hillbillies newsgroup from a few years ago. It does not refelect the statement by granny that Jethro is her grand nephew, which is supposedly in some episode. If anyone knows the episode, please write it down here and we can fix the family tree. PAR 16:04, 5 October 2006 (UTC)

Through-out the series:

  • Jed, Pearl, Jethro, Ellie Mae call Granny "Granny."
  • Jed and Pearl call each other "Cousin."
  • Jethro calls Jed "Uncle Jed" and Ellie Mae calls Pearl "Aunt Pearl."

According to the "family tree, Jethro-Jed and Ellie Mae-Pearl are actually first cousins once removed. Not nephew-uncle and niece-aunt. The only way I can think of this works is if Rose and Pearl are sisters and Jed married his first cousin (Rose), a practice now illegal in Missouri and Arkansas but once common and accepted. In that case, Granny is both Jed's mother-in-law and aunt. As in many families, parents start calling their own parents or in-laws by the titles their kids use (such as "granny"). A Beverly Hillbillies reunion movie featured Imogene Coca as "granny's ma." In that case, she would be grandmother to Jed, Pearl and Rose (great grandmother to Jethro and Ellie Mae). ````michaelcarraher

[edit] Sharon Tate?

Sharon Tate (Manson murders) was a regular on the Beverlt Hillbillies for about 11 episodes. Please verify and include her. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Tydive (talk • contribs) 00:54, 13 February 2007 (UTC).


According to IMDb, she was on 15 episodes out of 274, which by no means makes her a regular. I deleted her, Ttenchantr (talk) 04:23, 26 December 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Mayflower

My recollection is that Mrs. Drysdale was descended from Plymouth colony and the Clampetts were descended from Jamestown colony. There's a line something like, "when your people were arriving, the clampetts were waving at them from the shore" Archie935 05:23, 17 February 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Slandering Mr. Clampett

The cheerful Flatt & Scruggs song which introduces the Clampett story seems to, if fact, conceal some hateful slander of a notably decent man. The lyrics almost immediately mention that Jed was, "A poor mountaineer; barely kept his family fed...". This is clearly a bald-faced LIE! One only need glance at Jed's strapping nephew, Jethro, or gaze a while at his voluptuous daughter, Ellie May to instantly deduce that Mr. Clampett was a excellent provider. Indeed, the very suggestion that Jed was a "poor mountaineer" ignores his obvious cunning and adaptability, as repeatedly demonstrated in the retelling of his adventures in uncultured Caleefornee. Clearly, Jed Clampett was a superb mountaineer, which brings us to the question how his fortune was discovered. Mssrs. Flatt & Scruggs would have us believe that Mr. Clampett brought forth an oil gusher while "shootin' at some food", with the unspoken implication that, somehow, Jed Clampett ...missed...his target. Surely I am not the only person who can recall watching Jed hit a squirrel sitting in a tree at just over half a mile distance. I may not have been practicing my gazindas, but this just doesn't add up. While F&S are entertaining storytellers (and right handy at pickin' & fiddlin'), I suspect their jealousy of Mr. Clampett's unquestionable skills and continued success led them to create this unfortunate fiction. Almost certainly the discovery of oil on the family holding was the result of relentless research on the part of the clan's resident scientist, Jethro Bodine.--Drax21 22:19, 3 June 2007 (UTC)

...what? Mike H. I did "That's hot" first! 20:03, 31 August 2007 (UTC)

I think the implication is that he was poor money-wise, and didn't have a job. He kept the family fed, but that's all. They had little beyond that, no need for a wealth of material posessions. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 64.122.63.142 (talk) 16:18, 3 January 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Fair use rationale for Image:Hillbillies1.jpg

Image:Hillbillies1.jpg is being used on this article. I notice the image page specifies that the image is being used under fair use but there is no explanation or rationale as to why its use in this Wikipedia article constitutes fair use. In addition to the boilerplate fair use template, you must also write out on the image description page a specific explanation or rationale for why using this image in each article is consistent with fair use.

Please go to the image description page and edit it to include a fair use rationale. Using one of the templates at Wikipedia:Fair use rationale guideline is an easy way to insure that your image is in compliance with Wikipedia policy, but remember that you must complete the template. Do not simply insert a blank template on an image page.

If there is other other fair use media, consider checking that you have specified the fair use rationale on the other images used on this page. Note that any fair use images uploaded after 4 May, 2006, and lacking such an explanation will be deleted one week after they have been uploaded, as described on criteria for speedy deletion. If you have any questions please ask them at the Media copyright questions page. Thank you.BetacommandBot 22:36, 5 June 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Radio show

The article doesn't seem to mention the Beverly Hillbillies radio show from the '20s and '30s, which I think may have been the direct inspiration for the show. Chubbles (talk) 12:52, 29 January 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Musical Group

Perhaps an entry on the country music group you refer to, which began on the Los Angeles radio station KMPC on April 6 1930 and lasted most of that decade, fronted by singer-songwriter Elton Britt —Preceding unsigned comment added by Will Dockery (talk • contribs) 05:49, 7 April 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Sonny Drysdale

Sony does not retire from the Air force. It is Mrs. Drysdale's nephew Lance "Jetstream" Bradford played by Soupy Sales. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Charliehorse43 (talk • contribs) 01:50, 10 March 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Overview: "Tennessee"?

At the beginning of The Beverly Hillbillies series, patriarch Jed Clampett strikes oil while hunting on his land in Tennessee.

I seem to recall episodes wherein the various Clampett family referred to their home, kith, and kin as being in the Ozarks (mountains not in East Tennessee but west of the Mississippi River in both Missouri and Arkansas...can anyone confirm fictional mountain homeplace/state of the Clampett family? —Preceding unsigned comment added by Bee Cliff River Slob (talk • contribs) 03:44, 16 March 2008 (UTC)