Loading Up The Truck
One of the biggest TV hits ever was The Beverly Hillbillies, which ran from 1962 to 1971. (The entire recording career of the Beatles was contained in these years.) What's impressive about the achievement was that all 274 episodes were esssentially variations on one joke--country folk misunderstanding big city ways.
I watched the show in reruns. Can't say I was a fan, but I could see its appeal--for what it is, it's reasonably well done.
But I had never seen the pilot until recently, when it was on TV Land. Fascinating to see the gang living in the woods, and moving to Beverly Hills. The pilot, by creator Paul Henning, doesn't even get the Clampetts into their mansion. (I assume those famous sets were built only after the show was picked up.) In fact, the second episode is all about the family acclimating themselves to indoor ovens and the "cement pond."
Jed's wealth was so great that, according to the show, he practically kept the third-largest bank in Beverly Hills afloat. How much money did he have? Once again, according to the pilot, somewhere between 25 and 100 million dollars, probably closer to the low number. That's still an impressive sum, but if it were made today--yet set in the 60s--I guarantee the number would be much larger.
posted by LAGuy @ 12:55 AM
4 Comments:
I recall Mr. Drysdale's statement that Mr. Clampett's $73 million had caused him not to pay enough attention to his next biggest hoity-toity depositor who had a $20 million.
Did Sam Drucker first appear in The Beverly Hillbillies or was it Green Acres (he also had a role in Petticoat Junction)
When did Mr. Drysdale make the comment? The show was on the air a long time, and with his wise management (except for that stuff about buying a studio--a bad investment), I can see him turning $25 million into $73 million in 7 or 8 years.
Actor Frank Cady (still alive, by the way) first appeared as Sam Drucker on Petticoat Junction. When Green Acres started a couple years later, he became a regular and did far more episodes for that show than any other, even as he remained on PJ. Then a few years later he did some guest shots on The Beverly Hillbillies.
yes, very good show. When teaching division, I sometimes use the Clampett jargon of: Guzzinta(s) for division, y'know two guzzinta four two, two guzzinto six three. Problem nowadays is that less and less students know who Jethro is.
Jethro had a sixth grade education and was a master at ciphering.
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