The Beverly Hillbillies Episode 18: “Jed Saves The Drysdales’ Marriage”
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For the 1993 film, see The Beverly Hillbillies (film).
The Beverly Hillbillies Episode 18: “Jed Saves The Drysdales’ Marriage”
The Beverly Hillbillies is an American television sitcom that aired on CBS from 1962 to 1971. The show featured an ensemble cast including Buddy Ebsen, Irene Ryan, Donna Douglas, and Max Baer Jr. as the Clampetts, a poor backwoods family from the Ozark Mountains of Missouri who strike it rich with oil and move to the luxurious Beverly Hills, California. Created by Paul Henning and produced by Filmways, the show inspired two other “country cousin” series on CBS: Petticoat Junction and its spin-off Green Acres, which reversed the rags-to-riches theme of The Beverly Hillbillies.
The Beverly Hillbillies ranked among the top 20 most-watched TV programs for eight of its nine seasons, holding the No. 1 spot during its first two seasons. Sixteen of its episodes remain among the 100 most-watched TV episodes in American history. The show garnered seven Emmy nominations during its run and continues to be popular in syndicated reruns. Its enduring appeal led to a 1993 film adaptation by 20th Century Fox.
Premise
The series begins with Jed Clampett, a poor, widowed hillbilly living with his daughter and mother-in-law near an oil-rich swamp in Silver Dollar City, Missouri. The opening sequence depicts Jed discovering oil while shooting at a rabbit, although the first episode shows the oil being discovered by a surveyor for the OK Oil Company. The company pays Jed millions of dollars for the drilling rights, prompting his cousin Pearl Bodine to urge him to move to California and take her son Jethro along. The family relocates to a mansion in upscale Beverly Hills, next door to Jed’s banker, Milburn Drysdale, and his wife, Margaret, who is appalled by the Clampetts.
The Clampetts bring their simple, moral lifestyle to the wealthy, sometimes superficial Beverly Hills community. The show’s humor revolves around double entendres and cultural misunderstandings. Plots often involve Drysdale’s schemes to keep the Clampetts’ money in his bank and his wife’s attempts to rid the neighborhood of “those hillbillies.” The family’s occasional attempts to return to the mountains are often triggered by Granny feeling slighted by the “city folk.”
Characters
Three main characters – Jed, Granny, and Elly May – appear in all 274 episodes. Jethro, present in 272 episodes, is absent in the last two due to avoiding a marriage proposal.
Jed Clampett
Good-natured patriarch Jed Clampett, portrayed by Buddy Ebsen, lacks formal education and is naive about the world beyond his rural upbringing but possesses wisdom and common sense. Jed is a widower, having been married to Granny’s daughter, Rose Ellen. He often serves as the straight man to Granny and Jethro’s antics. His catchphrase is, “Welllllll, doggies!”
Granny
Daisy May Moses, known as “Granny” and portrayed by Irene Ryan, is Jed’s mother-in-law. She has an abrasive personality, quick temper, and strong Confederate loyalty, identifying as a Baptist Christian. Granny considers herself a “mountain doctor,” using her “white lightning” brews for various ailments. Despite being overruled by Jed frequently, she remains a central, comedic figure in the series.
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