I really liked the Mr. Drysdale of the earlier seasons...especially season one.

He seemed like he genuinlly liked the Clampetts and though he was a flawed human being...he was still a written as a real person and not a cartoon.

By the later seasons he was a competly immoral buffoon who didn't seem to really care about the Clampetts only their money...and when things went completly surreal with the picture of Drysdale father that could change its positions...the show lost me.

Granny and Jethro to a lesser extent suffered the same fate going the way of cartoons.

Yeah, you're completely right. I realize the series had to grow and change as time went on, but the last few years things started getting outlandish. Really, the show started goin downhill in the '68-'69 season when Jethro rented the office floor in the bank, etc. I like the visits to Petticoat Junction, but that was a clue that things were starting to go south IMHO. It seemed to get worse from there w/ the episode where that Mrs. Drysdale had a guru and Fairchild the bear was drinking consistently, etc. Sure, lots of laughs still, but not as good as those first 5 or so years.

thats the trouble with characters on any show that is basically a parody....eventually the main characters become parodies of themselves
( Think "Married with Children" )

Yeah, you're completely right. I realize the series had to grow and change as time went on, but the last few years things started getting outlandish. Really, the show started goin downhill in the '68-'69 season when Jethro rented the office floor in the bank, etc. I like the visits to Petticoat Junction, but that was a clue that things were starting to go south IMHO. It seemed to get worse from there w/ the episode where that Mrs. Drysdale had a guru and Fairchild the bear was drinking consistently, etc. Sure, lots of laughs still, but not as good as those first 5 or so years.

You're right about those renting offices at the bank episodes. They are some of the worst...especially with the meek little Cratchit I think his name was character.

You're right about those renting offices at the bank episodes. They are some of the worst...especially with the meek little Cratchit I think his name was character.
I think that was the one where that the picture of Drysdale's father came into play.....yeah, really stupid IMO.

The thing that has always baffled me is in a "Green Acres" episode, they did a parody of the Hillbillies. Not sure what the year was on that episode (not a big fan of "Green Acres") but the thing that was asinine is that it was connected w/ "Petticoat Junction" which would later crossover to "The Beverly Hillbillies" and if I'm thinking right, the Douglas's even made an appearance on one of the crossover episodes.

The recycling of character actors started getting redundant too. William Mims played General Grant in an episode (another stupid plot of the later years) and then came back as Mrs. Drysdale's guru not too long after. King Donovan had played on a couple of the black and white episodes as Jake Clampett but then came back during the same season as the General Grant episodes playing an army "shrink."

I think those episodes started pointing the way to the terrible episodes of the last year or two. During the first 5 or 6 years, there were rarely any big story lines that continued over multiple episodes. Sure, there was the aforementioned Jake Clampett episodes and a few others that spanned over 2 episodes, but there seemed to be a pattern after the "Clampetts Go To England" thing. From England, it was multiple "Petticoat Junction" crossovers, multiple times, then the whole Robin Hood thing, the General Grant stories, Honest John (the most ignorant thing I've seen yet), Shorty Kellems getting married and so on and so forth. If I want a repetitive story line, I'll go watch "Dallas" or something!:D

Anyway, I'd love to see the whole series on DVD regardless of how bad some of the episodes were. I know that I can let my kids sit down in front of an episode and not worry what they're gonna be exposed to. I can't say the same for a lot of the new shows.

I think that was the one where that the picture of Drysdale's father came into play.....yeah, really stupid IMO.

The thing that has always baffled me is in a "Green Acres" episode, they did a parody of the Hillbillies. Not sure what the year was on that episode (not a big fan of "Green Acres") but the thing that was asinine is that it was connected w/ "Petticoat Junction" which would later crossover to "The Beverly Hillbillies" and if I'm thinking right, the Douglas's even made an appearance on one of the crossover episodes.

The recycling of character actors started getting redundant too. William Mims played General Grant in an episode (another stupid plot of the later years) and then came back as Mrs. Drysdale's guru not too long after. King Donovan had played on a couple of the black and white episodes as Jake Clampett but then came back during the same season as the General Grant episodes playing an army "shrink."

I think those episodes started pointing the way to the terrible episodes of the last year or two. During the first 5 or 6 years, there were rarely any big story lines that continued over multiple episodes. Sure, there was the aforementioned Jake Clampett episodes and a few others that spanned over 2 episodes, but there seemed to be a pattern after the "Clampetts Go To England" thing. From England, it was multiple "Petticoat Junction" crossovers, multiple times, then the whole Robin Hood thing, the General Grant stories, Honest John (the most ignorant thing I've seen yet), Shorty Kellems getting married and so on and so forth. If I want a repetitive story line, I'll go watch "Dallas" or something!:D

Anyway, I'd love to see the whole series on DVD regardless of how bad some of the episodes were. I know that I can let my kids sit down in front of an episode and not worry what they're gonna be exposed to. I can't say the same for a lot of the new shows.

Great analysis! I too hope for complete seasons because I would surely get the first three. The BW being the best though I did notice in the third season the music changed slightly and some of the familiar "cues" weren't being used anymore as well as very few locations shots at the mansion before they were dropped all together in color.

Yes, having Drysdale go from an unscrupulous banker to a cartoon parody of such a character was one of the poorer progressions of the show. And while it's true that the early years were the best, really from start to finish there were gags or themes they just ran into the ground. Sure, setting up 'shop' in the bank building, "Honest John" Shaver, and the frogman were some of the ones in later years; but the first season had the Jethrine deal, the the second and third seasons had sponging or plotting visitors from 'back home,' and too many times the Clampetts beat modern business or technology with folksiness or superstitions.

I agree with you.In all of the black and white episodes(the best,by the way),he was at least fairly likable.But when the series became color,he became unlikable,and it's true:In those,he seemed to care more about the Clampett's money-became greedy,than the Clampetts themselves.

that's true about Mr. Drysdale; he was best in the black and white episodes.

And when it went to color, they did have some stupid ones like when Jethro rented the 5th floor of the bank building (I call those "the 5th floor episodes), Shorty Kelams getting married, Elly and Granny discovering "womans lib" and a few others. Also, like someone else said, too many multiple-episode story lines!

that's true about Mr. Drysdale; he was best in the black and white episodes.

And when it went to color, they did have some stupid ones like when Jethro rented the 5th floor of the bank building (I call those "the 5th floor episodes), Shorty Kelams getting married, Elly and Granny discovering "womans lib" and a few others. Also, like someone else said, too many multiple-episode story lines!
Exactly right, Treky!!! He seemed understanding of the Clampetts and did his best to help them in the first few years, showing genuine concern (the episode where that he and Miss Jane flew to Las Vegas to get Granny) for them. As the show went on, he became more and more greedy.

The hot-rod truck episode is a great example. When Granny wanted the hog for her b-day, he foreclosed on a farm to get it. It was an earlier episode (color one) where that he turned down the A/C unit and faked the snow to keep the Clampett's from going home, but yet in the 1st season, he arranged plane tickets for them to visit back home.

Getting off of the original subject, but replying to something else Treky said, the multi-episode thing got ridiculous. It was at the last almost like a soap opera and you had to see all the episodes just to keep up w/ what was going on. The "Honest John" episodes are possibly the most puzzling of the whole thing. I read somewhere that when Buddy Ebsen agreed to play the part, he asked that his character not be played off as being stupid, but yet those episodes have Jed acting quite dumb. If you'll back to the 1st season, the same theme was played on ONE episode where that Jed was offered the Hollywood Bowl. Jed and kin figured the guy out pretty quick, so what changed?

Another discrepancy was in, I think, the '68 season. Granny and Elly had went to the hills to visit Pearl and came back with a party line telephone. Granny talked about how that before they moved to Beverly Hills she used to talk on the phone all day long. Hmm.....according to the 1st episode, they didn't even know what a telephone was!!!!!

Basic opinion, for what it's worth, is that they were running out of ideas and steam so they kept on running the same theme week after week.:confused:

And remember this color dud,where Granny was pitted against 3 wrestlers and beat the living daylights out of all of them?(the best part of this dud)Anyway,Drysdale acted like he was FOR the wrestlers,and against the Clampetts.

And remember this color dud,where Granny was pitted against 3 wrestlers and beat the living daylights out of all of them?(the best part of this dud)Anyway,Drysdale acted like he was FOR the wrestlers,and against the Clampetts.
Yeah, the Boston Strong Girl episodes. I actually thought those were funny, but I guess the perspective I come from is that it reminds me too much of my own grandmother. You could NOT convince her that "rasslin'" was not real and if she could've, there was one wrestler named Tojo Yamamoto that she would've whipped!!!!:lol:

I didn't care at all for the episodes where they returned to Hooterville or PJ. It seemed whenever the Clampetts left Beverly Hills that things just weren't funny. Fairchild (the bear) and assorted plots in the last few years didn't interest me at all. The Civil War reenactment episodes were pretty funny I thought. When Jethro got the army tank and played in Griffin Park was good. And I liked the ones with the hippies in the park too. It would have been though had they killed the show about two- three years earlier...

yea, those ones you mentioned were good, but they were about the only ones in the later seasons. I liked it when Jethro told all those hippies that his Granny smokes crawdads; and they thought he was really "cool" and stuff; because of that :lol: (for those who don't know; "crawdads" is slang for marijuana).
I also liked the ones where Phil Silvers played that con man who "sold" Jed the George Whashington bridge, Central Park, etc.

But I agree-those crossover episodes weren't very funny.

I didn't care at all for the episodes where they returned to Hooterville or PJ. It seemed whenever the Clampetts left Beverly Hills that things just weren't funny. Fairchild (the bear) and assorted plots in the last few years didn't interest me at all. The Civil War reenactment episodes were pretty funny I thought. When Jethro got the army tank and played in Griffin Park was good. And I liked the ones with the hippies in the park too. It would have been though had they killed the show about two- three years earlier...You're right.Those crossover episodes of "The Beverly Hillbillies",and "Petticoat Junction"WEREN'T very good,,and weren't funny,but they would have been a LOT better IF they had been made before Bea Benaderet died.

yea; she could've played Pearls twin sister or something.

I have to disagree. The more money hungry they made Mr. Drysdale, the funnier he was. I always chuckle when they show him listening to his favorite record "falling coins recorded live at the u.s. mint". Or when he's relaxing or has a headache, he has a $20 bill on his forehead. Or to prevent him from fainting, they wave a bill under his nose. That's hilarious.
Drysdale's greed kind of resembles today's bankers, especially the corporate ones who charge 20% interest on their blasted credit cards!

I would say the worst epsiodes came from the final season with the women's lib nonsense and when Granny thought Elly's beau could turn into a frog. They stretched those story lines way too long into too many episodes.

Thought this thread might have been about the one-time special I saw in the late 80's/early 90's... cant remember when it aired, but Jed was back living in the "hills", because (according to Nancy Kulp, who reprised her role as Ms. Hathaway) Mr. Drysdale took all of Jed's money and left the country. Jed said something along the lines that he had no hard feelings against Drysdale... and he even danced a jig at the end of that TV special (surprisingly since Buddy Ebsen was "up in the years" at that time).

/wasn't "Return of the Beverly Hillbillies"
//Max Baer returned as Jethro in that special also

yea; I remember that special. It was on CBS at the time that HORRIBLE "THE BEVERLY HILLBILLIES" theatrical movie came out. (I think it was in 1992) Not "THE RETURN OF THE BEVERLY HILLBILLIES" which was a TV movie and was also pretty bad.
I forget what this one was called, but it was hosted by Mac Davis, and acted as if the Clampetts were real; and gave an "update" on them. You're wrong though, Nancy Kulp wasn't in it. But Max Baer and Buddy Ebsen were, as Jed and Jethro; along with Donna Douglas as Elly May. And it was Mac Davis who gave an "update" on Mr. Drysdale and said that he was in prison for attemting to bilk the Clampetts out of their money, and Miss Hathaway had testified against him and was now living in the witness protection program.

yea; I remember that special. It was on CBS at the time that HORRIBLE "THE BEVERLY HILLBILLIES" theatrical movie came out. (I think it was in 1992) Not "THE RETURN OF THE BEVERLY HILLBILLIES" which was a TV movie and was also pretty bad.
I forget what this one was called, but it was hosted by Mac Davis, and acted as if the Clampetts were real; and gave an "update" on them. You're wrong though, Nancy Kulp wasn't in it. But Max Baer and Buddy Ebsen were, as Jed and Jethro; along with Donna Douglas as Elly May. And it was Mac Davis who gave an "update" on Mr. Drysdale and said that he was in prison for attemting to bilk the Clampetts out of their money, and Miss Hathaway had testified against him and was now living in the witness protection program.

You've refreshed my memory, it was Mac that asked Jed that question...but Buddy DID dance at the end of that thing! :-)

And it was Mac Davis who gave an "update" on Mr. Drysdale and said that he was in prison for attemting to bilk the Clampetts out of their money, and Miss Hathaway had testified against him and was now living in the witness protection program.
That sounds really out of character for Milburn, he would never hurt the Clampets. He spent time trying to keep others from stealing Jed's money. Seems they could have had a better update than that poor idea. Once again we fans get ripped off.

Well, maybe Jed had finally decided to go back to the hills for good, or give it all to some charity, and Drysdale had no choice.

That sounds really out of character for Milburn, he would never hurt the Clampets. He spent time trying to keep others from stealing Jed's money. Seems they could have had a better update than that poor idea. Once again we fans get ripped off.
yea; I remember thinking that at the time. In the book THE BEVERLY HILLBILLIES-A FORTIETH ANNIVERSARY WING DING! from 2003, they talk about that show; and say how CBS made them change a couple things; and cut a couple parts out-I forget why.

You've refreshed my memory, it was Mac that asked Jed that question...but Buddy DID dance at the end of that thing! :-)
yea; you're right about that!:)

Some of the Multi-Episode storylines were pretty good. When they went to England the first time . . . . I think they went twice to England? . .. . if so, the first time was pretty good. The one where Jethro thinks he's Robin Hood and the hippies was pretty good. The absolute worst episodes from the whole series . . . IMHO . . . . must have been from the last season where they went back home to "Silver Dollar City (?)" and Mr. Drysdale is shown driving around the bear. Those episodes are VERY bad, IMHO, and NEVER should have been made.

Getting back to Mr. Drysdale, my question is this: Is it true that the actor who played the part of Mr. Drysale did not get along with the other cast members? I heard that he was pretty hateful and not very friendly in real life. Is this true?

Signed,
Respectfully,
Dutch

I think some of the worst episodes were the ones with all that ridiculous womens lib stuff:rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes: and the ones wher Granny thought that Ellys beau would turn into a frog-both those story lines were just plain STUPID!!!




But, about Raymond Bailey (who played Mr. Drysdale): according to the book "THE BEVERLY HILLBILLIES" he was tempermental, quiet, liked to keep to himself, and was hard to get along with-I don't know if he didn't get along with the rest of the cast, though.

Maybe some of those plotlines, like the frogman and women's lib, would have been better off as single episodes, instead of being dragged out.

Yeah, the frogman thing was dragged out for like eight episodes (if it wasn't it sure seemed like it, heh). They were kind of low on good ideas at that point I imagine, and it's probably good that it was cancelled when it was.

The bad ideas, themes, or sequences of the BH:

1. Jethrine-- not necessarily the character, but Max Baer in drag, making it appear Jethro has a split personality and sexual identity issues (uh, well...).

2. Sonny Drysdale-- again, not necessarily the character itself, but so ridiculous; a 35-year-old mama's boy, fulltime college student (still a sophomore!), would run and scream if a cat meows...

3. Milburn Drysdale's progression from an unscrupulous banker to a conniving cartoon Scrooge. He may have been driven insane by his obsession with keeping the Clampett millions working for his bank (which means, he thought, keeping the Clampetts in Beverly Hills), but insanity is not funny.

4. Fortune follows Jed everywhere-- it seems Henning, et al, try to 'slip it by' the viewers that Jed is authenticated as a direct descendant of the first man to set foot in America at Jamestown, that he discovers more oil on his BH estate but covers it up, and then that he somehow 'inherits' a castle in England... if simply being an oil tycoon can't explain everything about ambiguous situations of notoriety that lead to misunderstandings, then more circumstances of unsought fame and fortune are just made up.

5. Recycling-- going to 'the well' a 2nd (or 3rd...) time; Jed's "Mammoth Pictures" has a few okay eps, then later the idea comes back with Hedda Hopper, then making Jethro a director; going to the castle in Engalnd a 2nd time; bringing Elverna Bradshaw back, into the last season from the first, while she is rarely alluded to in-betwixt; going back to Hooterville, and overall just running some ideas into the ground-- the alcoholic bear, Mark the "frog-man," Shifty Shaver and his ridiculous cons that he couldn't follow through with, and Granny and her Confederate background (is she supposed to really believe Jefferson Davis is the President?)

yea, those ones you mentioned were good, but they were about the only ones in the later seasons. I liked it when Jethro told all those hippies that his Granny smokes crawdads; and they thought he was really "cool" and stuff; because of that :lol: (for those who don't know; "crawdads" is slang for marijuana).
I also liked the ones where Phil Silvers played that con man who "sold" Jed the George Whashington bridge, Central Park, etc.

But I agree-those crossover episodes weren't very funny.


Sorry, Treky, crawdads is NOT slang for marijuana!

I was born and raised in Baton Rouge ("Red Stick"), Louisiana, which is CAJUN land. Crawdads only mean one thing: dads, bugs, mudbugs, crawfish, and (for Yankees) crayfish.

But just to make sure, I Googled "crawdads" and "marijuana" and got NO hits.

Please don't spread disinfo!!

Sorry, Treky, crawdads is NOT slang for marijuana!

I was born and raised in Baton Rouge ("Red Stick"), Louisiana, which is CAJUN land. Crawdads only mean one thing: dads, bugs, mudbugs, crawfish, and (for Yankees) crayfish.

But just to make sure, I Googled "crawdads" and "marijuana" and got NO hits.

Please don't spread disinfo!!well; my brother says it is; so take it up with him.

The bad ideas, themes, or sequences of the BH:

1. Jethrine-- not necessarily the character, but Max Baer in drag, making it appear Jethro has a split personality and sexual identity issues (uh, well...).

2. Sonny Drysdale-- again, not necessarily the character itself, but so ridiculous; a 35-year-old mama's boy, fulltime college student (still a sophomore!), would run and scream if a cat meows...

3. Milburn Drysdale's progression from an unscrupulous banker to a conniving cartoon Scrooge. He may have been driven insane by his obsession with keeping the Clampett millions working for his bank (which means, he thought, keeping the Clampetts in Beverly Hills), but insanity is not funny.

4. Fortune follows Jed everywhere-- it seems Henning, et al, try to 'slip it by' the viewers that Jed is authenticated as a direct descendant of the first man to set foot in America at Jamestown, that he discovers more oil on his BH estate but covers it up, and then that he somehow 'inherits' a castle in England... if simply being an oil tycoon can't explain everything about ambiguous situations of notoriety that lead to misunderstandings, then more circumstances of unsought fame and fortune are just made up.

5. Recycling-- going to 'the well' a 2nd (or 3rd...) time; Jed's "Mammoth Pictures" has a few okay eps, then later the idea comes back with Hedda Hopper, then making Jethro a director; going to the castle in Engalnd a 2nd time; bringing Elverna Bradshaw back, into the last season from the first, while she is rarely alluded to in-betwixt; going back to Hooterville, and overall just running some ideas into the ground-- the alcoholic bear, Mark the "frog-man," Shifty Shaver and his ridiculous cons that he couldn't follow through with, and Granny and her Confederate background (is she supposed to really believe Jefferson Davis is the President?)

Good insights but I have to disagree on 1 and 2...I thought Jethrine was a good character and Pearl needed someone to play off back in the hills besides Mr. Brewster.

Sonny Drysdale does not appear but in flashback but is the ignition point for one of the SINGLE BEST EPISODES ever...THE FEUD...loved the musical recap in the beginning. I even made my own home movie version of it when I was a teen.

For a series that lasted as long as BH did, it's very easy to list inconsistencies or dwell on the not-so-good plotlines. But for example I liked how Granny talked about "Jeff" Davis, President of the Confederacy. People take things too seriously and destroy the fun of the series.

Why are Granny's Civil War delusions of sorts objectionable, while on Green Acres we have a pig, Arnold, whose speech is understood (by all except Oliver) and goes to class with the children - yet that is fine and not "to really believe?" Go with the flow. Even in an early b/w episode, Granny has Confederate currency. It's a running theme and important to her character...!

People like to spend more time talking about the series' weak points than its strong ones, it seems. Look at the "Women's Lib" episodes that people deride. There were some really funny scenes with Granny and the bed...! Loosen up people and try to actually ENJOY the show, that's what it's for! And take off your cap when the colors of South are displayed....! Don't anger Granny!

Good insights but I have to disagree on 1 and 2...I thought Jethrine was a good character and Pearl needed someone to play off back in the hills besides Mr. Brewster.

Sonny Drysdale does not appear but in flashback but is the ignition point for one of the SINGLE BEST EPISODES ever...THE FEUD...loved the musical recap in the beginning. I even made my own home movie version of it when I was a teen.
yes, that IS-a good episode. I also like that musical recap.

I like in that scene when Granny's unfurling the confederate flag and she says to Jethro "Bare your head in the presence of the stars and bars".