...why the front gates are always conviently open whenever they drive in or out, or anyone does?

hmmmm, that's right... well I do recall one time, I think in the epidsode "The Great Feud" where Mr. Drysdale, Miss Jane, and Jed pull up to the house with the gate closed. That is where Granny shoots the hat out of Mr. Drysdale's hat... anyone remember any other instances where the gate is closed?

That's a stumper, perhaps the gates were always opened so people could drop by and visit a spell.

Perhaps it just made the scenes more practical.
I mean they would have to stop and open the gates and then stop again and close them. I suppose they could have had remote control back then but I don't think it would have looked right if the hillbillies knew how to use it.

I can see a fictional scene between Jed and Jethro.

Jed: Jethro what is that little black box you got there?

Jethro: A Re--mote control to the front gates!

Jed: The dickens you say.

Jethro: Miss Jane said all you have to do is point it at the gate and press this here button!

Jed: Did it work?

Jethro: Yes sir it sure did but I got tired of getting out and closeing the gates so I thinks to myself heck fire if I just leave them big ol gates open we don't need no Re--mote control!

Jed: That makes a heap of sense drive on boy!

But actualy it may be because in the pilot they thought Mr. Drysdale had got them out of jail just to bring them back to prison.

Stop this car! Mr. Drysdale you dun tricked us you got us out of Jail just to bring us to prison! Head for the hills everybody!

It's not a prison it's your home!


Charles

there was an early episode where Mr. Drysdale's telling an I.R.S. agent about the Clampetts and in one scene he's telling about something that happened once when he was leaving and the gates were closed.

Yup that is a good one treky that I almost forgot about. In that scene Mr. Drysdale uses the call box out at the gate (if you look close you can see the mansions address on the call box plate) and asks Jed to "let him out" (meaning for him to open the frong gate so he can leave) and Jed hears his voice and thinks he is inside the wall. Mr. Drysdale explains in the episode that Jed supposedly demolished a good deal of the wall before he could stop him. ...hahaha

You know, what I just said got me to thinking...........If they give away the address on the call box in that episode how can they really blame tv guide for giving it away and causing the show not to be able to film there anymore starting the year they broadcast in color? Well, I guess the televisions back then didn't have VCR's or DVR's that could stop/pause also the picture quality on the televisions wasn't that great so they couldn't see the address on the plate not to mention that people couldn't google addresses the way they can today..... guess I just answered my own question...

Was this during the 3rd season??

I think it was the first episode of the 2nd season.

I missed it, I'll have to go back and watch it again for that scene. I'm on disc 5 and have six more episodes to finish the season.