I mean did they have to pay land taxes and things like that? In the Black and White episodes they talk as if they lived out in the middle of nowhere, and it was said they were 8 miles from their nearest neighbor, they hunted their own food, made their own soap, etc... . BUT in the color episodes they talk about living in an actual small town community with general stores, a town square, movie theater, and they talked about having neighbors they could just holler across the way to

Seems to me like the Clampetts themselves lived off the grid in their cabin miles from town, but they made it into town where Cousin Pearl lived once in awhile (Bugtussle?), and of course they were also familiar with Silver Dollar City. They often talked about going to the silent picture show where Cousin Pearl played the "Pieannie", as seen in one of the black and white episodes.

There was inconsistency in the writing: very early on, the Clampetts are totally unfamiliar with telephones. Much later we're told that Granny had talked on a party line back east. So the updated narrative saw them as having been more connected to a community.

I think the things like what warp9p65 mentions, Pearl's involvement with the movie theatre, gave the writers a lot of material on which they based their ideas and comedy bits. Pearl is a great source of funny material when she's shown in a community setting. It's funny to see her reactions to a modern airport, and on to Beverly Hills.

Much later, with Bea Benaderet having moved on to Petticoat Junction, Silver Dollar City provides a basis for some humor (and also the Clampetts even visit the Shady Rest, commenting on the Pearl/Kate Bradley "resemblance").

There was inconsistency in the writing: very early on, the Clampetts are totally unfamiliar with telephones. Much later we're told that Granny had talked on a party line back east. So the updated narrative saw them as having been more connected to a community.

I think the things like what warp9p65 mentions, Pearl's involvement with the movie theatre, gave the writers a lot of material on which they based their ideas and comedy bits. Pearl is a great source of funny material when she's shown in a community setting. It's funny to see her reactions to a modern airport, and on to Beverly Hills.

Much later, with Bea Benaderet having moved on to Petticoat Junction, Silver Dollar City provides a basis for some humor (and also the Clampetts even visit the Shady Rest, commenting on the Pearl/Kate Bradley "resemblance").

In a color episode they also didn't understand the concept of flying in an airplane, but they had already flown at least twice in season 1 lol

Seems to me like the Clampetts themselves lived off the grid in their cabin miles from town, but they made it into town where Cousin Pearl lived once in awhile (Bugtussle?), and of course they were also familiar with Silver Dollar City. They often talked about going to the silent picture show where Cousin Pearl played the "Pieannie", as seen in one of the black and white episodes.

I thought it was funny, in the pliot they though the helicopter was a bird lol, it's hard to believe that in all of Jed's and Granny's years they'd NEVER seen a plane or helicopter fly over lol

Writing was different then!