Since Max Baer's plans to build his Beverly Hillbillies Mansion & Casino fell through in Reno in 1999, I had not been following this story very much. But recently he has gotten on the brink of making it a reality again, this time in Carson City. The website with the latest info and links to news stories is: http://www.jethroscasino.com/front_page_frames.htm

If Baer's persistence does finally pay off, with this current deal or yet another, I would probably check the place out at least once, even though I live a thousand miles away from Carson City. But currently his case is in court, seeking to go ahead with the project in spite of a previous agreement that the Southgate shopping complex, which also includes a JCPenny and Glenbrook, has a property agreement that only businesses 'nomally found in a shopping mall' be allowed to use the site.

Baer's site includes a Wal-Mart store which was vacated in 2002, which would be utilized for the casino, which is expected to be ready to open approximately 9 months after remodeling begins. Eventually there should a hotel, a theater complex, a "cement pond" for swimming; for dining there will be Granny's Vittles, Jethro's All-U-Can-Et, and Drysdale's Fancy Eatins, then Granny's White Lightin' Bar, Granny's Shotgun Wedding Chapel, Elly May's Buns (breads & pastries); and the landmark is a 200-foot oil derrick that shoots a 60-foot flame periodically.

In the meantime, Baer has still made profitable use of his attainment of the rights to use the Beverly Hillbillies name and image in the gaming and entertainment industry with BH slot machines and personal appearances at casinos where they are used. He fought his typecasting as 'Jethro' for many years, but finally soccumbed to the idea that if he cannot shake that image, then he might as well let it pay big time.

So, if you are a fan of BH, do you think this is all a good idea, and would you go to Carson City to try it out?

Of course I would :) I'm going there in November! I really hope it's open by then.

Max is so cool! :)

I think this is a horrible idea. The Clampetts would have disaproved mightily. This is the absolute opposite of what the BH clan stood for - simple living, nonwastefulness, etc. Turning some respectable backwoods hillbilly folks (fictional or not) into a big monument of wasteful spending is disgraceful, in my opinion. What do the rest of you think?

I have begun to think Max is not going to get this thing going in Carson City, either. Just like 5 years ago when the news stopped coming from Reno, and the casino was not built and finally the word was that the strip mall owners backed out of the deal, and nothing happend. It was in December that Max Baer filed suit to use the Carson City shopping mall for his purpose of a casino, and 4 months later there is no further news... just like Reno.

I may be wrong, but I have doubts as to whether this project is ever going to be built anywhere. Maybe Baer only uses the idea for publicity, while he makes money from the slot machines and his appearances.

I agree with you to a point, but the thing that gets me, is that he professed how much he hated the character and playing it all those years, but yet he is building a casino based on it, using the character's name, and profiting from it no less?? I just see that as being dishonest with himself and wanting to make a quick buck...

As far as the BH disaproving the idea...well, if you watched the second episode WGN aired on Thursday, you see Granny getting stuck in Las Vegas, coming home, then wanting to go back to make her own money...so, I'm not sure they'd completely disprove...:)

Finally, there is some news, and it's not good for those who would like to see Jethro's Casino get going. Max Baer's case finally went to court and the ruling was that he cannot build the casino and theater, based on the previous shopping center agreement among the other businesses. Yet, Baer says his plans to use the property for that purpose have not changed. { ???}

Story: http://nevadaappeal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20040803/NEWS/108030010

That Baer must be a sharp dealer is shown by his securing the rights to the Beverly Hillbillies images and already using these rights to his advantage. But why he continues to make these deals for his BH Casino where there are known snags that may scrap the project doesn't make good sense; unless he does not really intend to go through with it.

The latest news on this story is that Carson City seems to be getting tired of this stalemate between Max Baer and JCPenney and Glenbrook. Baer says he will do nothing else with his property, the old vacated Wal-Mart, except build his casino; if he can't do that, it will stay as it is and he will not sell. But Carson City officials appear to be willing to act in some way to put that building to use again, including rezoning the land as a redevelopment district, and the possibility of eminent domain. Apparently CC is not against the BH casino idea, but they will not intervene between Baer and other business owners who won in court to prevent the casino from being built.

ref http://nevadaappeal.com/article/20050408/NEWS/104080042

Really, I think this give more support to the idea that Max is using the idea of the casino mainly, if not completely, for publicity, while he reaps in money from BH likenesses in slots and his occasional personal appearances.

The latest news on this story is that Carson City seems to be getting tired of this stalemate between Max Baer and JCPenney and Glenbrook. Baer says he will do nothing else with his property, the old vacated Wal-Mart, except build his casino; if he can't do that, it will stay as it is and he will not sell. But Carson City officials appear to be willing to act in some way to put that building to use again, including rezoning the land as a redevelopment district, and the possibility of eminent domain. Apparently CC is not against the BH casino idea, but they will not intervene between Baer and other business owners who won in court to prevent the casino from being built.

ref http://nevadaappeal.com/article/20050408/NEWS/104080042

Really, I think this give more support to the idea that Max is using the idea of the casino mainly, if not completely, for publicity, while he reaps in money from BH likenesses in slots and his occasional personal appearances.
As of last year it opened in at the Thunder Valley Casino in Thunder Valley, CA