The Silver Dollar City episodes - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

TheLittleFaerie · 01-09-2021, 04:26 AM

I always wondered WHY the Clampetts didn't visit their cabin when they went back to the Hills in these episodes.

You'd think that would have been first on their list, especially Granny's. Are we to think they DID visit it just off screen. And also no mention of Pearl, you'd think they would have mentioned visiting her off-screen or something.

PracTz · 01-09-2021, 09:33 AM

I agree and I know they filmed them visiting the theme park when the Clampetts were supposed to be visiting their community during some kind of hoe down. But it seemed odd that they'd be milling about with all these folks (park attendees) who were supposedly ALSO members of their community and they'd never talk to them or acknowledge them when going back and forth to their 2nd story porch while chewing the fat with each other. I mean, I can see Mr. Drysdale having his nose permanently in the air about all these other folks who were by no means rich but it went against the grain that Granny, Jethro, Elly May or even Jed wouldn't have believed their onetime neighbors were worth nodding to, nonverbally acknowledging much less talking to/catching up with. Also, the attendees almost all wore contemporary, casual clothes that late 1960's tourists often wore NOT decades-out-of-style clothes or patched rags!

Yes, I know it was a big thrill for the park and its attendees to have had them film these episodes there and I've never heard of them being not feeling grateful they got to see it happen or even get a chance to be permanently oncamera with some of their fave stars on a sitcom but, if one didn't have knowledge of what was REALLY going on behind the scenes, one would think that the Clampetts were just needlessly and meanly snubbing their onetime neighbors for no reason.

TheLittleFaerie · 01-10-2021, 03:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PracTz

I agree and I know they filmed them visiting the theme park when the Clampetts were supposed to be visiting their community during some kind of hoe down. But it seemed odd that they'd be milling about with all these folks (park attendees) who were supposedly ALSO members of their community and they'd never talk to them or acknowledge them when going back and forth to their 2nd story porch while chewing the fat with each other. I mean, I can see Mr. Drysdale having his nose permanently in the air about all these other folks who were by no means rich but it went against the grain that Granny, Jethro, Elly May or even Jed wouldn't have believed their onetime neighbors were worth nodding to, nonverbally acknowledging much less talking to/catching up with. Also, the attendees almost all wore contemporary, casual clothes that late 1960's tourists often wore NOT decades-out-of-style clothes or patched rags!

Yes, I know it was a big thrill for the park and its attendees to have had them film these episodes there and I've never heard of them being not feeling grateful they got to see it happen or even get a chance to be permanently oncamera with some of their fave stars on a sitcom but, if one didn't have knowledge of what was REALLY going on behind the scenes, one would think that the Clampetts were just needlessly and meanly snubbing their onetime neighbors for no reason.

Yes all that is true.... and It was odd when the Clampetts acted like they had no place to spend the night, considering their cabin.... But I'm wondering at this point, season 8, was their cabin maybe dilapidated and uninhabitable? I mean was Pearl still looking after their cabin after all this time?

But it seemed like the backstory changed from early episodes to later episodes about the Clampetts back-home life. In the early episodes the Clampetts were depicted as living out in the middle of nowhere "8 miles from the nearest neighbor", no phone, no electricity, etc... BUT in the later episodes, they are depicted as being from quite a thriving little community with near-by neighbors, and even a telephone, Granny talked about having a party-line telephone back home.

biffbronson · 01-26-2021, 07:13 PM

In producing the shows, there was an advantage to having the Clampetts sitting up on the 2nd story, apart from the festivities: that allowed the insertion of stock footage of square dancing, etc., without them --- a BIG cost savings.

I haven't watched these episodes closely in some time, but I suspect the set-up was done with the stock scenes in mind. Who knows, maybe CBS put the squeeze on their budget. They were known to do that to other series (notably The Twilight Zone).

GentlemanJim · 01-26-2021, 07:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheLittleFaerie

I always wondered WHY the Clampetts didn't visit their cabin when they went back to the Hills in these episodes.

.

Didn't Jed "sell out" to the oil company? Perhaps the cabin was no longer "his" to go back to?

TheLittleFaerie · 01-27-2021, 04:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GentlemanJim

Didn't Jed "sell out" to the oil company? Perhaps the cabin was no longer "his" to go back to?

I thought the oil company just set up headquarters at the cabin, but I assume Jed and family still had access to it.. I mean they stayed at the cabin during their 1st season Christmas visit. Also when Granny threatened to go back to the hills a few times, I assumed the cabin is where she'd be going

PracTz · 01-27-2021, 05:32 PM

Of course, it's also funny how their community did NOT become an instant 'oil town' with lots of oil rigs, refineries and other businesses popping out (and the woods surrounding them becoming totally obliterated and unrecognizable) and surely there would have been an 'oil rush' with speculators (and oil companies0 buying up every square inch around the Clampett land for many miles in the hopes of also striking it rich!

Good thing BH was a sitcom!

GentlemanJim · 01-27-2021, 07:21 PM

I have this vague memory from very early on in the series, Pearl is trying to persuade Jed to move to California. The guy from the oil company is skeptical that Jed would fit in, pointing out the the "hills" portion in the name "Beverly Hills" might be misleading, as far as what Jed expected.

So Jed asks him where he lives, and the oilman says "Oklahoma". Jed says "well, how about if I move there with you? And after a grimace to the oilman's face clears, he states that California would be just fine.

Now of course, the intention there is one of humor, implying that the oil man would be imposed upon to have Jed as a neighbor.
But the undercurrent of it all, was that Jed must move somewhere, but Pearl and the oilman were in agreement there.
Now,perhaps I'm reading too much into that.....but it implies to me that there was no choice, Jed had to go.

biffbronson · 01-29-2021, 05:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PracTz

Of course, it's also funny how their community did NOT become an instant 'oil town' with lots of oil rigs, refineries and other businesses popping out (and the woods surrounding them becoming totally obliterated and unrecognizable) and surely there would have been an 'oil rush' with speculators (and oil companies0 buying up every square inch around the Clampett land for many miles in the hopes of also striking it rich!

Good thing BH was a sitcom!

You make a great point -- Jed's property was so rich in oil that the scenario you've painted seems like a sure bet.

warp9p65 · 08-25-2021, 09:49 PM

Didn't they have the little cabin set up in the back yard in Beverly Hills at some point during the show? Maybe they had it disassembled and shipped out there for Granny, and so it was no longer there when they visited Silver Dollar City.

warp9p65 · 06-07-2025, 10:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by warp9p65

Didn't they have the little cabin set up in the back yard in Beverly Hills at some point during the show? Maybe they had it disassembled and shipped out there for Granny, and so it was no longer there when they visited Silver Dollar City.

That's what I remember. I thought they had their old cabin moved to their back yard in California to help keep Granny from getting so homesick all the time.

TheLittleFaerie · 06-08-2025, 09:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by warp9p65

That's what I remember. I thought they had their old cabin moved to their back yard in California to help keep Granny from getting so homesick all the time.

I don't think that was their ACTUAL cabin from the Hills, I think Jed just built a replica of it. I think Jed said he got the material from a prop department of a TV studio. Also the cabin in the Hills had a bedroom, I'm almost thinking Jed didn't build the bedroom portion on the cabin at the mansion.... As I recall Mr Drysdale spending the night in it, and he slept on the floor in the main room and was complaining about it, why didn't he sleep in the bedroom if it was there, I wondered lol

01-09-2021, 04:26 AM	#1
TheLittleFaerie Member Senior Member Join Date: Oct 15, 2017 Posts: 1,937	The Silver Dollar City episodes I always wondered WHY the Clampetts didn't visit their cabin when they went back to the Hills in these episodes. You'd think that would have been first on their list, especially Granny's. Are we to think they DID visit it just off screen. And also no mention of Pearl, you'd think they would have mentioned visiting her off-screen or something.

01-09-2021, 09:33 AM	#2
PracTz Member Senior Member Join Date: Jul 14, 2002 Location: United States of America [Happily Living in the 20th Century] Posts: 2,711	I agree and I know they filmed them visiting the theme park when the Clampetts were supposed to be visiting their community during some kind of hoe down. But it seemed odd that they'd be milling about with all these folks (park attendees) who were supposedly ALSO members of their community and they'd never talk to them or acknowledge them when going back and forth to their 2nd story porch while chewing the fat with each other. I mean, I can see Mr. Drysdale having his nose permanently in the air about all these other folks who were by no means rich but it went against the grain that Granny, Jethro, Elly May or even Jed wouldn't have believed their onetime neighbors were worth nodding to, nonverbally acknowledging much less talking to/catching up with. Also, the attendees almost all wore contemporary, casual clothes that late 1960's tourists often wore NOT decades-out-of-style clothes or patched rags! Yes, I know it was a big thrill for the park and its attendees to have had them film these episodes there and I've never heard of them being not feeling grateful they got to see it happen or even get a chance to be permanently oncamera with some of their fave stars on a sitcom but, if one didn't have knowledge of what was REALLY going on behind the scenes, one would think that the Clampetts were just needlessly and meanly snubbing their onetime neighbors for no reason.

01-26-2021, 07:13 PM	#4
biffbronson Sentimental Fool Forum Star Join Date: Aug 22, 2009 Location: Near Notre Dame Posts: 10,267	In producing the shows, there was an advantage to having the Clampetts sitting up on the 2nd story, apart from the festivities: that allowed the insertion of stock footage of square dancing, etc., without them --- a BIG cost savings. I haven't watched these episodes closely in some time, but I suspect the set-up was done with the stock scenes in mind. Who knows, maybe CBS put the squeeze on their budget. They were known to do that to other series (notably The Twilight Zone).

01-27-2021, 05:32 PM	#7
PracTz Member Senior Member Join Date: Jul 14, 2002 Location: United States of America [Happily Living in the 20th Century] Posts: 2,711	Of course, it's also funny how their community did NOT become an instant 'oil town' with lots of oil rigs, refineries and other businesses popping out (and the woods surrounding them becoming totally obliterated and unrecognizable) and surely there would have been an 'oil rush' with speculators (and oil companies0 buying up every square inch around the Clampett land for many miles in the hopes of also striking it rich! Good thing BH was a sitcom!

01-27-2021, 07:21 PM	#8
GentlemanJim Concerns, Support, & Feedback Forum Veteran Join Date: Dec 26, 2019 Location: The back country Posts: 5,443	I have this vague memory from very early on in the series, Pearl is trying to persuade Jed to move to California. The guy from the oil company is skeptical that Jed would fit in, pointing out the the "hills" portion in the name "Beverly Hills" might be misleading, as far as what Jed expected. So Jed asks him where he lives, and the oilman says "Oklahoma". Jed says "well, how about if I move there with you? And after a grimace to the oilman's face clears, he states that California would be just fine. Now of course, the intention there is one of humor, implying that the oil man would be imposed upon to have Jed as a neighbor. But the undercurrent of it all, was that Jed must move somewhere, but Pearl and the oilman were in agreement there. Now,perhaps I'm reading too much into that.....but it implies to me that there was no choice, Jed had to go.

08-25-2021, 09:49 PM	#10
warp9p65 Member Occasional Poster Join Date: Feb 15, 2019 Location: AR Posts: 49	Didn't they have the little cabin set up in the back yard in Beverly Hills at some point during the show? Maybe they had it disassembled and shipped out there for Granny, and so it was no longer there when they visited Silver Dollar City.