Jane Hathaway, maybe not the sweet person we came to know her as

[TheLittleFaerie]

We always think of Miss Hathaway as the sweet long suffering sec of Mr Drysdale. BUT in the second episode, did anyone think it was really rude and mean the way she talked down to the Clampetts when she thought they were just "the help"? Even starting to get PHYSICALLY VIOLENT with Elly Mae for refusing to wear a maid's uniform! Of course Elly turned the tables on her. But it just showed she saw the Clampetts as so FAR beneath her that could physically assault them with no legal consequences instead of just FIRING them.

She didn't become the sweet Miss Hathaway that we know until she goes hunting with Jethro for souffle lol

[cd637299]

Almost every scripted show, let alone a sitcom, has characters that seem to have to be “molded,” more or less, as episodes add up.

Jane indeed was rude in ep 2, and she should have known WHERE she was—in the future Clampett mansion. Mr. Drysdale straightened her out.

I think of Green Acres and the molding of the characters from Season 1 on. Lisa was fairly level headed, and the socialite, until she got those six months in; then she fit in with all the others in Hooterville. Alvy Moore once said that the Kimball character was only meant for two episodes or so—but as the producers saw his facial expressions as he hemmed and hawed on what he really thought about Oliver’s farm, the staff said “we gotta keep this guy!”

Back to TBH…..getting everyone to know their roles, AND the purpose of the plot—showing how one can be happy without needing millions in the bank, while the banker goes to unbelievable lengths to make sure the Clampetts don’t move back to the Ozarks, and also using Jane as a kind of liaison, made the show the classic it really is.

Still IMO, four seasons were plenty….the castle, the Frogman arc, the GRUN, etc., well, it was just trying to stretch the plot way too far.

Edit: I had read or heard somewhere that Jed’s character was going to be dumb (as dumb as Jethro?) before the series began, and Buddy Ebsen maybe convinced the staff to make Jed more level headed—I say he was the voice of reason on the show.

cd

[cd637299]

Almost every scripted show, let alone a sitcom, has characters that seem to have to be “molded,” more or less, as episodes add up.

Jane indeed was rude in ep 2, and she should have known WHERE she was—in the future Clampett mansion. Mr. Drysdale straightened her out.

I think of Green Acres and the molding of the characters from Season 1 on. Lisa was fairly level headed, and the socialite, until she got thise six months in; then she fit in with all the others in Hooterville. Alvy Moore once said that the Kimball character was only meant for two episodes or so—but as the producers saw his facial expressions as he hemmed and hawed on what he really thought about Oliver’s farm, the staff said “we gotta keep this guy!”

Back to TBH…..getting everyone to know their roles, AND the purpose of the plot—showing how one can be happy without needing millions in the bank, while the banker goes to unbelievable lengths to make sure the Clampetts don’t move back to the Ozarks, and also using Jane as a kind of liaison, made the show the classic it really is.

Still IMO, four seasons was plenty….the castle, the Frogman arc, the GRUN, etc., well, it was just trying to stretch the plot way too far.

cd

[TheLittleFaerie]

Originally Posted by cd637299

Almost every scripted show, let alone a sitcom, has characters that seem to have to be “molded,” more or less, as episodes add up.

Jane indeed was rude in ep 2, and she should have known WHERE she was—in the future Clampett mansion. Mr. Drysdale straightened her out.

I think of Green Acres and the molding of the characters from Season 1 on. Lisa was fairly level headed, and the socialite, until she got those six months in; then she fit in with all the others in Hooterville. Alvy Moore once said that the Kimball character was only meant for two episodes or so—but as the producers saw his facial expressions as he hemmed and hawed on what he really thought about Oliver’s farm, the staff said “we gotta keep this guy!”

Back to TBH…..getting everyone to know their roles, AND the purpose of the plot—showing how one can be happy without needing millions in the bank, while the banker goes to unbelievable lengths to make sure the Clampetts don’t move back to the Ozarks, and also using Jane as a kind of liaison, made the show the classic it really is.

Still IMO, four seasons were plenty….the castle, the Frogman arc, the GRUN, etc., well, it was just trying to stretch the plot way too far.

Edit: I had read or heard somewhere that Jed’s character was going to be dumb (as dumb as Jethro?) before the series began, and Buddy Ebsen maybe convinced the staff to make Jed more level headed—I say he was the voice of reason on the show.

cd

Yes Jed was INDEED originally to be a total moron like Jethro, but Buddy Ebson wanted to play the character with common sense, so that's when they brought in the Jethro character and MANY of Jed's original lines were given to Jethro. Originally Granny was to be Jed's MOTHER, instead of mother-in-law, but they changed it so Jed could ultimately OUTRULE here when she would go off on a tirade. Had she been Jed's mother she would have been the total BOSS of the family, which would have likely got the family arrested within a few days lol

[icecream]

I never thought Miss Hathaway was sweet. She was creepy, especially with Jethro.

[TheLittleFaerie]

Originally Posted by icecream

I never thought Miss Hathaway was sweet. She was creepy, especially with Jethro.

lol in all fairness, I always thought Jethro was in his late 20s or even early 30s lol I was shocked to learn he was supposed to be a teen.

[biffbronson]

It's interesting to me that over the course of the series, 3 of the main characters changed substantially, while 3 more-or-less didn't:

Jed, Granny, and Jane I don't believe changed much at all (although Granny was inexplicably fearful in the final season);

Elly became more meek and innocuous; Jethro went from shy and respectful to rebellious and wild; and Drysdale went from a "normal" banker to a money-crazed skinflint.

[TheLittleFaerie]

Originally Posted by biffbronson

It's interesting to me that over the course of the series, 3 of the main characters changed substantially, while 3 more-or-less didn't:

Jed, Granny, and Jane I don't believe changed much at all (although Granny was inexplicably fearful in the final season);

Elly became more meek and innocuous; Jethro went from shy and respectful to rebellious and wild; and Drysdale went from a "normal" banker to a money-crazed skinflint.

I always thought Granny was contradictory steady through out the whole thing, she just became more high-strung later. Earlier she was like Grandma Walton, a little grouchy but level headed. Later on she flies into a rage if anyone LOOKS at her the wrong way. But Granny was ALWAYS the most fearful, scared to get on an elevator, scared of any appliance she didn't grasp, and the rest of the family really infanilized her, Jed or Jethro scooping her up like a CHILD and forcing her to do things she was terrified of. Granny had less autonomy than anyone in the family. I was always scared of water and boats and seem them FORCE her onto a boat made me feel uneasy a bit, even though it's done as comedy. Then there was the obvious them FORCING her to Beverly Hills against her will. I'd imagine at her age that would be BEYOND difficult for someone who'd never been away from home for 60 or so years.

Hell I think Elly and Jethro had more FREEDOM and autonomy than Granny, I can't see Jed scooping Jethro up and carrying him to Beverly Hills or forcing Elly onto a boat! lol If Elly hadn't wanted to go, I think she'd been given the freedom, but they had some sort of "CHILD/PARENT" relationship with Granny. Jed treated her like an enfant. I know I look too deeply into it, but I just found it weird lol, NO ONE ELSE was treated that way, even if they were erratic .

But on the other hand the contradiction comes in, half of the time she was wacking people with her purse, taking down JUDO experts, and professional fighters, while everyone acted fearful of her dodging and ducking as she beats them up, when they're not totally dominating her lol


As far as the others,

Jethro went from loveably simple, to arrogant moron,

Elly didn't change that much, although she was contradictory also. In one episode she was wanting to BEAT THE SHYT out of guy from back home just for being 'sissy' and just because she CAN. I thought that made her come across as a BULLY and was out of character for her, as she's been ALSO shown to stand up for and PROTECT the weak. I remember there was a very TIMID man, we'd call 'soft' staying with the Clampetts and Elly treated him really well, in fact they ALL did, if I remember they tried to build him up.

Mr Dysdale became a villain cartoon character lol I couldn't stand him in later years.