The Beverly Hillbillies: Biting Social Satire or Li'l Abner Ripoff? YOU DECIDE! - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

W.J. Griffin · 09-20-2002, 11:46 AM

Am I the only person who notices a strong resemblance between the Clampetts from "The Beverly Hillbillies" and the Yokums from the comic strip "Li'l Abner"?

Series creator Paul Henning claims he got the idea for his show from the "Ma and Pa Kettle" films from the 1950's, but any fool with a knowledge of old comic strips can see Henning's TRUE inspiration: Al Capp's infamous series about an honest, strong and stoopid hillbilly boy, his salty. two-fisted Mammy, weak-willed Pappy, and his beautiful, adoring, half-nekkid girlfriend Daisy Mae, and the contrast between the honesty and basic goodness of our mountain clan and the inherent dishonesty of the rest of humanity.

Sound familiar?

Both Al Capp and Paul Henning used their characters to explore and expose the foilbles and fixations of modern society, although in Henning's case he was nicer about it. At times Capp could be exceedingly vicious to his targets---capitalist, gamblers, other cartoonists, government, the man on the street...he didn't discriminate!

Other similarities between the two series:

All mountain folks are portrayed as near-superhuman.

The rural communities our protaganist hail from have strange, stereotypical names (Dogpatch; Bug Tussle)

Both series poke fun at all social strata, from the very wealthy to the dirt-poor.

Both series became wildly popular with society, much to the chagrin of the critics who dismissed it as "trash".

It should also be noted that Al Capp was NOT happy about "The Beverly Hillbillies" being on the air, as he himself felt the show was essentially a carbon copy of his strip.

This essay is not intended to defame Paul Henning or his creation in any way; I personally LOVE the Clampetts and their adventures on tv, but the similarities are just too strong to ignore.

But that's just my opinion...what do you folks think?

W.J. Griffin · 10-02-2002, 12:10 PM

An additional parallell between "Li'l Abner" and "The Beverly Hillbillies": The strong physical resemblance between Abner Yokum and Jethro Bodine...both are portrayed as buccolic simpletons; the almost-plagaristic similarities between Daisy Mae Scragg and Elly May Clampett, from their blonde locks down to their near-identical middle names (not to mention their fantastic pnuematic physiques). And let's not forget Mammy Yokum and Granny...two super-strong, cantankerous matriarchs who rule their families with love, guidance and a hickory switch (or, in Mammy's case, a right cross!)

About the only place these comparisons fall apart is with the father-figures of both series: Pappy Yokum is an ineffectual coward and often the subject of ridicule, while Jed Clampett is the revered head of the family, possessing Pappy's station, Mammy's iron will, and Abner's unerring honesty.

Comments? Reactions?

Brenton · 10-02-2002, 06:34 PM

I see no resemblance between "Lil' Abner" and "The Beverly Hillbillies". For one, "Hillbillies" is more 'sophisticated' than "Abner".

W.J. Griffin · 10-04-2002, 11:53 AM

Well, I never said "The Beverly Hillbillies" was an EXACT copy of "Li'l Abner", only that both series share common elements, which I detailed in my first two posts. But really, television had been doing this sort of thing---the unacknowledged adaption of other mediums---for years.

For example, just about every domestic-based sitcom, from "I Love Lucy" to "Dharma and Greg" owes a small debt to Chic Young's "Blondie" comic strip...every police program from "Dragnet" to "NYPD Blue" and the various "Law & Order" series gets its m.o. from Chester Gould's "Dick Tracy"...and what about all the teen-age sitcoms..."Dobie Gillis", "Happy Days", "Saved By The Bell" and even "That 70's Show"...all derived in some form from Bob Montana's "Archie" series (which in itself is an amalgram of the old "Harold Teen" strip of the 1920's, Mickey Rooney's "Andy Hardy" film series of the late 1930's and the popular "Aldrich Family" radio sitcom.) I won't even go into the debt "Star Trek" owes to "Buck Rogers" and "Flash Gordon"...

True, television has actually adapted some of these classic strips into series, but, for a few exceptions said series were short-lived...while their sometimes unauthorized adaptions thrived in the new medium.

As I said before, it wasn't my intention to discredit Paul Henning and the Clampetts in any way, I was just pointing out the show's similarities to a classic old comic strip for those of you who may have missed the parallels (of course, I will admit that the title of my original post may have been a tad "sensationalized"....)

Brenton · 10-04-2002, 01:01 PM

I also wanted to add to this that I think "The Beverly Hillbillies" was the first sitcom that lampooned society. "All in the Family" was NOT the first sitcom to do that, it was BH. Of course, both shows approached it differently. However, BH is certainly more popular in syndication than AITF. Funny, they canceled BH to make way for AITF.

W.J. Griffin · 10-06-2002, 01:43 PM

Actually, one could make that same argument about "Sgt. Bilko"(1956), "The Flintstones" (1960), and "Car 54, Where Are You?" (1961), all of which pre-date "The Beverly Hillbillies" by a number of seasons (1962), but I think the satirical elements on the previous series were muted in favor of more straightforward narratives, so you may be on to something, Brenton.

Additionally, Donna Douglas, who played "Elly May", was in the big-screen musical version of "Li'l Abner" (1959). She's in the scene where the other Dogpatchers discover their senator has volunteered their town for nuclear testing. She says to Mammy Yokum (Billie Hayes) "We want to expand our horizons!"...to which Mammy replies "Yore horizons are big enough already...especially yourn!"

biffbronson · 09-12-2014, 02:46 AM

The mention of actresses who went on to do sitcom work reminds me of Leslie Parrish, who went on to appear on sitcoms like Family Affair and My Three Sons. She had played Daisy Mae in the 1959 Li'l Abner film.

jehobden · 09-12-2014, 06:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brenton

I also wanted to add to this that I think "The Beverly Hillbillies" was the first sitcom that lampooned society. "All in the Family" was NOT the first sitcom to do that, it was BH. Of course, both shows approached it differently. However, BH is certainly more popular in syndication than AITF. Funny, they canceled BH to make way for AITF.

Actually AITF premiered on Jan. 12, 1971, the same Tuesday night following BH, Green Acres, and Hee Haw, so both shows coexisted on the same night in their last (for BH) & first (for AITF) seasons. I checked the TV Guide program listings around this time and found that The Governor & JJ, which aired Wednesday nights, for the last time on Dec. 30, 1970, was the show cancelled for AITF. (CBS filled the Wednesday night timeslot with a rerun of Cinderella on Jan. 6, 1971.) To Rome with Love moved from 9:30 PM ET (AITF's timeslot) to Wednesday nights (in The Governor's timeslot), and AITF took over the Tuesday night timeslot of To Rome with Love. AITF must have been quite a culture shock to most of the audience that had been watching CBS earlier the same night!

biffbronson · 09-13-2014, 09:52 AM

Of course, satire did pop up from time to time on several early sitcoms. For example, I Love Lucy had Ethel saying "I am Mary Margaret McMertz" in the "Vitameatavegamin" commercial ep, a spoof of Mary Margaret McBride.

Will Dockery · 01-23-2016, 05:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by W.J. Griffin

Am I the only person who notices a strong resemblance between the Clampetts from "The Beverly Hillbillies" and the Yokums from the comic strip "Li'l Abner"?

Series creator Paul Henning claims he got the idea for his show from the "Ma and Pa Kettle" films from the 1950's, but any fool with a knowledge of old comic strips can see Henning's TRUE inspiration: Al Capp's infamous series about an honest, strong and stoopid hillbilly boy, his salty. two-fisted Mammy, weak-willed Pappy, and his beautiful, adoring, half-nekkid girlfriend Daisy Mae, and the contrast between the honesty and basic goodness of our mountain clan and the inherent dishonesty of the rest of humanity.

Sound familiar?

Both Al Capp and Paul Henning used their characters to explore and expose the foilbles and fixations of modern society, although in Henning's case he was nicer about it. At times Capp could be exceedingly vicious to his targets---capitalist, gamblers, other cartoonists, government, the man on the street...he didn't discriminate!

Other similarities between the two series:

All mountain folks are portrayed as near-superhuman.

The rural communities our protaganist hail from have strange, stereotypical names (Dogpatch; Bug Tussle)

Both series poke fun at all social strata, from the very wealthy to the dirt-poor.

Both series became wildly popular with society, much to the chagrin of the critics who dismissed it as "trash".

It should also be noted that Al Capp was NOT happy about "The Beverly Hillbillies" being on the air, as he himself felt the show was essentially a carbon copy of his strip.

This essay is not intended to defame Paul Henning or his creation in any way; I personally LOVE the Clampetts and their adventures on tv, but the similarities are just too strong to ignore.

But that's just my opinion...what do you folks think?

There are a lot of similarities, but two "Hillbilly" series, I think, are naturally going to use similar archetypes.

Will Dockery · 01-23-2016, 05:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Alan Brady's Hair

Reviving a very old but interesting thread: I've seen an interview where Paul Henning said Lincoln was his model for Jed - that Henning wanted to explore what Lincoln would have thought about different aspects of modern life.

Similarities between two stories like L'il Abner and the Hillbillies are certainly interesting. One possibility, though, is that both might spring from a common source that's older than either. These similarities could just be stock characters from previous stories about hill folk.

That's fascinating about Jed being based o Abraham Lincoln... I never knew of that before.

Ellayn O'Kosh · 08-31-2016, 12:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by W.J. Griffin

Am I the only person who notices a strong resemblance between the Clampetts from "The Beverly Hillbillies" and the Yokums from the comic strip "Li'l Abner"?

Series creator Paul Henning claims he got the idea for his show from the "Ma and Pa Kettle" films from the 1950's, but any fool with a knowledge of old comic strips can see Henning's TRUE inspiration: Al Capp's infamous series about an honest, strong and stoopid hillbilly boy, his salty. two-fisted Mammy, weak-willed Pappy, and his beautiful, adoring, half-nekkid girlfriend Daisy Mae, and the contrast between the honesty and basic goodness of our mountain clan and the inherent dishonesty of the rest of humanity.

Sound familiar?

Both Al Capp and Paul Henning used their characters to explore and expose the foilbles and fixations of modern society, although in Henning's case he was nicer about it. At times Capp could be exceedingly vicious to his targets---capitalist, gamblers, other cartoonists, government, the man on the street...he didn't discriminate!

Other similarities between the two series:

All mountain folks are portrayed as near-superhuman.

The rural communities our protaganist hail from have strange, stereotypical names (Dogpatch; Bug Tussle)

Both series poke fun at all social strata, from the very wealthy to the dirt-poor.

Both series became wildly popular with society, much to the chagrin of the critics who dismissed it as "trash".

It should also be noted that Al Capp was NOT happy about "The Beverly Hillbillies" being on the air, as he himself felt the show was essentially a carbon copy of his strip.

This essay is not intended to defame Paul Henning or his creation in any way; I personally LOVE the Clampetts and their adventures on tv, but the similarities are just too strong to ignore.

But that's just my opinion...what do you folks think?

This does seem quite tight, even though some differences have been mentioned. However, can it be expected that a good show or series will not inspire a similar one? Consider:

Strackzynski pitched his Babylon 5 to Paramount, and not long after that, they spun off DS9 from ST:TNG. Similarities?

DS9 was a rotating space station for artificial gravity. So was B5, but B5's design may work.

DS9 was near a worm hole. B5 had a hyperspace jump gate. Both for faster than light travel as desperately needed for interstellar travel.

Both were governed or commanded by human officers. IIRC, DS9 had only one for the run, as opposed to B5 who had Sinclair for the first year, Sheridan for the next three, and Lockley for the fifth.

Both had commercial operations. DS9 had Quark's, and B5 had many shops in the Zocalo and elsewhere.

DS9 was able to use some of "the Science of Star Trek." B5 had consultation from JPL.

DS9 spun off Voyager. B5 spun off Crusade, but the network suits fubar'd it, and it died after 13 episodes.

Now, will Red Dwarf inspire a sci-fi spoof?

09-20-2002, 11:46 AM	#1
W.J. Griffin Member Forum Regular Join Date: Aug 29, 2002 Posts: 527	The Beverly Hillbillies: Biting Social Satire or Li'l Abner Ripoff? YOU DECIDE! Am I the only person who notices a strong resemblance between the Clampetts from "The Beverly Hillbillies" and the Yokums from the comic strip "Li'l Abner"? Series creator Paul Henning claims he got the idea for his show from the "Ma and Pa Kettle" films from the 1950's, but any fool with a knowledge of old comic strips can see Henning's TRUE inspiration: Al Capp's infamous series about an honest, strong and stoopid hillbilly boy, his salty. two-fisted Mammy, weak-willed Pappy, and his beautiful, adoring, half-nekkid girlfriend Daisy Mae, and the contrast between the honesty and basic goodness of our mountain clan and the inherent dishonesty of the rest of humanity. Sound familiar? Both Al Capp and Paul Henning used their characters to explore and expose the foilbles and fixations of modern society, although in Henning's case he was nicer about it. At times Capp could be exceedingly vicious to his targets---capitalist, gamblers, other cartoonists, government, the man on the street...he didn't discriminate! Other similarities between the two series: All mountain folks are portrayed as near-superhuman. The rural communities our protaganist hail from have strange, stereotypical names (Dogpatch; Bug Tussle) Both series poke fun at all social strata, from the very wealthy to the dirt-poor. Both series became wildly popular with society, much to the chagrin of the critics who dismissed it as "trash". It should also be noted that Al Capp was NOT happy about "The Beverly Hillbillies" being on the air, as he himself felt the show was essentially a carbon copy of his strip. This essay is not intended to defame Paul Henning or his creation in any way; I personally LOVE the Clampetts and their adventures on tv, but the similarities are just too strong to ignore. But that's just my opinion...what do you folks think?
	Last edited by W.J. Griffin; 10-11-2002 at 10:41 AM.

10-02-2002, 12:10 PM	#2
W.J. Griffin Member Forum Regular Join Date: Aug 29, 2002 Posts: 527	Addenum An additional parallell between "Li'l Abner" and "The Beverly Hillbillies": The strong physical resemblance between Abner Yokum and Jethro Bodine...both are portrayed as buccolic simpletons; the almost-plagaristic similarities between Daisy Mae Scragg and Elly May Clampett, from their blonde locks down to their near-identical middle names (not to mention their fantastic pnuematic physiques). And let's not forget Mammy Yokum and Granny...two super-strong, cantankerous matriarchs who rule their families with love, guidance and a hickory switch (or, in Mammy's case, a right cross!) About the only place these comparisons fall apart is with the father-figures of both series: Pappy Yokum is an ineffectual coward and often the subject of ridicule, while Jed Clampett is the revered head of the family, possessing Pappy's station, Mammy's iron will, and Abner's unerring honesty. Comments? Reactions?
	Last edited by W.J. Griffin; 10-02-2002 at 12:11 PM.

10-04-2002, 01:01 PM	#5
Brenton Member Occasional Poster Join Date: Sep 29, 2002 Location: Beverly Hills, CA Posts: 86	Too Add I also wanted to add to this that I think "The Beverly Hillbillies" was the first sitcom that lampooned society. "All in the Family" was NOT the first sitcom to do that, it was BH. Of course, both shows approached it differently. However, BH is certainly more popular in syndication than AITF. Funny, they canceled BH to make way for AITF.

10-06-2002, 01:43 PM	#6
W.J. Griffin Member Forum Regular Join Date: Aug 29, 2002 Posts: 527	Actually, one could make that same argument about "Sgt. Bilko"(1956), "The Flintstones" (1960), and "Car 54, Where Are You?" (1961), all of which pre-date "The Beverly Hillbillies" by a number of seasons (1962), but I think the satirical elements on the previous series were muted in favor of more straightforward narratives, so you may be on to something, Brenton. Additionally, Donna Douglas, who played "Elly May", was in the big-screen musical version of "Li'l Abner" (1959). She's in the scene where the other Dogpatchers discover their senator has volunteered their town for nuclear testing. She says to Mammy Yokum (Billie Hayes) "We want to expand our horizons!"...to which Mammy replies "Yore horizons are big enough already...especially yourn!"
	Last edited by W.J. Griffin; 10-11-2002 at 10:48 AM.

09-12-2014, 02:46 AM	#7
biffbronson Sentimental Fool Forum Star Join Date: Aug 22, 2009 Location: Near Notre Dame Posts: 10,483	The mention of actresses who went on to do sitcom work reminds me of Leslie Parrish, who went on to appear on sitcoms like Family Affair and My Three Sons. She had played Daisy Mae in the 1959 Li'l Abner film.
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10-02-2002, 06:34 PM	#3
Brenton Member Occasional Poster Join Date: Sep 29, 2002 Location: Beverly Hills, CA Posts: 86	I see no resemblance between "Lil' Abner" and "The Beverly Hillbillies". For one, "Hillbillies" is more 'sophisticated' than "Abner".

10-04-2002, 11:53 AM	#4
W.J. Griffin Member Forum Regular Join Date: Aug 29, 2002 Posts: 527	Well, I never said "The Beverly Hillbillies" was an EXACT copy of "Li'l Abner", only that both series share common elements, which I detailed in my first two posts. But really, television had been doing this sort of thing---the unacknowledged adaption of other mediums---for years. For example, just about every domestic-based sitcom, from "I Love Lucy" to "Dharma and Greg" owes a small debt to Chic Young's "Blondie" comic strip...every police program from "Dragnet" to "NYPD Blue" and the various "Law & Order" series gets its m.o. from Chester Gould's "Dick Tracy"...and what about all the teen-age sitcoms..."Dobie Gillis", "Happy Days", "Saved By The Bell" and even "That 70's Show"...all derived in some form from Bob Montana's "Archie" series (which in itself is an amalgram of the old "Harold Teen" strip of the 1920's, Mickey Rooney's "Andy Hardy" film series of the late 1930's and the popular "Aldrich Family" radio sitcom.) I won't even go into the debt "Star Trek" owes to "Buck Rogers" and "Flash Gordon"... True, television has actually adapted some of these classic strips into series, but, for a few exceptions said series were short-lived...while their sometimes unauthorized adaptions thrived in the new medium. As I said before, it wasn't my intention to discredit Paul Henning and the Clampetts in any way, I was just pointing out the show's similarities to a classic old comic strip for those of you who may have missed the parallels (of course, I will admit that the title of my original post may have been a tad "sensationalized"....)

09-13-2014, 09:52 AM	#9
biffbronson Sentimental Fool Forum Star Join Date: Aug 22, 2009 Location: Near Notre Dame Posts: 10,483	Of course, satire did pop up from time to time on several early sitcoms. For example, I Love Lucy had Ethel saying "I am Mary Margaret McMertz" in the "Vitameatavegamin" commercial ep, a spoof of Mary Margaret McBride.