Absolutely Fantastic

There are moments that feel comical, some horrific, and some downright inspiring but the tonal shifts hardly matter as the end results come to a film that's perfect for this time.

A film of deceptively outspoken contemporary relevance, this is cinema at its most alert, alarming and alive.

It’s sentimental, ridiculously long and only occasionally funny

Please, don't get me wrong here. I don't hate The Beverly Hillbillies. But, with that said, I cannot believe that this "one-note-joke-of-a-show" (about a seriously dysfunctional culture clash) that pit the "aw-shucks" ignorance of country bumpkins against life in the fast-lane of modern-day Beverly Hills society, actually lasted for 9 whole seasons.Yes. I will admit that there was some funny stuff in several of these episodes. But, far too often, it all came across as being just "too dumb for words". And, because this was all tied into its "one-note-joke" factor, its situations, though good-natured, quickly became annoyingly predictable and downright tiresome after only a short while.Personally, I don't think that this show's off-the-wall humour holds up very well, 50 years down the road. But, hey, that's only my opinion. If you happen to be a big fan of this show, then I'm certain you'll think otherwise. And, yeah, that's cool.

One thing about the Clampetts. Even after Jed became fabulously rich and moved from the Piney Woods to Beverly Hills and that big mansion, they never lost their common sense values. At least Buddy Ebsen never did. The others were grounded by him.The Clampetts who moved consisted of mountaineer Jed Clampett, daughter Ellie Mae who had a love for those woods 'critters', her cousin Jethro Bodine well built, but not much between the ears, and Granny most suspicious of newfangled ways.Donna Douglas was Ellie Mae who helped many a man in his youth mature fast with all those incredible curves showing in all those tight clothes she wore. Must have been fashionable in the hills. Max Baer as Jethro throughout the entire run of the show had his jeans held up by a rope. You would think with the Clampett millions he could go to Rodeo Drive and get a belt. Irene Ryan was Granny who could never deal with all those newfangled kitchen appliances.Neighbors to the Clampetts were the Drysdales. Raymond Bailey was Mr. Drysdale in whose bank the Clampett millions resided. They became his biggest depositors and he went to any lengths to invest their money and make them happy. A more unscrupulous man would have seen the opportunities to embezzle and taken them. If nothing else Drysdale was honest. He even got them their mansion.All that responsibility made no difference to Harriet MacGibbon. Mrs. Drysdale was old money from Boston and these hillbillies with no class just revolted her sense of propriety. It was the same every week, her bearing down Bailey to keep those Clampetts quiet and Bailey trying to keep peace. The first Granny cooked up a batch of moonshine signaled things to come.Buddy Ebsen may have been illiterate, but he had a fount of common sense and was a real rock on that show. Maybe one of the best dads on television.The Beverly Hillbillies was a great show with a lot of good fish out of water comedy.

The Beverly Hillbillies seems to be influenced by the series "The Real McCoys", who went off the air after the Hillbillies' first season. In the latter, a family moves to the San Fernando Valley from West Virginia to escape the Hatfield-McCoys feud (which apparently was still violent and occurring in 1957 when the series premiered). Most of the jokes in that show came from Walter Brennan as the fussy patriarch of the clan who resisted modern ways (one such episode involved fighting over putting electric lights in the chicken coop). However, it still appeared to be the same "rednecks hit California" premise where they were in over their heads. It lasted until the 62-63 season, by which time the premise had worn itself out to the point where Brennan bailed out halfway through the season.

This is a hilarious 1960's comedy that I grew up with and still never tire of every time I chance to encounter it in re runs. It surely stands among the best of its genre. The series revolves around the sidesplitting culture clash that ensues when the country bumpkin Clampett family moves to Beverly Hills after father, Jed Clampett, stumbles upon oil on his land and becomes a multi millionaire. The rest of the family joining him at their new Beverly Hills mansion include Jed's mother-in-law Granny, pretty daughter Elly May, and nephew Jethro Bodine.The Clampetts are of course...something else...as they enter this alien world, where their mansion has every luxury imaginable including a cement pond. The superstitious & feisty Granny makes certain her kin always have lots of vittles, especially such delicacies as hog jowls and possum belly. She hangs out her shingle for the purpose of imparting her unique brand of down home doctoring & dentistry, and firmly believes that the South won (or at least is winning) the Civil War. Much of her time is spent chasing her great nephew, Jethro, out of her kitchen with a broom, trying to curtail his endless appetite. The dim witted Jethro is a scheming would be playboy, who's all proud that he graduated sixth grade and can cipher. Jed's sweet, innocent, & beautiful daughter, Elly May, has a penchant for critters, including a pet chimpanzee named Bessie. Granny is terrified that Elly's destined to become an old maid, as alas, she's still unwed at the ripe old age of eighteen. Much of Granny's energy is put into seeking out suitable beaux, although any courtin' & sparkin' in the Clampett parlour must be suitably chaperoned (or rather, cheered on) by spying through the closed door's keyhole.The gem of the series is Jed, around whose unfailing integrity this ongoing saga revolves. He always seems blissfully unaware that he's wealthy, feels and acts no differently than he did back in the hills, and treats everyone the same (whether rich or poor). He gives generously to country folk and city slickers alike, is equally kind to both neighbours and total strangers...all the while dealing with the crazy antics of both Granny and Jethro and seeing to the lovely & rich Elly's various suitors, not all of whom have the most honourable of intentions. As another commented, if only everyone was like Jed Clampett! In dramatic contrast to these hillbillies are the wealthy and status conscious Beverly Hills citizenry, as personified by Jed's banker, Mr. Drysdale, whose life revolves around maintaining the favour of his bank's main customer, Mr. Clampett, and protecting that thirty million dollars (or whatever the figure). His wife, Mrs. Drysdale, is a superficial & snooty dame who comes into frequent conflict with her neighbour, Granny. Jane Hathaway is Mr. Drysdale's very properly spinsterish but man hunting and bird watching secretary. She is the constant victim of her boss's greedy schemes and actually becomes quite a genuine friend to the Clampetts.The actors are all stellar in their roles...Irene Ryan (Granny), Donna Douglas (Elly May), Max Baer Jr. (Jethro), Raymond Bailey (Mr. Drysdale), Nancy Kulp (Miss Hathaway), and especially the wonderful Buddy Ebsen (Jed).It's a hilarious and side splitting romp, each episode funnier than the last. Through it all, Jed's integrity and honesty always shine through. The humble and good hearted neighbourliness of the Clampetts stands in sharp contrast to their affluent environment. It's Jed Clampett's desire for the simple pleasures of home, family, friends, and hard honest work versus Milburn Drysdale's blatant materialism. Every viewer realizes that, despite all the absurdity and the utterly ridiculous scenarios, the Clampetts know exactly what's important in life and that this family of uprooted hillbillies has a real life lesson to teach us all.If only there were more TV shows like it today! Alas, our society has become far too sophisticated for its own good.