Just like Jed Clampett’s sudden financial windfall, “The Beverly Hillbillies” quickly became a huge hit, making stars of all participants, including the actors and producers. The not-so-cleaner but warm-hearted Clampetts won America’s hearts by keeping it real and not putting it on air.
All these lovable characters hit upon a recipe for success. At the beginning of the show, “The Beverly Hillbillies” made $25 million, and at the end, the show brought in more than $100. That is quite an accomplishment and a pretty great salary!
Friends on Camera
Buddy Ebsen played the show’s comic lead, Jed Clampett. It turns out that Ebsen and cast mate Nancy Kulp did not have a very friendly relationship behind the scenes. Ebsen, who was not a fan of Kulp’s political views, even volunteered to help her opponent by starring in a radio ad against her.
Nancy ran as the democratic nominee for the House of Representatives in 1984 and lost to Republican Bud Shuster by a rather large margin. It was reported that Nancy was quite hurt by Buddy’s behavior and was quoted saying “He should have stayed out of it.”
Sharon Tate In A Wig
Sharon Tate, an American model and actress, played a few parts in movies and TV in the 1960s. Unfortunately, she is most widely known as a victim of the Manson Family murders in 1969. Sharon and husband, director Roman Polanski, were expecting their first child at the time of her death.
She had a recurring part on the show as Janet Trego and appeared in roughly 15 episodes. During her appearances, Sharon would wear a brunette wig to make her less recognizable.
Plagued by Alzheimer’s
The banker on “The Beverly Hillbillies” made a lasting impact on fans. Every new millionaire needs some financial advice on how to manage their money. Raymond Bailey played the financially savvy Mr. Drysdale on the popular show.
Sadly, in the last two seasons of the show, Bailey began to exhibit early symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease. In the last few episodes, his condition was quite apparent. Raymond Bailey was forced to quit acting not long after the show ended and passed away in 1980 at the age of 75.
Shady Business Dealings
Jethro Bodine, who played Jed’s adopted nephew on the show, was a favorite amongst fans. He was played by Max Baer Jr., as dimwitted but good hearted. In real life, he was so savvy that he managed to sue CBS and win. He actually leveled five different charges against the TV industry.
It turns out that a restaurant chain was using the actor’s name, and CBS knew about it, but for whatever reason, they never shared the information with Baer. Instead, the network made some kind of secret settlement agreement, and Baer was quoted as saying: "It's not a secret deal; we just can't talk about it."