19 Things Producers of ‘The Beverly Hillbillies’ Hid from Fans

The inspiration for the TV show the Beverly Hillbillies stemmed from creator Paul Henning’s Boy Scout days camping in the Ozarks in the American South. He thought it would be funny to do a “fish out of water” tale by dropping simple rural folks into a posh cosmopolitan setting. This idea gushed into a TV hit much like the oil strike that sent the Clampetts off to Beverly (Hills, that is). The nouveau riche series ran for nine successful seasons on CBS, but it wasn’t all laughter and bliss behind the scenes. Here are some things you didn’t know about The Beverly Hillbillies.

1. Jed Clampett Was Almost the Tin Man

Buddy Ebsen was a successful actor/dancer who worked in vaudeville, on Broadway and in films with the likes of Shirley Temple and Judy Garland. His willowy dance moves were actually used as inspiration for Walt Disney’s animated Silly Symphonies. He was actually cast as the Scarecrow in The Wizard of Oz, but was later switched to play the Tin Man after Ray Bolger signed on. However, he had a serious reaction to the aluminum metallic makeup and had to drop out due to illness. He claimed to have ongoing lung problems due to “that damned movie” even though he lived longer than all the major cast members from the film.

2. Critics Hated the Show

While the public quickly fell head over heels for the show, the critics were another matter. They thought it was in poor taste to make fun of simple, uneducated people culture clashing with the rich. The New York Times wrote that the show was “strained and unfunny.” Variety said it was “painful to sit through.” Time said the show used “the lowest form of humor,” and another critic said, “If television is America’s vast wasteland, the ‘Hillbillies’ must be Death Valley.” Critique it all you want, the show ran for nine years, was the top ranking show for two of them, and got seven Emmy nominations during that time. Fans and critics don’t always think alike.

3. Buddy Ebsen and Nancy Kulp Clashed

Nancy Kulp played the homely Miss Jane Hathaway, secretary to the scheming banker Mr. Drysdale. She also had the unrequited hots for Jethro. She and Buddy Ebsen apparently didn’t get along and were at odds over politics. At the age of 62, Kulp decided to run for office as the Democratic nominee for the United States House of Representatives from Pennsylvania. However, her former co-star actually campaigned for her opponent, doing radio spots for him where he called her “too liberal.” Kulp lost the election, and was bitter that Ebsen did this to her. She admitted that she’d always found him difficult to work with, but she stated “I never would have done something like this to him.”