Forget comfort food, what makes me feel warm inside is digesting comfort TV. These are the shows that made rainy days as a child so much fun. There were a plenty of sunny days spent inside watching TV, too. No matter how adult my day has been, turning on a classic show makes me feel barely old enough to own a bike. The Beverly Hillbillies: The Official Third Season rates with moms grilled cheese sandwiches for making me smile wide. The third helping of The Beverly Hillbillies maintains its backwood charms while allowing them to adjust to the pop culture of the times. This would be a season when Jed (Buddy Ebsen) diversified his empire, Jethro (Max Baer Jr) went undercover, Granny (Irene Ryan) set to matchmaking and Elly May (Donna Douglas) hooked a movie star. This is another rich deposit of black and white gold.
“Jed Becomes A Movie Mogul” starts up a batch of episodes that focus on the Clampetts taking over Mammoth Pictures. The studio isnt quite making cash so the studio boss does his best to suck up to Jed and his bank account. However Jed doesnt think being called a “Zucker” and “Roach” is a compliment. Remember that the movie theater back in the hills still shows silent films. Hes not a movie savvy guy. “Clampett City” has banker Mr. Drysdale (Raymond Bailey) plan to tear down the studio to build a community named after his favorite client. The Clampetts arrive on the Western backlot set thinking this is their city of tomorrow. They love it so much they move in. “Hedda Hoopers Hollywood” has Jed repair the sidewalk outside of Manns Chinese Theater. He also decides to make his kind of movie to save the studios box office coffers.
“Dr. Jed Clampett” has Granny pitch a fit when Jed lands an honorary PhD for donating money to a college. Theres only room for one doctor in their mansion. “Teenage Idol” has Jed promise to keep an eye on a friend from homes son. He thinks the kid is just a hobo when hes really the new Elvis. The singer is played by Jesse Pearson, the rocking sensation from Bye Bye Birdie. You might not recognize his manager. Close your eyes and youll realize Alan Reed voiced Fred Flintsone. “The Widow Poke Arrives” has Granny attempt to get Jed to marry the singers mom. Hes not up for any romancing. We learn the city way to catch rabbits which involves a good suit, a bouquet of flowers and a hat. “The Boarder” and “The Boarder Stays” forces Arthur Treacher to make them sophisticated folks. The worlds greatest English butler can only do so much to these folks. You might know this English actor from the Arthur Treachers Fish & Chips chain.
“The Movie Starlet,” “Elly In the Movies” and “Dash Riprock, You Cad” feature Jethro and Elly breaking into the movie business at the studio. Jethro finds himself being used and abused by an actress. She wants to seduce Jed to get bigger roles. Elly however finds herself under the spell of Dash Riprock (Larry Pennell), the greatest actor since Bolt Upright. Things get twisted with their romance and he ends up connected with Miss Jane Hathaway (Nancy Kulp). Comedy is Miss Jane wanting to hook up with a man. Sharon Tate shows up as a secretary during this time.
As the world went nuts over Goldfinger, “Double Naught Jethro” secured the craze. He uses his ingenuity to create various spy gadgets. He has a transistor radio in his boot heel. His hat is coated with lead. He arms up their junky truck to deliver a deadly treat for tailgaters. Mr. Drysdale hires the rookie superspy to go undercover at a rival bank. He wants to know about the girl that will be Merchants Banks entry in a beauty contest. The plan nearly backfires when Jethro talks Jed into swapping banks. “Big Daddy, Jed” marks the return of the Beatniks. They transform Elly and Jethro into hipsters. This episode single handedly destroyed the image of the Beat writers.
“The Art Center” wraps up the season with Mrs. Drysdale plotting to turn the Clampetts house into a museum. Her husband has no idea that his wife wants to cleanse the neighborhood of his favorite depositor. Jed doesnt realize that they have to move out to make the deal happen. The family makes the paintings and sculptures to fill the room instead of buying up some old Masterworks. Jethro declares that Dick Van Dyke was a famous artist. Mrs. Drysdales evil plan comes back to bite her well polished ass.
The 34 episodes on The Beverly Hillbillies: The Official Third Season is like the perfect macaroni with extra heavy helping of cheese. Nothing tastes so satisfying than when Jethro gets hip with the times. Hes so convincing while announcing hes given up his dream of being a brain surgeon to enter the world of espionage. His only education being a movie seems just enough. He sounds like those whiny kids on MTVs Made. Elly is still the young vixen of the woods even while Donna Douglas just a coons age past 30. Shes like Britney making her latest comeback. As we watch bankers explain what they did with their billions of dollars of bailout money, its easy to see that they all worship at the feet of Mr. Drysdale. The Beverly Hillbillies is more contemporary than imagined which keeps it fresh and gooey when served.
The Episodes
“Jed Becomes A Movie Mogul,” “Clampett City,” “Clampett City General Store,” “Hedda Hopper’s Hollywood,” “Doctor Jed Clampett,” “Jed the Heartbreaker,” “Back to Marineland,” “Teenage Idol,” “The Widow Poke Arrives,” “The Ballet,” “The Boarder,” “The Boarder Stays,” “Start the New Year Right,” “Clampett General Hospital,” “The Movie Starlet,” “Elly in the Movies,” “Dash Riprock, You Cad,” “Clampett A-Go-Go,” “Granny’s Romance,” “Jed’s Temptation,” “Double Naught Jethro,” “Clampett’s Millions,” “Drysdale’s Dog Days,” “Brewster’s Honeymoon,” “Flatt, Clampett, and Scruggs,” “Jed and the Countess,” “Big Daddy, Jed,” “Cool School is Out,” “The Big Bank Battle,” “The Clampetts Versus Automation,” “Luke’s Boy,” “The Brewsters Return,” “Jed, the Bachelor” and “The Art Center.”
The video is 1.33:1. The transfers are better than what Ive been seeing on TVLand. The audio is Dolby Digital Mono. You can hear the boing so clearly when Granny nails Jethro with a frying pan. The episodes are Closed Captioned.
Original Sponsor Openings and Closings takes us back to that time when a show pushed a single product. The Beverly Hillbillies swapped between products of Kelloggs and Winston Cigarettes. Dont let these ads persuade you to smoke.
The Legend of the Beverly Hillbillies (46:11) was a special produced in 1993 for the series 30th anniversary. They have Buddy Ebsen, Max Baer and Donna Douglas playing their characters one more time. The show plays like a fake A&E Biography with Mac Davis as the host. The Clampetts are now broke. Turns out that Mr. Drysdale and Miss Jane stole their money. He was the original Bernie Madoff. But the family doesnt seem to care about the lack of cash. Douglas cakes on the makeup to look young. The funniest moment is when Ray Charles admits why him and the Clampetts bonded as neighbors.
The Beverly Hillbillies: The Official Third Season is another vintage year from an immortal sitcom. The scripts keep throwing the modern weirdness at the rich hillbillies, but will anything stick? The Clampetts know what to accept, twist and reject. Theyre never going to change to match their bank account. They are not about sucking up to society, but being social to everyone. This show has more heart than Jane Seymours pendant collection.
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CBS DVD presents The Beverly Hillbillies: The Official Third Season. Starring Buddy Ebsen, Irene Ryan, Max Baer Jr, Nancy Kulp, Raymond Bailey and Nancy Kulp. Boxset Contents: 34 Episodes on 5 DVDs. Released on DVD: February 17, 2009. Available at Amazon.
