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The Beverly Hillbillies

1962

Jed Clampett's swamp is loaded with oil. When a wildcatter discovers the huge pool, Jed sells his land to the O.K. Oil Company and at the urging of cousin Pearl, moves his family to a 35-room mansion in Beverly Hills, California.

Irene Ryan

Cast · Known for The Beverly Hillbillies

Before becoming known to millions as Granny on The Beverly Hillbillies (1962), Irene Ryan was already an established vaudeville, radio and movie actress, though not as famous prior to her television stint. She accompanied Bob Hope on his famous military tours and she was known as "the gal who makes Bob Hope laugh." After being cast as Granny, she became famous overnight. When the Hillbillies ended, she co-starred in the Broadway musical 'Pippin' with Ben Vereen. Unfortunately, despite wonderful reviews from critics, Ryan took ill, was discovered to have an inoperable brain tumor and died soon after at the age of 70.

Al Lanti

Al Lanti is known for Sweet Charity (1969), Brenner (1959) and The Beverly Hillbillies (1962).

Joanna Barnes

Cast · Known for The Parent Trap

Barnes' initial appearance on television was in the episode "The Man Who Beat Lupo" on Ford Theatre. She made guest appearances on many television series, including the ABC/Warner Bros. programs 77 Sunset Strip and Maverick, CBS's Have Gun - Will Travel, What's My Line, and the crime drama Richard Diamond, Private Detective. In 1960-61, she guest-starred on The Untouchables episode "90 Proof Dame" as the wife of a French exporter of brandy. Barnes appeared as Kate Henniger, with Bing Russell and Arthur Space in the 1958 episode "Ghost Town" of the ABC/WB Western series Colt .45, starring Wayde Preston. In 1959, she portrayed Lola in the NBC detective series 21 Beacon Street. In the 1960s, Barnes worked for producer Martin Ransohoff and appeared in episodes of his The Beverly Hillbillies ("Elly Goes to School" and "The Clampett Look") and was billed as special guest-star. Barnes played Peter Falk's former wife on the 1965–1966 CBS series The Trials of O'Brien and was host of the ABC daytime talk show Dateline: Hollywood in 1967. She was also a frequent panelist in the early years of the syndicated version of What's My Line?. On December 19, 1972, Barnes appeared on The Merv Griffin Show with Joan Fontaine, Zsa Zsa Gabor and Dan Martino (founder of the Dan Martino School for Men). Barnes moved to Los Angeles soon after finishing her education, and took up a contract with Columbia Pictures. She went on to have roles in more than 20 films. Among her most remembered roles is the snooty Gloria Upson in the film Auntie Mame, which earned her a Golden Globe Award nomination for New Star of the Year. Barnes became the 13th actress to play Jane when she appeared in Tarzan, the Ape Man, with Denny Miller as Tarzan. In Disney's original 1961 version of The Parent Trap starring Hayley Mills, Barnes played gold-digger Vicki Robinson, who temporarily comes between Maureen O'Hara and Brian Keith. In the 1998 remake starring Lindsay Lohan, she played Vicki Blake, the mother of the child-hating gold-digger and fiancee Meredith Blake (Elaine Hendrix). As well, she appeared in The War Wagon, a western movie starring John Wayne and Kirk Douglas. Barnes was also a writer and columnist. In 1973, she told newspaper columnist Dick Kleiner that she liked writing because "it is something you do yourself. With acting, if you win an Oscar or an Emmy, you have to thank everybody. If you write a book, it is completely your own." She wrote a book, titled Starting from Scratch, about home decorating and several novels, including The Deceivers, Who Is Carla Hart?, Pastora, and Silverwood. She wrote a weekly book review for the Los Angeles Times, and her column "Touching Home" was carried by The Chicago Tribune and the New York News Syndicate.

Raymond Bailey

Cast · Known for The Beverly Hillbillies, Vertigo

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Raymond Thomas Bailey (May 6, 1904 – April 15, 1980) was an American actor on the Broadway stage, films, and television. He is best known for his role as wealthy banker, Milburn Drysdale, in the television series The Beverly Hillbillies.

Donna Douglas

Cast · Known for The Beverly Hillbillies

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Donna Douglas (born Doris Ione Smith; September 26, 1932 – January 1, 2015) was an American actress and singer, known for her role as Elly May Clampett in CBS's The Beverly Hillbillies (1962–1971). Following her acting career, Douglas became a real estate agent, gospel singer, inspirational speaker, and author of books for children and adults. Although Douglas was an active actress in the 1960s, she was still relatively unknown when selected from among 500 young actresses to work alongside veteran actor and dancer Buddy Ebsen on The Beverly Hillbillies. This series ran for nine consecutive seasons, beginning in 1962 and ending in 1971. Continually typecast as a result of her Hillbillies role, Douglas decided to focus on her career as a gospel singer. During the 1966 summer hiatus of The Beverly Hillbillies, Douglas made her only starring feature film appearance, cast as Frankie in Fred de Cordova's Frankie and Johnny (1966) alongside Elvis Presley. The film proved popular but it did little to advance Douglas' big-screen career. With the 1973 death of Hillbillies co-star Irene Ryan, and Max Baer Jr.'s refusal to participate, Douglas joined Nancy Kulp and Buddy Ebsen in 1981 as the only original cast members to appear in the reunion movie, Return of the Beverly Hillbillies. Douglas was a guest star on a number of other television programs and the subject of paper dolls, dolls, coloring books, and various toys during the height of the show's popularity. In a 2003 interview with "Confessions of a Pop Culture Addict", she summed up her views on the role: "Elly May was like a slice out of my life. She is a wonderful little door opener for me because people love her, and they love the Hillbillies. Even to this day it's shown every day somewhere. But, as with any abilities, she may open a door for you, but you have to have substance or integrity to advance you through that door." In 1992, Douglas and Baer attended Buddy Ebsen's 84th birthday celebration in Beverly Hills, California. In 1993, Douglas, Ebsen, and Baer reunited on The Jerry Springer Show, and for a final time in a CBS-TV television special, The Legend of The Beverly Hillbillies. In December 2010, Mattel released a new collection of three Barbies called the Classic TV Collection. These dolls were Samantha Stephens (from Bewitched, played by Elizabeth Montgomery), Jeannie (from I Dream of Jeannie, played by Barbara Eden) and Elly May Clampett.

Max Baer Jr.

Cast · Known for The Beverly Hillbillies

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Maximilian Adalbert "Max" Baer Jr. (born December 4, 1937) is an American actor, screenwriter, producer, and director. He is best known for playing Jethro Bodine, the dimwitted nephew of Jed Clampett (played by Buddy Ebsen) on The Beverly Hillbillies. After the death of Donna Douglas in January 2015, Baer became the last surviving member of that show's main cast. Baer's first acting role was in Goldilocks and the Three Bears at the Blackpool Pavilion in England in 1949. He began acting professionally in 1960 at Warner Bros., where he made appearances on television programs such as Maverick, Surfside 6, Hawaiian Eye, Cheyenne, The Roaring 20s, and 77 Sunset Strip. His career took off two years later, when he joined the cast of The Beverly Hillbillies. In 1962, Baer was cast in the role of the doltish Jethro Bodine, Jed Clampett's cousin's son. It proved to be the high point of his acting career and the role for which he is best remembered. He continued to take other parts during the nine-year run of The Beverly Hillbilles and appeared on the television programs Vacation Playhouse and Love, American Style, as well as in the western A Time for Killing.

Shug Fisher

Cast · Known for The Beverly Hillbillies

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Shug Fisher (September 26, 1907–March 16, 1984), born George Clinton Fisher, Jr., was an American character actor, singer, songwriter, musician and comedian. During a 50-year career, he appeared in many Western films, often as a member of The Sons of the Pioneers in Roy Rogers serials. Fisher also had supporting roles on many TV shows, most frequently on Gunsmoke and The Beverly Hillbillies. His comic trademarks included his ability to stutter at will and his bemused facial expressions. Description above from the Wikipedia article Shug Fisher, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

Paul Henning

Creator · Writer · Known for Petticoat Junction, The Beverly Hillbillies

Paul William Henning was an American TV producer and screenwriter. Most famous for creating the television sitcom The Beverly Hillbillies, he was also crucial in developing the "rural" comedies Petticoat Junction and Green Acres for CBS.

Sylvia Lewis

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Sylvia Lewis (born April 22, 1931) is an American actress, dancer and choreographer. Lewis began her film career in Singin' in the Rain and Red Garters as a dancer, then in Drums of Tahiti as an actress. Later she added choreography on her list of credits, which began while she was a regular featured character on the ABC television series Where's Raymond?, in which she played the dance partner, Sylvia, of series star Ray Bolger. In the second season, the program was renamed The Ray Bolger Show. Lewis has choreographed many television shows since the 1950s, including Who's the Boss? and Married... with Children. She has made guest appearances on shows like The Dick Van Dyke Show, The Beverly Hillbillies and Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C., plus had a stage career on both coasts.

Lori Saunders

Cast · Known for Petticoat Junction

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Lori Saunders (born Linda Marie Hines on October 4, 1941 in Kansas City, Missouri) is an American film and television actress, probably best known for her role as Bobbie Jo Bradley in the television series Petticoat Junction (1965–1970), appearing in 147 episodes. She also appeared as Betty Gordon, one of Mr. Drysdale's secretaries in the last season of The Beverly Hillbillies. She appeared in numerous small roles in film and television from her debut in 1960 until her retirement from acting in 1980. In addition to Petticoat Junction, she had a recurring role in Dusty's Trail, a mid-1970s comedy television series starring Bob Denver. She appeared in the cult horror film Blood Bath (1966), credited as Linda Saunders. Because there was another "Linda" [Kaye (Henning)] credited on Petticoat Junction, Saunders officially changed her first name to "Lori" in the fall of 1965. Other films include: A Day at the White House (1972), Captive (1980), and Mara of the Wilderness (1965) with Adam West. Description above from the Wikipedia article Lori Saunders, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

Edy Williams

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Edwina Beth "Edy" Williams (born July 9, 1942) is an American television and film actress. She began her career as a model and beauty pageant contestant. After winning several local pageants, she was signed as a contract player by 20th Century Fox. Throughout the 1960s, Williams appeared in several television series and films including roles in The Beverly Hillbillies, The Twilight Zone, Batman, Adam-12, Lost in Space, The Naked Kiss, and the Sonny & Cher film, Good Times (1967). In 1970, she appeared as Ashley St. Ives in Russ Meyer's first mainstream film, Beyond the Valley of the Dolls, followed by his second, The Seven Minutes. Meyer and Williams married in 1970, shortly after the release of Beyond the Valley of the Dolls. In March 1973, she was photographed for Playboy in a full color photo spread by then-husband Russ Meyer. After her divorce from Meyer in 1977, Williams continued acting, mainly appearing in films, many of which involved nudity. In 1982, she appeared on an episode of The People's Court as a defendant in a case titled "The Star Who Wouldn't Pay". She was sued for payment for publicity work the plaintiff had done for her. She counter-sued for half of the retainer she'd paid him. After this, she was sporadically active in films during the 1980s and early 1990s. Since the 1970s, she has traditionally appeared at both the Academy Awards and the Cannes Film Festival in revealing and flamboyant outfits Description above from the Wikipedia article Edy Williams, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

Joseph Depew

Director · Known for The Beverly Hillbillies

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Joseph Depew (July 11, 1912 – October 30, 1988) was an American television director and producer and actor. Born in Harrison, New Jersey, Depew began his career as a child stage actor at the age of three. He was influenced by his mother, also a stage performer. He later worked as a second unit director or an assistant director in 22 films and 26 television series episodes. He was a unit director in six The Beverly Hillbillies episodes, an actor in fourteen films, an assistant producer in eleven episodes of The Bob Cummings Show and a production manager in one movie.

Narda Onyx

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Narda Onyx (20 December 1931 – 18 March 1991) was an Estonian-born naturalized American film and television actress. At the age of eleven, Onyx escaped with her family through Soviet lines, and deceived her would-be German captors near the end of World War II. After making their way to Allied-occupied Bonn, they were able to find their way to America. Onyx appeared in dozens of supporting roles on television and in motion pictures during the 1950s and 1960s. Shows in which she appeared include The Beverly Hillbillies, Have Gun - Will Travel, and The Man from U.N.C.L.E. In addition, she played Gretl Braun in Hitler (1962) and Maria Frankenstein in Jesse James Meets Frankenstein's Daughter (1966).

Erika Eleniak

Cast · Known for E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, Baywatch

Erika Eleniak (born September 29, 1969) is an American Playboy Playmate and actress, perhaps best known for her role in Baywatch as Shauni McClain. She also starred in the films Under Siege and The Beverly Hillbillies. Description above from the Wikipedia article Erika Eleniak, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

Nancy Kulp

Cast · Known for The Beverly Hillbillies

Nancy Jane Kulp (August 28, 1921 – February 3, 1991) was an American character actress best known as Miss Jane Hathaway on the popular CBS television series The Beverly Hillbillies. Kulp in 1955 joined the cast of The Bob Cummings Show (Love That Bob) with Bob Cummings, portraying pith-helmeted neighborhood bird watcher Pamela Livingstone. In 1956, she appeared in the episode "Johnny Bravo" of the ABC/Warner Brothers series Cheyenne, with Clint Walker. Kulp played the role of Anastasia in three episodes of the NBC sitcom It's a Great Life in 1955 and 1956. In 1958, she appeared in Orson Welles' little-known pilot episode "The Fountain of Youth" in the television series Colgate Theatre. In 1960, she appeared as Emma St. John in the episode "Kill with Kindness" of the ABC/WB detective series Bourbon Street Beat, starring Andrew Duggan. Kulp appeared on I Love Lucy in the 1956 episode "Lucy Meets the Queen", performing as an English maid, who shows Lucy and Ethel how to curtsy properly before Queen Elizabeth. Kulp also appeared in episodes of The Real McCoys, Perry Mason ("The Case of the Prodigal Parent", 1958), The Jack Benny Program ("Don's 27th Anniversary with Jack"), 87th Precinct ("Killer's Choice"), Pete and Gladys, The Twilight Zone (as Mrs. Gann in "The Fugitive"), and The Outlaws ("The Dark Sunrise of Griff Kincaid"). She played a housekeeper in a pilot for The William Bendix Show, which aired as the 1960–1961 season finale of CBS's Mister Ed under the title "Pine Lake Lodge". On the series My Three Sons in 1962, she portrayed a high school math and science teacher in two episodes under different character names, Miss Harris and Miss Fisher. Shortly after her performances on My Three Sons in 1962, Kulp landed her breakout role as Jane Hathaway, the love-starved, bird-watching, perennial spinster, on the CBS television series The Beverly Hillbillies. In 1967, she received an Emmy Award nomination for her role, and she remained with the show until its cancellation in 1971. In 1978, she appeared on The Love Boat in the episode "Mike and Ike / The Witness / The Kissing Bandit" and she played Aunt Gertrude in the episode "Tony and Julie / Separate Beds / America's Sweetheart". On April 7, 1989, she played a nun in the Quantum Leap season 1 episode "The Right Hand of God". Kulp also appeared on The Brian Keith Show and Sanford and Son. Kulp was once described as television's most homely girl or, as one reviewer put it, possessing the "face of a shriveled balloon, the figure of a string of spaghetti, and the voice of a bullfrog in mating season." Others described her as tall and prim and praised her comedic skills. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Elvia Allman

Cast · Known for The Beverly Hillbillies, Petticoat Junction

Elvia Beatrice Allman was an American actress in Hollywood films and television programs for over 50 years. She is best remembered for her semi-regular roles on The Beverly Hillbillies and Petticoat Junction and for being the voice of Walt Disney's Clarabelle Cow.

Larry Pennell

Cast · Known for Lassie, The Beverly Hillbillies

Lawrence Kenneth Pennell (February 21, 1928 – August 28, 2013) was an American television and film actor, often remembered for his role as "Dash Riprock" in the television series The Beverly Hillbillies. His career spanned half a century, including starring in the first-run syndicated adventure series Ripcord in the leading role of Skydiver Theodore "Ted" McKeever, as well as playing Keith Holden in Lassie. He was also a baseball player, playing on scholarship for the University of Southern California (USC) and later professionally for the Boston Braves organization.

Bobs Watson

Watson was a member of the Watson Family, famous in the early days of Hollywood as being a houseful of child actors. He was brother to Coy Watson Jr., Harry, Billy, Delmar, Garry, Vivian, Gloria, and Louise, all of whom acted in motion pictures. The family, known as "the first family of Hollywood", lived by the Echo Park area of Los Angeles and Bobs attended nearby Belmont High School. They were honored by the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce by placing the Watson family star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, at 6674 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood, California. Watson was best known for his role as "Pee Wee" in the 1938 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer film Boys Town and its sequel Men of Boys Town (1941), both starring Spencer Tracy and Mickey Rooney. Tracy and Watson became good friends during the making of the first film, and Watson was reportedly Tracy's last visitor before his death in 1967. In 1939, Watson delivered a fine, tear-jerking performance as Pud, Lionel Barrymore's grandson, in the MGM film, On Borrowed Time. Watson later made guest appearances in many television programs, including The Twilight Zone, Lou Grant, The Beverly Hillbillies, Green Acres, and The Fugitive. In addition to working in the motion pictures business, Watson went to Claremont School of Theology to become a Methodist minister, inspired from the movie Boys Town. He retired after 30 years of serving in Burbank and La Cañada, California. He died of prostate cancer in 1999 at Laguna Beach, California.

Tom Lester

Tom Lester was an American actor and evangelist. He is most remembered for his role as Eb Dawson on the 1965-1971 television series Green Acres. He also appeared as the Eb Dawson character in six 1966-1967 episodes of Petticoat Junction and three 1968 episodes of The Beverly Hillbillies.

Harriet E. MacGibbon

Harriet Elizabeth MacGibbon was an American film, stage and television actress best known for her role as the insufferably snobbish, "blue-blooded Bostonian" Mrs. Margaret Drysdale in the sitcom The Beverly Hillbillies.

Susan Walther

Susan Walther was born on July 23, 1947 in Los Angeles, California, USA as Susan Pamela Walther. She is an actress, known for "Petticoat Junction (1963)" and "The Beverly Hillbillies (1962)".

Harriet MacGibbon

Cast · Known for The Beverly Hillbillies

Richard Whorf

Director · Known for My Three Sons, The Beverly Hillbillies

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Richard Whorf (June 4, 1906 – December 14, 1966) was an American actor, author, director, and designer. Richard was born in Winthrop, Massachusetts to Harry and Sarah (Lee) Whorf. Richards's older brother was the well-known American linguist, Benjamin Lee Whorf. Whorf began his acting career on the Boston stage as a teenager then moving to Broadway when he was 21. Early on, he was in a production of Taming of the Shrew at the Globe Theatre in New York City. He moved to Hollywood and became a contract player in movies of the 1930s and 1940s before becoming a director in 1944. He appeared in Christmas Holiday (1944), Blues in the Night (1941), Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942), and Keeper of the Flame (1942). He directed a number of television programs in the 1950s and 1960s, the best known being the CBS hit comedy The Beverly Hillbillies. He also directed the short-lived 1959 syndicated adventure series, Border Patrol, and the 1964-65 television series, Mickey. Whorf directed the unsuccessful 1961 stage comedy, Julia, Jake and Uncle Joe. Whorf's hobby was painting - he sold his first painting at age 15 for US$100. Many of his small town landscape paintings reflected his American worldview and seemed to be inspired by painters like Grant Wood and Norman Rockwell. In the 17 March 1963 TV Channels syndicated rotogravure newspaper magazine, his painting career was profiled and his studio photographed. For the article, he told a reporter, "Who says that a man has to do one thing? Description above from the Wikipedia article Richard Whorf, licensed under CC-BY-SA,full list of contributors on Wikipedia.