Elly May was Jed Clampett’s beautiful daughter. Despite her beauty, she preferred playing with critters to doing her nails and other girly pursuits. Mattel still decided to make her into one of three Barbie dolls as part of their Classic TV Collection.
Although actress Donna Douglas felt flattered by the doll, she decided to sue the company for not getting her consent to produce it. The greatest issue was the use of an old black-and-white photo of her on the packaging. The lawsuit was eventually settled out of court.
Just a Small-town Girl
Actress Irene Ryan was born in San Francisco, California, on October 17, 1902, and died in Santa Monica, California, in 1973. Even though she was a native Californian, Ryan was a seasoned traveler due to her many TV, movie, radio and Broadway pursuits. Granny, on the other hand, lived a much more sheltered life.
On the show, she often talked about being born and raised in Limestone, Tennessee. These talks showed us just how good an actress Irene Ryan was because we believed every word. The way Granny talks and acts is spot on for everything her character represents.
Best Episode Ever
Though opinions still differ even today, “Hedda Hopper’s Hollywood” was ranked as “The Beverly Hillbillies” most popular and successful episode in all of the show’s nine seasons. The episode was considered as having directly added fans to the show and was also featured on TV Guide’s “100 Greatest Episodes of All Time” list in 1997, at number 62.
That is quite an accomplishment! The women on the show were a big part of the reason it was so great. The show would never be the same without these amazing actresses.
Street Smarts
If you have somehow missed this fact, the term ‘hillbilly’ is not very complementary and usually refers to someone who is backward or not very smart. Although this was never really discussed on the show, Jed Clampett barely had any formal education.
Because he couldn’t attend many schools, he is not very book-smart. Fortunately, when he strikes oil, Jed Clampett uses his common sense and makes sound decisions about his newfound fortune.
From the Same Neck of the Woods
Die-hard fans of “The Beverly Hillbillies” may remember crooner Pat Boone’s appearance on the show. The pop singer played himself in one special episode. Boone happily agreed to be on the show, and had only one condition, he wanted to be from the same part of the country as Jed, Granny, and the other hillbillies.
What an enjoyable thing to see, famous singer Pat Boone Hillbilling it up with the Clampetts in front of the whole darn world. As if we needed another reason to love him.