In 1962, “The Beverly Hillbillies” introduced us to Jed Clampett, a rich man who was true to himself despite receiving a massive fortune of $25 million. Taking into account inflation, that would be around $195 million dollars today.
Remember when we said that by the end of the ninth season, the Clampetts were worth more than $100 million? That would translate to about $583 million in 2017. Can you even imagine coming into that much money? Sounds like a pretty sweet deal. Where can we sign up?
Cruising
The family truck, with Granny’s chair strapped to the top, and Jethro’s grinning face behind the wheel saddled down with everything but the kitchen sink, is a well-loved part of “The Beverly Hillbillies”. While they were cruising around, the Clampett’s were on the lookout for roadkill, which they would take home and cook.
The swanky truck was owned by their cousin Pearl. She loaned it to them to help move to California after striking it rich. It was very thoughtful of her to loan them her 1921 Oldsmobile.
Signals Crossed
Even these days, with emails and smartphones, wires get crossed. This was much more common in the 1960s when communication was still mostly done by mail. So, you can only imagine the mistakes TV networks had to deal with in those days. A Dutch company called NCRV aired what they believed was the last episode of “The Beverly Hillbillies” in 1966.
Although, the show was actually still immensely popular and going strong. The mistake wasn’t discovered until 1973. At that time, the show had ended and finished being broadcast all over the world. The Dutch, however, were in for a treat because NCRV then aired the missing six years of episodes.
Duke
As we mentioned before, Frank Inn was the animal trainer on the set of “The Beverly Hillbillies,” and he was in charge of the Clampett family pet. Duke, the beloved bloodhound, was a fixture in the Clampett house. Obviously, since he had been with Jed long before he moved to California and had even been by his master’s side when they struck oil.
Talk about a man’s best friend! The way Duke’s fur folds and rolls all over is the cutest, but it also keeps him looking a bit sad and often befuddled.
Commerce Bank
It is a well-known fact that the Clampett’s kept their money at Milburn Drysdale’s Commerce Bank, on “The Beverly Hillbillies.” What is not so well known is that the bank is named after a real bank in Kansas City, Missouri.
It turns out that Paul Henning, the creator of the hit show, lived right by the bank when he was a kid and raised it up from obscurity. When you have your own hit show, you can use things from your own life, too.