Now Performing in the Red Skelton Tribute Theater 167 East Wears Valley Road Suite #17 (Shops of Pigeon Forge) Pigeon Forge, TN 37863
The Beverly Hillbillies
The Beverly Hillbillies is an American situation comedy originally broadcast for nine seasons on CBS from 1962 to 1971.
The television show is about a poor backwoods family transplanted to Beverly Hills, California, after striking oil on their land and becoming multi-millionaires.
The Beverly Hillbillies ranked among the top twelve most watched series on television for seven of its nine seasons, twice ranking as the number one series of the year, with a number of episodes that remain among the most watched television episodes of all time.
The main cast consisted of:
Jed Clampett played by Buddy Ebson
Granny played by Irene Ryan
Jethro Bodine played by Max Baer Jr.
Elly May played by Donna Douglas
Milburn Drysdale played by Raymond Bailey
Margaret Drysdale played by Harriet E. MacGibbon
Miss Jane Hathaway played by Nancy Kulp
The Beverly Hillbillies accumulated seven Emmy nominations during its run.
Nearly a half century since its premiere, the series remains in syndication on several cable networks, including TV Land.
While Granny frequently mentioned that she was from Tennessee, the series never specified which state the Clampetts were from before they moved to California.
In several episodes of the Beverly Hillbillies, they often referred to nearby towns such as Joplin, Branson, Springfield, Tulsa and Silver Dollar City, all of which are in southwest Missouri.
Written-off as lowbrow humor by critics, the show shot to the top of the Nielsen ratings shortly after its premiere and stayed there for several seasons.
During its first two seasons, it was the number one program in the U.S. During its second season, it earned some of the highest ratings ever recorded for a half-hour sitcom.
The season two episode "The Giant Jackrabbit" also became the most watched telecast up to the time of its airing, and remains the most watched half-hour episode of a sitcom.
Because of the show's high ratings, CBS asked the creator, Paul Henning to pen two more similiar comedies, spawning a mini-genre of rural sitcoms during the 1960s.
Petticoat Junction featured an extended family, running a small hotel in the isolated rural town of Hooterville.
Green Acres depicted two city sophisticates moving to Hooterville, which was populated by oddball country bumpkins.
If you watched these shows in the 60's you probably tuned into the Red Skelton Show once in a while.
Next time you are in Pigeon Forge Tennessee, come see the only tribute show in town with a Red Skelton Impersonator.
Click HERE or on Show Schedule link above and choose a date to see the show.
