MovieChat Forums > The Beverly Hillbillies (1962) Discussion > They sure were spoiled to have been so p...

They sure were spoiled to have been so poor

posted 8 years ago by alanjobe
8 replies | jump to latest

I loved the show and the Clampetts but they sure got spoiled quick - even Granny - for people who grew up dirt poor.

How many episodes did they whine to Mr. Drysdale because they couldn't get something they wanted or things didn't go the way they wanted them to.

It was a funny part of the show but also a head scratcher. You would think they would've enjoyed everything they had because they came from nothing.

I understood them wanting the kids to get a good education and I even understood trying to find a good husband for Elly Mae. But whining because they wanted a pet gorilla?

[–] tinkerbell_jonna 8 years ago

B/c to them, the way things were back home in the Hills was the GOOD LIFE, and the Beverly Hills life was the crappy life. So them they saw it as a step down in many ways.

[–] steely3000 8 years ago

You have a point about being spoiled. But Mr. Drysdale needs to take most of that blame, if not all. The Hillbillies could have been told by Drysdale that gorillas are illegal to own, but instead he gets a phony gorilla for them. He could tell Granny that it is illegal for her to practice medicine and dentistry without a license, but instead he allows them to rent out his penthouse. Drysdale lets Granny make moonshine, make soap, allows Elly to have a pet bear, seal, skunk, raccoon, etc. You are right, they pretty much got what they wanted because of the money.

Most of it was Drysdale's greed, his fear they would move back to the hills with their money. I bet though if he had been more honest with them about what they can and can't do in Beverly Hills, they would have understood and not made so many demands. They did make several trips back to the Hills, only to return, I assume because they did realize living in a mansion in warm California is pretty good, even without a gorilla.

[–] alanjobe 8 years ago

You're absolutely correct, steely3000. I never thought of it that way, but that is definitely true about Drysdale.

[–] NOTACLERK1 8 years ago

You know tbere is nothing illegal about making moonshine or soap.... The only legal problems with moonshine beer or wine..is how much you make...which has to do with taxes... You can make it long as you dont sell it ... Its hard to claim hundreds of gallons or more is for personal use.

[–] steely3000 8 years ago

I don't think that's true. According to Google:

However, be advised it is illegal to distill alcohol without having either a "distilled spirits permit" or a "federal fuel alcohol permit." It does not matter if the alcohol is for personal use only, not for sale, etc. A common misconception is that only stills 1 gallon and smaller are legal. This is not true.

I admit I don't know what the law was in the 1960s, but the complaint from Mrs. Drysdale about Granny's moonshine and soap making was the fumes it gave out. She had a point there, since the pollution was bad enough in California in those days.

[–] NOTACLERK1 8 years ago

Yeah I'm sure the dear government has tightened its grip ... Just one more shame...

[–] ronaldt49 8 years ago

Being a first-grader in the 1950s I do remember a children's newspaper called My Weekly Reader which did mention smog so Cal. has suffered for a long time.

[–] ben-thayer 8 years ago

B/c to them, the way things were back home in the Hills was the GOOD LIFE, and the Beverly Hills life was the crappy life. So them they saw it as a step down in many ways.

Jed: "Whatta you think Pearl, you think we ought'a move?"
Pearl: "Jed, how can ya even ask? Look around ya....ya 8 miles from ya nearest neighbor. Ya overrun with skonks, possums, ki-yotes, bobcats...ya use kerosene lamps for lights, ya cook on a wood stove summer and winter! Ya drinkin' homemade moonshine...washin' with homemade lye soap. And ya bathroom is 50 feet from the house, and you ask if ya should move?"
Jed: "Yeah...reckon you're right. Man'd be a dang fool to leave all this."
[Pearl reels and falls backwards]