The later-season changes in Drysdale and Miss Jane

I agree about Drysdale and Hathaway. As the series went on, pretty much all the characters became cartoons of themselves. Jethro became stupider and more naive, and ate everything in sight. Granny developed super-human strength and could climb buildings and jump out of airplanes. Elly acquired more exotic pets like bears and seals. Jed pretty much stayed the same, because there was little in his character to begin with. But the family as a whole became more gullible to con artists like Phil Silvers selling them any piece of land in sight. When all this happened it became so hard to watch this show.

I don't think Drysdale of the earlier seasons was particularly greedy or materialistic. He was more obsessed with making money as a challenge. He didn't really care about the trappings of wealth. He had them (society wife, BH mansion, etc)because they would get him next to people who had money. Ues, he liked the Clampetts; he probably related more to them than his clients

To me all of the characters became a parody of themselves. Jed became overly soft, Jethro became an all out arrogant jerk, Granny became so explosive you could not look at her without her going off. Elly did not really change that much.

But yeah there were times Mr Drysdale even snapped at the Clampettes, something he would have ever done in earlier seasons.

I agree Drysdale was more exaggerated in later seasons but I think the one they went too far with was Jethro who was an endearing sweet bird brain in the early seasons but they turned him into a loudmouth, rather obnoxious moron (and very condescending to the other Hillbillies) forever tripping up on his own stupidity.

I don't see that much of a change in Miss Jane over the years other than perhaps making her a little more love-starved and anxious to land a man which seems a natural progression given she was getting deep into middle age by then. From the beginning it was played that Drysdale was abusing her competence and dedication so I wouldn't be surprised if she had been poorly paid or living in a small apartment had they addressed that matter early on.

It's a comedy..not meant to be believed but meant for entertainment and to suspend reality for awhile. Do you think a pig like Arnold actually existed (same producers/creator) yet still it worked because it was FUNNY! Geez, some folks on these threads have way too much time to think...and when they do they tear down one of the greatest sitcoms ever. After 54 years this show makes me laugh...character development be damned.

Alanjobe,

Your assessment of how those two characters changed in a bad way is "spot on." Even as a kid, I recognized that they were changing the characters and that the show wasn't as funny because of it.

I think the producers and writers WERE out of fresh ideas. They didn't have any more parts of California for the Clampetts to discover. Jethro had forayed into as many careers as they could imagine, so they fell into twisting their two friends, Drysdale and Hathaway, into characters that bore little resemblance to the people we had known for years.

One of the biggest keys to the show's success was that their banker was totally honest--he never tried to make himself richer at the expense of the Clampetts. He did all he could to make them wealthier--which would naturally be good for him, of course. He also did all he could to get them to like living in California so they wouldn't want to move back home. He never tried to make them stay against their will; he wanted them to like their California lives.

The crooked Drysdale of the last seasons who truly gypped employees out of promised bonuses and did other dishonorable things would have simply gypped Jed out of most of his millions years ago and probably retired.




Why don't we just shoot 'em down and be through with it?