Rumors About Beverly Hillbillies & The Cast That Have Circulated Over The Years

"The Beverly Hillbillies" was the epitome of the old-fashioned sitcom. It was pure fun, light, and charming. During an interview with The Associated Press (via MeTV), "Beverly Hillbillies" creator Paul Henning discussed the impetus behind the show. "It is just for amusement," said Henning of the series. "No messages, no illnesses, no violence, no rebellious kids – just simply good humor. And we've had literally thousands of letters that say in effect, 'Thank you for a half hour in which I could forget my troubles.'"

After working on "The Bob Cummings Show," Henning felt television was going in the wrong direction. "I was finding television drama depressing," said Henning. "Everything seemed to start with mayhem and then get worse. I decided that if I ever did another TV show, it would be for the people who live in Kentucky, Iowa, Illinois, Virginia — all those places between the two coasts where people don't think they are sophisticated." Henning used the sitcom to pay tribute to his upbringing in the American South.

Like many other pop culture staples, "The Beverly Hillbillies" inspired numerous rumors and urban legends. For example, some fans believed Donna Douglas, who played Elly May Clampett, was older than Irene Ryan, who played Granny. Douglas also supposedly had an affair with the King of Rock 'n' Roll, Elvis Presley, when the two co-starred in a movie musical. Most famously, claims have proliferated online that the show was canceled over one controversial scene. Here's a look at rumors about "The Beverly Hillbillies" and its cast that have circulated over the years.

Some outlets have claimed the Clampetts were based on a real family who moved from the South to Beverly Hills. This is not true. Series creator Paul Henning took inspiration from several sources. In a conversation with Foundation Interviews, Henning said he had been fond of hillbillies since he went camping in the Ozarks as a Boy Scout. 

According to MeTV, Henning found inspiration for the sitcom when he was visiting Abraham Lincoln's cabin during a road trip. "After leaving Lincoln's cabin in Kentucky, we drove along the two-lane highway facing the approaching cars at a closure rate of about 130 miles an hour," said Henning. "I wondered aloud what reaction Abraham Lincoln might have had if he were transplanted from the nineteenth century and suddenly found himself seated in the car with us...The idea kind of stayed with me. I wondered how, without being too magic, such a thing would be accomplished." 

Henning thought it would be interesting to write a story where someone who lived in a remote place and resisted modernization was thrust into the contemporary world. This evolved into a tale about a hillbilly family living in New York City. Henning decided setting the show in New York City would be too costly, so he opted for Beverly Hills. He realized the family would have to become rich to live in Beverly Hills, so he had the idea of Jed Clampett becoming a millionaire by accidentally striking oil. He also drew inspiration from a band called Beverly Hill Billies.

One of the most famous tidbits of movie trivia is that Buddy Ebsen was supposed to have a role in "The Wizard of Oz." "I was to have an important part," Ebsen wrote in his 1993 memoir "The Other Side of Oz" (via MeTV). "Maybe the most important in my life as an actor. It meant prestige, a building of my career, and a practical guarantee they would want me to stay beyond my brief two-year deal, which pretended juicy negotiations and fat profits on the next contract go-around. I shared the good news with my wife, my friends, my agent Walter Batchelor in New York, and my parents. It was a time I'll always remember. I rushed to the rehearsal hall and began plotting my Scarecrow dances and wobbles."

Then, Ebsen was recast as the Tin Man, with Ray Bolger taking his place as the Scarecrow. Sadly, it was not to be. The aluminum dust used in Ebsen's makeup made it hard to breathe. After being hospitalized, Ebsen decided to quit the role. Instead, Jack Haley played the Tin Man. 

Ebsen's memory of the event was somewhat hazy. In the book "Conversations with Legendary Television Stars: Interviews from the First Fifty Years," Ebsen said he could be seen in one of the film's wide shots. He also believed some of the shots of Haley dancing were actually shots of him. That is not the case. Ebsen does not appear in the film, but his voice can be heard in the song "We're Off to See the Wizard."

A persistent rumor about "The Beverly Hillbillies" is that Donna Douglas was older than Irene Ryan. This is simply false. Douglas was born in 1932, while Ryan was born in 1902. What is true is Ryan was far younger than her character, Granny, was meant to be. Ryan was 59 years old when she first portrayed Granny. During an interview with The Marshall News Messenger (via MeTV), Ryan revealed her age was originally an issue for CBS. "About a year ago, my agent mentioned he'd suggested me for it," said Ryan. "But the casting department thought I was too young. You're always too young or too old, too fat or too thin. Then I learned that Paul Henning wrote it."

Ryan decided to meet with Henning herself, as they had previously worked together.  "I went to his office, chatted for a few moments, and he handed me a script of 'Hillbillies' to read," she recalled. "It was what I'd gone there for but hadn't mentioned the fact. When I read it, I knew it was for me and said so." She earned the part. "Three weeks went by before he [Henning] called me to say, 'How are you, Granny?'" Ryan remembered.

Ryan's casting paid off. In 1963 and 1964, she was nominated for Outstanding Continued Performance by an Actress in a Series (Lead). In 1963, she lost the award to Shirley Booth for "Hazel," and in 1964, Mary Tyler Moore for "The Dick Van Dyke Show" won it. Regardless of what casting agents believed, Ryan was the perfect age and the perfect actor to play Granny.

The 1960s were the heyday of actors playing multiple roles in the same show or movie. Examples include Peter Sellers in "Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb," Patty Duke in "The Patty Duke Show," and Elvis Presley in "Kissin' Cousins." "The Beverly Hillbillies" was no exception. On the sitcom, Max Baer Jr. portrayed Jethro Bodine and his twin sister, Jethrine Bodine. Baer Jr. found the role challenging. "The producer had asked me if I had any inhibitions about playing a girl and I told him I don't have any inhibitions in front of a camera," Baer Jr. told The Pittsburgh Press (via MeTV) in 1963. "I just wanted to know if it was going to help me career-wise. The role is very difficult." Baer Jr. found wearing Jethrine's makeup particularly challenging. 

While part of the joke of Baer Jr.'s dual role is his unconvincing appearances in drag, some viewers wondered if Jethrine was played by a woman. "There's curiosity to the point where people have written in to see if it's a girl or a boy," Baer Jr. said. "For one show we'll use a split screen and the audience will see me as both a boy and a girl. That will really confuse them." Notably, even Baer's own brother was initially unable to recognize him as Jethrine. 

While "The Beverly Hillbillies" was an incredibly popular show, Baer Jr. faced mockery for playing Jethrine. However, the character was popular enough that she appeared in the 1993 film adaptation of "The Beverly Hillbillies," where she was portrayed by Diedrich Bader.

On "The Beverly Hillbillies," many characters fell in love with Elly May Clampett, played by Donna Douglas. Interestingly, a rumor proliferated that Douglas fell in love with Buddy Ebsen. This is not what happened. Ebsen's relationship with Douglas was paternal, not romantic. Douglas considered Ebsen to be an upstanding person. 

During an interview with "Confessions of a Pop Culture Addict" (via TheBayNet.com), Douglas explained the true nature of her emotional connection with Ebsen. She and Max Baer Jr. shared a genuine bond with him. "I loved Buddy Ebsen," Douglas recalled. "He reminded me so much of my own dad. Most of my scenes were with Buddy, and most of Max's with Irene. Buddy was just a wonderful man. I related to him so easily. The night before he died, Max and I went up to the hospital to see him." Similarly, Baer Jr. said Ebsen served as a father figure to him.

In the 1960s and the early 1970s, Paul Henning was the king of American television. He created three era-defining sitcoms: "The Beverly Hillbillies," "Petticoat Junction," and "Green Acres." The latter has a storyline that resembles "The Beverly Hillbillies" in reverse. Instead of focusing on rural people who move to a major city, it's about people from a major city who move to the countryside. 

Considering the similarities between the two shows, fans might assume "Green Acres" was intended as a spin-off of "The Beverly Hillbillies." In the book "Conversations with Legendary Television Stars: Interviews from the First Fifty Years," "Green Acres" star Eddie Albert said this was not the case. However, several characters from "The Beverly Hillbillies," "Petticoat Junction," and "Green Acres" encountered each other in different episodes of their respective shows. Perhaps it's best to view the three shows as inhabiting a shared universe.

During the 1950s and 1960s, Elvis Presley acted in 31 films, most of which were musicals. One was a period piece called "Frankie and Johnny," which strayed from Presley's usual rock and pop stylings and embraced the sounds of old-school jazz. Presley co-starred in "Frankie and Johnny" alongside Donna Douglas. The film is Douglas' most famous onscreen appearance outside of "The Beverly Hillbillies." Douglas took the part when she was on a summer hiatus from shooting the sitcom in 1965. 

According to the Daily Express, Presley's hairdresser, Larry Geller, revealed the King of Rock 'n' Roll formed a strong connection with Douglas. "At lunch and at breaks, Elvis and Donna would get into some heavy spiritual conversations," he recalled. "They did have a lot in common, and several people thought sparks were flying." Presley's wife, Priscilla Presley, did not share her husband's interest in Eastern spirituality, so he was happy to spend time with Douglas. The two were fascinated by Paramahansa Yogananda, the Hindu monk known for his book "Autobiography of a Yogi" and for founding the Self-Realization Fellowship.

This shared interest in Eastern faiths did not mean the two stars were romantically involved. "Even though Elvis respected Donna, he only regarded her in a professional capacity and held her in high esteem," Gellar remembered. "I used to visit her in her dressing room, we would meditate and discuss various philosophic subjects that we shared." While Douglas and the "Can't Help Falling in Love" singer forged a spiritual connection during the filming of "Frankie and Johnny," the two didn't work together again.

After "The Beverly Hillbillies" ended, Irene Ryan received an incredible offer. She had the opportunity to star in another sitcom playing a character similar to Granny. However, she received a competing offer: the chance to star in a Broadway production of Stephen Schwartz's musical "Pippin." Acting on Broadway had been Ryan's dream for many years, so she decided to join the cast of "Pippin." She acted in "Pippin" for a few months before she started feeling ill. She was diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor and died one month later in 1973 at the age of 70. She was posthumously nominated for a Tony Award for her performance.

Ryan's sudden death led to an enduring rumor that she died onstage. That is not the case. Notably, "The Beverly Hillbillies" was revived for a 1981 television movie titled "Return of the Beverly Hillbillies." Ryan was replaced by Imogene Coca as a new character named Granny Maw.

There is a persistent rumor online that "The Beverly Hillbillies" was canceled over a particular controversial scene. This urban legend originated from a YouTube video titled "The Controversial Scene That Took 'The Beverly Hillbillies' off the Air." Despite the headline, the video states there was no such scene.

"The Beverly Hillbillies" was actually canceled as part of an infamous event in television history called the rural purge. CBS decided to attract a younger audience by replacing rural programs with more urban programming such as "The Mary Tyler Moore Show." Other shows terminated as part of this event included the sitcoms "Petticoat Junction" and "Green Acres" as well as the westerns "The Virginian" and "The High Chaparral."

While "The Beverly Hillbillies" was pulled from the air, it still remains a part of our culture. Its influence can be seen in everything from "Weird Al" Yankovic's spoof of "Money for Nothing" by Dire Straits to "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air." Over 50 years after it ended, "The Beverly Hillbillies" still has a special place in our hearts.