The Beverly Hillbillies' Jethro Bodine would fall somewhere between Barney Fife and Kramer on any list of great TV sidekicks. Part buffoon and part beautiful dreamer, Jethro was a childlike mind plopped into the body of a backwoods Hercules. These days, the man who played the slack-jawed Jethro, Max Baer Jr, is pleased people still love the Hillbillies and that TV Land is running an all-you-can-watch Jethro marathon on, appropriately, April Fools' Day. Baer, however, is not a foolish man — he made millions with his own brand of country-fried entertainment in the '70s (Macon County Line and Ode to Billy Joe), and is currently working on a dream project: a hotel and casino based on The Beverly Hillbillies that he hopes to open in Nevada in 2010. We chatted with him about his famous character and the latest on h
read more
CBS' As the World Turns marks 50 years on daytime television next month. I'm not April foolin' you! So fire up your FauxVo because ATWT will celebrate its golden anniversary with two special episodes: On Friday, March 31, the residents of Oakdale are reimagined as characters from classic TV shows like I Dream of Jeannie and The Beverly Hillbillies. On Monday, April 3, seven of the soap's divas board a chartered bus for a road trip. Their sentimental journey includes lotsa vintage ATWT clips and even some action adventure. "I stand up to an 8-foot-tall, 350-pound black bear!" Colleen Zenk-Pinter (Barbara) enthuses to TVGuide.com. "It was so much fun. It really was."
Having screened a preview tape, this suds fan can vouch for Pinter's point. Between the bear battle and the sight of 87-year-old Helen Wagner (Nancy) fleeing from a flaming bus, this is can't-miss stuff. Who knew Nancy — an ATWT staple
read more
Question: Here's an argument you can settle. I know that for a while hick sitcoms were huge on TV, but I had an argument with a friend about the trend. Wouldn't you say it was The Andy Griffith Show that started them all? Thank you for your help. I know you won't let me down.
Answer: The Andy Griffith Show is the show that's remembered for breaking the rural-comedy trend wide open after it debuted in 1960, Randall, but the comedy that defied the experts who thought folks in the big markets didn't want to watch their country-folk cousins came along three years earlier: The Real McCoys, which was a runaway hit for ABC before jumping to CBS for a final season in 1962.
Funny thing was, the champions of hayseed humor weren't from anywhere near the territory. Irving Pi
read more
Question: Okey dokey, my dad and I have a bet riding on this one. My father says that Petticoat Junction came before The Beverly Hillbillies and that Kate and Pearl, though both played by the late, great Bea Benaderet, were not related. I, on the other hand, say that the Hillbillies came before Petticoat — and I am pretty darn sure that there was something about Kate and Pearl being distant cousins or something of the sort. Who's right? Thanks!Answer: Looks like it's a draw on this one, Ashley. And since you broke the age-old Televisionary rule and didn't tell me what your bet was (and that's Mr. Okey Dokey to you, by the way), all I can say is it's either a wash and you owe each other nothing, or you should buy something nice for one another.
You're right on the first count: The Beverly Hillbillies
read more
