The Beverly Hillbillies : Clampetts Strike Oil (1962)
Directed by Richard Whorf / Ralph Levy / Paul Henning
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Synopsis by Hal Erickson
Originally telecast on September 26, 1962, "Hillbillies of Beverly Hills" was of course the pilot episode of the immensely popular sitcom The Beverly Hillbillies. As everyone in the universe must know by now, it all begins when Ozark mountaineer Jed Clampett accidentally strikes oil on his property while "shootin' fer some food." Oil company executive Brewster (Frank Wilcox) offers to buy Jed's property for 25 of those "new kind of dollars" -- million dollars, that is. At the urging of his social-climbing cousin Pearl, Jed arranges to move his family to Beverly Hills, CA. His daughter Elly May and Pearl's boy Jethro are excited about the move -- but Jed's stubborn ol' Granny "ain't a-goin." Fans of the series will note that both Buddy Ebsen (Jed) and Irene Ryan (Granny) are wearing an excess of "old age" makeup; in the series proper, both actors were allowed to appear a tad younger. This episode is also known as "The Clampetts Strike Oil."