I grew up watching the Beverly Hillbillies reruns. For the time it was and still is a good series. Simple comedy that even today is funny.
The Big Picture: Silly Billy
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This show is still on some cable channels. There has been an explosion of channels running these cheap to license older TV shows lately. Mostly I think so they can get some quick cash off of running life insurance, Hoveround and Phoenix University scam college commercials all day.
One such channel runs a couple of episodes of The Beverly Hillbillys Wednesday evenings so I'll occasionally watch it. One episode a couple of weeks ago managed to slip in a marijuana joke through Jethro's inability to say "marinara sauce" correctly and wanting show up the rest of the family with his ability to speak "Italian" after hiring a temp cook who was a hot Italian chick.
Uncle Jed: Jethro, why don't you pass over that there red gravy.
Jethro: That's not red gravy Uncle Jed. That there's what they call marijuana sauce.
One such channel runs a couple of episodes of The Beverly Hillbillys Wednesday evenings so I'll occasionally watch it. One episode a couple of weeks ago managed to slip in a marijuana joke through Jethro's inability to say "marinara sauce" correctly and wanting show up the rest of the family with his ability to speak "Italian" after hiring a temp cook who was a hot Italian chick.
Uncle Jed: Jethro, why don't you pass over that there red gravy.
Jethro: That's not red gravy Uncle Jed. That there's what they call marijuana sauce.
The movie is a classic here in mexico anyone in their 20s knows it. The series is another story.
Over analyzing pop culture is a great thing, but many people who do it tend to ask the wrong questions. Any piece of pop culture can have as many interpretations as the number of people who experience it and I don't mean that most of those interpretations are wrong, but many times people will simply bend their reasoning (and many times logic) to suit the answer they've already decided on, cherry picking examples that support their hypothesis and rejecting those that don't. It isn't so much analyzing as it is rationalizing.
That being said, I never watched the Beverly Hillbillies (way before my time) so I have no idea whether or not Bob is blowing smoke or right on the money. It's an interesting idea but it's hard to know if that's what the original creators had intended. Still, if it your increases your enjoyment of the material than that's all a creator can ask for.
The Beverly Hillbillies are probably limited to specialized channels now for old sitcoms. You're more likely to see it in the middle of the day if it was referenced on the Simpsons.
That being said, I never watched the Beverly Hillbillies (way before my time) so I have no idea whether or not Bob is blowing smoke or right on the money. It's an interesting idea but it's hard to know if that's what the original creators had intended. Still, if it your increases your enjoyment of the material than that's all a creator can ask for.
The Beverly Hillbillies are probably limited to specialized channels now for old sitcoms. You're more likely to see it in the middle of the day if it was referenced on the Simpsons.
I still quote from this series--mostly revolving around Jethro's 6th grade education (the highest in the family).
Jed: "Jethro give us some go-zin-tas!"
Jethro: "Two go-zin-ta two once. Two go-zin-ta 4 twice. Two goz-in-ta six three times."
Jed: "Weeeeellllll doggies!"
From Wikipedia, which I didnt' recall: The tallest student in his class in the town of Oxford (so named because "that's where the oxen used to ford the creek") because of his age, he is often impressing others that he graduated "top of his class at Oxford."
274 episdoes can't be wrong. The series did well enough to get it's own movie in 1993.
Jed: "Jethro give us some go-zin-tas!"
Jethro: "Two go-zin-ta two once. Two go-zin-ta 4 twice. Two goz-in-ta six three times."
Jed: "Weeeeellllll doggies!"
From Wikipedia, which I didnt' recall: The tallest student in his class in the town of Oxford (so named because "that's where the oxen used to ford the creek") because of his age, he is often impressing others that he graduated "top of his class at Oxford."
274 episdoes can't be wrong. The series did well enough to get it's own movie in 1993.
Bob, I'm really glad you specified that the points you made weren't necessarily the intent of the show's creators. I think a key difference between over-analysis and and good analysis is the difference between "what was the author really trying to say" and "what can we learn from it." This was firmly the latter. It doesn't so much matter what was in their minds while they made the show. Rather, our reaction to it is what determines its place in culture and history. I never thought of BHB as anything more than silly fluff. Very interesting take on it.
Meh, I'm not sure what he's on about. Jethro was enormously strong, yes, but Granny, Jed and Ellie May didn't have any "superpowers" to speak of.Electromagnet said:
OT: I LOVED THIS SHOW AS A KID!
I knew the name, and got the pun, but never saw the show.
In the Netherlands, we had our own version with the movies and TV show Flodder. The titular Flodder family weren't farmers, but, well, white trash would be the closest comparison, who got to live in a generic high-class neighbourhood when the city council found out their old home was on top of a toxic waste dump. There were some differences, mostly in that unlike the Beverly Hillbillies the Flodders, particularly the oldest son and 'protagonist' Jonny, were small-time criminals. And rather than any overly honest or practical mentality, it was often their crooked schemes that got the plot rolling. But what it does have in common is that while the show did portray them as crooks, they tended to more sympathetic than their upper-class neighbours. They tended to be a lot more relatable than the hypocritic and posh people who surrounded them, especially in the movies.
In the Netherlands, we had our own version with the movies and TV show Flodder. The titular Flodder family weren't farmers, but, well, white trash would be the closest comparison, who got to live in a generic high-class neighbourhood when the city council found out their old home was on top of a toxic waste dump. There were some differences, mostly in that unlike the Beverly Hillbillies the Flodders, particularly the oldest son and 'protagonist' Jonny, were small-time criminals. And rather than any overly honest or practical mentality, it was often their crooked schemes that got the plot rolling. But what it does have in common is that while the show did portray them as crooks, they tended to more sympathetic than their upper-class neighbours. They tended to be a lot more relatable than the hypocritic and posh people who surrounded them, especially in the movies.
If you wanted more comedy behind their simplistic ideals, you should have brought up Elly's lace trimmed double barreled slingshot (aka, her bra).
Again, this is something I've been saying for a while. Jed was loaded, but always more than willing to help and give his money away and pay his taxes. He avoided using servants. He kept a movie studio around even his banker bought it for the land to build condos. Hell he was once willing to donate millions directly to the government in the name of fighting smog. As long as Jed could hunt, farm, and whittle with good company, and maybe some of Ganny's "rhumitism medicine" he didn't need money. He was rich enough. Take that 1%ers. Here's the guy you like to think you are.
Okay, some plots were gimmicky, and a lot of the last season was painful, but I still have a soft spot for it.
Again, this is something I've been saying for a while. Jed was loaded, but always more than willing to help and give his money away and pay his taxes. He avoided using servants. He kept a movie studio around even his banker bought it for the land to build condos. Hell he was once willing to donate millions directly to the government in the name of fighting smog. As long as Jed could hunt, farm, and whittle with good company, and maybe some of Ganny's "rhumitism medicine" he didn't need money. He was rich enough. Take that 1%ers. Here's the guy you like to think you are.
Okay, some plots were gimmicky, and a lot of the last season was painful, but I still have a soft spot for it.
Please. Jethro was the weakest of the 4. Elly continuiously beat him up. One episode had her date a weightlifer and she lifted his 200 pound barbells like plastic patio furniture. Granny once beat up the number one kartae champion in the world hired as a bodygurad for their banker. Jed never showed a temper on screen, but it was implied he had the same muscle.lacktheknack said:Meh, I'm not sure what he's on about. Jethro was enormously strong, yes, but Granny, Jed and Ellie May didn't have any "superpowers" to speak of.Electromagnet said:
OT: I LOVED THIS SHOW AS A KID!
Then of course they all could shoot flies with a shotgun at 300 yards. The joke was that gopher in the opening was the only shot Jed ever missed.
Very cool stuff today. I loved the Beverly Hillbillies. Growing up in rural West Virginia, the show was a staple of my childhood. I'm going to have to hunt down a few episodes. Internet, don't fail me now.
