The Beverly Hillbillies is a 1993 20th Century Fox comedy motion picture starring Jim Varney, Diedrich Bader, Erika Eleniak, Cloris Leachman, Lily Tomlin, Dabney Coleman, Lea Thompson, Rob Schneider and Penny Fuller. It features cameo appearances by Buddy Ebsen (in his final motion picture appearance), Dolly Parton and Zsa Zsa Gabor. The movie was directed by Penelope Spheeris.
Based on the CBS TV sitcom, The Beverly Hillbillies, a poor hillbilly named Jed Clampett (Jim Varney) goes hunting on his land one day and becomes a billionaire when he misses an animal with his rifle and the bullet hits the ground, sending up a bubbling geyser of crude oil.
Plot
Jed Clampett (Jim Varney), a hillsman of humble means, discovers oil on his land whilst shooting at a rabbit. His missed shot causes a spontaneous eruption of several oil geysers within a few yards of one another, prompting a visitation from an oil company interested in purchasing his land. According to their estimates, there is enough oil on his land to rival Kuwait and they offer him a very generous deal for the property. His cousin, Pearl Bodine (Linda Carlson), convinces him that his daughter, Elly May (Erika Eleniak), needs to be taught "womanly ways," and so the widowed Jed, his daughter, his mother-in-law, Granny (Cloris Leachman), and his nephew, Jethro, Pearl's son (Diedrich Bader), load up the old, dilapidated truck in their home near Bugtussle, Arkansas, with Jethro driving and Granny sitting in a rocking chair elevated in back, and move to Beverly Hills.
They arrive in Beverly Hills and locate their mansion, which has been provided for them by the banker in charge of Jed's billion dollars, Milburn Drysdale (Dabney Coleman). He purchased the mansion next door to his own with the help of his secretary/assistant, Miss Jane Hathaway (Lily Tomlin). Upon arrival in their dilapidated country clothing however, the Clampetts are perceived to be transient derelicts by Miss Jane and the police are called. Sometime later their identities are discovered, and while she is prepared to resign, the Clampetts are actually touched somebody would have defended their property and she keeps her job.
When they get settled into these large and strange surroundings, the country folk are very naive with regard to life in the big city and have to contend with a serious culture clash, strange and unusual customs, and snobbish neighbors, especially Mrs. Drysdale (Penny Fuller). Mr. Drysdale pushes his reluctant son into befriending Elly May, but he quickly becomes attracted to her. At school, Elly May easily outwrestles a bully on the wrestling team, though Jed does not approve of such actions from a lady.
Wanting to make Elly May into a "sophisticated woman," Jed decides she needs a French tutor to help her acquire more ladylike ways. He also expresses a desire for a new wife, for Elly's sake. The Clampett clan, along with everyone else, set out to hunt him down a bride. Since he is filthy rich, there are plenty of women who will gladly marry Jed. Woodrow Tyler (Rob Schneider), an employee in Drysdale's bank, contrives a scheme to bilk the bumpkin hillbilly out of his millions. He gets his golddigging, con artist girlfriend, Laura Jackson (Lea Thompson), to go to the front door of the Clampett mansion posing as a French etiquette teacher, Laurette Voleur (voleur means thief in French), asking for work.
Once she is hired, Voleur lures Jed into proposing marriage and plans are set. All the Clampetts' kin from back in the hills, including Pearl and Jethro's twin sister, Jethrene Bodine (Diedrich Bader), fly to California for the wedding. Granny, however, hears Laurette Voleur and Woodrow Tyler talking about their scheme while she is brewing some moonshine. Granny reveals herself to the pair and threaten to expose their scheme to Jed. They capture her, restrain her, and take her to the Los Viejos Nursing Home, admitting her against her will. They tell the head doctor she is their grandmother who suffers from dementia. Voleur demands she be kept restrained in a straitjacket at all times because she is a danger to herself and others and that she is to be kept away from sharp objects and pay phones. The doctor says she will be a fine test patient for electro shock therapy and should be tested for rabies.
A few songs are given by Dolly Parton during Jed's birthday party.
Miss Jane, searching for a private investigator to locate Granny, goes to the offices of Barnaby Jones (Buddy Ebsen, who portrayed the original Jed Clampett in the TV series, recreating the title role of his later TV series).
During the big, elaborate wedding, Woodrow plans to transfer all of Clampett's money in Drysdale's bank to a Swiss account on his laptop computer when the couple says "I do."
However, the plot is foiled when Miss Jane finds out from Barnaby Jones that Granny is in the retirement home. Miss Jane dresses up like the new nurse and breaks in and tells the orderly that she is here for the rabies test. The orderly tells her to be careful, they had to give her electro shock therapy. She gets to Granny's room and finds her restrained in the straitjacket with her hair frizzed up from the electro shock therapy. Miss Jane unstraps her from the restraint and helps her escape from the doctor and the home. They arrive at the wedding in time to foil the plot (with a little help from Jethro's monster truck modified hot rod). The Clampetts learn that "sparking" and marrying are not the same in Beverly Hills as back home in Bugtussle.
The movie has Zsa Zsa Gabor parodying her 1989 Beverly Hills arrest, as she stands in a lineup at the police station.
The end credits are shown over various outtakes and bloopers.
Critical and box office reception
In its first weekend, The Beverly Hillbillies grossed $9,525,375 at the box-office. The total U.S. gross was $44,954,205.
Production
In the scene showing the White House (as the residence of cousin Bill), the flag on top is at half mast.
Robert Easton, who played Beau Short in an episode of the series, plays Mayor Jasper in the film.
References
External links
