Characters / The Beverly Hillbillies

Jed Clampett

Jedidiah "Jed" Clampett

Played By: Buddy Ebsen (series), Jim Varney (1993 film)

The apparent head of the family. A good-natured man with some common sense, but he's also an expert marksman.

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• Action Dad: He is a well-seasoned man and can still wield a shotgun with precise skill.
• Beware the Nice Ones: He is genuinely a well-meaning, friendly Southerner... but you don't want to see him when he gets angry.
• Bumbling Dad: Averted as Jed, despite his quirks, is a very good father to Elly May and a good father figure to his nephew.
• Catchphrase: "Wellllll Doggies!", "Y'all come back now, y'hear?"
• Doting Parent: Elly May is the apple of his eye.
• Gold Digger: Once or twice, Jed has attracted these kind of women after they discover that he is worth millions and most of the plot is having the rest of the family trying to protect him from being swindled by them.
• Good Parents: As shown above, Jed is a very loving family man and in his own way, is a good father to his daughter and nephew. If anything, he is considerably a more competent parent than Mrs. Drysdale who spoils her own son rotten and who has been a college sophomore for almost 20 years.
• Deep South: It's implied that he and his family are from Tennessee.
• Family Man: And how!
• I Want Grandkids: While never outright spoken, Jed does want Elly May to settle down and get married to a good man and has even tried to set her up.
• Mistaken for Servant: More than once Jed and his family have been mistaken for being employees of his own estate.
• Nice Guy: Jed is a good-natured man and a loving family man.
• Papa Wolf: He is very protective of his family, especially his daughter Elly May.
• Poor Judge of Character: The worst trait of Jed is that he is too trusting and due to his uneducated upbringing, doesn't always see the bad in people. There is also his relationship with Mr. Drysdale, whom Jed sees as a trusted friend, unaware that the only reason Drysdale keeps sucking up to Jed is to keep Jed's fortune in his bank.
• Rags to Riches: The whole series starts when Jed strikes oil on his property and moves his family to Beverly Hills once he became rich.
• Remarrying for Your Kids: The 1993 film had Jed try to search for a wife because he feels Elly May needs a mother figure to help her become a lady.
• Rich Boredom: Jed Clampett never truly comes to grasp with his wealth and the high lifestyle of Beverly Hills and still seems to prefer the simple lifestyle he grew up with.
• Rich in Dollars, Poor in Sense: Jed, due to his upbringing, isn't much of a businessman and it is mostly Mr. Drysdale who "makes investments in his name".
• Smarter Than You Look: Although he doesn't have a lot of book-learnin', Jed has a lot of natural cunning and perception, and routinely outsmarts people who assume that he's dumb because of his rural upbringing.
• Southern Gentleman: Jed's manners and appearance leave a lot to be desired but he is genuinely polite, helpful and can be charming in his own way.

Granny Moses

Daisy Mae "Granny" Moses

Played By: Irene Ryan (series), Cloris Leachman (1993 film)

The cantankerous mother-in-law of Jed and grandmother of Elly May. A shotgun-wielding old woman with a nostalgia for the Confederate States of America.

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• Apron Matron: An early television example.
• Berserk Button: Don't try to convince her that the South lost the Civil War.
  • Likewise, don't say anything negative about Jefferson Davis, whom she regards with high esteem.
• Catchphrase: "JED! JED! JED!"
• Cool Old Lady: Despite being cranky, Granny can be fun.
• Good Is Old-Fashioned: Her view of things.
• Grumpy Old Man: A female version. She is very cranky, quick to judge and habitually has her hand on her shotgun.
• Hillbilly Moon Shiner: She has a stilt in the backyard and makes her own "medicine".
• I Want Grandkids: She is very anxious for Elly May to settle down and get married.
• Jerk with a Heart of Gold: She portrays a lot of "tough love". She can be a blunt, rough, cranky, and quick to judge lady but it's clear she does love her grandkids and cares about Jed's well-being and fathering.
• Mama Bear: A grandmotherly version. Despite being harsh with them, she loves her family and anyone who tries to mess with them will have to deal with HER.
• The Match Maker: When she is not brewing her "medicine", she is busy trying to find a husband for Elly May and, less often, a wife for Jed.
• Mistaken for Servant: More than once she and the family have been mistaken for being employees of their own estate.
• Mood Whiplash: She tends to get frustrated with Jethro and/or Mrs. Drysdale every now and then (sometimes for no reason), and moments later, she'll show tears of sorrow.
• Never Mess with Granny: Those who do end up learning a VERY painful lesson.
• Nostalgia Filter: She really prefers the "old, back home" way of things compared to how things are in Beverly Hills.
• Older Is Better: She certainly thinks so.
• Racist Grandma: Due to Values Dissonance, she is against "Indians".
• Rich Boredom: Like Jed, she doesn't care much for the posh lifestyle and prefers sticking to her roots.
• Sitcom Arch-Nemesis: With Margaret Drysdale.
• Screw Politeness, I'm a Senior!: She is a very sour, sharp-tongued senior woman.

Elly May Clampett

Elly May Clampett

Played By: Donna Douglas (series), Erika Eleniak (1993 film)

The beautiful but tomboyish only daughter of Jed. She is more interested in "critters and rassling" than in traditional lady like activities.

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• Action Girl: A classic television example, especially considering the era. Elly May is very strong and can easily over power anyone who threatens her.
• Cute Bruiser: A beautiful, sweet girl who can easily overpower even a large man.
• Bratty Teenage Daughter: Avoided since Elly May is as sweet as possible, although she can be rather impulsive.
• Beauty, Brains, and Brawn: The beauty and brawn to Jane's brains.
• Beauty Equals Goodness: She is beautiful and a genuinely sweet girl.
• Daddy's Girl: She is the apple of Jed's eye.
• Dumb Blonde: She's not exactly dumb, but she can be naïve and gullible due to her upbringing and lack of formal education.
• Everyone Loves Blondes: She has a lot of men who come a courtin'.
• Farmer's Daughter: She is an early television example.
• Feminine Women Can Cook: More "Unfeminine Women Can't Cook", as it's implied that her lackluster cooking skills is due to her tomboyish nature.
• Friend to All Living Things: Elly May is phenomenally good with animals. She even got a bird and a cat to get along.
• Girlish Pigtails: Her hairstyle of choice.
• Hair of Gold, Heart of Gold: She is blonde, pretty and as sweet as a basket of puppies!
• Head-Turning Beauty: Sonny's reaction upon seeing her for the first time.
• Indifferent Beauty: She is quite a looker, but she doesn't seem to care too much.
• Lethal Chef: She is a terrible cook, even by the Clampetts' strange standards. Her biscuits and donuts are hard as a rock and just as heavy. One episode sees her make a meatloaf in the shape of a giant meatball. Said meatloaf bounces like a basketball.
  • Her ladyfingers are actually hard enough to be used as bullets.
• Marry for Love: She seems to believe in this. She once rejected Mr. Drysdale's stepson's proposal because she didn't love him and knew he didn't love her.
• Missing Mom: Elly May's mother died some time before the start of the series.
• Mistaken for Servant: More than once she and the family have been mistaken for being employees of their own estate.
• Ms. Fanservice: Buxom, leggy and frequently dressed to show off both. Decades later, and she's still a mainstay on "sexiest TV stars ever" lists.
• Odd Friendship: Despite their different personalities and lifestyles, she and Jane are good friends.
• One of the Boys: Much to her father and especially Granny's disappointment.
• Plucky Girl
• Proper Lady: Some episodes have Jed and Granny trying to mold her into this but with no success.
• She Cleans Up Nicely: She is cute even in her hick clothes but when she does dress up, she's a knockout!
• Southern Belle
• Socialite: Not by her own nature, but some episodes have the Clampetts or the Drysdales try and transform her into one to better fit in in Beverly Hills/find a husband.
• Statuesque Stunner: Pretty tall and outright gorgeous.
• Tomboy with a Girly Streak: She is a tomboy but she is not too repulsed by the idea of wearing dresses or cooking. The latter is to her family's dismay.
• The Ugly Guy's Hot Daughter: While Jed isn't exactly ugly, just old and gruff, Elly May is very beautiful.
• Unkempt Beauty
• Unwillingly Girly Tomboy: A downplayed version, Elly May will wear dresses when asked but she is more interested in animals and fighting than typical socialite activities.

Jethro Bodine

Jethro Bodine

Played By: Max Baer (series), Ray Young (Return of the Beverly Hillbillies), Diedrich Bader (1993 film)

Jed's nephew and Elly May's cousin. Described as naive, ignorant, and pompous. Stays in the city to seek better education and job offers. Can't seem to settle down in any job.

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• Big Eater: He is the biggest eater in the family and is always eagerly waiting for granny to make something to eat.
• Casanova Wannabe: He fancies himself a ladies' man, although he is unaware that most girls aren't that impressed with him, with Jane being a consistent exception.
• Character Exaggeration: Jethro is considerably dumber even to breech of appearing to have some form of learning disability (mentally deficient) in the 1993 film, and is also a Perpetual Smiler simpleton.
• Desperately Looking for a Purpose in Life: Most episodes have Jethro try out a new career, mostly just to impress and meet girls. Some of them include becoming an actor, movie producer, bank president, Marine, just to name a few. He always tends to quit at the end of the episode.
• Flanderization: Jethro becomes more obsessed with pop culture and becoming a big star as the series goes on.
• Ignorant of Their Own Ignorance: Assumes that since he took twice as long to get through the sixth grade (12 years), that makes him twice as smart as everyone else.
• Kindhearted Simpleton: He is ignorant and naive but not a bad person.
• Manchild: Jethro, although it's because of his unbridled enthusiasm for the family's new lavish lifestyle and his lack of education.
• Nepotism: The only reason he can even get started on half of his crazy schemes and find new jobs is due to his relation to Jed and Mr. Drysdale's obsessive need to please the man.
• Oblivious to Love: He is unaware of Jane's obvious crush on him.
• Unresolved Sexual Tension: Unresolved for most of the series' run is the one-sided sexual tension that Jane feels for Jethro. Oddly enough, Jethro seemed aware of Jane's feelings when they first got to know each other, but this was completely forgotten by the next episode and remained forgotten.

Milburn Drysdale

Milburn Drysdale

Played By: Raymond Bailey (series), Dabney Coleman (1993 film)

The next-door-neighbor, confidant and banker of the Clampetts. He is a greedy little man with a very unhealthy obsession with money. Heis willing to put a lot of effort to keep the Clampett account for his bank.

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• Awful Wedded Life: He has a bad marriage with his snobby wife and he can't stand his immature mama's boy of a college stepson, particularly for being idle, spoiled, wasting money, and having very little to show for his college years. He is always driven up the wall with their frivolous ways.
• Big Fancy House: He owns the mansion right next door to the Clampetts'.
• Characterization Marches On: Originally, Mr. Drysdale was a responsible, intelligent banker. However, in later years he turns into a odious, deceitful, moneygrubbing maniac.
  • This was actually reverted in the 1993 film, where he's back to being a relatively responsible banker (as his employee is the one scheming to steal the Clampetts' fortune).
• Corrupt Corporate Executive: He is the President of the Commerce Bank where the Clampetts keep their fortune. He is also very greedy, selfish and obsessed with money and treats his employees rather poorly.
• Everybody Has Standards: He is understandably exasperated with his spoiled, irresponsible stepson and cuts him off after going to college for 19 YEARS and tries to push him into the working world against his equally spoiled wife's wishes. He also is exasperated by his wife's own snobbishness.
• Flanderization: In the early episodes, he was a somewhat opportunistic man who was still reasonable and tolerant of the Clampetts. Over the seasons, his unhinged greed became his only defining trait.
• Get-Rich-Quick Scheme: He regularly has them, often using the Clampett's to "invest" in them. Especially jarring since he is already very rich and he usually makes the investments without consulting them first.
• Glad I Thought of It: Whenever one of his schemes seems to be going his way, he always takes the credit, whether or not it was him or Ms. Hathaway who thought it up.
• Gold Digger: A unique and downplayed example. He is always thrilled at the prospect of one of the Clampetts especially Elly May, marrying a rich suitor since he believes he would believe it would increase the already astronomical Clampett account he manages in his bank.
  • Alternatively, he is willing to PROTECT the Clampett's from these kinds of people, albeit it's mostly because he's worried over their finances more than anything.

• Henpecked Husband: His wife is always nagging him, especially about the Clampetts, and rarely does he manage to truly stand up to her.
• Jerkass
• Manchild: One episode shows that he watches cartoons.
• Meal Ticket: He already has the very large Clampett account in his bank but that won't stop him from trying to set up Elly May or Jed with an equally wealthy person to increase the holdings, or to ensure that they stay in Beverly Hills forever.
• Morally Bankrupt Banker: One of the earliest classic television examples. All Mr. Drysdale cares about is keeping their money in his bank. He undergoes a character arc over the course of the series; he goes from shallow (before meeting the Clampetts, he says he'll get along fine with them because "they're my kind of people — they're loaded") to being charmed by the Clampetts' folksy ways in contrast to his snobbish wife, to devolving back into this trope by the end. In way it makes sense; by that point, he's reinvested all their money, which makes up the vast majority of his bank's holdings; them trying to pull out would create a one-man run on his bank and ruin him for life.
• Money Fetish: He has it BAD. An example is that whenever he fantasizes about a woman's figure, he is talking about the kind she keeps in the BANK VAULT.
• Never My Fault: Whenever one of his schemes fails, he always blames Ms. Hathaway, whether or not she actually thought of it.
• No Accounting for Taste: It is never made clear exactly WHY an opportunistic, profit obsessed bank president married an impoverished Bostonian blue blood woman who sees non-blue bloods as her and her son's inferior. He himself seems astonished that she married the woman.
• Nobility Marries Money: He has this with his wife Margaret, in a way.
• Shipper on Deck: He wanted his stepson Sonny to marry Elly May in order to get a closer hand to the Clampett fortune and also for Sonny to "pay him back" for putting him through college for over a DECADE.
  • Basically he is this to any wealthy individual for the Clampetts just for the sake of increasing the Clampett fortune in HIS bank.
• Unwanted Spouse: He has a poor relationship with his snooty, blue blood with Margaret.

Margaret Drysdale

Margaret Drysdale

Played By: Harriet MacGibbon (series), Penny Fuller (1993 film)

Milburn's wife and the mother of Sonny. A haughty member of one of Boston's oldest families, she frequently acts like a blue blood, forgetting her father had lost his fortune. She absolutely LOATHES the Clampetts and often schemes to get them out of Beverly Hills, not caring that they are her husband's most important depositors.

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• Adaptational Nice Guy: While the jury's out on whether or not she likes them, Mrs. Drysdale is considerably more polite and friendly to the Clampetts in the 1993 film. She and her husband seem to have less of an Awful Wedded Life as well.
• Aristocrats Are Evil: While calling her evil is a stretch, Mrs. Drysdale is a very spoiled, haughty and shallow woman and hates the Clampetts with a passion. The status of her blueblood lineage is also questionable as well.
• Awful Wedded Life: She and her husband are always at each other's throats, especially about the Clampett clan.
• Big Fancy House: She and her husband own the mansion right next door to the Clampetts'. She also owns a home in Boston where she spends a good deal of time at.
• Dating What Daddy Hates: She strongly opposes her son's interest in a bumpkin like Elly May.
• Doting Parent: She spoils her son Sonny rotten.
• Gold Digger: It's made clear that she only married Mr. Drysdale for his money.
• Grand Dame: She is very rich and a large set woman.
• High-Class Gloves: Regularly wears them.
• Hypocrite: She once told her husband that money isn't important with a straight face...only to get pale when he threatened to cut her off. She also looks down on the Clampetts due to their rural upbringing and believes they don't belong with "The High Class", but she doesn't admit that her own family lost their fortune (and possibly their pedigree) and it's only through her marriage to Milburn that she still retains her lifestyle.
• Idle Rich: She is very against working for money and looks down on people who do.
• Impoverished Patrician: She is from an old blue blood family who lost their fortune and married Milburn to get it back.
• My Beloved Smother: She is this to her son Sonny.
• No Accounting for Taste: It is never made clear exactly why an opportunistic, profit obsessed bank president married an impoverished Bostonian Blue Blood woman who sees non-blue bloods as her and her son's inferior.
• Nobility Marries Money: Her marriage to Milburn, in a way.
• Old Money: She constantly reminds people that her ancestors came on the Mayflower.
• Pretty in Mink: She owns a variety of expensive fur coats.
• Pride
• Professional Butt-Kisser: She is this to whatever visiting nobleman or woman comes to Beverly Hills or to other blue bloods.
• Rich Bitch: That's putting it mildly.
• Remarrying for Your Kids: In Sonny's début episode, she told him that she only remarried in order to preserve their high-class lifestyle for him.
• Rich in Dollars, Poor in Sense: She considerably has it even worse than the Clampetts. Her goal is to drive them out of Beverly Hills by any means necessary, even though her husband constantly reminds her that they are his biggest depositors and losing their account could very well ruin his business.
• Sitcom Arch-Nemesis: With Granny.
• Small Name, Big Ego: She still believes that her blue blood makes her superior even to other millionaires.
• Snobs Vs Slobs: She truly hates the Clampetts.
• Social Climber: She will do anything to get to the top of high society and stay there.
• Socialite: She is obsessed with being this.
• Upper-Class Twit: She is very wealthy but due to being Rich in Dollars, Poor in Sense, she is prone to this as well.

Sonny Drysdale

Sonny Drysdale

Played By: Louis Nye

Son of Margaret and stepson of Milburn. A thirty-something college student who is infatuated with Elly.

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• All Take and No Give: Basically every relationship he has ever had is this. He fully expects everyone to cater to his every whim, his family to support him both financially and for ego nourishment and absolutely refuses to see anyone as his equal.

• Chuck Cunningham Syndrome: He is absent in the 1993 film and replaced with a high school-aged boy named Morgan who is implied to be Mr. Drysdale's natural child. The boy also has a crush on Elly May to boot.
• Dating What Daddy Hates: His mother strongly opposes his interest in Elly May.
• Desperately Looking for a Purpose in Life: He has been going to college for many years in order to "find himself".
• Everyone Loves Blondes: He is very taken with Elly May.
• Hypocrite: He claims to hate money and says he doesn't care about economics but he absolutely loathes the idea of earning a living and whines whenever his stepfather threatens to cut him off.
• I Can Change My Beloved: He is only interested with Elly because he sees her as a chance to mold himself a "perfect woman".
• Idle Rich: He absolutely is repulsed by the idea of working and it's implied that the only reason he keeps going to college is to have an excuse not to do it.

• Ivy League for Everyone: In spite of having no academic talent, Sonny Drysdale is a graduate of several Ivy League colleges (Dartmouth, Yale and Harvard, to name a few).
• Lazy Bum: He has never worked a day in his life and doesn't plan to until Milburn outright forced him to get a job selling door to door.
• Love at First Sight: More like LUST at first sight. He was against the idea of a blind date with Elly May until he got a good look at her in a swimsuit.
• Manchild: He still lives with and depends on his mother and stepfather for everything, he has been going to college for nearly 20 years and he constantly throws tantrums when he doesn't get his way.
• Momma's Boy: He is practically a textbook case.
• Narcissist: He is really full of himself and sees himself as God's gift to women.
• Proper Lady: He is very interested in transforming Elly May into one.
• Rich in Dollars, Poor in Sense: Even worse than his mother.
• Shipper on Deck: Mr. Drysdale wanted him to marry Elly May in order to get a closer hand to the Clampett fortune and also for Sonny to "pay him back" for putting him through college for over a DECADE.
• Spoiled Brat: In spades!
• Taking Advantage of Generosity: He is in his 30's and has been mooching off his stepdad all his life.
• Ungrateful Bastard: He doesn't care about his stepfather Milburn, despite the fact that he has been mooching off of him for years and the man has put him through college for almost 2 DECADES! He still has the nerve to act like a brat to the man.

Jane Hathaway

Jane Hathaway

Played By: Nancy Kulp (series), Lily Tomlin (film)

Mr. Drysdale's long suffering but loyal and efficient secretary. Though she reluctantly carries out his wishes, she is genuinely fond of the Clampett family and tries to shield them from her boss's greed.

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• Affectionate Nickname: Not exactly a nickname but The Clampetts always call her "Miss Jane".
• All Women Are Lustful: She is very hot for Jethro for most of the series and has expressed interest in some other handsome men as well.
• Beauty, Brains, and Brawn: The brains to Elly May's beauty and brawns.
• Big Sister Instinct: She genuinely cares about Elly May and has her best interests at heart. One episode even had her posing as a fashion critic when Elly started private school and lied to the other students that her hick clothes were the latest fashion statement in order to protect Elly from being rejected by the other students.
• George Jetson Job Security: In the 1993 film, Mr. Drysdale briefly fires Miss Hathaway for falsely sending the Clampetts to jail, only to be rehired when Jed wants her to keep her employment. Throughout the series, Mr. Drysdale will fire her, and then moments later, he'll hire her back, particularly when he needs her to do some dirty work.
• Hollywood Homely: Poor, poor Jane.
• Lethal Chef: Season 3's "Flatt, Clampett & Scruggs" suggests Jane is no better a cook than Elly May and Jethro, as her attempt to make biscuits and gravy have one biscuit turn out rubbery, another one bouncing and Jethro's spoon is stuck in the gravy (though Jethro concedes that her biscuits came out better than his).
• Odd Friendship: Despite their different personalities and lifestyles, Jane and Elly May are good friends.
  • If anything, she is probably the most genuine friend they have in Beverly Hills, with even Granny liking her and they see her as part of the family.
• Old Maid: She is nearing middle age and she does have an interest of settling down, usually with Jethro in mind.
• She Cleans Up Nicely: She is a little plain looking but when she does dress up, she is quite lovely.
• Token Good Team Mate: She is the nicest and most moral member of the Commerce Bank crew.
• Unresolved Sexual Tension: Unresolved for most of the series' run is the one-sided sexual tension that Jane feels for Jethro. Oddly enough, Jethro seemed aware of Jane's feelings when they first got to know each other, but this was completely forgotten by the next episode and remained forgotten.

Pearl Bodine

Pearl Bodine

Played By: Bea Benaderet (series), Linda Carlson (1993 film)

The mother of Jethro and Jethrine and Jed's cousin. It was her idea to move the family out to Beverly Hills and convince Jed to do so. An aspiring yodeling singer, she is unaware that no one really likes it. She has a bit of a rivalry with Granny.

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• Abhorrent Admirer: She was very interested in Mr. Brewster who had no interest in her.
• Acquired Situational Narcissism: A very downplayed version. She was the most excited by the family's new wealth, wouldn't stop prodding Jed into moving to Beverly Hills and had a desire to move there herself as well as she felt that the family shouldn't keep living such a hick lifestyle.
• Deep South: She still lives in the Clampetts home town and often visits with Jethrine.
• Dreadful Musician: Her singing has caused some people to complain more than once.
• Wacky Parent, Serious Child: Inverted with her son Jethro. She is the serious one and Jethro being wacky is putting it mildly.