Buddy Ebsen Movies

Still riding high in the ratings after seven years on the air, The Beverly Hillbillies launches its eighth season on CBS. The festivities commence with the series' highly publicized return to its "roots": that is, the cast briefly leaves its Beverly Hills environs for an extended visit to mountain country, filmed on location at Silver Dollar City in the Missouri Ozarks. It is during this story arc that Elly May Clampett (Donna Douglas) falls in love with local boy Matthew Templeton, played by Roger Torrey. Although the romance would end before a march down the altar, actor Roger Torrey would return the following year as another of Elly's ardent suitors -- this one named Mark Templeton! The Clampetts' sojourn to Silver Dollar City also served to introduce a new recurring character: Shorty Kellems, played by Shug Fisher. Inevitably, Shorty would follow the Clampetts back to Beverly Hills, where he teams up with Jethro Bodine (Max Baer Jr.) to live the life of a "gen-u-ine" Hollywood playboy. Ultimately, this storyline segues into another continuity strand in which the Clampetts play matchmaker for Shorty and his homegrown sweetie Elverna Bradshaw (Elvia Allman) -- who just so happens to be the lifelong enemy of Granny (Irene Ryan). Elsewhere, Phil Silvers makes several guest appearances as con artist Shifty Shafer, who in an entertaining story arc lensed in New York City, manages to "sell" Central Park to the gullible Jed Clampett (Buddy Ebsen). And in another memorable multi-episode guest star turn, Soupy Sales shows up as aviator Lance Bradford, the insufferable nephew-in-law of Jed's banker Milburn Drysdale (Raymond Bailey). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Set in 1888, this tuneful fact-based Disney production concerns the attempts of a musically talented family of Dakota pioneers -- who are politically divided on the upcoming presidential election -- to wrangle an invite to that year's Democratic convention in cosmopolitan St. Louis. Incumbent Grover Cleveland is attempting to win his second straight election and is challenged by Benjamin Harrison. The results are that Cleveland won the popular vote, but Harrison won the electoral vote to be declared President of the United States. Cleveland would win the next election to become the only President to ever serve two non-consecutive terms. Walter Brennan, Buddy Ebsen, Janet Blair, Richard Deacon, Wally Cox, John Davidson and Leslie Ann Warren round out the adult cast. Along with the moppets, they sing and dance to espouse their political allegiances to the candidate of their choice. Look closely for Goldie Hawn in her first film role as a laughing chorine. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide

Season five of The Beverly Hillbillies finds the sturdy Clampett clan -- Jed (Buddy Ebsen), Elly May (Donna Douglas), Jethro (Max Baer Jr.), and Granny (Irene Ryan) -- still retaining their mountain-grown values and essential decency despite Jed's millionaire status and the family's luxurious Beverly Hills surroundings. Two of the season's best plotlines are characteristically manifested in story arcs, spread out over several successive episodes. In the first, Jed is targeted for blackmail by a pair of slick con artists, played by Leon Ames and Gayle Hunnicutt. This is followed by a farcical escapade in which Granny forces a trained gorilla (actually a costumed stunt man, played by George Barrows) to take over the chores at the Clampett estate. Otherwise, season five follows the pattern established in season four of enlivening the traditional Beverly Hillbillies nonsense with choice guest-star appearances. Veteran comic actor Charles Ruggles makes a return appearance as Mr. Farquhar, the skirt-chasing father-in-law of Jed's banker Milburn Drysdale (Raymond Bailey). Gloria Swanson plays herself in another episode, wherein the Clampetts, acting under the misapprehension that Swanson is broke, bankroll her "comeback" in a brand new silent movie (and no, William Holden did not write the screenplay). And in the episode "The Indians are Coming," John Wayne makes what must have been the best-publicized "surprise" guest appearance in TV history! But perhaps the most memorable of the guest-star turns is contributed by the voluptuous Joi Lansing, cast as the wife of country singer Lester Flatt. In "Delovely and Scruggs," Mrs. Flatt is given a Hollywood screen test, with Jed's bumptious nephew Jethro Bodine (Max Baer Jr.) launching what he hopes will be an illustrious Hollywood career as the test's director. The Beverly Hillbillies closed out its fifth season on CBS as America's seventh most popular TV series, indicating that the corn pone-comedy well had not yet run dry! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Many viewers avoided Mail Order Bride upon its first release, assuming (thanks to MGM's shoddy promotional campaign) that the picture had been slapped together to capitalize on the popularity of Beverly Hillbillies star Buddy Ebsen. In truth, the film is an engaging and involving western drama, with Ebsen playing a character far removed from Jed Clampett. The mail order bride in question is not for Ebsen but for the wild young frontiersman in his charge (Keir Dullea). It is Buddy's hope that the girl will tame the boy (the son of an old friend) and give him some sense of responsibility. Lois Nettelton is the proper young lady who fills the bill. In the closing scenes, director Burt Kennedy restages the climactic shootout from 1962's Ride the High Country, which Kennedy scripted. Mail Order Bride is not only a satisfactory vehicle for Buddy Ebsen, but it also allows him an opportunity to sing the title song. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

America's top-rated TV series The Beverly Hillbillies retained its Number One status as it entered its second season on CBS in the fall of 1963. By this time, newly-rich mountaineer Jed Clampett (Buddy Ebsen) and his family have become accustomed to their swank new Beverly Hills surroundings, but the Clampett clan's limitless wealth has not caused them to abandon their simple, basic down-home values. In other words, they may not be as bright or as well-spoken as their sophisticated neighbors, but they are essentially better and more lovable people, and will remain so as long as the series stays on the air. Although former regular Bea Benaderet had left The Beverly Hillbillies to star in her own sitcom, Petticoat Junction, the rest of the cast remains intact: the aforementioned Buddy Ebsen as Jed; Donna Douglas as Jed's wide-eyed, curvaceous, "critter"-loving daughter Elly May; Max Baer Jr. as Jed's doltish, highly impressionable nephew Jethro; Irene Ryan as Jed's nonegenarian mother-in-law Granny, still stirring up her special moonshine -- er, "rheumatizz medicine" -- and concocting mysterious mountain potions to cure all ills; Raymond Bailey as banker Milburn Drysdale, the delightfully avaricious executor of Jed's fortune; and Nancy Kulp as Drysdale's loyal secretary Miss Jane Hathaway, whose fondness for the Hillbillies in general, and Jethro in particular, is the primary motivation for her tireless efforts to help the mountaineers blend into "proper" Southern California society.
Among the subplots wending their way through the action of season two are Elly May's misadventures as the unrefined tomboy prepares for her society debut; the Clampetts' brief fling in the world of high fashion when their "Hillybilly Look" becomes all the rage amongst the wealthy Beverly Hills matrons; the "invasion" of the family's former hillbilly neighbor Lafe Crick (Peter Whitney), who shows up at the mansion for a brief visit and then refuses to leave; and of course, the never-ending efforts by Mr. Drysdale's snooty wife Margaret (Harriet MacGibbon) to oust the Clampetts from her ritzy neighborhood. According to the A.C. Nielsen Company, eight of the highest-rated TV episodes of all time were seen on The Beverly Hillbillies -- with all of these, notably the record-breaking "The Giant Jackrabbit," premiering during the series' second season. It has been theorized that the viewing public, traumatized by the then-recent assassination of John F. Kennedy, embraced The Beverly Hillbillies as an antidote for their collective grief. True or not, the fact remains that the series reached its peak popularity during its second year on the air -- much to the dismay of certain pundits who were convinced that The Beverly Hillbillies represented the end of civilization as we know it! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The first season of The Beverly Hillbillies can be regarded as a "shakedown" cruise, with the newly-rich Clampett family making first contact with the wealthy upper crust of Beverly Hills, CA, adapting to their strange but luxurious surroundings with a combination of farcical ignorance and warm-hearted common sense and decency. After striking oil on his property in the opening episode, poor-but-proud mountaineer Jed Clampett (Buddy Ebsen) is informed that his land is now valued in a "new kind of dollars" -- namely, "million" dollars (about 20 million, to be exact). On the advice of his social-climbing cousin Pearl Bodine (Bea Benaderet), Jed decides to move out of the hills and into a posh Beverly Hills mansion, taking his innocently voluptuous daughter Elly May (Donna Douglas), his elderly but feisty mother-in-law Granny (Irene Ryan) and Pearl's oafish son Jethro Bodine (Max Baer Jr.) along for the ride. Endeavoring to help the Clampett clan make the transition from abject poverty to untold wealth are Milburn Drysdale (Raymond Bailey), president of the Commerce Bank of Beverly Hills and the caretaker of Jed's fortune, and Drysdale's ultra-efficient secretary Miss Jane Hathaway (Nancy Kulp). Many of the earliest episodes are built around the Clampetts' hilarious misinterpretations of their new creature comforts: the mansion's swimming pool is referred to as "the cee-ment pond"; the billiard table is labeled "the fancy eatin' table"; the billiard cues are dubbed "pot passers"; and it takes several episodes for Jed and company to figure out where "thet music is a-comin' from" whenever somebody rings their doorbell. Meanwhile, animal-loving Elly May merrily goes about adopting as many local "critters" as she can find, the impressionable Jethro shows off the "cipherin' skills" he has accumulated as the world's oldest sixth grader (his future plans are to become either a brain surgeon or a fry-cook), and Granny crankily tries to transform her corner of Beverly Hills into a replica of her old mountain trappings, replete with a still for her "rheumatizz medicine."
Among the many subplots developed this season are Cousin Pearl's ongoing rivalry with Granny; Pearl's tireless efforts to marry off Jethro's twin sister Jethrine (also played by Max Baer Jr.), and her own furtive romance with oil-company executive John Brewster (Frank Wilcox); the Herculean efforts by Mr. Drysdale's snobbish wife Margaret (Harriet MacGibbon) to remove "those dreadful Hillbillies" from her neighborhood; and the ill-fated attempt by the Drysdale's overaged-preppy offspring Sonny Drysdale (Louis Nye) to woo and win Elly May, which nearly results in an old-fashioned shootin' feud between the Drysdales and the Clampetts! Though roundly panned by many of America's top TV critics (with such rare exceptions as the erudite Gilbert Seldes, who lauded the series for brilliantly upholding the tradition of the classic "rube outwits city slicker" stage comedies of the previous century), The Beverly Hillbillies closed out its first season as the nation's top-rated program. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Buddy Ebsen guest-stars as Dave Browne, a charming hobo who wanders into Mayberry with a glib tongue and a larcenous heart. Sheriff Andy worries that his son Opie might be falling under the indigent Dave's spell-especially after Opie begins playing hooky from school. Confronting Dave, Andy manages to convince the vagabond to do the wrong thing at the right time so that Opie will be set back on the proper path in life. First telecast on November 13, 1961, "Opie's Hobo Friend" was written by Harvey Bullock. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Those familiar with Buddy Ebsen via his amiable portrayals of Jed Clampett and Barnaby Jones will be shocked by this episode, wherein Ebsen is cast as Elmo Crane, the corrupt, psychotic and thoroughly detestable marshal of El Paso. After years of being victimized and extorted by the venal Crane, the townsfolk hire Paladin (Richard Boone) to put an end to the marshal's reign of terror. But no sooner has Paladin agreed to take the job than he is brutally pistol-whipped and cold-cocked by Crane--leading to a tense climax wherein the enraged gunslinger must figure out a way to beat the marshal at his own game. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In an idealized New York City during the early '60s, Holly Golightly (Audrey Hepburn) is a charming socialite with a youthful zest for life who lives alone in a nearly bare apartment. She has such a flippant lifestyle that she won't even give her cat a name, because that would be too much of a commitment to a relationship. Maintaining a childlike innocence yet wearing the most perfect of designer clothes and accessories from Givenchy, she spends her time on expensive dates and at high-class parties. She escorts various wealthy men, yet fails to return their affections after they have given her gifts and money. Holly's carefree independence is changed when she meets her neighbor, aspiring writer Paul (George Peppard), who is suffering from writer's block while being kept by a wealthy woman (Patricia Neal). Just when Holly and Paul are developing their sweet romance, Doc (Buddy Ebsen) appears on the scene and complicates matters, revealing the truth about Holly's past. Breakfast at Tiffany's was nominated for several Academy awards, winning Best Score for Henry Mancini and Best Song for Johnny Mercer's classic tune "Moon River". ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide

Mona Freeman makes her first series appearance as Modesty Blaine, whose gorgeous face and figure bely her larcenous nature and near-maniacal temperament. Riding into a mining camp infested with mice and other vermin, Bret (James Garner) gets involved in Modesty's scheme to purchase a pack of cats, then re-sell them to the miners. When it becomes obvious that he's been swindled, Bret tries to figure out a strategy to recoup his money, only to run afoul of a homicidal sheriff (Buddy Ebsen) and a black-clad gunslinger (Lance Fuller) who bears more than a slight resemblance to Have Gun--Will Travel's Paladin. A lively shootout in a graveyard caps this tongue-in-cheek entry, which features an amusing appearance by the ubiquitous Richard Deacon. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Frontier Rangers doesn't usually show up in the feature-film credits of director Jacques Tourneur for a very good reason: It really isn't a feature film at all. Rather, it is a pastiche of three episodes from the 1958 TV series Northwest Passage, stitched together as a feature and released theatrically in Europe. Produced by Adrian Samish and largely written by Gerald Drayson Adams, the series was based on the 1940 film of the same name, which in turn was inspired by the best-selling book by Kenneth Roberts. Keith Larsen stars as Major Robert Rogers, whose "Rangers" search tirelessly for an inland route that will permit boat travel through 18th century North America. Foremost among the troops is Rogers' old pal, Indian fighter Hunk Marriner, played by Buddy Ebsen. Guest stars in Frontier Rangers include Lisa Gaye and Angie Dickinson. The patchwork plotline is secondary to the unusually high (for a TV series) violence content. MGM released two additional ersatz Northwest Passage features for European consumption in 1959: Fury River and Mission of Danger. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Like its predecessor Davy Crockett, King of the Wild Frontier, Walt Disney's Davy Crockett and the River Pirates was cobbled together from two episodes of the weekly TV anthology Disneyland. Though it wasn't so labelled at the time, River Pirates is actually a "prequel" to the earlier film, detailing events that allegedly occured in Crockett's life before his rendezvous with destiny at the Alamo. Set in 1810, the first half of the story deals with a river race to New Orleans between Davy (Fess Parker) and his friendly enemy Mike Fink (Jeff York). Once this plot strand has run its course, the film segues into Davy and Mike's attempts to prevent an Indian war which is being fomented by a renegade white man. Linking these two episodes are the spirited ballads of Davy's pal George Russel (Buddy Ebsen). Like the first "Davy Crockett" venture, Davy Crockett and the River Pirates cleaned up at the box-office and increased department-store sales of those coonskin caps (remember?) ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

It is easy to see why the US Army refused to cooperate in the production of Attack. Based on the Norman Brooks play The Fragile Fox, this searing war film is a powerful indictment against a military system which protects even its most incompetent of officers. Eddie Albert plays a posturing but hopelessly inept infantry captain, whose misdeeds are covered up by his colonel Lee Marvin. Albert has strong political connections in the US, and Marvin hopes to take advantage of this after the war. Lieutenant Jack Palance has sworn to kill Albert with his bare hands if the officer bungles another mission. Albert orders Palance and his men into an untenable position on the battlefields of Belgium--and then, true to character, is too cowardly to send backup troops, leaving Palance's men to their fate. By sheer strength of will, Palance, whose arm has been shattered by an enemy tank, drags himself to the cellar where Albert is billeted and attempts to rid the world of the terror-stricken captain. Palance dies before he can keep his promise, but when the craven Albert makes an effort to surrender himself and his men to the Germans, he is shot down by lieutenant William Smithers. The rest of the men conspire to cover up Smithers' "crime" by claiming that Albert died from enemy fire, but Smithers proves to be less willing to prevaricate than his fellow soldiers. Though most filmgoers are mesmerized by Eddie Albert's virtuoso performance as a snivelling yellow-belly, director Robert Aldrich claimed that Albert gave his best reading during rehearsals, and that what ended up on film was nowhere near as powerful as it might have been. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide