The Beverly Hillbillies (1993 movie)

:For the 1960s TV series, see The Beverly Hillbillies

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The Beverly Hillbillies is a 1993 20th Century Fox comedy motion picture starring Jim Varney (of the Ernest movies), Diedrich Bader, Erika Eleniak, Cloris Leachman, Lily Tomlin, Dabney Coleman, and Penny Fuller. It features cameo appearances by Buddy Ebsen, Dolly Parton and Zsa Zsa Gabor. The movie was directed by Penelope Spheeris.

Related Topics:
1993 - 20th Century Fox - Motion picture - Jim Varney - Ernest - Diedrich Bader - Erika Eleniak - Cloris Leachman - Lily Tomlin - Dabney Coleman - Penny Fuller - Buddy Ebsen - Dolly Parton - Zsa Zsa Gabor - Penelope Spheeris

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Based on the long-running CBS TV sitcom, The Beverly Hillbillies, a poor hillbilly named Jed Clampett (played by 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 a bubbling crude of oil gushing up.

Related Topics:
CBS - TV - Sitcom - The Beverly Hillbillies - Hillbilly - Oil

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After his sister-in-law, Pearl Bodine (played by Linda Carlson), convinces the extremely rich Jed that his daughter, Elly May (played by Erika Eleniak), needs to be taught "womanly ways," the widowed Jed, his daughter, his mother-in-law, Granny (played by Cloris Leachman), and his nephew, Jethro (Pearls son, played by Diedrich Bader), load up the old, dilapidated truck and move from their home near the fictional Bugtussle, with Jethro driving and Granny sitting in a rocking chair elevated in back, to Beverly Hills, California.

Related Topics:
Linda Carlson - Beverly Hills - California

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Part of the country-meets-city humor comes when the hillbillies reach Los Angeles and an angry driver flips Jethro the finger. The hillbillies all mistakenly think that is the "Californy greeting," so they start making the obscene hand gesture to other motorists.

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Once 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 (played by Dabney Coleman), which he purchased next door to his own with the help of his secretary/assistant, Miss Jane Hathaway (played by Lily Tomlin), the Clampetts are perceived to be transient derelicts and the police are called. Miss Jane gets there and discovers their true identity as Mr. Drysdale arrives. The fawning and covetous Drysdale convinces them that all is well.

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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 (played by Penny Fuller).

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Wanting to make Elly May into a "sophisticated woman," Jed decides she needs a French lady to help her acquire more ladylike ways. He then 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 the plainspoken former coon-hunting billionaire and become Mrs. Jed Clampett. Woodrow Tyler (played by Rob Schnieder), an employee in Drysdale's bank, contrives a scheme to bilk the bumpkin hillbilly out of his billions. He gets his golddigging, con artist girlfriend, Laura Jackson (played by Lea Thompson), to go to the front door of the Clampett mansion posing as a French etiquette teacher, Laurette Voleur, asking for work.

Related Topics:
French - Rob Schnieder - Lea Thompson

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Once she is hired, Voleur lures Jed into proposing marriage and plans are set. All the Clampett's kin from back in the hills, including Pearl and Jethro's twin sister, Jethrene Bodine (also played by 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, and she jumps up and yells, "I'll tell Jed and the wedding will be off!" They grab her and quickly have her committed to a mental hospital.

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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).

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During the big, elaborate wedding, which has Dolly Parton performing as herself, country singer Dolly Parton, 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."

Related Topics:
Country - Singer - Swiss

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However, the plot is foiled when Miss Jane finds out from Barnaby Jones that Granny is in the mental hospital and helps her escape. They arrive at the wedding in time to foil the plot. The Clampetts learn that "sparking" and marrying are not the same in Beverly Hills as back home in Bugtussle.

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The movie has Zsa Zsa Gabor parodying her 1989 Beverly Hills arrest, as she stands in a lineup at the police station. Jim Varney brings to his role as Jed an air of dignity not seen in the TV series; Erika Eleniak, though she may have been cast for her other attributes, gives a good performance as airheaded Elly May; Diedrich Bader is convincing enough in his dual role, though his Jethro seems ten times stupider than he is in the TV show; and Cloris Leachman is fantastic as Granny.

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The end-credits are shown over various out-takes and bloopers.

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In its first weekend, The Beverly Hillbillies grossed $9,525,375 at the box-office. The U.S. gross alone was $41,954,205.

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