The Beverly Hillbillieswas a hilarious show when it aired, and the funniest episodes still hold up even half a century later. BeforeThe Beverly Hillbilliespremiered in 1962,American sitcoms tended to be more traditional, with settings that viewers would be better able to relate to, like inThe HoneymoonersandI Love Lucy.The Beverly Hillbilliesfeels more like a modern sitcom in some respects, with a goofy and unique setup powering the series as well as many of the jokes.For nine seasons, the Clampettsgot into all kinds of hijinks in their fancy new duds.
InThe Beverly Hillbillies, the Clampett family of the Ozark Mountains of Missouri strike oil, netting themselves a tidy multimillion-dollar profit, enough to allow the extended family to move to the ritzy Beverly Hills neighborhood in California. There, their unsophisticated, simple, and neighborly lifestyle clashes with the fast-paced and often superficial world of LA. It’s a fish-out-of-water story where the fish are more comfortable than you would expect. There have been some great episodes ofThe Beverly Hillbillies, butthese five stand out as the funniest episodes the show ever produced.
5Jed Becomes A Banker
Season 1, Episode 24
In “Jed Becomes a Banker”, Jed Clampett (Buddy Ebsen) is invited to work with Mr. Drysdale (Raymond Bailey) at the bank when he decides he needs a partner in the company’s upcoming skeet shooting competition. While Jed is a natural skeet shooter, his aptitude for banking is wanting. However, this proves to be less of a problem than you might think, becauseone of the recurring jokes in the episode is that the other bigwigs at the bank rarely show up to work, and when they do, they don’t have a clue about what their jobs are.
Putting Jed in the middle of this upperclass world leads to lots of funny misunderstandings, and as Mr. Drysdale is one of the few hard-working executives at the bank, seeing his increasing frustration is hilarious. It’s also a timeless commentary on the role of executives at some big companies that someone with no experience can come in and fit in right away.
4The Clampetts Entertain
Season 1, Episode 31
A lot of the comedy inThe Beverly Hillbilliescomes from the misunderstandings that arise from the Clampetts not understanding the finer points of upper class life. They’re simple folk who treat everyone just the same, and the idea of trying to impress someone is completely alien to them. In “The Clampetts Entertain,” the family decides to throw a party for Granny (Irene Ryan) and invites the Drysdales and the chairman of Mr. Drysdale’s bank, Marty Van Ransohoff (Jim Backus).
It’s always funny when a new character gets roped into the Clampett’s world, and when Mr. Drysdale is uncomfortable, it’s even funnier.
Mr. Drysdale left out most of the details about the Clampetts when he pitched the Clampett account to the bank, and now worries their lifestyle will offend him. However, like always, the Clampetts come out on top and manage to impress Marty, who thinks he’s attending a hillbilly-themed party. It’s always funny when a new character gets roped into the Clampett’s world, and when Mr. Drysdale is uncomfortable, it’s even funnier.
3Jed Saves Drysdale’s Marriage
Season 1, Episode 18
The Clampetts make Mr. Drysdale’s life harder at times, but they’ve also been known to help him now and then. However, often they are only lending a hand because they messed something up in the first place. In “Jed Saves Drysdale’s Marriage”, a misunderstanding leads to Jed and the Clampetts believing that Mr. Drysdale is interested in Jed’s cousin, Pearl (Bea Benaderet). Of course, Mr. Drysdale is married and uninterested in Pearl, but that doesn’t stop Jed from trying to “help” his friend.
The constant misunderstandings are hilarious on their own, but this episode is also a showcase of why Bea Benaderet is so great in her role as the scheming cousin of the Clampetts. We get her yodeling and her never-ending pursuit of a husband, both iconic aspects of the character. The more characters in an episode the better, helping make this one of the funnier episodes ofThe Beverly Hillbillies.
2The Giant Jackrabbit
Season 2, Episode 16
The titular giant jackrabbit in “The Giant Rabbit” is not a bunny at all; it’s a kangaroo. When Granny complains that there are no animals to cook with since they’ve all been made pets, a friend of Mr. Drysdale plays a prank and leaves a kangaroo at the Clampett’s house. Granny mistakes the animal for a giant jackrabbit, but every time she tries to show someone the animal, it ends up hopping away, leading people to assume that Granny’s been having a bit too much of the moonshine.
Sharon Tate guest stars as Janet Trego; her third appearance as the character, and fourth appearance (of 13) on the show.
It’s a classic sitcom trope to have everyone narrowly avoid seeing what one person is seeing, andThe Beverly Hillbilliesuses this to hilarious effect. Granny is a great character to have encountered the kangaroo, and her frustration with having no one believe her is only topped by the boxing match she has with the “jackrabbit” at the end of the episode.
1The Clampetts Get Psychoanalyzed
Season 1, Episode 33
“The Clampetts Get Psychoanalyzed” is a very contemporary episode, not just because it features a psychiatrist, but because the episode looks at each member of the Clampetts with a critical eye that has a meta-quality to it. In the episode, the Clampetts go to visit Dr. Eugene Twombly (Herbert Rudley), a psychiatrist who attempts to uncover the “real” Clampetts. The cynical, modern Dr. Twombly refuses to believe the family can be as ridiculous and happy as they claim.
It’s a great and hilarious way to poke fun at the very conceit ofThe Beverly Hillbillies. The Clampetts are ridiculous, and if you met them in real life, you would probably assume they’re hiding something. However,the Clampetts are who they are and wear their hearts on their sleeves. Their honesty and openness are so foreign to a learned man like Dr. Twombly that he can’t wrap his head around it. It’s the Clampetts at their funniest and the episode shows how the makers ofThe Beverly Hillbillieswere well aware of what made their show so great.
