80 Beverly Hillbillies Trivia Questions and Answers (The Clampetts & Cement Pond)

It opens with a banjo and a tall tale. A poor mountaineer named Jed is out hunting, misses his shot, and up through the ground comes a-bubblin' crude. A few lines of song later the whole family has loaded up the truck and moved to Beverly — Hills, that is.

For nine seasons the Clampetts called their swimming pool a “cement pond,” mistook a billiard table for a “fancy eatin' table,” and quietly outdrew every other show on television. Pull a rocker up to the fireplace and see how much of the Clampett mansion you still carry with you. When you're done here, mosey over to our Andy Griffith Show trivia questions and answers or our classic TV trivia questions and answers.

The Show Itself

1. On what network did The Beverly Hillbillies air?

CBS.

2. In what year did the show premiere?

1962 — its first episode aired on September 26, 1962.

3. And when did the series end?

1971, with its final episode on March 23 of that year.

4. How many seasons did it run?

Nine.

5. Roughly how many episodes were made in all?

274.

6. Who created the series?

Paul Henning.

7. Which company produced the show?

Filmways, in association with CBS.

8. How did the show finish in the national ratings in its first two seasons?

Number one — it was the most-watched program in the entire country.

9. For how many of its nine seasons did it stay in the top 20?

Eight.

10. How did the critics greet it when it premiered?

They largely panned it — the audience disagreed completely.

The Ballad of Jed Clampett

11. What is the show's theme song called?

“The Ballad of Jed Clampett.”

12. Who wrote it?

Paul Henning, the show's creator.

13. Which famous bluegrass duo recorded it?

Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs.

14. Who sang the vocal?

Jerry Scoggins.

15. How high did the record climb on the Billboard country chart?

All the way to number one.

16. How many weeks did it spend at the top?

Three.

17. What distinction did it earn in music history?

It was the first bluegrass record ever to top the Billboard country chart.

How It All Began

18. Where did the Clampetts live before they struck it rich?

The Ozark Mountains.

19. What was Jed doing when he discovered oil?

Shooting at a rabbit — his missed shot brought up the “bubblin' crude.”

20. Where did the family move once the money came in?

Beverly Hills, California.

21. What was the name of the oil executive who leased Jed's land?

John Brewster, from Tulsa.

22. By 1969, how large was the Clampett fortune said to be?

Ninety-six million dollars.

23. What did the Clampetts call their swimming pool?

The “cement pond.”

24. What did they mistake their billiard table for?

A “fancy eatin' table.”

25. What was the family's word for food?

“Vittles.”

Jed Clampett

26. Who played Jed Clampett?

Buddy Ebsen.

27. Was Jed married during the series?

No — he was a widower.

28. What was the name of Jed's late wife?

Rose Ellen.

29. Which famous 1939 film role did Buddy Ebsen nearly play?

The Tin Man in The Wizard of Oz. He and Ray Bolger had swapped the Scarecrow and Tin Man parts, but the aluminum dust in the Tin Man makeup coated Ebsen's lungs and made him so ill he had to leave the picture; Jack Haley took over.

30. Which Disney frontier hero did Ebsen ride alongside in the 1950s?

Davy Crockett — he played Crockett's companion, Georgie Russel.

31. What detective did Ebsen play after this show?

Barnaby Jones, from 1973 to 1980.

32. What was Ebsen's profession before acting?

He was a dancer — he even danced with Shirley Temple in the 1936 film Captain January.

Granny

33. What was Granny's full name?

Daisy May Moses.

34. Who played Granny?

Irene Ryan.

35. In how many of the show's 274 episodes did Granny appear?

All of them.

36. Which family carried on a long feud with Granny's Moses clan?

The Bodkins.

37. Who was Granny's long-running backwoods rival?

Elverna Bradshaw.

38. Where did Granny's ornery rival Elverna Bradshaw hail from?

Silver Dollar City.

Elly May and Jethro

39. Who played Elly May Clampett?

Donna Douglas.

40. Whose only child was Elly May?

Jed and Rose Ellen's.

41. What did Elly May love most of all?

Her animals — her beloved “critters.”

42. What was Elly May famously bad at?

Cooking.

43. What age did Granny always insist Elly May was?

Fourteen — to keep her from being called an old maid.

44. Who played Jethro Bodine?

Max Baer Jr.

45. Whose son was Jethro?

Pearl Bodine's — and Pearl was Jed's cousin.

46. What level of schooling was Jethro so proud of?

His sixth-grade education.

47. Name a few of the grand careers Jethro dreamed up for himself.

Brain surgeon, fry cook, soda jerk, Air Force general, talent agent and Hollywood producer, among others.

48. Max Baer Jr. was the son of which famous athlete?

Heavyweight boxing champion Max Baer.

49. Which second Bodine did Max Baer Jr. also play?

Jethro's sister, Jethrine — with her voice dubbed by Linda Kaye Henning.

50. Who played Pearl Bodine?

Bea Benaderet.

The Folks in Beverly Hills

51. Who was the Clampetts' eager banker?

Milburn Drysdale.

52. What was the name of Drysdale's bank?

The Commerce Bank of Beverly Hills.

53. Who played Mr. Drysdale?

Raymond Bailey.

54. Who was Drysdale's devoted, long-suffering secretary?

Jane Hathaway — the Clampetts called her “Miss Jane.”

55. Who played Miss Jane?

Nancy Kulp.

56. What was the name of the family's faithful bloodhound?

Duke.

57. What make was the Clampetts' rickety old truck?

A 1921 Oldsmobile.

58. Where can you see that original truck today?

At the Ralph Foster Museum in Missouri.

The Clampett Legacy

59. Which two rural CBS comedies came out of the same Paul Henning world?

Petticoat Junction and Green Acres.

60. What 1981 television movie brought the family back together?

Return of the Beverly Hillbillies.

61. Who played Jed in the 1993 big-screen version?

Jim Varney.

62. Which studio released that 1993 feature film?

20th Century Fox.

Frequently asked questions

How many episodes of The Beverly Hillbillies are there?

There are 274 episodes across nine seasons, which aired on CBS from 1962 to 1971. The show was the number-one program in the country during its first two seasons, and it stayed in the top 20 for eight of its nine years.

Did the theme song really become a hit record?

It did. “The Ballad of Jed Clampett,” written by Paul Henning and recorded by Flatt and Scruggs with Jerry Scoggins on vocals, reached number one on the Billboard country chart — the first bluegrass record ever to do so.

Was Buddy Ebsen really supposed to be in The Wizard of Oz?

Yes. He was cast in the film and had taken on the Tin Man role, but the aluminum dust used in the silvery makeup coated his lungs and made him seriously ill, so he had to drop out. For more from that era, try our old TV show trivia for seniors.

What were the Clampetts' famous made-up names for everyday things?

A swimming pool was the “cement pond,” the billiard table became the “fancy eatin' table,” and dinner was always a plate of “vittles.”

Sources

• The Beverly Hillbillies — Wikipedia
• The Ballad of Jed Clampett — Wikipedia
• Buddy Ebsen — Wikipedia

How many did you get right? Play our trivia quizzes and keep the good memories rolling.