Hillbilly Surprise

Let me tell you all a story ’bout a man named Jed. … But I warn ya, it doesn’t end the way I expected.

I loved “The Beverly Hillbillies” when I was a little kid. This is back in the days when I was always barefoot and dirty from running across the gravel road to play under the apple tree. My hair was usually in ponytails, a futile effort to keep it from getting tangled into knots, which it always did.

I ate dinner on a TV tray in the living room, so I could watch the Hillbillies while I ate. I sang along to the opening song, then waved back at them during the end credits. I remember my dad would always threaten me that if I didn’t eat my vegetables, I couldn’t wave at Granny at the end, so I shoveled in mouthfuls of hated peas at the last minute.

The other night, I was browsing Roku and stumbled onto the show. If any of my family had been around, I’d have passed it by, but since I was alone, I thought why not?

A few seconds in, there was old Jed with his trusty Winchester. When the song started, I was 4 years old again.

Come and listen to a story ’bout a man named Jed …

You know the song, right? All the way through to:

So they loaded up the truck and they moved to Beverly … Hills, that is. Swimming pools, movie stars.

The Beverly Hillbillies!

Cue the awesome Earl Scruggs banjo solo.

Come along and visit with the Clampett family as they take you to their mansion in the hills of Beverly. And when they do …

Wait. What? There’s ANOTHER lyric?

I hit the rewind button, turned on closed captions, and watched in amazement.

Those Clampetts were riding down the strip in their old ’21 Oldsmobile. Then the camera shows them driving past a panel van with an interesting ad on the side.

Come along and visit with the Clampett family as they take you to their mansion in the hills of Beverly.
And when they do, you’ll run into a friend of theirs you’ve met.
That good ol’ friend with filtered blend –
Winston cigarette!

Holy crap. I had no idea.

Keep those things away from Granny’s still!