Beverly Hillbillies, The - No Mule Deer in Tennessee
At the beginning of the show ,when the theme song is being sung, watch the cabin scene as the Clampetts are driving off. In the front of their Tennessee cabin stands a Mule Deer doe. I don't believe there are any Mule Deer in Tennessee. I can't believe anyone hasn't noticed this one before.
It wasn't actually ever said which state the Clampetts were from. It was said on many occasions that Granny was from Tennessee. She was said at times to be from Napolean, Tennessee, Mr Drysdale's family was also from Napolean, Tennessee and was a Botkins. It was also said that she was from Limestone, Tennessee ("That's Davy Crockett country.") in one of the final episodes of the series. The Clampetts did visit Silver Dollar City, but there was a Silver Dollar City in the Smoky Mountains near Pigeon Forge, Tennessee.
Quite a few references are made to areas in Eastern Tennessee, as well as Northern Arkansas and Southern Missouri, but as far as I remember Tennessee is the only state clearly stated that any of them are from, and that is usually in reference to Granny. Although on the Pat Boone episode when he tells them he is from Nashville, Tennessee Jed says "Well doggies, you're from back in our part of the country."
As to the original point, the eastern most range of mule deer appears to be the western half of the Dakota's down through the western half of Nebraska, Kansas, the Oklahoma panhandle, and west Texas. So regardless of Tennessee, Missouri, or Arkansas being the home of the Clampett clan, mule deer shouldn't be there.
While it's impressive that you knew the deer on the opening was a mule deer (I didn't know there was such a thing) and knew that there aren't any mule deers in Tennessee I would like to point out the your entire 'slip up' is in fact a slip up because The Beverly Hillbillies where from Missouri. The Ozarcs I believe. NOT TENNESSEE!! Maybe there aren't any mule deer there either!!
The Beverly Hillbillies are not from Missouri. They are from Arkansas. Whether or not there mul deer there I do not know, but it is definitely Arkansas.
I also always thought that Jed and family were from somewhere around Southwest MO or Northwest, AR. In early episodes, they talk about Jethro going to Oxford and Duke being from Oxford, which is in northcentral Arkansas. And Jed makes a note that Aunt Pearl's voice was known all the way from Oxford to Eureka Springs, which is in NW Arkansas. However, I remember shows that talk about Taney County and Silver Dollar City. GRANNY was from Napoleon, TN, and moved her family out of there after feuding with the Botkins. However, I have also seen pages that claim the Clampetts were from Bugtussle, TN. Is it possible that the writers were not consistent about where they came from?
I'm pretty sure any mention of Springfield is in reference to Springfield Missouri, not Illinois. Granny compared the size of the big city to Springfield and Joplin--both cities in southern MO.
Other Missouri references include "Silver Dollar City Fair in Branson", and Taney County.
I am a huge Hillbilly's fan. They are from Bugtussle, Tennessee. Paul Henning, who was a writer for the show, was born in Independence, Missouri. I believe that his Missouri background seaped into his writing. There's no question that the south-central region of the United States can be home to the Clampetts -- from Tennessee to Springfield, Illinois (i.e., the "flourmill in Springfield") -- to the Ozarks.
Good call on the deer!
Many people have wondered where the Clampets hail from. In many episodes, they mention Bugtussle, which is on the Tennessee-Kentucky border elevation 886 ft., so it is not really the mountains anyway. I live about thirty miles from Bugtussle. I think I remember Ripley mentioned once, while in Tennessee, is a far cry from Bugtussle. In other episodes, they mention the Ozarks, which is in Arkansas. Other town names mentioned were Silver Dollar City (Missouri), Oxford (Arkansas), Sibly (Tennessee). I believe the writers picked names that were interesting instead of being geography correct. Most people would not know the difference.
On the mule deer in the opening scene. The scene for the cabin shot was most likely set up in California where mule deer range. It is doubtful they sent a film crew to Tennessee OR Arkansas just to show the cabin. All I can say is well dogies.
Although you all have come close none of you have the cookie! If it is any actual location it is Bug Tussle, Oklahoma. This is the only Bug Tussle actually near the Ozarks. and as for the mule deer in teh intro, it could be its closest relative is the black-tailed deer (considered a subspecies of mule deer). Unlike its cousin, the white-tailed deer, mule deer are generally more associated with the land west of the Missouri River.
Growing up in Idaho, I always thought The Beverly Hillbillies were from the Appalachians. What did I know? Now I live in SW Missouri and can shed some light on this. The previous comments are correct about the Clampetts being from Arkansas. References of Timbo and Oxford (where Jethro attended school) are all from North Arkansas. Granny is certainly from Tennessee. In some of the newer episodes, there are many references to Silver Dollar City, just across the Northern Arkansas border in Missouri. Just this morning I was watching the very first episode. Pearl is trying to convince Jed to move to Beverly Hills so they could live where the movie stars live. She says,"Remember when your father took us all to Eureka Springs to the moving-picture show?"
So, there are references throughout the history of the show that places them in North-central Arkansas.
I have always understood them to be from the Ozarks, although not sure specifically where. However, I have lived in Western Kentucky 26 years (about 15 minutes from TN, 40 from MO) and HAVE PERSONALLY SEEN mule deer in KY, and my wife from MO saw them there growing up. They are far less common than whitetail, which are more likely to be seen in any of these states. I would suppose the likelihood of there being a mule deer in their neck of the woods to be smaller than whitetail, but not zero. Hope this helps!
I agree with Ron P. Bugtussle is definitely in the Ozarks. While it is likely at a fictional location, the "real" Bugtussle is in Oklahoma. A couple of factors indicate the Beverly Hillbillies lived in Oklahoma. First, they struck oil on their land. In many places in eastern Oklahoma, oil was discovered very near the surface. Second, a company called OK Oil Company bought out Jed's mineral rights. (OK being short for Oklahoma of course!) And third, Carl Albert was elected Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives in 1961, a year before the Beverly Hillbillies first aired. He was from Bugtussle Oklahoma, which is in eastern Oklahoma. I always thought some writer must have heard this and liked the name of the place and used it in the show.
I hate to bust everyone's bubbles here, but the fact is the writers of the show were careful to never really say precisely where the Clampett's originally came from. However, the primary assumption is that they came from the Ozarks, for a number of reasons. The show's producer, Paul Henning, was originally from Independence, Missouri. Buddy Ebsen (Jed Clampett) was born and raised in Belleville, Illinois. Both men were well familiar with Southern Illinois/Southern Missouri geography and the rural, backwoods communities of the area. As the primary contributors to the show's story lines and scripts, they drew from their own childhood memories to flesh out the names of people and places to give it "country bumpkin" authenticity. My mother was born and raised in the tiny town of Buckner, one of the place names that was used several times in the show, which was also just a few miles from Bug Tussle. Additionally, both those place names occur in other locations in across that same latitude (so Bug Tussle, OK is certainly not the only Bug Tussle nearby - there are other Bug Tussles that are closer.) Also, anyone familiar with that area of the country knows that oil deposits are found all throughout the Ozark foothills. Pumpjack oil pumps are a common sight on private properties and farms all across S. Illinois and S. Missouri and the OK oil company's reach extends well beyond the borders of Oklahoma. So the bottom line is, the creators of the Beverly Hillbillies drew from a number of inspirations from the around the Ozarks to create backstory for the Clampetts.
Just to clarify, there was a Silver Dollar City theme park in Sevierville Tn. many years ago where Dollywood is located. There has been one in Missouri since 1960. This is probably where some of the shows were taped http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silver_Dollar_City
Jed and Granny often mention Tenn.. And back home as they say ya cant forget about Lester and Earl. They also make reference to Tenn.. And Miss Jane makes reference to Tennessee and its early music roots.I have about 20 of them on TVO right now.Classic Show.
This is one of those situations similar to The Andy Griffith Show.
There was no Mayberry, and references to places like Mt Pilot were based on actual places (Pilot Mtn) but no specific location was ever revealed. Most of the shooting was done at the Desilu studios, while the opening credits were filmed at Franklin Canyon Lake, just outside of LA.
This isn't meant to change the subject. It's just meant to point out that the creators of the Beverly Hillbillies more than likely used this same production technique to create the country bumpkin atmosphere that carried the theme of the show without locking anything into a specific location. References to the OK Oil Company (most likely OKlahoma Oil Company), Silver Dollar City, (MO) and others locate the show in the Ozarks without creating a mecca for fans who might otherwise violate someone's privacy. Until now, I thought Bugtussle was a made-up place. I found it while playing around with Google Earth, and that brought me in here.
In season 9, episode 11 Jed says he's from Bugtussle TN. If there are incondistencies, it's because of the writers.
You can see the list of writers at, http://m.imdb.com/title/tt0055662/fullcredits/writer?ref_=m_ttfc_2 .
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