The Beverly Hillbillies Episode: The Gloria Swanson Story

"The Beverly Hillbillies" was a comedy series with the basic story of a family, the Clampetts, from far back in the hills, who discover oil on their property. The family receives millions of dollars from an oil company and they move into a mansion in Beverly Hills, California. While the Clampetts have lots of money, their new wealth doesn't really change them, as they try to hold onto the same lifestyle they had back in the hills, by adapting it to Beverly Hills. At the same time, Beverly Hills' high society wants the Clampetts to conform, and all of this makes for some great laughs in this highly rated television series from the 1960s.  

 

This episode first aired in November 1966 on the CBS television network. In "The Gloria Swanson Story," the Clampetts misunderstand a newspaper article about famous actress Gloria Swanson vacating her Beverly Hills home.  

 

Episode main cast: 

 

Buddy Ebsen as Jed Clampett

Irene Ryan as Granny Moses, Jed's mother-in-law

Max Baer, Jr as Jethro Bodine

Donna Douglas as Elly May Clampett, Jed's daughter and Granny's granddaughter

Gloria Swanson as herself

Raymond Bailey as Milburn Drysdale, the Clampetts' banker

Nancy Kulp as Jane Hathaway, Mr. Drysdale's secretary

Milton Frome as Lawrence Chapman, head of the Clampett-owned movie studio Mammoth Pictures

George Neise as Mr. Foley, head of the auction

 

Jethro gets a job delivering newspapers in Beverly Hills. Always trying to be too clever, Jethro wraps the newspapers around roofing tiles to give them weight so that he can fling the papers to the mansions on his route. He does fling the newspapers too; right through windows and doors. As Jethro assaults Beverly Hills' millionaires with tile-weighted newspapers, Jed and Granny see a story in their newspaper about famous actress Gloria Swanson's house being demolished so that a golf course can be put in. Further, the article mentions that Ms. Swanson will move to the East Coast and that her possessions are being auctioned off. The thing is, the auction is for charity, but the Clampetts believe Gloria Swanson is being thrown out of her home and that her possessions are being sold to settle debts.

 

[NOTE: In 1966, when this episode was filmed, Gloria Swanson was still well known for her roles in silent pictures (remember, in the mid 1960s, there were many, many people alive from the era of silent films, but even those of us who were far younger certainly had heard of Gloria Swanson), but she did make some sound pictures, including one of the greatest movies ever made, "Sunset Boulevard," in which she played one of the best known movie characters in history, Norma Desmond. After that time, however, she rarely made motion pictures, but she did make television appearances. Gloria Swanson died in 1983, age 84.] 

It turns out, the Clampetts' banker, Mr. Drysdale, and some others are in charge of the deal to make Ms. Swanson's property into a golf course. Understand, there is nothing sinister going on, as Gloria Swanson wants to move back East, and as such, she wants to sell her property and have her belongings auctioned off, with the proceeds going to charity. The always moneygrubbing Drysdale tells his secretary, Jane Hathaway, that Ms. Swanson must have a screw loose, because she is giving the money to charity, and not depositing it in his bank to collect interest. Anyway, with Jethro flinging newspaper wrapped rocks at homes, Drysdale and another of the investors in the golf course deal think an eccentric fan of Ms. Swanson is throwing the newspapers because they are infuriated about a golf course replacing Ms. Swanson's mansion.

Granny, a long time devoted fan of Gloria Swanson, likes to say that she and Gloria Swanson are look a likes, which usually draws a smart aleck remark from Jethro, but as she leaves the room, Granny says she has heard it a hundred times. Jed then tells Jethro that he too has heard it a hundred times, but that it was always Granny who said it. So, the Clampetts head off to Ms. Swanson's mansion to see if they can help. They meet the man heading the auction, Mr. Foley, and he is supervising a couple of men moving Ms. Swanson's various belongings to a truck. When the men try to pick up the sofa, the Clampetts sit on it to prevent them from moving it. So the men go to take a couple of armchairs, but a couple of the Clampetts sit down in them too. Now Granny is left on the sofa, and the men try to carry her outside on the sofa, but Gloria Swanson appears at the head of the staircase and orders the men to "Put her down!" Mr. Foley informs Ms. Swanson that these are some fans who think they are defending her from being put out on the street, and the long time actress says how touching that is to her. She speaks to the Clampetts, but at first, they are awestruck at seeing Ms. Swanson. The Clampetts then explain how they love her, and Granny mentions that she and Jed saw one of her pictures twice (a silent picture). When Ms. Swanson asks if they had gone to a film festival in Venice, Italy, they tell her that they saw the picture at the Bijou Theater in Bugtussle, back in the hills. Jed tells her that back where they are from, Gloria Swanson is still the queen of the movies. 

 

The Clampetts leave, although they try to figure out a way to help Ms. Swanson, but "without robbing her of her pride," as Jed puts it. They head off to the movie studio they own to see Lawrence Chapman, the head of the studio, about making a silent movie starring Gloria Swanson. In the meantime, Mr. Drysdale meets with Ms. Swanson in his office about the plans for the golf course. As Gloria Swanson looks at an artist's rendition of the course, Mr. Chapman from the movie studio can be heard telling Miss Hathaway that he has to see Mr. Drysdale. Chapman opens the door to Drysdale's office, but he can't see Ms. Swanson looking at the golf course rendition. He tells Drysdale that the Clampetts want to make a silent movie. Drysdale tells him to make the picture, and Chapman replies, "But those idiots want to star Gloria Swanson." This brings Drysdale to cringe, which is misinterpreted by Chapman as Drysdale agreeing with his point of view. The mention of her name has brought Ms. Swanson to turn around, and she asks if she correctly heard that someone wants to make a silent picture with her as the star. Drysdale introduces Ms. Swanson to Chapman (He introduces Chapman as "the head of Mammoth Studios, until now." hahaha) Chapman tells Ms. Swanson that an eccentric hillbilly family named Clampett wants him to make the picture, and Drysdale chimes in that the family has millions of dollars, followed by Chapman saying, "They're short on marbles," which brings Ms. Swanson to say, "I've met the Clampetts, I think they're delightful people." Chapman utters, "Oh, it's just not my day." hahaha  When Chapman asks where they would show a silent picture, Ms. Swanson suggests the Bijou Theater in Bugtussle. 

The scene shifts to the Bijou Theater, where a poster announces the world premiere of "Passion's Plaything," starring Gloria Swanson, along with Jed, Granny, Elly and Jethro. The movie plays and Jed goes out to the line of people waiting to get in for the next showing, but he has to tell them that they will have to wait a little longer, because those inside won't leave until they see the movie again. There is a collective groan, but Jed cheers everyone up by announcing that Gloria Swanson is coming out to autograph a picture for everyone in line. Ms. Swanson appears, and one man tells her she's "the biggest thing to ever happen to Bugtussle." Ms. Swanson replies, "Bugtussle is the nicest thing to ever happen to me."   

 

 

Photo is of the 2018 CBS/Paramount "The Beverly Hillbillies" Fifth Season DVD

WORD HISTORY:

Silence (Silent)-The origin of "silent" is uncertain, although there is a theory about it,^ but I'm not completely persuaded by it. What is known is, Latin had "silere," verb infinitive meaning "to be still, to be noiseless;" thus also, "to be inactive;" thus, "quiet, calm." The present participle of the verb was "silens," which gave Latin the noun "silentium," meaning "the state of being quiet or still," also, "state of inactivity." This passed to Latin-based French as "silence" meaning "lack of noise;" thus, "stillness, quiet, calmness." English borrowed the word around 1200. The verb "silence" developed from the noun in the mid 1500s, initially with the meaning "to become silent," but the meaning that we usually think of today, developed in the late 1500s; that is, "to keep someone quiet, to prevent someone from telling something (usually some kind of force is implied)." The adjective "silent" was derived in the early 1500s from "silentem," the accusative singular form of "silens," the present participle form of Latin "silere." The adjective initially meant "with no talking," but within a few decades the word had taken on the broader additional meaning "without noise."

^ "Some" believe "silence" goes back to Indo European "sil/syl/seyl," or "shi," meaning "still, quiet, without wind, inactive or slow," which gave Old Germanic "silanan" meaning "to be silent, to be quiet," which connects it to the Old English noun "salnes," meaning "silence." This word did not survive in English, and Old English had "swige," a noun, for "silence" (German still has the related "(das) Schweigen" also meaning "silence"). The Indo European form is also thought by some to be the source of the Latin verb "silere" (see above). 

Burmese Shrimp Curry: Bazun Hin

This Burmese dish is also known as "Pazoon Hin," and there are variations in recipes. It is not an especially spicy hot dish, although it does have a little bit of a kick, but if you like your dishes fiery, you can easily adjust the amount of fresh chilies and/or the amount of ground red pepper or the type of ground red pepper. I used Kashmiri chili powder (ground red chili peppers), which is much milder than standard Indian chili powder, which is hot, much like cayenne pepper. 

 

Burma is also known as Myanmar (1989), and the official language is Burmese, one of the Sino-Tibetan languages, which includes Mandarin Chinese, Cantonese Chinese, Tibetan and between 300 and 400 other languages and dialects. The nation has a population in excess of 55 million. The country became a colony of Britain in the 1880s, and during World War II Burma faced much destruction as the Japanese invaded Burma in 1942, with fighting continuing there until mid 1945. "Likely" the best known city in Burma/Myanmar is Rangoon, which is now known as Yangon, and it was the former capital until late 2005, but the current capital is Naypyidaw (seemingly pronounced as if "nay-pyee-dah"). By the way, a well known dish, usually an appetizer served in Chinese restaurants in the U.S. and perhaps elsewhere, is "Crab Rangoon," but it is not from the city in Burma, although the dish name is likely a big reason why so many Americans know the name Rangoon. (Note: By the way, Crab Rangoon is thought to have developed in San Francisco in the United States in the mid 1950s.)

Ingredients 4 servings):

1 pound raw shrimp, peeled and de-veined

3 tablespoons vegetable oil + 1 teaspoon sesame oil

1/2 cup chopped onion

2 teaspoons grated ginger

1 large clove garlic, minced

1 small chili pepper, chopped

3 tomatoes, chopped (tennis ball size)

1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric

1 teaspoon ground red pepper (like cayenne)

1 good pinch ground cloves

6 or 7 fennel seeds, ground (you can use a spice grinder or a mortar and pestle, as I do)

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon fish sauce

1 can coconut milk

1 or 2 tablespoons chopped coriander (for garnish)

(optional for fans of chilies) 1 to 3 teaspoons chopped chilies for garnish

 

In a skillet (or wok), add the vegetable oil/sesame oil over medium heat. Add the onion and saute for 2 minutes, stirring the onion around as it cooks. Add the garlic, ginger and chili pepper; saute one minute, while stirring. Now add the chopped tomatoes, ground turmeric, ground red pepper, ground fennel and salt; stir to mix in, saute 1 to 2 minutes, then stir in the fish sauce and mix it in well to distribute all of the flavors. Add the shrimp and saute with the other ingredients for 2 minutes, then add the coconut milk, stir well, and let the sauce come up to temperature and let the dish simmer until the shrimp are completely cooked, then remove the skillet from the heat. Garnish with some chopped cilantro (also known as fresh coriander) and, optionally, some chopped chilies. Serve with rice.

 

WORD HISTORY:

Nest-This word goes back to Indo European "nizdo," which "seems" to be a combination formation of "ni," which meant "down, below" ("ni" being the ancient ancestor of English "nether") and "sed," which meant "to sit" (indeed the ancient ancestor of English "sit"). This gave its Old Germanic offspring "nistaz," a noun which meant "(a) nest." The verb form is from Old Germanic "nistijanan," which meant "to nest, to make a nest." The Germanic form gave Old English the noun "nest," a form which has lasted to this day, and which meant "nest, brood of young birds." The Old English verb form "nistan," meant "to build a nest/nests." Other Germanic noun forms survived only in the West Germanic branch of Germanic (English is West Germanic), but see the Swedish entry: German, Low German and Dutch all have "nest," and Frisian once had a form, now no longer used. Swedish (from the North Germanic branch) has "näste," but it was borrowed from Low German.

Indonesian Fried Rice: Nasi Goreng

This can simply be used as a side dish, but it is often served with fried eggs, tomatoes and cucumbers for a meal of its own.

 

This dish darkens the rice, so don't think you've done something wrong. For this article, I made the rice without other ingredients like shrimp, chicken or beef, which are sometimes added by Indonesians. This dish uses long grain rice (it has less starch), as you don't want the rice to clump together; thus, basmati rice is a good choice (short grain rice usually has a good deal of starch, which makes it stick together). As is often the case with recipes from other cultures, this dish has 3 special ingredients, one of which is very common (sambal oelek), with the other two being available in numerous supermarkets or in Asian grocery stores, or online. Sambal oelek is a relish or paste of ground red chilies. In the U.S., it is easy to find in supermarkets, and likely even in some smaller grocery stores, and especially Asian grocery stores, as sambal oelek is also made in the U.S., although there are imported brands too (it is not terribly expensive, although imported brands likely cost somewhat more). Sambal oelek is hot, but you aren't using much for the amount of rice and other ingredients, but if you're especially fearful of hot foods, just use 1/2 tablespoon, instead of 1 tablespoon. If you use sambal terasi (see special ingredient #3, below), you won't need sambal oelek. If you don't want to buy it, you can simply use a finely chopped hot chili pepper or two as a substitute. 

 

The second special ingredient, kecap manis, is an Indonesian dark sweet thick soy sauce, unlike what we would most likely think of as typical soy sauce. I use it quite often, and it comes in taller bottles than regular soy sauce. It too is available in some (most?) supermarkets and Asian grocery stores, but you can mix together some regular soy sauce and molasses or brown sugar as a substitute, but the real thing is far better, and I think most people will like it; so much so, that they'll buy it again.

 

The third special ingredient is shrimp paste, which is made from fermented dried shrimp. I suggest buying sambal terasi, which is ground chilies and with shrimp paste added (it comes in relatively small jars (like 6 to 8 ounces, see photo below), and it is from Indonesia, although Indonesians use other types of shrimp paste too). If you use sambal terasi, you can skip using sambal oelek, as sambal terasi has the ground chilies in it. The easiest thing to do, although it is not traditional for this dish, is to use fish sauce, which is easy to find in supermarkets and Asian stores.

 

Just a little information about shrimp paste: it can vary in form from country to country, and it is most commonly used from the Philippines and around through Southeast Asia and in southern China. There are various types and names for it, but it is made of fermented dried shrimp. Now, I had read about shrimp paste, and many of the comments about it centered on the smell it gives off when it is frying, as it often comes in a dried block, from which a certain amount is trimmed and then fried briefly (this dried type is commonly used in Malaysia, where it is called "belacan"). Well, Randy grew up eating and liking Limburger cheese, so I figured I could handle shrimp paste, and I did, but to say it is "smelly," doesn't begin to describe it. The funny thing is, you only use a very small amount, but it will stink up your house or apartment for an hour or so, perhaps prompting your neighbors to call the police to report that you must have stashed a dead body in your house several weeks ago. I actually watched some videos of people who smelled shrimp paste, and some said it was the worst thing they had ever smelled, BUT, when they ate shrimp paste in a finished recipe, they said how good it was. They were right, because it tastes nothing like it smells, as a small amount of shrimp paste delivers a special savory taste to recipes.     

 

Ingredients (4 lunch servings):

 

3 cups cooked long-grain rice, cooled, chilled (leftover rice from the day before is excellent)

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1/4 cup finely chopped onion

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon sambal oelek (hot ground chilies) or 1 tablespoon sambal terasi instead

2 tablespoons kecap manis (thick sweet soy sauce) 

if you don't use sambal terasi, use 1 tablespoon fish sauce

1/2 teaspoon black or white ground pepper

1/2 teaspoon salt (can be less or even omitted)

eggs, fried (sunny side up)

tomatoes, sliced or grape tomatoes halved

cucumber, sliced (peeled, unpeeled or partially peeled)

 

If using dried block-type shrimp paste, add the 1/2 teaspoon to a small skillet (no oil) over low heat and toast it for about 2 minutes, breaking it up as it toasts. If you use the dried shrimp paste, you will still need to add sambal oelek or fresh chilies.

If you use sambal terasi, you can add it directly to the recipe, without frying it, and you will NOT need to add sambal oelek or fresh chilies, unless you like super hot food.

If you use fish sauce, it can be added directly to the recipe, and you will still need to add sambal oelek or fresh chilies, but you won't need any shrimp paste or sambal terasi.

 

In a skillet, heat the oil over medium heat; saute the onion, garlic and sambal oelek (or chilies, or sambal terasi) for 1 1/2 to 2 minutes, stirring to prevent sticking or burning, then add the kecap manis (and shrimp paste, if using), fish sauce, then the already cooked rice. Sprinkle on the ground pepper and salt (if using), mix all together well, making sure the rice grains separate and get coated with the flavorings. Cook and stir until the rice is well heated and begins to caramelize. 

Top each serving with a fried egg (sunny side up). Serve with sliced or chopped tomatoes and sliced cucumber on the side.  

 

WORD HISTORY:

Meager-This is a word that English has had twice. It is related to "emaciate," a Latin-derived word borrowed by English from that language, and to "macro-," the prefix, which was borrowed from French, which had it from Latin, which had it from Greek. "Meager" goes back to Indo European "mak," which meant "thin, lean," and the extended form "makros," meaning "long, tall, thin, slim." This gave Old Germanic "magraz" meaning "lean, thin," and this gave Old English (Anglo-Saxon) "mæger" meaning "lean, slim, slender." This word either died out in English or it was taken over by the new form or merged into it (continue reading). The Indo European form also gave Latin the adjective "macer" meaning "thin, lean," and this passed to Latin-based Old French as "megre/maigre" with the same meaning, and English borrowed the word in the 1300s, initially as "megre" (also "meigre?"). The additional meaning of "scant/scanty" was added later. The direct relatives of the original Old English word "mæger" and the more distant relative to the modern English form via Indo European are German, Low German and Dutch "mager," West Frisian "meager" (meger?), Icelandic "magur," Danish, Norwegian, Swedish "mager," all with the general meanings "thin, lean, skinny."

Creamy Italian Rice with Mushrooms: Mushroom Risotto

While risotto is a dish known throughout much of the world, its home is northern Italy. Risotto is known for its creamy texture and it is most commonly made with Arborio rice, a type of short-grain rice from the northern Italian region of Piemonte (Piedmont), the capital of which is Torino (Turin). The rice got its name from the town of Arborio in Piemonte. Now that I've told you all of that, forget it, because I made the risotto for this blog with Carnaroli rice, which is also grown in the Piemonte region, as well as in the neighboring region of Lombardia (Lombardy), the capital of which is the famous city of Milano (Milan). Carnaroli was name after a professor at the University of Milan, who was a geneticist.

 

Generally speaking, many types of rice are not terribly expensive, so we're starting from a relatively low price base, but Carnaroli rice is more expensive than many other types of rice. It is also not as easily found outside of Italy; and by that I mean, you are not likely to walk into your corner grocery store and find Carnaroli rice; unless perhaps, you live in Italy or you live in a neighborhood with a number of Italian families. I'm not an expert on rice production, but Carnaroli rice is primarily grown in the north of Italy. Perspective here on the price: we're not talking about needing an armored security vehicle to go buy Carnaroli rice, but it's more like 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 times what you would pay for regular white rice, with some price variations by brand name. So, if you pay a couple of dollars for regular white rice, you'll likely pay about six dollars for Carnaroli (I paid $5.75).   

 

Ingredients (about 4 to 6 servings): 

1 cup carnaroli rice (or arborio) 

3 tablespoons butter (divided use)

5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (divided use)

4 cups chicken stock (or vegetable stock)

1/2 cup white wine

1/4 cup minced onion (white or yellow)

8 to 10 mushrooms, sliced (baby bella mushrooms, also known as cremini)

2 teaspoons minced garlic

2/3 cup heavy cream

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese (or Pecorino Romano)

salt (remember, the stock likely has salt, as does the cheese, so be careful), so to taste 

Heat 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil over low heat; add the sliced mushrooms; cook over low heat for about 10 to 12 minutes, stirring occasionally (it may initially look like a lot of mushrooms, but they will cook down). Now, heat 1 tablespoon butter and 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil in a skillet or wide pan over low heat, then add the finely chopped onion. Saute for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent the onion from burning, then add the minced garlic and saute a further 2 minutes, stirring occasionally (you don't want the garlic to burn, as it will then have a bitter taste). Add the wine and let it heat up, then add the rice and stir it around in the onion/garlic/wine mixture until the rice begins to show some dryness, then add 1/2 cup stock and stir it into the rice. Stir it constantly (it doesn't have to be at a feverish pace, but steadily) until more stock is required, then add another 1/2 cup, and repeat the process, then continue adding 1/2 cup stock and stirring until all of the stock is used and the rice is creamy, but it's about to get creamier with the addition of the 1/2 cup of heavy cream (and more stirring), then add 2 tablespoons butter and the grated cheese, and guess what ... more stirring and you're done.     

WORD HISTORY:

Fervor (British English spelling: Fervour)-This word is related to "braise," a word borrowed from French, which had it from Germanic, to "brew," "burn" (the fire-related verb and noun) and "broth," all words from the Germanic roots of English, and to "ferment," a Latin-derived word "likely" borrowed more from French, but with Latin influence and reinforcement. "Fervor" goes back to Indo European "bhreuh," meaning "to boil;" thus also, "to seethe, to cook, to bubble." This gave Latin "fervere" meaning "to boil, to be or become extremely hot;" thus also figuratively, "extremely agitated," with the beginning of the Indo European form rendered in Italic and its Latin offspring as "f." "Fervere" produced the Latin noun "fervor" meaning "an intense heating, a robust boil;" thus also figuratively, "passion, rage, extreme emotion, ardor." This passed into Old French as "fervor" (or fervour/fervur? Or these may have been Anglo-Norman spellings?), with the same meanings as Latin, and English borrowed the word in the mid 1300s as "fervour." In modern English the word is most often applied to "the emotional state of passion or commitment to some cause or belief."