If the phrase “five gozinta five one times, five gozinta ten two times” still sounds familiar to you, then you are undoubtedly among the millions of admirers of Jethro Bodine and the Clampett family who relocated to Beverly Hills, California, but maintained their rustic way of life.
No matter how much time goes by, one TV series that never goes out of style is The Beverly Hillbillies. The show ran for nine years, during which time many viewers enjoyed the exploits of the family who “caused a turmoil in their privileged society with their simple and unsophisticated way of living.” The first episode aired back in 1962.
Among the characters that defined the show was Jethro Bodine. He was the brilliant math student and the son of Jed’s cousin Pearl. The man who created the character, Max Baer Jr., went on to become one of America’s most well-known comedic icons. You could say that he fell into acting by chance.
He set out on a journey with his motorcycle and ended up standing in a Los Angeles parking lot in 1959, having graduated with a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Santa Clara University.
- An executive saw his charisma and amazing appearance and felt he looked a lot like James Garner. He was then offered the chance to sign a contract and try his hand at acting. After Max tried it, the rest is history.
- For this sincere man whose sole purpose in life was to make people laugh, money was never an issue. He was only paid $800 every show.
- Max found it difficult to land a role after The Beverly Hillbillies ended since everyone thought of him as Jethro.
An executive saw his charisma and amazing appearance and felt he looked a lot like James Garner. He was then offered the chance to sign a contract and try his hand at acting. After Max tried it, the rest is history.
Max persevered despite first only getting small roles in films like Maverick, Hawaiian Eye, and 77 Sunset Strip. His life was drastically altered when he discovered he was trying out for the part of Jethro Bodine shortly after.
“When you play a character like Jethro, it’s difficult to be objective or subjective about yourself, so that’s for other people to judge,” Max stated to Medium.
“You simply attempt to offer as much as you can [with your performance] after doing the best you can with the material that you’re given. However, the audience gets the last word in the matter. “Well, we approve of what you did,” or “We disapprove of what you did.” Furthermore, there isn’t really any other way for you to assess it.
For this sincere man whose sole purpose in life was to make people laugh, money was never an issue. He was only paid $800 every show.
“You must provide your best effort. In my situation, it’s acceptable if I’ve made people laugh, even if they are laughing at my expense. The actor said, “I don’t care.” They are free to laugh at me or with me. As long as people laugh, that’s all that matters. Because I consider my performance to have been effective if I can get them to laugh. I am unable to assess the level of success that it was. However, I can state that it accomplished its intended goal.
Max Baer Jr. was adored by the cast members as well as the fans. Every actor he worked with was kind and complimented him on his personality as well as his performance. Donna Douglas, who portrayed the alpine beauty Elly May Clampett, was one of the people who discussed the significance of his role for the program.
TV historian Jeffrey D. Dalrymple, a close friend of Baer Jr., told Medium, “You believed Uncle Jed, Granny, and cousin Elly May was his family because they played it so well.” Additionally, Max was able to fit in with the ensemble without exaggerating or underplaying Jethro. He was, and still is, a decent guy and an actor.
Acting, meanwhile, is really only a hobby for Max, as he stated to The Times in 1971, despite the fact that he is primarily known for his work in movies. My job is playing golf. Although the actor participated in a variety of sports, such as basketball, baseball, and football, it appeared that golf was his true calling. Professional golfer Charlie Sifford and Max Baer Jr. won the pro-am category of the Andy Williams Golf Classic in San Diego in 1968.
Max found it difficult to land a role after The Beverly Hillbillies ended since everyone thought of him as Jethro.
However, as we now know, Max has never been one to give up easy, so he instead went into producing and directing. In 1974, he made millions of dollars from the success of his film Macon County Line.
The now 85-year-old Max had intended to use the show’s theme and characters for restaurants, retail stores, amusement parks, and cosmetics, but his plans were derailed by legal disputes between him and CBS.
In terms of his romantic history, Max wed Joanne Kathleen in 1996, and the two of them had a five-year marriage. According to accounts, his lover Chere Rhodes, a 30-year-old Californian model, shot herself in the chest in 2008. He was in other partnerships.
For the past few years, the 85-year-old has lived a quiet life in Tahoe, and little is known about his activities or health.
We appreciate Max for all the fun he has given us over the years and wish him all the best.
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