Like many episodes of The Beverly Hillbillies, "Trick or Treat" deals with multiple subplots. In the primary subplot Granny (Irene Ryan) is complaining that people in Beverly Hills are so unfriendly that they never come calling. It is for this reason that she wants to return to the hills. Jed (Buddy Ebsen) then notes that they haven't visited any of their neighbours either, and convinces Granny that they should go calling on their neighbours. It being Halloween, their neighbours think that the Clampetts are dressed in costume for trick and treating, and shower them with candy. In the second subplot, Jed's cousin Pearl (Bea Benaderet) visits Jed's old cabin in pursuit of oil man John Brewster (Frank Wilcox). While there, Pearl's daughter Jethrine (body by Max Baer Jr. and voice by Linda Kaye Henning) gains a suitor in the form of Jasper "Jazzbo" Depew (Phil Gordon).
"Trick or Treat" would be a historic episode for more than being the first episode of The Beverly Hillbillies to hit no. 1. First, it marks the first appearance of Jazzbo Depew, who would eventually become Jethrine's long-term beau. Second, it marks the first reference to Hooterville, later the setting of The Beverly Hillbillies creator Paul Henning's other shows, Petticoat Junction and Green Acres. While flirting with Jethrine, Jazzbo mentions a dance in Hooterville. Not only is this the first reference to Hooterville, but it is also the first time that viewers learn Hooterville is near the Clampetts' home in the hills.
If there is one caveat that I have with "Trick or Treat," it's that it doesn't seem very likely to me that Jed and his kin would not know what Halloween is. Back in the hills, Mr. Brewster asks Pearl and Jethrine if they are dressed for Halloween. Pearl doesn't seem to know what Halloween is. Similarly,in Beverly Hills, the Clampetts seem to be unaware that the day is Halloween. Of course, as anyone who has ever watched Meet Me in St. Louis (1944) knows, Halloween was a well-established tradition in Missouri by the early 20th Century. My father used to tell my brother and me about the many pranks he and his friends would pull on Halloween. The Ozarks were no different than any other part of Missouri, with Halloween celebrated there as early as the late 19th Century. This was also true of the portion of the Ozarks in Arkansas. This should come as no surprise, given the Ozarks were heavily settled by Scots and it was the Scots who brought the holiday as we know it to North America.
Now I know there are some who might question that the Clampetts were from Missouri, but throughout the series there are several clues that they were. In the very first episode, "The Hillbillies of Beverly Hills," we are told that Jed's cabin is in the Ozarks. Now this could easily be in northern Arkansas rather than southern Missouri, but there are other clues making Missouri the more likely location. Joplin is mentioned more than once on The Beverly Hillbillies. In the second season episode, Jed brags that the Clampetts are dressed as well as any executive in New York City or Joplin. In the eighth season episode "The Clampetts in New York," downtown New York City is said to be bigger than downtown Springfield or even downtown Joplin. In the eighth season the Clampetts return to the hills, where they visit Silver Dollar City, an amusement park outside Branson, Missouri. Other Missouri places mentioned on the show are Springfield, Taney County, and Branson. When a city outside of Missouri is mentioned, it's usually one in a neighbouring state. An example of this is Eureka Springs, which is just across the border in Northern Arkansas. Given the show's creator Paul Henning was from Missouri, it would make sense if the Clampetts were from that state.
Even if the Clampetts were from the Ozarks in Northern Arkansas, as mentioned above, it seems unlikely that they wouldn't know what Halloween was. Of course, while it seems likely that the Clampetts would have been aware of Halloween (and probably celebrated it), they might not have known what trick or treating was. Trick or treating originated in the 20th Century. The first known reference to trick or treating is from Canada in the November 4 1927 issue of the Herald (published in Lethbridge, Alberta). From Alberta it would spread to the Western United States and the Midwest. It would take the better part of the 1930s for trick or treating to reach the East Coast of the United States. Given how far behind the Clampetts were on popular culture (they were still watching silent movies back in the hills), they might not know what trick or treating is.
While it might not seem realistic for the Clampetts to be ignorant of Halloween, "Trick or Treat" is still a very funny episode. And as mentioned above, it is also a very historic one. It marked the first time the show hit no. 1, as well as the first time Hooterville was every mentioned. The only Halloween episode of The Beverly Hillbillies would then be pivotal in the history of the show.
1 comment:
BH was the first show that would later become victim to Fred Silverman's Rural Purge ten years later. They are too numerous to list. What I found fascinating about these shows was that they portrayed rural Americans as country bumpkins to be laughed at. I remember well as a kid comically and in a derogatory manner calling small towns "Hootervilles," and simplistic boneheads "Jethro Bowdoin" and large families in old cars "the Clampetts." Among my generation, TV shows gave people common reference points that gave society a certain cultural cohesion. Nowadays, instead of 3 channels, there are probably an almost infinite number of viewing options.
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