Jed Clampett
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Jedidiah Clampett known by all as Jed, or sometimes, "JD", was a fictional character and the patriarch of the classic 1960s television sitcom, The Beverly Hillbillies as well as the 1993 movie remake. In the series, he was played by actor Buddy Ebsen; and in the movie, he was played by Jim Varney.
[edit] The reasonable and patient patriarch
Jed was born in the hills of the Ozarks, and had been married to Rose Ellen, the daughter of Daisy "Granny" Moses. From this union, their daughter, Elly May Clampett was born. Rose Ellen Clampett had died while Elly May was still very young, and Jed brought up his daughter like a boy simply because he was ill-equipped to raise a little girl. Jed also has a cousin, Pearl Bodine. To Pearl's children, Jethro Bodine and his sister, Jethrene, he is "Uncle Jed."
One day, while hunting with his bloodhound, Duke, Jed shot at something in a pond on his land; and saw something black oozing out of the ground. It turned out that he struck oil. After the OK Oil Company of Tulsa, Oklahoma, represented by a Mr. John Brewster, bought the land from him, Jed, along with Elly May, Granny, and Jethro moved everything to Beverly Hills, California.
He deposits his new fortune, which eventually grows to $95 million, in the Commerce Bank of Beverly Hills, run by Milburn Drysdale. Mr. Drysdale moves Jed and his family into an ornate mansion right next door to his own. The Clampetts live at 518 Crestview Drive, in Beverly Hills. Pearl also moves with them for a short time, but eventually returns to the hills.
He also owns a portion of a movie studio called Mammoth Studios; and at one point, owned a castle in England.
Of the family, Jed is the one who is most patient. He misses his old home, but he makes the best of the situation. What he does not know about the city, he has the help from Drysdale's able and quite informative assistant, Jane Hathaway, whom he considers a part of the family.
He is also the most eligible widower in Beverly Hills, and is himself the target of many women, some of which are gold-diggers. However, he remains single throughout the series. He is also the target of some con-men, most notably "Shifty Sam" Shafer (played by Phil Silvers).
Whenever Jed has a problem, he sits on one of the benches in front of his mansion and whittles away until he thinks things through. Although he was about the most compassionate and friendly of individuals, he could be tough, especially whenever Granny is scheming and conniving something. He also often wonders about Jethro, who he considers somewhat stupid. Although his daughter Elly is basically as a tomboy, when she dresses in her finest clothes, he comments that she is every bit as beautiful as her mother was.
Mr. Drysdale's wife, Margaret, hates Jed because his lazy bloodhound impregnated the mate of her french poodle, Claude, and bore them a litter of puppies, to her absolute disgust. However, her hatred seems to have no effect on him and he is always nice and considerate to her and implores the rest of his family, especially Granny, to act the same way towards her.
