Buddy Ebsen Plays a Wild Card
Buddy Ebsen is most often remembered as Jed Clampett, his starring role as the patriarch of the Beverly Hillbillies. This isn’t surprising given the popularity of that show in the early 1960’s. As many as 60 million people tuned each week. By contrast, a current-day, top-rated broadcast will attract 10-15 million viewers.
But given the depth of Buddy Ebsen’s resume, this gifted actor/singer/dancer/comedian should be remembered for far more. He was originally recognized for his graceful and precise dancing. His film credits include dance sequences with such stars as Judy Garland and Shirley Temple. In all, he appeared in over 40 films.
It can be said that Ebsen taught Mickey Mouse to dance. Walt Disney used films for Ebsen dancing to help animators learn to draw characters for his early Silly Symphonies, and later for early Animatronics at the Disney parks.
Ebsen was a fixture on television in the 50’s, 60’s and 70’s. He was a featured character in Walt Disney’s Davey Crockett, and appeared regularly on many Western series in the 1950’s. He began his starring role on the Beverly Hillbillies in 1962 and that lasted until 1971. He moved from being “fish-out-of-water” comedian to star as a detective in Barnaby Jones.
Ebsen continued working into his 80’s. His last motion picture was the 1993 film adaptation of the Beverly Hillbillies. In that film Ebsen appeared not as Jed Clampett, but as his second most famous TV character, Barnaby Jones. In 1999 Ebsen voiced a character for the animated show, King of the Hill. He passed on July 6, 2003.