The Beverly Hillbillies season 1 episode 7, titled “The Servants,” continues the story of the Clampett family, a poor farming family from the Ozarks who accidentally become rich when oil is discovered on their land. With their large fortune, they move to the wealthy Beverly Hills, California, where they must adapt to a lavish lifestyle and new social norms.
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At the beginning of the episode, the Clampett family is starting to get used to their new life in Beverly Hills, but they still maintain their simple and rustic lifestyle. They do not understand the social rules of the upper class, which leads to many humorous and ironic situations.
The episode begins with Mrs. Drysdale, wife of Milburn Drysdale, the bank manager in charge of the Clampett family’s assets, worrying about the Clampetts not having servants. Mrs. Drysdale, who values social status, fears that the Clampetts’ lack of servants will affect the reputation of the neighborhood. So she asks her husband to arrange for the Clampetts to have their own servants.
Mr. Drysdale agrees and arranges for Butler Ravenswood and Maid Marie to come to the Clampetts’ house to work. However, when they arrive, the Clampetts do not understand that these are hired servants. Instead, they think that Ravenswood and Marie are respected guests who need to be warmly welcomed. This leads to many humorous situations as Ravenswood and Marie try to do their jobs, but are constantly interrupted by the Clampetts and treated as honored guests.
Meanwhile, Granny (the Clampetts’ grandmother) feels uncomfortable with the idea of having strangers in the house. She decides to test Marie’s cooking skills to see if she is capable of cooking for the family. Granny, with her traditional cooking experience, challenges Marie by asking her to cook complex mountain dishes. Marie, with her European-style cooking skills, is unable to meet Granny’s demands, leading Granny to believe that she is not a good cook.
Meanwhile, Jethro, Jed Clampett’s nephew, misunderstands Ravenswood’s role. He thinks that Ravenswood is his “personal assistant” and begins asking him to do silly things like cut his hair or help him learn about the social norms of Beverly Hills. This leaves Ravenswood, who is used to serving upper-class families, feeling extremely confused and uncomfortable.
Eventually, the Clampett family decides that they do not need servants. They feel uncomfortable having strangers in their home and do not want to live a complicated life with many rules and rituals. They refuse Ravenswood and Marie’s services, leaving Mrs. Drysdale extremely confused and worried about how this will affect the neighborhood’s reputation.
The episode ends with the Clampett family continuing to live their simple and honest lives, despite the pressures from the surrounding high society. They still maintain their values and lifestyle, creating a humorous contrast to the world around them. Through this episode, “The Beverly Hillbillies” continues to explore the differences between social classes, while also providing moments of light humor through the innocence and honesty of the Clampett family.
The episode also shows a gentle criticism of material values and class distinctions in society. The Clampett family, despite being wealthy, still maintains their honest nature and does not get caught up in the flashy values of high society. This is also the message throughout the film, where sincerity and simplicity are honored over what is shiny on the outside.
