I was late getting into The Beverly Hillbillies. I’m not embarrassed by this, as it seemed to be the type of stupid rural fodder, which on the surface seemed like low-quality programming. But at some point a few years back, I decided to buckle down and give the show a chance, having heard that the early black and white episodes were among the best. Sure enough, although it’s not soon going to be among my top ten sitcoms, I was enjoying it enough. And as often happens, it began to get under my skin to know that two of the main characters were out there alive and well and I had not met them…and I hadn’t known them to appear at any collectors shows in recent days.
But then the announcement was made that both Donna Douglas and Max Baer Jr. would be appearing at the Hollywood Show on January 12, 2013. Actually I hadn’t heard that Max had ever been at a show, so this news hit me like a ton of candy.
I picked up Max Baer pretty early in the show’s proceedings. He had a deal going that included two signed photos and a photo op for $40, so this news was most excellent. I didn’t really need two photos, but when I broke that down, it seemed like a pretty good deal at $20 each. I opted for two nice color shots, one a cast shot and one a nice photo of Max and Donna – aka Jethro and Elly Mae.
He was a friendly, boisterous sort and he spent plenty of time talking to a fan before me. I had seen recent pictures of him, but I still couldn’t get over that this was the same guy who played Jethro Bodine, as he just looked so darn different. And I don’t know why anyone wears sunglasses indoors. But nonetheless, he was someone whom I thought I would never ever get to meet, so I was pretty darn happy.
I had considered both Max and Donna ‘biggies’ for this Hollywood Show, but I almost didn’t get the chance to get Donna. She had left for lunch while I was getting Max, and she didn’t come back until around 2pm an hour and a half later. My friend Jimmy and I were kind of in a hurry to get to Disneyland, but we lined up and waited and then watched her move as slow as Granny as she settled back in after lunch. It seemed like there were only about ten people in line, but it took over a half-hour while we glanced at our watches.
The one thing I heard about her was that she didn’t like to sign anything with her and Elvis from Frankie and Johnny, the supposed reason being that he had broken her hearts. This didn’t really matter to me, because I just wanted her to sign my two shots from Beverly Hillbillies. She had the same 2/$40 offer that Max Baer did.
But when I got up there, I noticed her other photos and remember that she had also played a part in a pretty darn famous episode of The Twilight Zone. She had been the gal under the bandages in the classic Eye of the Beholder. It would have been $25 to add just one photos, so I went ahead and added a fourth to take advantage of the two-fer deal again.
She was certainly pleasant enough, although I didn’t find it necessary that she put her favorite Bible verse on every single photo. Just one would have sufficed. And it case you don’t feel like looking it up, I’ll tell you what might be found in Proverbs 3: 5 & 6: Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. It was a pretty pricey Sunday School lesson.
In any case, it was ultra cool to have my chance to meet both of these TV legends, on the same day no less. Sometimes I think that someone truly is looking out for me, making me have both the drive and opportunity to meet these folks while I can…making my paths straight toward them.
Celebrity encounters from the Winter 2013 Hollywood Show will continue…
So you are fine with a Bible lesson from a Georgia Hillbilly, but not a Beverly Hillbilly? 🙂
Aaron
December 16th, 2014