Comedy program The Beverly Hillbillies followed the Clampett family’s saga, with Jed Clampett, played by Buddy Ebsen, gaining fortune at an alarming rate.

Jed became a millionaire instantly and decided to relocate to Beverly Hills, California. The story’s turning point? The family kept up their backwoods lifestyle.

The streetwise Jed brought his Clampett family clan, and one of the many famous personalities stood out.

Jethro Bodine, the son of Jed’s cousin, Pearl, was played by Max Baer Jr, a naive and borderline dimwitted man who demonstrated his excellent arithmetic skills with his multiplication classic “five gozinta five one times, five gozinta ten two times.”

It was an instant hit when The Beverly Hillbillies first broadcast in 1962. According to IMDB, it soared to the top spot faster than any other show in television history within the first three weeks of its launch.

The show was a hit among television viewers. It lasted 11 years, with nine seasons and 274 episodes, before being discontinued in 1971.

In 1964, The Beverly Hillbillies was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best TV Show Comedy and four Emmy nominations.

On the other hand, Max’s persona had a silly year-to-year grin. His chuckle made everyone else laugh, and, most importantly, he made everyone believe his character, Jethro Bodine, was real.

Max had honed his southern drawl by listening to Andy Griffith and Jonathan Winters recordings. He was able to do this while maintaining a perpetually idiotic expression on his face, which made people chuckle.

By playing the rustic bumpkin Jethro, Max Baer Jr became an American comic star. Not only that, but the show provided Max with his big break.

Unfortunately, his life following the show did not go as planned. This is the story of the guy behind Jethro Bodine, a character Hollywood couldn’t get enough of.

Max Baer Jr. was born in Oakland, California, on December 4, 1937. He is the son of boxing champion Max Baer and Mary Ellen Sullivan.