This was the heyday of the “Hillbilly” Genre started by Barney Google and Snuffy Smith and popularized by Lil Abner. One of the start of the Beverly Hillbillies was a Lil Abner lookalike called Jethro Bodine, who just happened to be the son of the world’s most famous Jewish Heavyweight fighter of all time, Max Baer.
According to this article, Max Baer Jr. has been speculating in the Beverly Hillbillies market, starting a Beverly Hillbillies theme casino in Carson City Nevada!
His Dad, Max Baer Sr., was the Jewish pugilist from the hit movie Cinderella Man, starring Russell Crowe, the phone-throwing actor. However, it was Max Baer Jr. who became the real household name, starring as Jethro Bodine in the Beverly Hillbillies.
Time has been kind to Jethro, as seen here in a 2007 photo, as he turns 70 years old:
Jethro Bodine, circa 1963 and 2007
His TV cousin, Ellie Mae Clampett has not been as fortunate:
