The series rose to #1 in ratings within three weeks of its premiere, a feat that remains unmatched in television history. It stayed at #1 for 2 years.
All 36 episodes of the first season, and the first 19 episodes of the second season, are in the public domain because CBS, which bought the rights to the series shortly after it was cancelled, didn't renew their copyrights. Those episodes have been released on home video and DVD by many low-budget labels. In many video releases of the public domain episodes, the original theme music has been replaced by generic music due to copyright issues.
After the first season aired, an executive for sponsor Levi Strauss was quoted as saying that "Donna Douglas had done more for the sale of blue jeans in one year than cowboys have done in a hundred."
Buddy Ebsen was offered the role of Jed Clampett on the strength of his playing a similar role in "Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961)."
When the show debuted on September 26, 1962, Jed Clampett's fortune was given as $25 million. After adjusting for inflation, this amount would be equivalent to $254,181,291 as of January 2024. At the end of the show's run, the fortune had climbed to $100 million, which would now be equivalent to $758,150,617 as of January 2024.
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