Irene Ryan complained to President Nixon after The Beverly Hillbillies was canceled
Endings are always hard, but some people take it harder than others. Some look at a closed door and simply see a closed door, whereas others may spy an open window.
When The Beverly Hillbillies was canceled in 1971, fans across the world were crushed, and it seemed that no one was taking the loss harder than the viewers who had come to call The Clampetts family. However, there was one person who was just as hurt by the loss and wasn’t prepared to take it sitting down.
According to an interview with the Central Press Association, Irene Ryan actually spoke to then-President Nixon about the show’s cancellation, complaining to him. According to the article, Ryan, Ebsen, and much of the cast and crew actually blamed the FCC, the Federal Communications Commission for taking the show off the air, and Granny was more than ready to go straight to the top to let her displeasure be known when she had been invited as a guest at the White House.
Fortunately, Nixon took the criticism cordially, and the article even revealed an interesting detail; It stated, “Nixon told her he loved the show!”
Ebsen, however, was fully prepared to simply live and let live.
He said, “After nine years, what can you say about losing a show? It was wonderful while it lasted. You can’t ask for much more.