 Granny's Love Potions - On the sitcom THE BEVERLY
HILLBILLIES/CBS/1962-71 Daisy Moses, a.k.a. "Granny Clampett" (Irene Ryan) would
brew up a love potion (her "spring tonic") in hopes of getting loved ones
hitched. When banker Milburn Drysdale (Raymond Bailey) drank the potion, smoke
streamed from his collar, his face flickered black and white like an X-Ray and
he yelled like Tarzan. The magic elixir was so potent that Granny had to quickly
bottle it or the potion would eat right through the kettle.
Back in the hills, Granny mixed up batches of her love potion in a hollow
stump. Once Jed Clampett (Buddy Ebsen) said "Many a times, I saw the stump get
up and go off into the woods looking' for a bear." For her special courtship
formula Granny added Angelica Root and Heartleaf for extra potency.
The following is a list of episodes that dealt with Granny's various potions:
- On episode No. 27 "Granny's Spring Tonic" Jed Clampett drinks a double dose of
spring tonic and winds up in Lovers' Lane with a gold-digging secretary;
- On episode No. 86 "Clampett General Hospital" the Clampetts try to cure Mrs.
Drysdale with a home made nerve tonic; on episode No. 98 "Jed and the Countess"
Countess von Holstein visits the Clampetts for a dose of spring tonic;
- On episode No. 114 "The Courtship of Elly" Granny concocts a love potion
intended to land a husband for Elly May Clampett (Donna Douglas);
- On episode No. 137 "Granny Tonics a Bird-Watcher" a meek and mild leader of a
Bird Watchers group (Wally Cox) swallows Granny's spring tonic and turns into a
tiger (an aggressive lover);
- On episode No. 165 "The Doctors" Granny tries to give away her spring tonic at
the Commerce Bank and has a run in with Dr. Clyburn. Granny's most potent love
potion ("The strongest charm in her book") was called Anti-Love Potion X-R. Worn
around the neck in a small sack, the potion smelled terrible and was designed to
destroy romance between two people. Jed Clampett remarked that the potion will
"kill any flying insect within 100 yards and any human being within 10."
TRIVIA NOTE: Carolyn Jones who played the evil Marsha Queen of Diamonds on
episode No. 57 & 58 of the fantasy BATMAN/ABC/1966-68 used a love potion created
by her Aunt Hilda (Estelle Winwood) to control the will of men. She administered
the potion by shooting her victims with a small dart dipped in the love inducing
drug. One of the potion's ingredients was newt. See also - BEVERAGES: "Granny's
Moonshine"
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