Max Baer, Jr.
Max Baer, Jr. (born
December 4,
1937) is an
American actor,
screen writer,
producer and
director.
He was born
Maximilian Adalbert Baer, Jr. in
Oakland,
California, the son of legendary
boxing champion
Max Baer and Mary Ellen Sullivan. His brother and sister are James Baer (born
1941) and Maude Baer (born
1943). His first acting role was in "Goldylocks and the Three Bears" at the Blackpool Pavilion in England in 1949.
Baer grew up in
Sacramento, California. He attended
Santa Clara University, where he received a
bachelor's degree in
business administration, with a minor in
philosophy and
domestic science.
His acting
career began in
1960 at
Warner Bros., where he appeared on television programs including
Maverick,
Surfside 6,
Hawaiian Eye,
Cheyenne and
77 Sunset Strip.
Beverly Hillbillies, career sky-rockets
In
1962, Baer was cast in the role of the doltish
Jethro Bodine on the TV
sitcom The Beverly Hillbillies It was a role for which he continues to receive acclaim. This would prove to be the high point of his acting career.
The Beverly Hillbillies proved to be one of the most successful television series in history. The hit
comedy also starred
Buddy Ebsen,
Irene Ryan, and
Donna Douglas. During the nine year run of the show, he also appeared on
Vacation Playhouse,
Love, American Style, and in the
Western movie A Time for Killing.
Later career
After
The Beverly Hillbillies went off the air in
1971, Baer made several more guest appearances on TV, but found himself
typecast. His major contribution to the entertainment industry was in the field of feature
motion pictures.
Baer wrote and produced the drama
Macon County Line (
1974), in which he also played Deputy Reed Morgan. It was the highest-grossing movie per dollar invested of all time (a record that would later be dwarfed by
The Blair Witch Project). Made for US$110,000, it garnered almost US$25,000,000 at the box-office.
He wrote, produced, and directed the drama
The Wild McCullochs (
1975), in which he also played Culver Robinson. Baer then conceived the idea of using the title of a popular song to make a movie and acquired the rights to a
1967 Bobbie Gentry hit song.
Baer produced the drama
Ode to Billy Joe (
1976), which turned a big
profit. Made for US$1.1 million, it grossed US$27,000,000 at the
box-office, plus earnings in excess of US$2.65 million in the foreign market, US$4.75 million from television, and US$2.5 million from
video. The movie starred
Robby Benson and
Glynnis O'Connor.
Since the success of
Ode to Billy Joe, the first movie made at the time based on a popular song, the motion picture industry has capitalized on the trend, producing over 100 song title movies. Baer later decided to pursue the rights to the hit song "
Like a Virgin," recorded by the singer
Madonna in
1984. When
ABC tried to prevent him from making the movie, he sued, and won a judgment of more than US$2,000,000.
He directed the comedy
Hometown USA (
1979), then retired to his home at
Lake Tahoe,
Nevada, making occasional guest appearances on TV.
In
1985, Baer began studying the
gambling industry. He also noticed that tourists would pay US$5.00 to US$6.00 admission to tour the
"Ponderosa Ranch", which was the site location for filming on some episodes of TV's
Bonanza. Once inside, all there was to see was a working ranch, but people enjoyed it mostly because of the
Bonanza connection. Baer decided if tourists would pay to see a ranch because of a well-known series, then surely they would gladly pay "nothing" to see something dealing with the series
The Beverly Hillbillies, whose TV audience was much larger than that of
Bonanza.
Jethro's Casino
While a lot of people think of him as "Jethro Bodine" from
The Beverly Hillbillies, he came to terms with that; in fact, he began to see it as a good marketing opportunity toward the gambling and
hotel industry. In that direction, Baer began acquiring the contracts necessary to obtain the rights for marketing his latest idea.
In late
2003, Baer began developing an empty
Wal-Mart building and its property at the south end of
Carson City into a
Beverly Hillbillies-themed hotel and casino called
Jethro's Beverly Hillbillies Mansion & Casino It is yet to open.
Personal
*He has had only one wife, Joanna Hill, in a short-lived marriage from
1970 to
1971.
*He dated, for a time, adult film actress
Christy Canyon.
*Max Baer, Jr. is
left-handed.
*His father, a former World Heavyweight Champion boxer, is depicted in the 2005 motion picture
Cinderella Man. The portrayal of Baer Sr. in that film has since been criticized, as it placed him in a very negative light. Baer Jr. has stated that the film's portrayal of his father is inaccurate and insulting.
*
*
Official site of Jethro's Beverly Hillbillies Mansion & Casino
