"Come and listen to my story about a man named Jed
A poor mountaineer, barely kept his family fed,
And then one day he was shootin at some food,
And up through the ground come a bubblin crude.
Oil that is, black gold, Texas tea."
We all know what happened next. The Clampetts loaded up their jalopy and headed for the hills of Beverly. The mansion featured in the opening credits of The Beverly Hillbillies has hit the market and its price is a doozy! The home, known as Chartwell, is asking $350 million, making it the most expensive listing in the United States.
Chartwell is a 25,000 square foot mansion sitting on 10.3 acres of land. The estate is built in the French Neoclassical design. Its $350 million price tag is $100 million more than the next most expensive listing, a spec mansion in Beverly Hills.
The mansion comes with a ballroom, a formal salon, and an enormous temperature controlled wine cellar. The property features manicured gardens, a pool, a tennis court, and covered parking for 40 cars. The estate has sweeping panoramic views from the Pacific Ocean to downtown Los Angeles.
The estate was built in 1933. Its previous owner, the late A. Jerrold Perenchio, the former Chairman and CEO of Univision, bought the property in 1986. Perenchio was a billionaire who also produced the sitcoms Sanford and Son and The Facts of Life. During the three decades he owned Chartwell, he expanded the property by buying adjacent properties, including one previously owned by Ronald and Nancy Reagan. Perenchio passed away in May 2017.
But let's say a modern day Jed Clampett struck oil and moved his family to the hills of Beverly. Could he afford to buy Chartwell? Back in The Beverly Hillbillies' first season in 1961-62, Clampett's estimated fortune from striking oil was in the $25 million to $100 million range. Adjusted for inflation, that would be $200 million to $800 million today. Technically, sure Clampett could afford it, but we also have to consider the current low price of crude oil. If a modern day Clampett struck black gold today, he wouldn't have as big a net worth as 1960's Jed Clampett and while technically he may be able to afford it, Chartwell wouldn't be a wise financial move.
