Early career Baer began acting professionally in 1960 at
Warner Bros., where he made appearances on television programs such as
Maverick,
Surfside 6,
Hawaiian Eye,
Cheyenne, ''
The Roaring 20's, and 77 Sunset Strip. His career took off two years later, when he joined the cast of The Beverly Hillbillies''. He continued to take other parts during the nine-year run of
The Beverly Hillbillies and appeared on the television programs
Love, American Style, as well as in the Western
A Time for Killing. He declined to appear in the 1981 TV movie
Return of the Beverly Hillbillies and his character was recast as a result.
Later career Following the cancellation of
The Beverly Hillbillies in 1971, Baer made numerous guest appearances on television, but he found his TV acting career hampered by
typecasting. He concentrated on feature
motion pictures, especially behind the camera, writing, producing, and directing. Baer wrote and produced the drama
Macon County Line (1974), in which he played Deputy Reed Morgan, the highest-grossing movie per dollar invested at the time. Made for less than US$200,000, it earned upwards of US$30 million at the box office, a record that lasted until
The Blair Witch Project surpassed it in 1999. Baer also wrote, produced, and directed the drama
The Wild McCullochs (1975), and played the role of Culver Robinson. Baer is credited with being one of the first to use the title of a popular song as the title and plot anchor of a film, acquiring the rights to
Bobbie Gentry's
hit song and producing the 1976 film
Ode to Billy Joe, which he also directed. Made for US$1.1 million, the film grossed $27 million at the box office, and earned over US$2.65 million outside the US, US$4.75 million from television, and US$2.5 million from video. The film starred
Robby Benson and
Glynnis O'Connor. Since the success of
Ode to Billy Joe, the motion picture industry has produced more than 100 song-title movies. Baer pursued 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 film, he sued and won a judgment of more than US$2 million. In late 2003, Baer attempted the redevelopment of a former
Walmart location in
Carson City into a
Beverly Hillbillies-themed hotel and casino, but was unsuccessful due to building code conflicts and other developers on the neighboring properties. On May 4, 2007, he announced the sale of the property and the purchase of another parcel just outside Carson City, in neighboring Douglas County, where he expected less resistance to his plans. Baer purchased a parcel in north Douglas County for US$1.2 million, and would purchase an additional once he obtained the required zoning variances. The plans were for a gambling area with 800 slot machines and 16 tables, flanked by various eateries, including "Jethro's All You Ken Et Buffet". The project would feature a showroom, cinema complex and a 240-room, five-story hotel. Plans for Baer's casino included a mock oil derrick spouting a 20- to flame. As of July 2012, development of Jethro's Casino had been suspended. Ongoing litigation involving Baer, the developer and Douglas County has delayed the development of the project indefinitely. In 2014, Baer sued CBS after claiming a secret deal with a Des Moines-based Jethro's BBQ was interfering with his opportunity to cash in on his role from the iconic television show. The lawsuit claims that Baer negotiated a deal with CBS in 1991 for the rights to use the fictional character and other motifs from the show to create a chain of restaurants, hotels, and casinos. ==Later life==