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Some of the greatest (or at least heavily favored) American television shows got the big screen treatment when they were selected to have their small screen following turn into a cinematic experience. Unfortunately, for every beloved nostalgic television show that translated successfully in movie theaters (The Brady Bunch Movie, Star Trek, Batman, etc.) there are boob tube stinkers that overtake the good crop. Sure, there are middle-of-the-road movie adaptations of television programs that have a mixed bag reception (1997’s Leave It To Beaver, 1987’s Dragnet, 2012’s Dark Shadows, etc.). Nevertheless, it is always the unflattering fare that receive the bulk of the attention (do you register, 1999’s The Wild, Wild West ?).

In Boob on the Tube: Top Ten Worst Movie Adaptations of TV Shows we will take a look at the top ten televised offenders that dared to venture into cinema’s stratosphere only to end up floating down shamefully...

By Lee Pfeiffer

I have always been a great admirer of Paul Henning, the crooner-turned-tv producer/writer of some of the best-loved shows of the 1960s. It was Henning who gave a voice to rural audiences by creating such classic TV series as The Beverly Hillbilllies, Petticoat Junction and Green Acres. If you revisit any of them today, they remain far superior to most contemporary sitcoms. Henning not only created shows that have timeless appeal, but he also brainstormed the concept of interweaving characters and plot devices between the series- a stroke of genius that brought cross-promotion marketing to new levels. Henning also prided himself on making his country characters eccentric, but never idiotic. They were simple people living simple lives and if they seemed to exist in a time warp, they were all honest, admirable folks. It was always the sophisticated city slickers who would get their comeuppance at...

In this isle of Britain we seem to be obsessed with regional dialects. We construct opinions based on the sounds and cadences they form. Stereotypes can be derived from even a simple “hullo”. A Liverpudlian accent makes you a thief, a Birmingham accent means you are dull/dim witted, a London accent makes you a geezer! The region and strength of the enunciation can make your brain subconsciously decide whether the accused speaker is friend or foe. This makes delivery of vocabulary in these alternate timbres very powerful. As such, we prize these intonations in language very dearly.

So, it was no surprise to me when the people of the United Kingdom were so vehemently offended about a story regarding an American actress trying and failing to replicate the intricate tones of a much cherished regional drawl, made it on to BBC national news, -far beyond the vales and boundaries...

In 1962, a truly strange TV show hit the airwaves, The Beverly Hillbillies. The sitcom revolves around a poor mountaineer, Jed Clampett (Buddy Ebsen), who discovers oil on his backwoods property. Now a multi-millionaire, he's encouraged to move to Beverly Hills with his spunky mother-in-law, "Granny" (Irene Ryan), beautiful daughter Elly May (Donna Douglas), and dim-witted nephew Jethro (Max Baer). They try to understand their strange new surroundings and are aided by selfish banker Milburn Drysdale (Raymond Bailey) and his bookish secretary, Miss Jane Hathaway (Nancy Kulp).

It may be hard to imagine it now but in its day, The Beverly Hillbillies was a massive hit. Though hated by most critics, several episodes of the series are among the most-watched TV episodes in history, having drawn as much as 44% of the viewing households. A 1964 episode titled "The Giant Jackrabbit" is still the most-watched half-hour program...

Anne Hathaway, being burbled about as a maybe Oscar nominee for "Rachel Getting Married," presses onward in the wedding mode. Her new movie with Kate Hudson is "Bride Wars." So at the premiere, I asked her parents about their own marriage.

"It's been terrific," said Jerry, an attorney. "We're together 28 years."

And the best thing about it is?

"The great sex," said Kate, a former actress.

Considering we'd just barely said hi, I figured I heard wrong. What's the best thing about it?

"Oh, definitely, the great sex. Still is," she said.