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for US$110,000, it earned almost US$25 million at the box office, a record that lasted until "The Blair Witch Project" superseded it in 1999. Baer also wrote, produced, and directed the drama "The Wild McCullochs" (1975), and played the role of Culver Robinson.