Baer has said that playing Jethro Bodine undermined his acting career. When Paul Henning asked him to reprise the role for the 1981 television movie "Return of the Beverly Hillbillies", he declined. Yet when the feature film "The Beverly Hillbillies" was made 12 years later, reports cited Baer's dissatisfaction that only Ebsen was asked to do a cameo. He appeared in the 1993 television special "The Legend of the Beverly Hillbillies", reprising his role as Jethro. By 2004, Baer had recognized the marketability of "The Beverly Hillbillies" and appeared with actress Donna Douglas at the annual TV Land Awards.