Being in show business isn’t easy for many stars. There is a lack of privacy, the hustling for roles, public perception, and the feeling of not being good enough, even with countless awards and recognition.

While Irene Ryan, best known for playing Granny on The Beverly Hillbillies, likely had difficult moments during her long acting career, she said in a 1963 interview with The Buffalo News, "It feels like I had gone to heaven."

Before she was standing next to Buddy Ebsen on a hit TV series, Ryan came from humble beginnings as an amateur performer who would occasionally win singing competitions. Nothing compared to her success on The Beverly Hillbillies.

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It was a long road that finally led to Clampett country. For Ryan, success arrived later than expected but sweeter than imagined.

"Honestly, it’s so funny I sit and just laugh," Ryan said. "Six months ago, no one cared whether I was alive or dead. Now, everyone I meet asks, 'How old are you, really, Granny?' Let’s just say I’m older than Shirley Temple but younger than Sophie Tucker."

According to the interview, a year before The Beverly Hillbillies premiered, Ryan was performing a nightclub act in Seattle when she got the call that the series had been sold to television. Just like that, seemingly overnight, she was propelled into stardom.

"Now, at my age, all of a sudden I have income tax problems," Ryan added. 

Ryan had ups and downs, but she loved show business. Her passion for acting helped lead her to success. This shotgun-carrying Granny made us all laugh and gave viewers something to look forward to each week.

"I loved show business, every minute of it," Ryan said. "Why? To really love show business, you have to be of it, not just in it. That’s me, honey. I’m of it."

Ryan was all about it. In the interview, she said she never thought it would happen to her, especially later in life. It turns out success has no age limit in Beverly Hills. So why did this Granny think The Beverly Hillbillies was a hit?

"It’s so simple, just good old-fashioned comedy," Ryan said. "No one is neurotic; we solve no world problems, and there’s no message about anything."

Sometimes, simplicity is what audiences love most.