Petticoat Junction Online

Edgar Buchanan Linda Henning Bea Benaderet

Original Title :: Petticoat Junction
Genre :: TV Series / Comedy
Cast :: Edgar Buchanan,Linda Henning,Bea Benaderet
Type :: TV Series
Time :: 30min
Rating :: 7.1/10

The misadventures of the family staff of The Shady Rest Hotel and their neighbors of Hooterville.

Petticoat Junction Online

Bobbie Jo, Billie Jo, and Betty Jo Bradley are three sisters living with their Uncle Joe who owns the family hotel, and is always coming up with zany ideas. Their whole town revolves around the train "The Cannon Ball". The show also includes Kate (the mother), Steve (Betty Jo's boyfriend) and Sam Drucker (Store Keeper) who is also in "Green Acres".

Complete series cast summary:
	Edgar Buchanan	-	Uncle Joe Carson 222 episodes, 1963-1970

	Linda Henning	-	Betty Jo Bradley 222 episodes, 1963-1970

	Bea Benaderet	-	Kate Bradley 179 episodes, 1963-1969

	Frank Cady	-	Sam Drucker 168 episodes, 1963-1970

	Lori Saunders	-	Bobbie Jo Bradley 148 episodes, 1965-1970

	Rufe Davis	-	Floyd Smoot 131 episodes, 1963-1970

	Meredith MacRae	-	Billie Jo Bradley 114 episodes, 1966-1970

	Mike Minor	-	Steve Elliott / - 112 episodes, 1964-1970

	Smiley Burnette	-	Charley Pratt 110 episodes, 1963-1967

Based on the stories told to Paul Henning by his wife, who had spent summers in Eldon, Missouri, at a small hotel located near the train station.

The dog on the show was simply named "Dog". While the dog's name was Higgins (one episode was called "Higgins Come Home"), the name was never mentioned by any characters. His last acting role was as the title character in the movie Benji (1974), which was also Edgar Buchanan's last movie.

Although Meredith MacRae replaced Gunilla Hutton at the beginning of the '66-'67 season, in the opening credits' long shot of the Bradley girls coming down from the water tower, it's still Gunilla who appears, which was never corrected during the next four years.

During the run of this show, Charley Pratt (Smiley Burnette) was the engineer of the Cannonball, and Floyd Smoot (Rufe Davis) was the conductor. Burnette died during the fourth season, and Floyd took over Charley's duties as engineer, as well as continuing his own duties as conductor.

During the first two years Pat Woodell played Bobbie Jo as a singing bookworm while Billie Jo (Jeannine Riley) was a flirty playgirl. By the end of the run with different actresses, the characters were almost reversed, with Lori Saunders Bobbie Jo as a fun-loving, somewhat man-crazy ditz and Meredith MacRae playing Billie Jo as a quiet girl in search of a singing career.

Set in the same town as Green Acres (1965). Characters from that series often appeared on this one. The series was also linked to The Beverly Hillbillies (1962) and the two shows occasionally crossed over. It should be noted that up until Kate Bradley's last few appearances at the beginning of season six, not once was there ever a connection to The Beverly Hillbillies even though Bea Benaderet had played Cousin Pearl Bodine during the latter's first and sixth seasons. Despite this, in a 1968 episode of Petticoat (#175 'Granny, the Baby Expert'), Granny comes to Hooterville to tend to Betty Jo and Steve's baby. Prior to her visit, she reminds Jed that he is related to Kate through Pearl and then later when she arrives at the Shady Rest she mistakes Uncle Joe for Kate and says "They's right about you Kate, you and Cousin Pearl are lookalikes."

The marriage of Betty Jo and Steve coincided with the real life marriage of Linda Henning, who played Betty Jo, to Mike Minor, who played Steve.

To pick the three Bradley girls, Paul Henning interviewed 1,500 women. At the suggestion of Bea Benaderet, one of the girls he picked was his daughter, Linda Henning.

Christmas episode from season 1 and season 4 are the same scripts with the exception that it has been colorized, and the characters of Billie Jo and Bobbie Jo are played by different actresses. They also added the character of Steve Elliott in season 4.

Sharon Tate originally landed the role of eldest sister Billie Jo. Apart from some test film and publicity pictures, she never filmed the part. Although some sources said Tate lacked experience to play the role, the truth was that earlier she had posed nude for some photos, which would eventually be published in Playboy magazine. The show's chief sponsor was to be Ivory Soap and they couldn't risk the chance of losing their sponsor if word got out. She was immediately replaced by Jeannine Riley, who was actually a perfect knockout "Daisy Mae" type to play the flirtatious Billie Jo. The irony of it all is that Ivory Soap was later embarrassed a few years later when their major spokes model Marilyn Chambers launched a successful career in adult porn.

Uncle Joe wears both suspenders and a belt at the same time.

The Shady Rest Hotel is 25 miles from Hooterville.

When Bea Benaderet became ill with cancer and was forced to leave the series, her absence was explained by having Kate go away to visit her sister. Rosemary DeCamp was brought in as a temporary replacement, to play the Bradley girls' Aunt Helen. Benaderet only managed to return twice on the show after her departure. Following her death in October, 1968, June Lockhart was brought in as a surrogate mother figure and lady M.D. who sets up practice at the Shady Rest Hotel. Benaderet's anchoring presence was missed by the public, however, and the show lasted only two more seasons (1968-1970).

The only members of the cast to remain with the series throughout its entire run were Edgar Buchanan, Frank Cady and Linda Henning.

The first two seasons of B&W episodes, featuring Jeannine Riley and Pat Woodell as Billie and Bobbie Jo, are highly regarded and coveted by fans, as they have rarely been in syndication. Ironically these are also the only episodes released on DVD, as the color episodes have yet to be released in that format.

Betty Jo's full name was Elizabeth Josephine Bradley.

Edgar Buchanan (Uncle Joe) was a successful dentist before going into acting.

The town of Pixley, at one end of the Cannonball's route, was named for Pixley, California. A number of location shots were filmed in the real Pixley.

Seasons 1 & 2 are airing on Retro TV at this time (2015) in the U.S. Unfortunately all of the opening, background, & closing music are gone because they trying to shorten content for more commercials. In some cases dialog is not heard.. Also for those that want to know the lyrics here they are. Note, these are the full lyrics as written by Flatt and Scruggs. The T.V. show used a short version. Come ride the little train, that is rolling down the tracks, to the junction. Forget about your cares, it is time to relax, at the junction. Lotsa curves, you bet. Even more, when you get, to the junction. Petticoat Junction. There's a little hotel, called the Shady Rest, at the junction. Petticoat Junction. It is run by Kate, come and be her guest, at the junction. Petticoat Junction. And that's Uncle Joe, he's a movin' kind of slow, at the junction, Petticoat Junction (this is where the TV version ends). When they hear the dinner bell, from the Shady Rest Hotel, at the junction. Folks will walk a country mile, for that chicken country-style, at the junction, But the dishes, to observe, are those pretty gals, who serve, at the junction,. Petticoat Junction.

In seasons 1 and 2 (the black and white years) the Cannonball showed the number 3 on its front plate. In all the other seasons (shot in color) the number is 8.

The date on Betty Jo and Steve's marriage license is June 7, 1967.

Series lead Bea Benaderet, a heavy smoker in real life, died of lung cancer during the show's run.

In the birth order of the Bradley girls Billie Jo was older than Bobbie Jo. However, Meredith MacRae, who took over the role of Billie Jo from Gunilla Hutton in season four, was actually three years younger than Lori Saunders who replaced Pat Woodell in season three as middle sister Bobbie Jo. In fact, Saunders was three years older than Hutton as well. Also, Linda Henning who played youngest daughter Betty Jo was the same age as Woodell, MacRae and Hutton.

One of the first shows to get cancelled because of the infamous "rural purge" in the early 70's, meaning any shows that the network felt appealed to rural settings or older demographics. Green Acres, Mayberry RFD, and Gomer Pyle are some other examples of shows that also got the ax because of the purge.

The first two Billie Jo Bradleys, Jeannine Riley and Gunilla Hutton went on to join the cast of Hee Haw (1969).

Gunilla Hutton, who played the second Billie Jo, was rumored to be a longtime mistress to famous singer Nat 'King' Cole.

Petticoat Junction (1963) came about after the phenomenal success of Paul Henning's series The Beverly Hillbillies (1962). The president of CBS, Jim Aubrey, said he wanted "another Paul Henning show." The idea for the series was triggered by Paul's wife Ruth Henning whose grandparents owned a hotel in a little small town in Missouri.

Gunilla Hutton, during her one-season run, developed a serious case of hepatitis and was absent from a number of episodes that year. She left the show after other opportunities in London opened up for her.

The real "Cannonball" train was operated on the Sierra Railroad, based in Jamestown, California. The steam locomotive used was 4-6-0 (ten-wheeler) #3, which has the distinction of appearing in more movies than any other locomotive. Its first sound film appearance was in 1929 with Gary Cooper in The Virginian, and it since has appeared in many other western films. It was used in some episodes of Little House on the Prairie and Iron Horse. A full-size "prop" locomotive used for scenes in the locomotive cab was said to have been furnished by: "Barbary Coast Hoyt Hotel", Portland, Oregon.

For the first two seasons the order of the girls in both the opening water tower shot and the closing credits was Billie Jo, Bobby Jo & Betty Jo. Beginning in the third season the order is Betty Jo, Bobby Jo & Billie Jo.

Gunilla Hutton, the second Billie Jo, was supposed to be a year or two older than Bobbie Jo, who was played by Pat Woodell, at the time she joined the cast. In actuality, Hutton was only a month older than Woodell.

Betty Jo, Billie Jo and Bobbie Jo all shared the "Jo" part of their name after their Uncle Joe, played by Edgar Buchanan.

Kate's youngest daughter, redheaded Betty Jo (Linda Henning) is something of an early pioneer for the women's liberation movement serving both as the relief engineer on the Cannon Ball train locomotive and as a shortstop on the Hooterville Hawks baseball team.

After Smiley Burnette, best known for his sidekick work in "B" westerns before becoming the Cannonball's chief engineer, died during the run of the series, and Byron Foulger took over as Wendell, the train's new engineer. In a strange coincidence, Foulger died on the same day (4 April 1970) that the last episode was originally broadcast.

The Hooterball Cannonball, an 1890s steam engine, coal car and mail/passenger coach, was a mock up for a locomotive and cab shell originally built for the Marilyn Monroe movie A Ticket to Tomahawk (1950).

Jack Bannon, who played several different characters on the show is the son of Bea Benaderet.

Betty Jo's uniform number was #4 while she was a shortstop on the Hooterville baseball team.

Although he played her Uncle on the show, in real life Edgar Buchanan was only three years older than Bea Benaderet.

An humorously-obvious "total opposites" irony in two of the Bradley sisters' names: Billie Jo has a masculine-sounding name, and yet she is by far the most "skirts 'n' hair-ribbons" type of all three girls; Betty Jo, on the other hand, is the tomboy in the family, yet her name --- Elizabeth --- is totally feminine-sounding.

A running gag on the show was the animosity/competition between Joe and the dog. Ironically, whenever they shot publicity stills, Higgins would almost always sit in the lap of Edgar Buchanan because he behaved better for him than other members of the cast.

User reviews

jorik

Hi, everyone. I'm Roy. Petticoat Junction was already halfway through its first season when I first got to view it. This would be February 1964 and I was nine going on ten. I was already hooked on The Beverly Hillbillies and had grown fond of the rural sensibilities of that show. My home town, Fresno California, was a lot like Hooterville in the '50s and '60s.

After seeing my very first episode, which was Last Chance Farm, I knew that I wanted to continue watching the show. I can't really specify what it was about the first episode. I did develop a crush on the youngest daughter, Betty Jo, but that wouldn't happen for weeks. In the meantime I enjoyed watching Kate outwit Homer Bedloe and also looked forward to seeing what Uncle Joe's latest moneymaking scheme would be. Tuesday night (when it originally aired) actually broke up my school week. It was like getting an extra weekend because I enjoyed it so much.

I didn't get to see the pilot episode until the first season had gone to reruns. I remember that night my Mom's brother and his family had arrived from Alabama to visit all the California relatives, and poor Mom had to keep pulling me away from the TV telling me I could watch that anytime. But this was the pilot! I didn't know how to get that point across.

But I certainly concur with everyone who has commented favorably on the first two seasons. They were, for me also, the best. While my favorite Billie Jo was Meredith, who didn't come along until the fourth season, I always liked what Jeannine brought to the character during her time on the show, and Pat Woodell's portrayal of Bobbie Jo.

I was fortunate enough to meet four of the actresses (Linda Henning, Lori Saunders, Jeannine Riley and Gunilla Hutton) at the celebrities conventions held in Southern California. All were sweethearts, just like their characters. I also remember getting jazzed when I heard that TV Land was going to air the first two seasons. But that wound up not happening, and my understanding is that the demand wasn't strong enough. I realize PJ had, and has, something of an esoteric appeal, and isn't a show that's generically referred to the way its sibling shows, Beverly Hillbillies and Green Acres, are. That said, though, I discovered six years ago through the miracle of the Internet that I wasn't the only viewer on the planet Earth who appreciated the show as much as I did. I've gotten to meet some other fans who have become some of my closest friends. I'm a regular poster at the Shady Rest Forum, where we have some great discussions and share memories of the series. Sadly, it hasn't aired in the United States since March, 2000, when TV Land pulled it off the air, and I sincerely wish that one of the networks, if not TV Land, would bring it back.

-Roy

showtime

This is a mindless, entertaining series from the 1960's that baby boomers such as myself grew up on. Petitcoat Junction is something of a first cousin to The Beverly Hillbillies and Green Acres. The series portrays the goings on at the Shady Rest Hotel, which is located on the outskirts of the little village of Hooterville. The hotel is run by the widowed Kate Bradley and her three lovely young daughters, Billie Jo, Bobbie Jo, and Betty Jo...all without much assistance from their lazy but protective Ol' Uncle Joe. Much of hotel life revolves around the local steam train, the Cannonball, operated by Floyd and Charlie, who make regular stops during their runs to Sam Drucker's little country store.

The two main stars wonderful, with Bea Benadaret playing the widow, Kate, and Edgar Buchanan Uncle Joe, who's mainly seen concocting get rich quick schemes while lazing about on the hotel's porch in his rocking chair. Yes, he's a-movin' kinda slow at the Junction. The three beautiful daughters are adequately cast, though with various actress changes mid way through the series.

The show gets its name from the three daughters at the Shady Rest. Naturally many of the plot lines revolve around the suitors of these lovely young ladies. Betty Jo, the youngest, is the one given the most character portrayal, initially something of a tomboy but eventually growing up to wed sweetheart Steve, the first Bradley sister to marry. Unlike some viewers, I don't recall her two sisters having very distinctive personalities, except for Billie Jo being starstruck. In my opinion, they mainly seem to look pretty, banter a bit with each other & their mom, and attract beaux. Assorted guests come & go from the Shady Rest, and it's all a leisurely, amusing tale of their various misadventures. All in all, it's a cute, fun, and harmless little series.

Runeshaper

"Petticoat Junction" was a great, heart-felt show that would stand alongside "The Andy Griffith Show" in all-time popularity, if only some mucky-muck at Viacom (the distributor of the rerun package) hadn't, in the early 1970's, decided to exclude the first two seasons from their syndication package. Not only were those some of the funniest and most genuine episodes of the entire series, but eliminating them from public memory cut out nearly half of star Bea Benaderet's time on the show (she died of lung cancer shortly after the start of the 1968-69 season). If you ever get a chance to view the first two (black & white) seasons of this series, do so...you will see what I mean.

Grotilar

Hooterville, Petticoat Junction, Homer Bedloe, some of the names of people and places in this memorable 1960s series.

Edgar Buchanan played Uncle Joe. To me, he was a reminder of the Kingfish in the old Amos 'N Andy series. Old, lazy and shiftless, Buchanan etched an unforgettable character who lived life the way it should be-a leisurely rural existence filled with scheming to improve his lot and to avoid a harder way of doing things.

Bea Benaderet was right on target as the mother of the 3 daughters operating out at the Shady Rest Hotel. What an appropriate name for a hotel out in the sticks.

Charles Lane, who died recently at age 102, was a scene stealer each time he was on. Yes, he was Homer Bedloe, always up to his neck to gain control of Shady Rest for the railroad.

A nostalgic tribute to rural life was depicted here.

Danial

One of the most underrated sitcoms in television history, "Petticoat Junction" is a fine example of character-driven comedy. Though it is overshadowed by the other rural comedies, "Andy Griffith," "The Beverly Hillbillies," and "Green Acres," "Petticoat Junction" had a warmth that continued throughout its 7 year run. The episodes before Bea Benaderet's untimely death are perhaps the best, but "Petticoat Junction" remains one of television's undiscovered gems.

FRAY

Petticoat Junction will always be revered as one of America's best television sitcoms, home-grown. The characters were so innocent. Who wouldn't fall in love with the Shady Rest Hotel and the Cannonball?

GAMER

When this show first premiered its biggest attraction were the three Bradley daughters. However, you really got to see a great comedy and the real stars were the late great Bea Benederet as Kate and the late and equally great Edgar Buchanan as Uncle Joe, who was always looking to get rich quick. The girls themselves were pretty well fleshed out characters themselves. Billie Jo was the ambitious star-struck one, Bobbie Jo was the somewhat dim bulb and Betty Jo was the tomboy. Betty Jo became the most evolved character as you saw her grow up from being a girl who was pretty much pre-occupied with sports into a beautiful young woman who eventually settled down and married the man of her dreams. Too bad Bea Benederet passed away. When that happened the wind seemed to go out of the show and within two years it was gone. Perhaps it was a precursor of things to come becuase within a year after it had gone off the air all the great rural television shows were virtually wiped out in the infamous purge of 1971.

CopamHuk

This show centered around a hotel known as the junction near a small country town called Hooterville. It started very strong as veteran folks Edgar Bucanan & Bea Benedaret (Uncle Joe & Kate Bradley) ran the hotel.

Then there were the 3 Bradley girls. Bobbie-Jo, Billie-Jo & Betty-Jo. I met a lot of kids from the era of this show named after these girls. They were wholesome American teen girls who were every boys dream.

Then there was the Cannonball, the train that served the Hooterville. It was one of the charms of the show with the engineers. One of the charming holiday shows of this involved having the Cannonball all decorated for Christmas.

When Bea, the actress died in real life, they tried to bring on June Lockhart as a replacement. That was OK, but the scripts seemed to lose their comic energy. It still ran until 1970 anyway. The show had its charm.

Nnulam

I will say Petticoat Junction is an enjoyable show. I am 56 with grandchildren if they were watching this show I would not worry something inappropriate popping up and surprising me or my grandchildren. I used to watch this show with my grandfather good times. This is a feel good show Beverly Hillbillies and Green Acres are also enjoyable. I realize times change and people taste in television will change. These show would not make it today.These shows are still popular with those of us who grew up watching them. When I watched these shows I knew most problems could not be fixed in a half hour. Kate was great her death at such a young age was very sad she was the show. I am glad she got a starring role before her death Paul Henning was a great man for giving Bea this opportunity. Her supporting cast was also wonderful. This was a simpler time.

Mustard Forgotten

In 1970 when CBS took "Petticoat Junction" off the air, it was for purposes of deviating itself from the ossified reputation of a network perpetuating rural comedies...CBS was on the verge of embarking on sitcoms with social poignancy and ethnicity recognition!! (Shows like "All in the Family") As a child, I always fondly remember "Petticoat Junction" as a wholesome T.V. show....My identification with "Petticoat Junction" was particularly positive because it resembled my mother's family of three daughters, and, my mother was the youngest daughter who got married first (Just like the T.V. Show!!). This culminating with "My Three Sons" mirrored my personal family situation, as I was one of three sons in my family!! The Shady Rest Hotel was a quaint resemblance to my days up at my grandfather's summer home in Michigan...The innocence more than anything, encompassed a fondness for the fortunate unity that a happy family possesses!! I seem to remember one of the last episodes of "Petticoat Junction" where Billie Jo was advocating women's liberation!! This particular episode sort of explained why "Petticoat Junction" was taken off the airwaves!! Ignoring the tumultuousness of the 1960's totally, producers of "Petticoat Junction" were sort of conveying the message that they had a very uncomfortable disposition with social issues!!

As time has passed, it makes you realize that comedy back then was very innocent, and, the need for change simply accommodated the future....One of my favorite movies is "Sex.Lies, and Videotape" this film is the antithesis of the television show "Petticoat Junction"...Here is the catch though!! The movie "Sex,Lies and Videotape" could have taken place in Hooterville!! The actual depiction of small-town America is not a paralleled panacea right out of a Norman Rockwell painting. Realistically assessing Hooterville, it would most likely be a town which would be subject to an abyss of dreadfully high unemployment, and, it would get bludgeoned by one recession after another. You would have a scenario whereby Wal-Mart would be putting Sam Drucker's store out of business. Also, the divorce rate would most likely be commensurate with the national average too!!

What I am saying is that, television needs to change with people!! The homey associations of family values pertinent to yesteryear, were indeed for the past!! Today's comedy is not just about sex, but also, they are about realistic proclivities which reflect the lifestyle patterns of today!! The illustration of human error is what a comedy is all about!! I loved "Petticoat Junction", I do not think I would want to watch it as a new television show today though!!...From the seventies there arose many television series which articulated the rage form of the American public.. Petticoat Junction's innocuous demeanor was an anachronism to this trend of agitation and ideological malcontent. Hence, the perception of moral infuriation, by the television audience, could not be quelled by hovering around the piano and singing! I feel it is imperative that television should mirror American's personal and social transitions! I liked "Petticoat Junction" back then because it reflected my happiness as a young boy with a loving family! A state of cop-aesthetic satisfaction is humorous in its own realization!! Realism and doubts, as depicted in television shows today, also have a comically identifiable twist to them....Shows like "Petticoat Junction" placated the ambitions of the perfect post World War II American family, and resonated themselves to a state of domestic idealism! Many shows today evoke a candid commentary which is very amenable to misery and social injustice! This appreciation in entertainment dichotomy makes me an utterly saturated recipient of the television industry!!

Zuser

Petticoat Junction is just in the process of being rerun on a Canadian TV network, and I must say they really don't make TV like that anymore. It's actually my first time to watch this show (I was not around for original airing in the 1960s yet), but I had been familiar with Green Acres before.

The only regret I have about this show is that a number of crucial characters had to be written out of the show (due to the actors' demise - Charley or Kate Bradley, for example), which left an empty void towards the end of that, otherwise, wonderful show.

Mora

A time of simplicity and tranquility. What young man who ever saw this heartwarming show, never dreamt of spending the rest of his life in wedded bliss with one of the Bradley girls? Great writing and characters that make you wish time would have stood still. It gives you hope that someday in your travels, on some unfamilar road, the Shady Rest is just on the other side of the hill.

Yla

Of all the shows on TV, I can say I relate to Petticoat Junction on a personal level. I feel as if I am watching home movies, and this experience is very heart-warming. Petticoat Junction fits the bill for a welcomed escape to do just as the opening credit say to 'forget about our cares.'

Kate is so much like grandma was, and they were both great cooks. She also had a priceless wisdom, and much patience with Uncle Joe.

I am one of three sisters, and we are all musically-inclined.

I visited my grandparents during the summer in a country town much like Hooterville, and though there was no quaint hotel, there was a general store and train. The warm, loving atmosphere and great memories of spending time with them are re-lived as I watch the episodes.

I certainly wish very much all of the black & white and color shows could be seen again on television someday in sequence.

Thank you very much.

Tygrafym

This to me was one of the very best heart-warming situation comedies ever on television.

The premise of a widow raising her three daughters with the Uncle Joe as a surrogate father to these girls and all of the joys and challenges of running the Shady Rest and keeping Homer Bedloe from shutting down the Cannonball (only means of transportation) has provided many with a wonderful "escape" of real life and lots of wonderful laughs.

I cannot write about this show without giving the proper kudos to its central character and matriarch, Kate Bradley played by the wonderful actress Bea Benaderet. She was to me an unsung actress who not only played every role quite well. She played Pearl Bodine in the Beverly Hillbillies and always stole the show with her great comedic talents.

Kate was the one who held everything together. Uncle Joe made a lot of noise sometimes, but was very protective of Kate and her girls. He always had his "get rich quick" schemes and always felt the Shady Rest was just as good (if not better) than the Conrad Hilton Hotel--or was trying to cook up a scheme to bring it up to the standard of the latest resort.

Her girls? I am sure some may feel they were just TOO GOOD to be true, but that is the great wonder of this show. Each daughter had their own personality and I imagine many young men wished they had a Billie Jo/Bobbie Jo/ or Betty Jo they could take home to meet his parents.

I enjoyed the story of Betty Jo falling in love and marrying the Air Force pilot Steve Elliott. I always wished all of the daughters could have married sometime in the course of the show.

The saddest loss of course was when Bea Benaderet succumbed to cancer in October of 1968. It left many voids in the hearts of viewers. Since this was a situation comedy, death was a very delicate subject. Even through her radiation treatments they were stories of Kate "being away" and a brief return by Bea in hopes that the treatments had taken all of the cancer. I am sure CBS and the Petticoat Junction crew were having quite a challenge on how to handle the loss of their central character.

Bringing June Lockhart to the cast as the lovely Dr. Janet Craig was a delightful change and she added a different dimension to the show (it was the late 60's and many women were becoming career women), but it was not Kate.

TV Land was the last station I know of to show this wonderful show. I hope they or another channel will air it again.

Anarawield

During the Sixties CBS was known as the rural station because heading its ratings were such shows as Beverly Hillbillies, Green Acres, and the show from where Green Acres spun from, Petticoat Junction. You loved the endearing characters created on Petticoat Junction and the interchangeable regulars on each of them.

Petticoat Junction was somewhere in the Ozarks a really rural part of the state. Part of the gimmick here was the Hooterville Cannonball, the railroad that ran from Pixley to Hooterville and back. It was run by Smiley Burnette and Rufe Davis, later Davis alone when Burnette passed away. It was vital to the lifeblood of the economy of Hooterville.

After all who was going to stay at Bea Benaderet's Shady Rest Motel which as Kate Bradley she ran with the help of those curvaceous daughters of her's. Bobbi Jo, Betty Jo, and Billie Jo were enough of a sight to make any weary traveler stop. Helping out as little as possible at the motel was Edgar Buchanan as Uncle Joe who did as little physical work as possible, but who schemed big.

Scheming was a necessity because the Hooterville Cannonball became an obsession with railroad executive Homer Bedloe, played endearingly by the raspy voiced Charles Lane. Lane brought years of experience playing exactly these types in hundreds of movie roles, but Homer Bedloe became his career part. Half the episodes were devoted to the citizenry of Hooterville rallying behind Benadaret keeping the Cannonball running. You've got to wonder when the US rail system consolidated into AMTRAK just where was the Hooterville Cannonball in the scheme of things?

The development of the Bradley girls became known as 'hooters' thereby entering our culture. And the name Hooterville became synonymous with calling any place that happened to be located far from any decent sized city. I remember on a trip to Portugal referring to the village of Fatima as the Hooterville of Portugal. Don't think so, take a trip there and see how far out in the Portugese boondocks it is.

From Frank Cady as Sam Drucker the general store owner and a host of other semi-regulars who got in more than one episode of this and Green Acres. They were the real richness of the show. In fact they contributed so much that when Bea Benederet died in 1968 the show just kept on going. It could have kept going, but for a deliberate decision by CBS to cancel those rural comedies because they wanted to appeal to a different demographic.

Still Petticoat Junction had its fans. Still does even among city slickers.

monotronik

.......Very enjoyable. I picked up the DVD set of the 20 episode first season-63-64, all black and white. Beverly Hillbillies and Green Acres had Nothing over this, it was quieter than either and seemed to have more of a center. Bea Bernadette there was a Fine actress who I don't think I saw in many other things. As always Edgar Buchanon was reliable along w/ Frank Cady and Smiley Burnett.

I think of this show sort of like the Virginian from the same era--they were popular, long-running, not badly made, people remember them--but they just have dropped from the landscape. And that is sad. It looks like they changed some things in '65, when they went to color, two of the sisters for example. I've not seen any of the later episodes so I can't speak to the hippie era stuff when Bea Bernadette there was dying from cancer.

*** at least. Check out the DVD set, it's a fine show.

Gholbirius

I think that Petticoat Junction was one of the finest shows of all times! It was a show that you could watch and just enjoy! I do hope that it will soon be recognized as one of the Great Classic Shows of all time! Some may think of it as "corny" but that was part of the charm of the show. It was good wholesome entertainment and is still remembered fondly by so many. I hope to see it aired again so that a new generation can see it and enjoy it as much as those of us who grew up with it!! Although several actors/actresses have left us, there are still several that are still with us today and they are the most gracious and wonderful people!! The ones that have left us, are still dear to us and alive in our Hearts!

Mamuro

My best advice is to seek out the wonderful black and white episodes, never syndicated and not seen since their original airings and reruns on CBS. The show was even funnier in its earliest days, and wait til you see Jeannine Riley as the first Billie Jo--terrific! The series may still be available (with black and whites) from Columbia House.

Yozshunris

Petticoat Junction is extremely well written. The actress of Kate Bradley is what made the show famous. With her caring and great family values. We need show's like Petticoat Junction today. Because we have lost those family values. Love, caring, brotherhood, and most of all trust. The characters BettyJo,BobbieJo and BilleJo showed us how to respect our parents at the same time to have humor and grace. We as tv viewers will relish this timeless sitcom.

Steep

I liked Petticoat better than the other two shows that came from the same people. I was told as a child I liked Green Acres. After having seen it as an adult, more like having been forced to sit through it, I can safely say I definitely like Petticoat Junction better of the three. What's to say about it. It was a TV show about a widow, Kate, who was going through the empty nest syndrome, unfortunately, she never really got to the empty part. Not that she didn't push.

Because of the show I wanted to learn how to fly a plane as a child. Thinking of my driving record I think the world can heave a huge sigh of relief that I never did.

I also like to watch Beverly Hillbillies sometimes, but not often.

Zololmaran

"Petticoat Junction" originally aired for seven seasons on CBS-TV from September 24,1963 until the final episode on April 4,1970. Created by Paul Henning,who also served as executive producer of the series,this series produced 222 episodes during the course of it's network run. Out of the 222 episodes,only 57 of those episodes during the first two seasons of "Petticoat Junction" were in classic black-and-white that aired from September 24,1963 until June 15,1965. Out of the entire 222 episodes of this series only 165 of those episodes were in color for Seasons 3 thru 7 that aired from September 21,1965 until April 4,1970. Out of the cast members that were on this series,only actors Edgar Buchanan and Linda Henning were the only cast members that stayed on throughout its entire seven-year run. The show's sponsor for the series entire seven-year tenure was the Proctor & Gamble company (the makers of Tide Detergent, Duncan Hines cake mixes, Joy dish detergent and JIF Peanut Butter).

"Petticoat Junction" was one of the great,heart-felt show that was part of CBS' rural line-up of comedies that were right alongside "The Beverly Hillbillies","Green Acres",and "The Andy Griffith Show". Set in the town of Hooterville,this series featured the great Bea Benaderet(who was a regular from "The George Burns/Gracie Allen Show",and not to mention was the voice of Betty Rubble in the animated cartoon "The Flintstones")as Kate Bradley,the widow and the manager of the Shady Rest Hotel,which is located just on the outskirts of the little village of Hooterville. Kate Bradley runs the hotel while taking care of her three lovely daughters,Billie Jo, Bobbie Jo, and Betty Jo...all without much assistance from Uncle Joe(Edgar Buchanan)who in just about every episode was looking for quick rich schemes,while lazing himself away on the hotel's front porch. The show enjoy great success within the Nielsen ratings until the 1968-1969 season when actress Bea Benaderet passed away from lung cancer at the start of the 1968-1969 season,and that was when the show was declining in the ratings. In an effort to save the show,actress June Lockhart was brought in as Benaderet's replacement as Dr. Janet Craig,a physician at the nearby hospital who took over the responsibilities of the Shady Rest Hotel(June Lockhart was no stranger in the land of television shows. She was the mom on "Lassie" from 1957-1964 and was Dr. Maureen Robinson on the science fiction/adventure series "Lost In Space" from 1965-1968. June Lockhart came on board "Petticoat Junction" after her series "Lost In Space" ended production in 1968). By the show's final season which was the 1969-1970 one,the ratings were at the bottom of the Nielsens. In order to save the show,the producers did however do crossover episodes which consisted of characters from both "Petticoat Junction",and "Green Acres",not to mention bringing on the characters from "The Beverly Hillbillies". The episode titled "A Christmas in Hooterville" was that crossover episode that aired in December 12, 1969. Because of low ratings,CBS canceled this series on April 4,1970 after 222 episodes. The precursor of what was to come came within a year after "Petticoat Junction" was canceled with CBS' infamous purge of 1971. The show that replaced "Petticoat Junction" after seven season came on September 19,1970 with "The Mary Tyler Moore Show".

The shows that were the victim of CBS' infamous purge that came in 1971. Gone were "Lassie"(17 Seasons), "The Ed Sullivan Show"(23 Seasons), "The Beverly Hillbillies"(9 Seasons), "Hogan's Heroes"(6 Seasons), "Green Acres" (6 seasons), "Family Affair"(5 Seasons),not to mention the town of Mayberry,North Carolina....eight seasons as part of "The Andy Griffith Show",and three seasons as part of "Mayberry R.F.D."(11 Seasons),"The Jim Nabors Variety Hour"(2 Seasons), "Hee Haw"(ran for two seasons on CBS,then in 1971 went into national syndication for the next 20 years),and "The Glen Campbell Show"(2 Seasons).

"Petticoat Junction" was a great family heart-felt series that would have stood alongside "The Beverly Hillbillies",and "The Andy Griffith Show" in all-time popularity,if only someone at the powers that be over at Viacom(the distributor of the re-run package of sitcoms),had not done the unthinkable in the early-1970's,decided to exclude the first two seasons from their syndication package which aired from 1963 to 1965. Only the 165 color episodes were re-run in for national syndication that aired from 1965 to 1970. The first two seasons were some of the funniest and most innovative episodes of the series. The show is rarely seen in television these days,but its worth taking a look.

Downloaded

no pun intended! That whole theme of the Chico-Chico train pulling into "petticoat junction" is such a blatant latent subliminal seduction, catching us up in the momentum, carrying up in boleroish thrusts clear through to the commercial break preceding the exposition of the story, such as it might be, as the girls strip down, hearing their suggestive sotto voce as punctuation/incantation reminding us that the junction in question is - don't ever doubt it - "petticoat junction!"

"And that's uncle Joe, he's movin' kinda slow at the junction"!

As for mike minor, this was a hunk o' man, not the kind of guy you'd see on the dick van Dyke or the Lucy or the leave it to beaver or any TV shows at all for many years to come, for that matter.

I have to add more comments now. Of course the girls were all hot. Did Aunt Bee really appear on this show, as one post here would suggest? I know sometimes there was this kind of cross pollination of characters between backwoods rube themed shows. Very appropriate for a spinster aunt named with affection after two of the biggest stars of the insect world!

At least this show didn't have people like Mr. Haney and all the others on Green Acres which made that show so abominable for long stretches.

WOO WOO PETTICOOOOAT JUNCTION!

Maucage

It's actually pretty amazing that this show and its spin off, Green Acres, are so different. Even though they had the same producers, some of the same cast (particularly in the first season), shared writers and were set in the same town, they were as different as night and day. Petticoat Juntion was more like a leisurely stroll--occasionally funny, but often just a bit flat and happy. Green Acres, on the other hand, was like the same show after the writers were given LSD or so other hallucinogen. I, for one, never liked Petticoat Junction very much, as it was just too conventional and seemed a lot like My Three Sons placed out in the country. Green Acres is simply better on every level.

Chuynopana

My parents were inveterate fans of "The Red Skelton Show" but would go to bed as soon as it was over and let me stay up to watch this. I loved the pretty girls and didn't even mind how they kept changing into different girls over time, as the replacements were always pretty, too. I sure envied the little dog (who later became "Benji") who got to swim with them in the train's water tank in the opening sequence! Lori Saunders was my favorite, and I loved seeing her in the commercial that she did for Fantastik spray cleaner, even. Red Skelton led me to another dream girl, Julie Sommars, later on, when "The Governor & J.J." became what followed him on Tuesday nights after "Petticoat Junction" had moved to Saturday night.

Ceck

Sheer magic i loved this show. I managed to buy a few of the seasons, and the rest i found on Amazon or other places.

One show for the lads too as 3 beauties were in this even the ones who took over were beauties. Betty Jo, Bobby Jo, and Billy Jo.

I am also a steam train enthusiast and just loved the Cannonball and the way it was run was just perfect, stop for a chat, do a bit of fishing, help a cow off the line lol....priceless, and the scenes for christmas were lovely with Cannonball who lit up and carol singer.

We even had BOO HISS the villian Homer Bedloe who constantly trys unsuccessfully to shut down the Cannonball but some of his tricks are just hilarious.

I loved the Shady Rest, i mean the food wow, amazing, the phone that wasnt connected but looked good, and the lift in the lobby just there for show lol......priceless.

I just loved Kates character her love for her family and her patience with Uncle Jo who would wear out a saint lol.

When they introduced the dog it made it for me (Benji fame).

I so enjoyed Mike Minor what a lovely guy and great singer I had never heard of him and have now been listening to his music more.

There was so much in this series its difficult to cover all of it, all I can say is watch it, its fun, nostaligic, frustrating, has love scenes, music, madness, daftness, a great laugh with a fun character the dog who was probably more clever then some of the actors lol.

The saddest thing for me was when Bea Benaderet finally came out when she lost her life from cancer i nearly didnt finish watching it but i felt i had too. We lost a few of the actors in this it made it even more poignant watching it.

If you havent watched it and you enjoy the sixties type comedy (bit slaptstick in places lol), then you will love this. I will watch it again as there was stuff i know i missed. I actually LAUGHED OUT LOUD in many places which i dont in the new comedy.

Lovely just lovely.

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