Petticoat Junction (1963–1970)

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

Creator:

Paul Henning

Stars:

Edgar Buchanan, Linda Henning, Bea Benaderet

Cast

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 (175 episodes, 1963-1968)
Frank Cady	...	Sam Drucker (162 episodes, 1963-1970)
Lori Saunders	...	Bobbie Jo Bradley (148 episodes, 1965-1970)
Rufe Davis	...	Floyd Smoot (128 episodes, 1963-1970)
Meredith MacRae	...	Billie Jo Bradley (114 episodes, 1966-1970)
Mike Minor	...	Steve Elliott (111 episodes, 1964-1970)
Smiley Burnette	...	Charley Pratt (105 episodes, 1963-1967)

Storyline

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".

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Plot Keywords:

hotel | hooterville | train | general store | green acres | 

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Genres:

Comedy

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

24 September 1963 (USA)

Also Known As:

Dern Tootin'

Filming Locations:

General Service Studios - 1040 N. Las Palmas, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Filmways Television, McCadden Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

30 min 30 min (222 episodes)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White Color

Aspect Ratio:

4:3

Did You Know?

Trivia

Set in the same town as Green Acres. Characters from that series often appeared on this one. The series was also linked to The Beverly Hillbillies and the two shows occasionally crossed over.

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Goofs

Even though the Cannonball is supposed to be a wood burning locomotive, and the tender car is loaded with chopped wood, the smokestack is blowing pitch black smoke. It should be blowing mostly white or light gray smoke from the wood. The black smoke reveals the real-life locomotive actually burned oil.

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Connections

Referenced in Green Acres: What's in a Name? (1966)

User Reviews

CBS Cancelled an Era!!

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!!