"Petticoat Junction" (1963) TV series 1963-1970

Creator:

Paul Henning

Seasons:

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7

Release Date:

24 September 1963 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy

Plot:

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

Plot Keywords:

Hotel | Hooterville | Train | Rural | Green Acres

Cast

Edgar Buchanan	...	Joseph P. 'Uncle Joe' Carson / ... (195 episodes, 1963-1970)
Linda Henning	...	Elizabeth Josephine 'Betty Jo' Bradley Elliott / ... (191 episodes, 1963-1970)
Bea Benaderet	...	Kate Bradley (149 episodes, 1963-1968)
Lori Saunders	...	Roberta Josephine 'Bobbie Jo' Bradley (121 episodes, 1965-1970)
Mike Minor	...	Steve Elliott / ... (93 episodes, 1964-1970)
Meredith MacRae	...	Willimena Josephine 'Billie Jo' Bradley / ... (92 episodes, 1966-1970)

Also Known As:

Dern Tootin' (USA) (working title)
Ozark Widow (USA) (working title)
Whistle Stop (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

30 min | 30 min (222 episodes)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White | Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Australia:G

Filming Locations:

General Service Studios - 6625 Romaine Street, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS)

Trivia:

Frank Cady (Sam Drucker) is the only actor ever to play the same recurring character on three sitcoms simultaneously.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "The Nanny: Fran's Roots (#4.19)" (1997)

CBS Cancelled an Era!!

In 1970 when CBS took "Petticoat Junction" off the air, it was for purposes of deviating from a 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, my mother being the youngest 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, 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 panacea right out of a Norman Rockwell painting. Hooterville would be a town which would be subject to a lack of employment, and would be bludgeoned by one recession or another. You would have a Wal-Mart putting Sam Drucker's store out of business. The divorce rate would 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 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 invoked television shows 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. The perception by the television audience of moral infuriation could not be quelled by hovering around the piano and singing!!! I feel it is imperative that television parallel American's personal 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 it's own realization!! Realism and doubts, as depicted in television shows today, also have a comically identifiable twist....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!!