As an 8 year old boy in 1963 who liked trains it was obvious why I liked this show. As I got older of course I found there were other things to like about it.
This was *ABSOLUTELY, POSITIVELY* the best documentary l've seen or heard on _PETTICOAT JUNCTION_ . As far as interviews are concerned it wins hands-down all the way around. It answered a ton of questions l had about the casting and the actors; the replacements and why some left (albeit, l knew about the deaths that had occurred). The one thing l really appreciated about this presentation was that we were getting information "straight from the horse's mouth", and not from some know-it-all interviewer wanting to impress audiences with his knowledge. Neither were we the pawns of some "click-baiter", trying to take advantage of fans searching for information. Thanks to whomever for granting us this most interesting bit of documentary. .
@@MrCJ-qz9dl - Sam Drucker lived to be 96, and Mr Bedloe was 102! Sam was in "When Worlds Collide" and looked just like he always did. Mr Bedloe I always thought of as old when I saw him in movies from the '30s!
These were the shows you could always rely upon to relax and forget your day. They were like coming home. Not bogged down with political issues, just simple enjoyment.
Three great TV shows (Petticoat Junction, Green Acres, and Beverly Hillbillies) I remember in reruns as a kid along with Gilligan's island and McHale's Navy. Gentle humor. Classy.
Gilligan's Island was cancelled because of the show Gunsmoke. At first the network planned to cancel Gunsmoke, but the head of CBS was a big fan of Gunsmoke so he demanded that Gilligan's Island be cancelled instead.
I see a common theme in all these, "Shows were great then...shows today suck" comments. Which is this...almost unilaterally, such sentiment is accompanied by revelation of commenters having grown up in the era when the shows were popular. Personally - I find it the height of self-sanctimony for someone to attempt to foist their world views and values on someone with whom they may not share the same reference points of life experiences. Also, there is this...the lament by "elders" as to the wayward ways of the succeeding generations has been echoing since AT LEAST the days of Aristotle. By the way - I AM of the older generation. Grew up with the same shows and experiences shared by many of you (although, given my cultural background...I may not necessarily be as inclined to wistfully yearn for those days as some you seem to be.) I've made my peace with this reality...it's a near (very near) certainty that the emerging generations will outlive all the micro--aggressive bellyaching about "the youth of today" so many Baby Boomers indulge. And Us Baby Boomers might as well begin (if not already begun) to accept that reality - like THAT or not.
I loved Petticoat Junction, Green Acres, Mayberry and Star Trek. I know it is a strange mix but they were all good family shows and that was what people wanted back then.
Our Family was good friends with Edgar Bucanon's sister Key who lived in our town in Oregon. Edgar would come and visit about twice a year. His Sister told us that Edgar was a Dentist before his acting career started.
His wife and Edger were both dentists. He kept up his license even while he was acting. He even gave dental care on the sets of the movies/shows he was on.
I'm enjoying this series all over again lately. I remembered being so sad at age 9 when Bea Benaderet passed away. She was such a versatile actress but had such a warmth as Kate. And I loved Higgins the dog❣️
@@lilajagears8317 Bea was such a professional, and apparently not a diva of any kind. Yes, she was up for the Granny role, but allegedly when she saw Irene Ryan's audition, she went to Paul Henning and told him that he'd be a fool not to cast Irene for the role that she herself wanted. THAT'S class.
I watch petticoat Junction over and over and over again I was born in the 60s and watch them all my life I miss the good old days this world is so dark and evil right now if I didn’t have Jesus Christ as my precious savior and best friend I would be so lost and it helps to have these shows too… so stay hopefully they’ll keep playing so that this generation that has the iPhone in their face maybe it’ll rub off on them with prayer. 🎺🎺🎺🎺🎺🎺🎺JIC
"If Beverly Hillbillies, Green Acres, Mayberry RFD and Hee Haw were cancelled because of low ratings,fine...but if they were cancelled because of a network whim to change an image,not so fine!" -TV Guide,1971
The great Rural Purge. Those shows were still very popular. Green Acres and PJ coexisted in the same universe, as it were, and the principal players made guest appearances on each other's shows.
I was born in 1969, happened to stumble on Petticoat Junction for the first time in 2021 during Corona and to be frank, it is fantastic....great actors, great acting, just wonderful....no matter how many times I see it, it is never boring just like Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol", you come back to it every Christmas time and it is just wonderful. And by the way, just love that old train and that little town etc....
These old time sitcoms are full of Truth. life lessons. real life relationships and taught us children how to make sense of life and learn in a fun way and laughing
You do have a point there. For example; James Arness was made an Honorary United States Marshall, by The United States Marshall's Service, and presented with a solid gold U.S. Marshall's badge. He did narratives for their recruiting and training videos. He inspired many young people to become Law Enforcement Officers through his character, United States Marshall Matt Dillon. Later in his life, The U.S. Marshall's Service presented James Arness with a certificate and pure Sterling silver Retired U.S. Marshall badge, and officially proclaimed Mr Arness to be an Honorary Retired U .S. Marshall! Rest in heaven James Arness 🙏 💔 😢 💙 😔 😞 You are loved and missed . ❤️ Thankfully, Marshall Matt Dillon still rides on our television screens and still fights the Good Fight 👍 👏
That would be very interesting point. What would a very wholesome show in 2022 look like? I’m guessing that you would be the steering well clear of politics, and issues like climate, change, race relations, conspiracy, theories and the like wonder what they would be left for the average wholesome American to focus on in terms of plot. The America of the 1960s has pretty much disappeared. People like the one in the show as rare as hens, teeth in this day and age. Thankfully, you able to go back and watch them on reruns
Absolutely wonderful. I was a 10 year old girl who loved this show from the very beginning. How wonderful of Linda Kaye Henning to open her heart and tell this story of her acting on the program. Loved this beautiful memory of all the fine actors.
I needed to see this. These were the people of my childhood. I remember people following every nuance of Steve and Betty Jo. When they got married, and had the baby, it was news!!
I grew up on Paul Henning's shows and have seen most of them in reruns as an adult. It's great to be able to be transported back to that more innocent time of our lives, however Petticoat was never the same for me once Bea Benederet was gone, she was so special. She was the heart & soul of Petticoat.
I grew up with all 3 as well, but I find Green Acres is the one I feel closest to. Watching them over and over on DVD has helped me get through some very tough times of illness and helped me cope with my father's death. A world that you would like it to be....
I was born in 1961, I remember being so sadden when Petticoat Junction ended more than any of those shows. Marlo Thomas was my inspiration in life because of “That Girl, I wanted to be just like her. Fast forward to 2010 and I was telling a really dear friend that story, and he said to me “Penny, you are That Girl,” greatest compliment ever 🥰
There is just one more thing that is never mentioned about what made this show and the other rural TV shows so popular back in the 60s, it's the catchy intro tunes, that does a lot for these old shows along with the good actors with morals back then.............
That tribute was nice. 👍 Kind of teary eyed now just thinking about it and all the charactors on these shows. The simple life isn’t always so simple, but it was a good life just the same.
I really believe that shows like this are popular in re-runs becase of the insanity of this modern, progressive world. We are all looking for something more simple and wholesome. Thanks for this video....i grew up watching all these shows. Great to travel down memory lane😊❤🚂
Loved watching reruns of Petticoat Junction as a preteen in the late 70s. I remember having a bit of a crush on Lori Saunders and how disappointed I was when my mom pointed out that the show was made back in the 60s, and Ms. Saunders was actually much older than I had thought. Innocent times…but I still think she’s beautiful to this day.
What makes these shows so timeless and watchable still is the fact they did not deal with world current events, like the later All In The Family, Maude, and Designing Women. Just real family values. And I use "family" in the broadest sense possible. All the characters were one big family even if not actually related.
The story of the end of the Henning/Sommers shows is strong evidence that the broadcast networks do not exist primarily as commercial entities. All these shows were in the top 20 viewership. All were enjoyed and even loved, despite, and really because of their broad comic camp and farce. They were canceled and replaced with dingy city shows of dysfunctional and sarcastic families (returning to The Honneymooners formula) for a reason. TV, despite claims otherwise, exists to program an audience and modify their behavior. They were not trying to stay "hip" they were trying to define "hip" and direct young minds into molds the network executives make and pour for them... And they still are.
@@STho205 I disagree with your analysis. The commercial networks are businesses. They exist not only to make a profit, but to maximize profits. Many businesses will discontinue profitable products in the hopes that other products will make even more profits. And how do networks make profits? Well, at the time, it was solely by selling ads. And how do networks sell ads? By convincing advertisers that the people watching their shows would be receptive to the products advertisers are trying to sell. In other words, by having the right demographics. And, at the time, the viewers of shows like Petticoat Junction and the like, no matter how many there were, were simply not the viewers advertisers wanted and were willing to pay top dollar for. It's really as simple as that.
@@jimtrue1465 maybe. However soap, General Foods, appliances and lady products were still the main advertisers, after cigarettes and alcohol were pushed out...and major industry stopped just placing their names. They still are. Seems a good fit to me as those shows were geared to housewares and nostalgic homelife. Kotex and Tampons didn't weasel their way in till the mid 70s. Still mostly lady products today and big pharma has substituted for the tobacco and liquor ads. Kelloggs was a big sponsor for Henning shows. They didn't dissappear or decide MeatHead and Maude were better cereal eaters. Maxwell House and Post was the big sponsor for Mayberry series. The 60s had many nostalgic shows for 30 min in kid hours and bright shiny future shows for 60 min and 30 min. About 1969/70 Pop Culture just decided to roll that up and toss it out in favor of you peasants go back to your droll lives and work hard for The Man as you'll never live sophisticated lives...like your betters. It's very apparent with the heroic military shows to get America ready and eager join up for Vietnam in the JFK/LBJ years. After Nixon took charge...Hollywood ripped up those scripts and replaced them with MASH.
@@STho205 I agree that many of the things being advertised were used by the older, more rural audiences. But advertisers at the time were learning that the older, more-rural audience members were less likely to change brands because of advertising, and so they were not the ideal target. Advertisers began preferring the younger, more urban audience, and were willing to pay more for access to that demographic. The urban 18-35 demographic was THE prime target for advertisers then, so networks were anxious to schedule programs to attract that prime demographic.
Wow, this documentary is tops!! I watched Petticoat Junction religiously on my local station, WEHT TV25 in Evansville, IN as it was a CBS station back then, now ABC. I was a train buff, 3 years old when the show first aired in 1963 and 10 years old in 1970 when it went off the air, my parents knew that no matter what we were doing at the time, I HAD to watch Petticoat Junction. I loved the characters, Paul Henning did a fantastic job in chosing the right people for the cast. I always wanted a dog like Higgins, or as they called him on the show, "Dog." There will never be another Bea Benaderet. She was in a league of her own. Edgar Buchanan was wonderful as were all the cast, each performed their part effortlessly, and you could tell they genuinely enjoyed what they were doing. I loved this show for its wholesomeness, its family values, and the warm and cozy feeling it gave you. We could sure use that in today's world. Thank you to everyone involved in putting this documentary together. This is a gem that I will share with my family and friends.
I was in my high school marching band. We lived in a small farm town and green was our main school color. We sang the Green Acres them while marching. That was in the late 90’s these shows are timeless.
So many great memories here, I was just a tyke back in the early 60s but thanks to reruns and syndication, i have enjoyed these episodes for most of my adult life. I was always tickled by the connections of all the Henning shows, it was one big happy family. The silliness was just off the chain hilarious, esp with Jethro on BH and with the cast of crazies on Green Acres. If you didn't get a belly laugh from some of their antics, then there was a problem with your sense of humor.
I love all these old shows, but I'd like to give a special shout out to whoever cast Pat Buttrum as one of the saloon regulars in Back to the Future III. It was like seeing an old friend, got a huge kick out of that!!! Terrific documentary, thanks for posting.
I watched a movie called They're Playing With Fire with Sybil Danning. It's pretty much what they would call a T&A movie, but there's a surprise character that also kicks you greatly when revealed. It's surprising because no credit is given at the start of the movie. Only at the end, but you do not even have to wait, because you immediately know the face of the person. True, when you see the face, it is like seeing an old friend. The lucky kid is the same actor who played in Private Lessons.
Petticoat Junction, Beverly Hillbillies, and Green Acres are shows that are great. Shows like this are not being made today and it's a shame. Thank heaven for syndication. It is a wonderful feeling when I see these shows. Today programs are not well made today. Back in the day, I liked the '50's and '60's even '70's. I think the people in these shows had a certain quality that not many had even now. I enjoyed these shows. Thank you everyone.
I now serve as a city pastor but my first 16 yrs was as a country pastor. When people would know things about what I did or some news I had told someone I immediately thought about Green Acres. Sam Drucker would always know what was going on by the time Oliver got to the store. Country people are like that. I can attest to it.
I love my ME TV and ME TV plus that do show this show. My son likes to watch, but he works 3 out of 5 days and likes to bike ride early in the morning.
Back in the late 70's - early 80's, I watched this show .. mainly because it was on the only station our TV's were able to pick up... I lived up in the hills above Jamestown where the outside scenes (with the train) were filmed...
There is also Jamestown, NY, notable for Lucille Ball. Great place to visit and attend festivals and activities related to the wonderful Lucille Ball. Bea played an old spinster on one episode of I Love Lucy! Michael Minor certainly was a handsome man. Too bad the marriage ended in divorce. Mike was quite heavy in later life. I have always wondered if it was health related. Charles Lane and Shirley Mitchell were also friends of Lucille Ball. June Lockhart was an excellent addition to the show. Always loved Frank Cady. I will bet he was very down to earth in real life. I would love to have met him and would love to meet Linda Kaye Henning. This was very informative and I am so happy to have come across it. Thank you for the info on one of my favorite shows. Yes, a senior citizen from upstate NY, about 30 minutes from the Baseball Hall of Fame ⚾️ !!
Perplexed and Bemused Aussie here.I always thought it was funny that Eva Gabor called the town HooterSville as I associated it with Hooters Bar & Grill. Or was Green Acres made before Hooters Bars sprang up?
Great documentary. I'd live to make it to Jamestown, CA one day and ride the Cannonball. That train is in so many 60s shows and movies: Casey Jones, PJ, GA, BH.... Gunsmoke, Rifleman, Big Valley, WW West....
To me I was born in 1956 but the 60s I think was the greatest time of the United States of America I love growing up in that town and I think 1967 was my favorite year
At age 70 I still every Christmas Eve after every thing has settles down I will go down and get in my chair and watch the Petticoat Christmas special show.. Alone with my hound in my lap and a large glass of wine..
I was living in Newport Beach in the early 90's now in NYC. I attended a tribute to Paul Henning in I believe a small auditorium in Fountain Valley and all the Petticoat girls were there as well as the Beverly Hillbillies cast and Alvy Moore from Green Acres. I still have the program. I will never forget sitting in the second row behind Buddy Ebsen and Max Baer and Donna Douglas watching the very first episode of their show, hearing Jethro giggle on the screen and then hearing Max laugh IFO me. Donna had to rib him a few times to keep him quiet. After the show ended I remember walking out and I stood right next to Paul. He looked very pleased. Was a fun afternoon.
I grew up on Petticoat Junction, Green Acres and Beverly Hillbillies and to this day I still watch the re runs. Now with You tube I can watch them when ever I want to. Thanks for keeping there memories alive.
I watched Petticoat Junction as a kid. I got a crush on Meredith MacRae when I was 12. For some reason I thought all shows were made in California. In the summer of 1968 my family took a trip to California. I asked my mom if I could meet Ms. MacRae. She replied emphatically "No". She thought I might get hurt. My feelings were easily hurt back then. However, somewhere I read that most people who met Ms. MacRae thought she was nice.
Those were such good ole days I remember watching the early episodes in black and white on our first TV , a hand me down from my grandparents with a round screen. Then about the time Petticoat went color so did our TV. Petticoat Junction was my Favorite show back then, I was a wide eyed little boy in love with the three pretty girls skinny-dipping in the water tower. The sixties were truly magical, a great decade to have grown up in... It was a time of innocence when actors were as wholesome as the character they played.
Hee Haw was on tv for several years, 1969-until after 1990...I wouldn't call it short lived. I watched every ep of all these shows when new. I still love all of them.
Hee Haw didn't last very long as a network television show on CBS However, once the producers began selling/ renting video tapes of the show to individual television stations, the show became extremely popular. In the early 1980's, Oklahoma Cutynewspaper publisher and Radio/ Television broadcast station owner, Edward Gaylord bought Hee Haw, along with Nashville's Grand Ole Opry, Opryland USA complex, WSM 650 AM, The Ryman Auditorium, and the rest of National Life Insurance's non insurance holdings. Now Gaylord Entertainment is a multi billion dollar enterprise.
CRITIQUE on this documentary: EXCELLENT! VERY nicely done. Everyone looks GREAT. May a who were connected with the great show who have passed away REST in SWEET PEACE. THANKS fir warning our hearts for seven great years!
Just the sound of that train whistle takes me back to my early childhood. I recall the middle seasons so fondly. After Kate died it just wasn’t the same, they seemed to be constantly singing, which I couldn’t stand.
This was a lovely tribute to a truly wonderful show. I am so thankful that I grew up watching these wholesome shows, where family values, honesty, and kindness were emphasized. What wonderful actors, who are sorely missed not only for their talents, but for being amazing human beings. Where can I catch the Cannonball to Hooverville? It was a simpler, gentler, more innocent time that I surely miss. ❤️
Born in 1953 these 3 shows were all part of my school days. Network television was once so great. I remember it was actually exciting when the new television schedules were made available for the next season my family would figure out what we would watch for each time slot and maybe watch others only when shows repeated. And it was all free. Excellent history of Petticoat Junction. I recall watching it however only up until the passing of Bea Benaderet. It was before my time but thanks to CZcams I have seen episodes of the Burns and Allen show of the 1950s and there is Kate. Thanks for sharing on CZcams.
I remember getting either the TV Guide or saving the Sunday Paper's TV guide for the week. I didn't see the last seasons as Uncle Sam had plans for me I wasn't crazy about.
@@MountainFisher I understand. I know we did not purchase the TV Guide, but there was some kind of paper booklet provided by the local newspaper for the new TV season. We did get the local newspaper each day so it had the lineup for that night that would show any changes or what was being repeared that night. It might even be that Sunday papers TV Guide you mention. So long ago I am not sure.
@@larryloveless2967 LA Times' Sunday edition had a TV guide for the week, but my grandfather would sometimes buy the regular TV Guide to read about people in the shows. Plus he wouldn't admit it, but he was hooked on the soap opera General Hospital and he liked reading about some of the actors on the show. So if there was an article about GH you could bet the farm he would get it.😆
@@MountainFisher You got me thinking about it and I am sure it was a Guide placed in our Sunday local newspaper for the week as well. that we used. Funny you mention General Hospital, since that was also my mom's favorire soap.
This show was such a treasure for me and my family. I was still a little kid, preschooler, when Bea passed away and it was like a member of the family passing. Broke my heart. I've been a big fan of the train which played The Canonball, Sierra No. 3, built in 1891 and has appeared in at least 38 different films and another 38 TV shows. I remember in the 1990s I started trying to research it on the early internet and it's fate an whereabouts was a little sketchy. Thankfully in 2010 a restoration project was completed and Sierra No.3 now resides fully restored in California at the Railtown 1879 State Historic Park.
Incredibly well made production of one of my favorite series. PJunction was a blessing of a show and it's sad that today there's nothing close to it. Thank you, the the cast crew and Paul Henning.
The Hooterville name was actually a take on the community of Etterville which is just north of Eldon on the old Rock Island Railway. Even the bend the train rounds in the opening sequence is very similar to the bend in the tracks just before Etterville. The city of Eldon does little if anything to celebrate it's ties to the universe created by Paul Hennig sadly. The Burris Hotel is long gone as is the train depot but a new visitor center was recently constructed where the depot was that shares design cues with the old depot. Eldon is a community of around 5,000 people just north of Lake of the Ozarks. At the time Mr. Hennig was interviewed Eldon was a community of about 4200 people. He and his wife are buried in the community of Tuscumbia which is about 16 miles from Eldon. I'm a lifelong Eldon area resident and a bit of a local history buff in case anyone was curious.
yeah but green acres is a real town out side of bskersfield on the rail route...not far north is the real town of pixley....then not far north of there is a town called porterville...
I was ONLY a little kid back then but Everyone of these folks really was my favorite movie stars on every one of these 📺 T.V. shows and the girls really was REALLY LOVELY AND REALLY beautiful and these are still my favorite TV show's EVEN NOW DAY'S
To me Green Acres was the best of them all.The gags were so simple and easy but hilarious compared to todays smut.I even have Eddie and Toms autographs on old black and white 8 x 10s.One of my favorites was the Legend Of Molly Turgis.Where Lisa helps her spirit use make up and how anyone that said her name....bad luck would ensue.
I absolutely agree with you. Every now and then, I'll catch the reruns of Green Acres on MeTV, and I'll actually laugh at some of the lines, especially when Lisa (Eva Gabor) mispronounces words or phrases. It's a comedy whose humor still holds up well.
At about 25 minutes, there's a faint two pips on the sound track. I've heard this a few times earlier and wondered where it was coming from. It wasn't from my mobile phone, nor my smoke alarm. When I played back a section at about the 25 minute mark, there were those two faint pips.
All three of these shows were my favorite shows when I was a kid ( plus Gilligan's Island), they where all great and hearing the stories of how they came about is fascinating, thanks for the great video.😊😊😊
This brings back a lot of memories. I loved everyone on this show and I very sad to walk down memory lane. The problem with being old is leaving all the older people behind.
Even though the Rural Comedies of the 60s are not my top favorites from the 60s, they clearly were well made and acted. This video does a great job of going into the history of that era. Big thumbs ups to individuals that put this video together. It hands down far far better than the channels that use AI generated scripts and cloned voices.👍
Rufe Davis resumes as Floyd Smoot in the last year of the series. Alas, for according to IMDB he plays in only two episodes, "Steve's Uncle George" and "Last Train to Pixley."
like what you said at the end about the Family coming together Damn network trying to change American Life by erasing these Old shows but Folks who grew up with it still want the Old shows.
The watertower is still there in Jamestown Ca. The steam trains are part of RailTown a state park. They also were part of Back to the Future Part 3. and a couple of Clint Eastwood movies My Little Chickadee and many other TV shows. Little House on the Prairie and others.
I'm feeling nostalgic today so I really enjoyed watching this documentary. I loved all of the shows mentioned, especially Petticoat Junction. I was born in 1959 so these 1960's shows bring back a part of my childhood to me.
He probably collected a $190 a month Social Security check like my Grandad did. People say that wasn't very much, but I made $60 a week in take home pay which was pretty good for a kid.
I first discovered Petti Coat Junction on TV Land in the late 90s. The intro to the show with the girls peeking out the water tower naked, OMG 😍!!! All the girls were gorgeous, but I particularly had a thing for Lori Saunders as Bobby Joe.
🤔Petticoat Junction really is a great TV show especially Kate and her three beautiful lovely daughters and Kate and her 3 daughter's really was really lovely and really beautiful also Beverly Hillbillies was also a great t.v. show also Ellie May she REALLY was fine as wine and the Green Acres was also a great TV show and Mr Ed was another good TV SHOW that was back in the good old days when I was a little kid every one of them TV shows was my favorite TV shows especially the beautiful GIRl's
Growing up in the 70s, I never got the chance to watch reruns of Petticoat Junction like I did with the Beverly Hillbillies and Green Acres. But occasionally I managed to catch a show or two. At one point, a local affiliate showed Petticoat Junction on weekday mornings at 6 or 6:30 am. I managed to get up early enough to watch it before going to school a few times, but it was too early to make it a regular habit for me.
@11:30 Not far from Eldon, MO (Home of the hotel that inspired Petticoat Junction) is a VERY small town called "Etterville." It was on the same railroad as Eldon, so perhaps Mrs. Henning suggested a modification of Etterville, thus Hooterville is named. Just speculation on my part, but since I'm an Eldon native, it makes sense to me.
Kansas City was the hotbed for so much talent in those days. Henning working for KMBC(Z) and Walt Disney at Laugh-o-grams. Down to earth, middle-of-the-country humor that played so well to the nation.
Linda unfortunately repeated a long-standing myth regarding the casting (and subsequent letting go) of Sharon Tate. Tate's risque photos were taken on the set of the film 'The Fearless Vampire Killers' some three years *after* PJ's first season. The real reason is that Filmways' director Martin Ransohoff, who had signed her up for a seven year contract, felt she lacked confidence and instead gave her bit parts to gain experience.
Don't really remember Petticoat Junction, but as a teen boy, loved Eva in Green Acres. I will always remember the pernundle that operated the automatic transmission! If you don't remember, it was the lever with the markings: PRNDL
@@kiwitrainguy you're amazing! Thanks a million for the link. I see you have a lot of interesting videos on your channel, so I subbed. Do you have cassowaries running around your area?
Awesome documentary about Petticoat Junction. I thought I wouldn't like it, but was very pleasantly surprised with the information, the interviews with the the actors, and the backstories. Very well done. PJ aficionados should love this video.
I was born in '59, and grew up watching these shows. TV was a wonderful thing in the '60s and '70s, then just started falling apart. I haven't watched TV in a long time, there is nothing on TV but trash, except for channels that have reruns of '60s and '70s shows. I was also a big fan of Lost in Space back then, June Lockhart managed to get her role on Petticoat Junction when Lost in Space was canceled. I wasn't planning to watch this entire video, I was just going to skip through it, but got hooked and watched the whole thing. All these decades later, it's hard to believe that CBS once had shows like this, considering the trash they've become. Really makes me want to go back to those days.
I was born in 1960. All I watch on network TV is the local news and national news (to see how crazy it is out there), Jeopardy, Wheel of Fortune, PGA Golf, NCAA Basketball tournament, World Series, Saturday College football, Superbowl, The Olympics. I have not locked on to any network series since they started reality (non-reality) TV shows. I don't watch Dancing with the stars, The Voice, etc I would be more productive weeding my backyard. I have started watching black & white movies from the 1920's and forward. AI lot of movies that we have not seen in the glory days of Hollywood. I also don't like watching 8 commercials during the breaks as they have today on these shows today.
Loved all of the cast members of Petticoat Junction. I accidentally came across this sitcom on CZcams when CZcams suggested it to watch. So I did and haven’t looked back since. In the early series I loved the Chief Executive Director of the C N F & W he was an amazing actor and had his heart set in preserving the train. Homer Bedlow was a brilliant actor too in trying his hardest to scrap the train
As an 8 year old boy in 1963 who liked trains it was obvious why I liked this show. As I got older of course I found there were other things to like about it.
Yabba Dabba Doo !!!
Cute quote
Especially the girls and the comedy
I also was 8 years old. Them days the men worked so a lot of my memories evolve around my mother and I watching the show.
love trains too
When I feel stressed, I always return to my Hooterville shows. Comfort tv. ✔️
The days when TV was worth watching, great fun show.
This was *ABSOLUTELY, POSITIVELY* the best documentary l've seen or heard on _PETTICOAT JUNCTION_ . As far as interviews are concerned it wins hands-down all the way around. It answered a ton of questions l had about the casting and the actors; the replacements and why some left (albeit, l knew about the deaths that had occurred). The one thing l really appreciated about this presentation was that we were getting information "straight from the horse's mouth", and not from some know-it-all interviewer wanting to impress audiences with his knowledge. Neither were we the pawns of some "click-baiter", trying to take advantage of fans searching for information. Thanks to whomever for granting us this most interesting bit of documentary. .
Pull up petticoat junction full movie on CZcams it's the first show if you haven't seen it I think you'll enjoy it
@@william8889 l have the first show on DVD. l've seen it about 35 times--literally.
@@william8889 czcams.com/video/z7eQPm5e-lE/video.html
@@MrCJ-qz9dl - Sam Drucker lived to be 96, and Mr Bedloe was 102! Sam was in "When Worlds Collide" and looked just like he always did. Mr Bedloe I always thought of as old when I saw him in movies from the '30s!
@douglasdavis8395 O yes...l knew Charles Lane (Bedloe) and Frank Cady (Sam) died in 2007 and 2012 respectively; living to be nonagenarians.
These were the shows you could always rely upon to relax and forget your day. They were like coming home. Not bogged down with political issues, just simple enjoyment.
What wonderful memories!! Higgins jumping into Edgar's arms, wow! You'll have to excuse me, I'm gonna go dry my eyes!😥🇺🇲📺
Animals (mammals) have very good memories.
@@kiwitrainguy 👌
Three great TV shows (Petticoat Junction, Green Acres, and Beverly Hillbillies) I remember in reruns as a kid along with Gilligan's island and McHale's Navy. Gentle humor. Classy.
YES,GOOD OLE SHOWS THAT WE ALL GREW WITH.
Gilligan's Island was cancelled because of the show Gunsmoke. At first the network planned to cancel Gunsmoke, but the head of CBS was a big fan of Gunsmoke so he demanded that Gilligan's Island be cancelled instead.
Over the years, it was tough to decide which show I liked the best!!! Green Acres is it!!!! But, we loved them all!!!!!
Remember F TROOP?
I see a common theme in all these, "Shows were great then...shows today suck" comments. Which is this...almost unilaterally, such sentiment is accompanied by revelation of commenters having grown up in the era when the shows were popular.
Personally - I find it the height of self-sanctimony for someone to attempt to foist their world views and values on someone with whom they may not share the same reference points of life experiences. Also, there is this...the lament by "elders" as to the wayward ways of the succeeding generations has been echoing since AT LEAST the days of Aristotle.
By the way - I AM of the older generation. Grew up with the same shows and experiences shared by many of you (although, given my cultural background...I may not necessarily be as inclined to wistfully yearn for those days as some you seem to be.) I've made my peace with this reality...it's a near (very near) certainty that the emerging generations will outlive all the micro--aggressive bellyaching about "the youth of today" so many Baby Boomers indulge. And Us Baby Boomers might as well begin (if not already begun) to accept that reality - like THAT or not.
I loved Petticoat Junction, Green Acres, Mayberry and Star Trek. I know it is a strange mix but they were all good family shows and that was what people wanted back then.
I grew up watching petticoatjunction, green acres. I still watch them and enjoy them.
Our Family was good friends with Edgar Bucanon's sister Key who lived in our town in Oregon. Edgar would come and visit about twice a year. His Sister told us that Edgar was a Dentist before his acting career started.
Yes he was...
That's interesting, because he played a dentist in an episode of Tales Of Wells Fargo.
His wife and Edger were both dentists. He kept up his license even while he was acting. He even gave dental care on the sets of the movies/shows he was on.
Every young man loved those shows.
I'm enjoying this series all over again lately. I remembered being so sad at age 9 when Bea Benaderet passed away. She was such a versatile actress but had such a warmth as Kate. And I loved Higgins the dog❣️
I was 10 when she died, I'm sure you know that she was the first choice to play granny. Bea was a class act.
@@lilajagears8317 Bea was such a professional, and apparently not a diva of any kind. Yes, she was up for the Granny role, but allegedly when she saw Irene Ryan's audition, she went to Paul Henning and told him that he'd be a fool not to cast Irene for the role that she herself wanted. THAT'S class.
@@jimtrue1465 I agree, she was a class act all the way.
Very good
@@lilajagears8317 ALSO FIRST CHOICE TO PLAY ETHEL MERTZ
I watch petticoat Junction over and over and over again I was born in the 60s and watch them all my life I miss the good old days this world is so dark and evil right now if I didn’t have Jesus Christ as my precious savior and best friend I would be so lost and it helps to have these shows too… so stay hopefully they’ll keep playing so that this generation that has the iPhone in their face maybe it’ll rub off on them with prayer. 🎺🎺🎺🎺🎺🎺🎺JIC
"If Beverly Hillbillies, Green Acres, Mayberry RFD and Hee Haw were cancelled because of low ratings,fine...but if they were cancelled because of a network whim to change an image,not so fine!" -TV Guide,1971
The great Rural Purge. Those shows were still very popular. Green Acres and PJ coexisted in the same universe, as it were, and the principal players made guest appearances on each other's shows.
I enjoyed watching all of these shows and miss seeing them. I wish that there was something like this today. Love from Marysville, California
@@8avexp - It was described that "anything with a tree in it" was deleted!
I remember all these in reruns.
The only thing constant is change
I was born in 1969, happened to stumble on Petticoat Junction for the first time in 2021 during Corona and to be frank, it is fantastic....great actors, great acting, just wonderful....no matter how many times I see it, it is never boring just like Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol", you come back to it every Christmas time and it is just wonderful. And by the way, just love that old train and that little town etc....
These old time sitcoms are full of Truth. life lessons. real life relationships and taught us children how to make sense of life and learn in a fun way and laughing
You do have a point there. For example; James Arness was made an Honorary United States Marshall, by The United States Marshall's Service, and presented with a solid gold U.S. Marshall's badge. He did narratives for their recruiting and training videos. He inspired many young people to become Law Enforcement Officers through his character, United States Marshall Matt Dillon. Later in his life, The U.S. Marshall's Service presented James Arness with a certificate and pure Sterling silver Retired U.S. Marshall badge, and officially proclaimed Mr Arness to be an Honorary Retired U .S. Marshall! Rest in heaven James Arness 🙏 💔 😢 💙 😔 😞 You are loved and missed . ❤️ Thankfully, Marshall Matt Dillon still rides on our television screens and still fights the Good Fight 👍 👏
@@bouffant-girl yes absolutely
So true!!! These shows set our values for life!!!!!!
It's really too bad they don't make wholesome shows like this anymore. I loved watching all of these shows when I was young and the reruns later.
LOL - you say "wholesome shows", I say "mindless dreck".
That would be very interesting point. What would a very wholesome show in 2022 look like? I’m guessing that you would be the steering well clear of politics, and issues like climate, change, race relations, conspiracy, theories and the like wonder what they would be left for the average wholesome American to focus on in terms of plot. The America of the 1960s has pretty much disappeared. People like the one in the show as rare as hens, teeth in this day and age. Thankfully, you able to go back and watch them on reruns
@@rah62 And you probably consider shows like Wings & Two and A Half Men to be cultural godsends. 😒
@@luisreyes1963 Never watched them. Why do you name those two?
@@rah62 Because, I don't the have the saintly patience to list EVERY crappy TV show that aired since 1970. 😅
Absolutely wonderful. I was a 10 year old girl who loved this show from the very beginning. How wonderful of Linda Kaye Henning to open her heart and tell this story of her acting on the program. Loved this beautiful memory of all the fine actors.
One of my favorites was Meredith MacRae... RIP all of the characters that have passed away
I needed to see this. These were the people of my childhood.
I remember people following every nuance of Steve and Betty Jo.
When they got married, and had the baby, it was news!!
I grew up on Paul Henning's shows and have seen most of them in reruns as an adult. It's great to be able to be transported back to that more innocent time of our lives, however Petticoat was never the same for me once Bea Benederet was gone, she was so special. She was the heart & soul of Petticoat.
I grew up with all 3 as well, but I find Green Acres is the one I feel closest to. Watching them over and over on DVD has helped me get through some very tough times of illness and helped me cope with my father's death. A world that you would like it to be....
Linda still has that Mischievous Betty Jo smile ❤️
I was born in 1961, I remember being so sadden when Petticoat Junction ended more than any of those shows.
Marlo Thomas was my inspiration in life because of “That Girl, I wanted to be just like her. Fast forward to 2010 and I was telling a really dear friend that story, and he said to me “Penny, you are That Girl,” greatest compliment ever 🥰
Who can turn the world on with her smile!
@@Bondwan THAT WAS MARY TYLER MORE
@@chuckschafer942 _Moore_ not More.
@@coloradostrong FAT FINGER
There is just one more thing that is never mentioned about what made this show and the other rural TV shows so popular back in the 60s, it's the catchy intro tunes, that does a lot for these old shows along with the good actors with morals back then.............
That tribute was nice. 👍 Kind of teary eyed now just thinking about it and all the charactors on these shows. The simple life isn’t always so simple, but it was a good life just the same.
I really believe that shows like this are popular in re-runs becase of the insanity of this modern, progressive world. We are all looking for something more simple and wholesome. Thanks for this video....i grew up watching all these shows. Great to travel down memory lane😊❤🚂
You didn't have to wonder if the women in the shows were born women
Loved watching reruns of Petticoat Junction as a preteen in the late 70s. I remember having a bit of a crush on Lori Saunders and how disappointed I was when my mom pointed out that the show was made back in the 60s, and Ms. Saunders was actually much older than I had thought. Innocent times…but I still think she’s beautiful to this day.
Thx to all who contributed to this documentary.
What makes these shows so timeless and watchable still is the fact they did not deal with world current events, like the later All In The Family, Maude, and Designing Women. Just real family values. And I use "family" in the broadest sense possible. All the characters were one big family even if not actually related.
Families mean nothing now it seems.
The story of the end of the Henning/Sommers shows is strong evidence that the broadcast networks do not exist primarily as commercial entities. All these shows were in the top 20 viewership. All were enjoyed and even loved, despite, and really because of their broad comic camp and farce.
They were canceled and replaced with dingy city shows of dysfunctional and sarcastic families (returning to The Honneymooners formula) for a reason. TV, despite claims otherwise, exists to program an audience and modify their behavior.
They were not trying to stay "hip" they were trying to define "hip" and direct young minds into molds the network executives make and pour for them...
And they still are.
@@STho205 I disagree with your analysis. The commercial networks are businesses. They exist not only to make a profit, but to maximize profits. Many businesses will discontinue profitable products in the hopes that other products will make even more profits. And how do networks make profits? Well, at the time, it was solely by selling ads. And how do networks sell ads? By convincing advertisers that the people watching their shows would be receptive to the products advertisers are trying to sell. In other words, by having the right demographics. And, at the time, the viewers of shows like Petticoat Junction and the like, no matter how many there were, were simply not the viewers advertisers wanted and were willing to pay top dollar for. It's really as simple as that.
@@jimtrue1465 maybe.
However soap, General Foods, appliances and lady products were still the main advertisers, after cigarettes and alcohol were pushed out...and major industry stopped just placing their names. They still are. Seems a good fit to me as those shows were geared to housewares and nostalgic homelife.
Kotex and Tampons didn't weasel their way in till the mid 70s.
Still mostly lady products today and big pharma has substituted for the tobacco and liquor ads.
Kelloggs was a big sponsor for Henning shows. They didn't dissappear or decide MeatHead and Maude were better cereal eaters.
Maxwell House and Post was the big sponsor for Mayberry series.
The 60s had many nostalgic shows for 30 min in kid hours and bright shiny future shows for 60 min and 30 min. About 1969/70 Pop Culture just decided to roll that up and toss it out in favor of you peasants go back to your droll lives and work hard for The Man as you'll never live sophisticated lives...like your betters.
It's very apparent with the heroic military shows to get America ready and eager join up for Vietnam in the JFK/LBJ years. After Nixon took charge...Hollywood ripped up those scripts and replaced them with MASH.
@@STho205 I agree that many of the things being advertised were used by the older, more rural audiences. But advertisers at the time were learning that the older, more-rural audience members were less likely to change brands because of advertising, and so they were not the ideal target. Advertisers began preferring the younger, more urban audience, and were willing to pay more for access to that demographic. The urban 18-35 demographic was THE prime target for advertisers then, so networks were anxious to schedule programs to attract that prime demographic.
Wow, this documentary is tops!! I watched Petticoat Junction religiously on my local station, WEHT TV25 in Evansville, IN as it was a CBS station back then, now ABC. I was a train buff, 3 years old when the show first aired in 1963 and 10 years old in 1970 when it went off the air, my parents knew that no matter what we were doing at the time, I HAD to watch Petticoat Junction. I loved the characters, Paul Henning did a fantastic job in chosing the right people for the cast. I always wanted a dog like Higgins, or as they called him on the show, "Dog." There will never be another Bea Benaderet. She was in a league of her own. Edgar Buchanan was wonderful as were all the cast, each performed their part effortlessly, and you could tell they genuinely enjoyed what they were doing. I loved this show for its wholesomeness, its family values, and the warm and cozy feeling it gave you. We could sure use that in today's world. Thank you to everyone involved in putting this documentary together. This is a gem that I will share with my family and friends.
I was in my high school marching band. We lived in a small farm town and green was our main school color. We sang the Green Acres them while marching. That was in the late 90’s these shows are timeless.
*theme
So many great memories here, I was just a tyke back in the early 60s but thanks to reruns and syndication, i have enjoyed these episodes for most of my adult life. I was always tickled by the connections of all the Henning shows, it was one big happy family. The silliness was just off the chain hilarious, esp with Jethro on BH and with the cast of crazies on Green Acres. If you didn't get a belly laugh from some of their antics, then there was a problem with your sense of humor.
I love all these old shows, but I'd like to give a special shout out to whoever cast Pat Buttrum as one of the saloon regulars in Back to the Future III. It was like seeing an old friend, got a huge kick out of that!!!
Terrific documentary, thanks for posting.
I watched a movie called They're Playing With Fire with Sybil Danning.
It's pretty much what they would call a T&A movie, but there's a surprise
character that also kicks you greatly when revealed. It's surprising
because no credit is given at the start of the movie. Only at the end,
but you do not even have to wait, because you immediately know the
face of the person. True, when you see the face, it is like seeing an old
friend. The lucky kid is the same actor who played in Private Lessons.
Petticoat Junction, Beverly Hillbillies, and Green Acres are shows that are great. Shows like this are not being made today and it's a shame. Thank heaven for syndication. It is a wonderful feeling when I see these shows. Today programs are not well made today. Back in the day, I liked the '50's and '60's even '70's. I think the people in these shows had a certain quality that not many had even now. I enjoyed these shows. Thank you everyone.
I now serve as a city pastor but my first 16 yrs was as a country pastor. When people would know things about what I did or some news I had told someone I immediately thought about Green Acres. Sam Drucker would always know what was going on by the time Oliver got to the store. Country people are like that. I can attest to it.
I love my ME TV and ME TV plus that do show this show. My son likes to watch, but he works 3 out of 5 days and likes to bike ride early in the morning.
Back in the late 70's - early 80's, I watched this show .. mainly because it was on the only station our TV's were able to pick up... I lived up in the hills above Jamestown where the outside scenes (with the train) were filmed...
Knew a high school teacher there last name Jone taught English also she taught junior college..and doctor Walker too
There is also Jamestown, NY, notable for Lucille Ball. Great place to visit and attend festivals and activities related to the wonderful Lucille Ball. Bea played an old spinster on one episode of I Love Lucy! Michael Minor certainly was a handsome man. Too bad the marriage ended in divorce. Mike was quite heavy in later life. I have always wondered if it was health related. Charles Lane and Shirley Mitchell were also friends of Lucille Ball. June Lockhart was an excellent addition to the show. Always loved Frank Cady. I will bet he was very down to earth in real life. I would love to have met him and would love to meet Linda Kaye Henning. This was very informative and I am so happy to have come across it. Thank you for the info on one of my favorite shows. Yes, a senior citizen from upstate NY, about 30 minutes from the Baseball Hall of Fame ⚾️ !!
Perry coming on the train yesorno
Sis sAid that
Baby love to have fun
Babyboss
I wish more shows would come back,like this totally funny.,the Hooverville shows very folksy,classic.
Yeah, that's never happening. ☹️
Perplexed and Bemused Aussie here.I always thought it was funny that Eva Gabor called the town HooterSville as I associated it with Hooters Bar & Grill. Or was Green Acres made before Hooters Bars sprang up?
I smiled through the entire video. I grew up as a little kid watching these shows. ❤
Great documentary.
I'd live to make it to Jamestown, CA one day and ride the Cannonball. That train is in so many 60s shows and movies:
Casey Jones, PJ, GA, BH....
Gunsmoke, Rifleman, Big Valley, WW West....
To me I was born in 1956 but the 60s I think was the greatest time of the United States of America I love growing up in that town and I think 1967 was my favorite year
1967&68 were my best year growing up as a kid.
Fun Fact: The operator on both "The Andy Griffith Show" and "Petticoat Junction " was named Sarah.
@@raymondhopwood9393 I think even in real life back then all operators were named Sarah
At age 70 I still every Christmas Eve after every thing has settles down I will go down and get in my chair and watch the Petticoat Christmas special show.. Alone with my hound in my lap and a large glass of wine..
I was living in Newport Beach in the early 90's now in NYC. I attended a tribute to Paul Henning in I believe a small auditorium in Fountain Valley and all the Petticoat girls were there as well as the Beverly Hillbillies cast and Alvy Moore from Green Acres. I still have the program. I will never forget sitting in the second row behind Buddy Ebsen and Max Baer and Donna Douglas watching the very first episode of their show, hearing Jethro giggle on the screen and then hearing Max laugh IFO me. Donna had to rib him a few times to keep him quiet. After the show ended I remember walking out and I stood right next to Paul. He looked very pleased. Was a fun afternoon.
I grew up on Petticoat Junction, Green Acres and Beverly Hillbillies and to this day I still watch the re runs. Now with You tube I can watch them when ever I want to. Thanks for keeping there memories alive.
So did I. 8 years old on up. Wish I had the peace of mind of a 8 year old again.
I watched Petticoat Junction as a kid. I got a crush on Meredith MacRae when I was 12. For some reason I thought all shows were made in California. In the summer of 1968 my family took a trip to California. I asked my mom if I could meet Ms. MacRae. She replied emphatically "No". She thought I might get hurt. My feelings were easily hurt back then. However, somewhere I read that most people who met Ms. MacRae thought she was nice.
Bobby Joe the brunette was my choice
Those were such good ole days I remember watching the early episodes in black and white on our first TV , a hand me down from my grandparents with a round screen. Then about the time Petticoat went color so did our TV. Petticoat Junction was my Favorite show back then, I was a wide eyed little boy in love with the three pretty girls skinny-dipping in the water tower. The sixties were truly magical, a great decade to have grown up in... It was a time of innocence when actors were as wholesome as the character they played.
Excellent theme song and singer.
Hee Haw was on tv for several years, 1969-until after 1990...I wouldn't call it short lived. I watched every ep of all these shows when new. I still love all of them.
Hee Haw didn't last very long as a network television show on CBS However, once the producers began selling/ renting video tapes of the show to individual television stations, the show became extremely popular. In the early 1980's, Oklahoma Cutynewspaper publisher and Radio/ Television broadcast station owner, Edward Gaylord bought Hee Haw, along with Nashville's Grand Ole Opry, Opryland USA complex, WSM 650 AM, The Ryman Auditorium, and the rest of National Life Insurance's non insurance holdings. Now Gaylord Entertainment is a multi billion dollar enterprise.
Whats er name, the oldest sister Bobbi Jo was also on Hee Haw!
CRITIQUE on this documentary:
EXCELLENT! VERY nicely done. Everyone looks GREAT.
May a who were connected with the great show who have passed away REST in SWEET PEACE. THANKS fir warning our hearts for seven great years!
Just the sound of that train whistle takes me back to my early childhood. I recall the middle seasons so fondly. After Kate died it just wasn’t the same, they seemed to be constantly singing, which I couldn’t stand.
This was a lovely tribute to a truly wonderful show. I am so thankful that I grew up watching these wholesome shows, where family values, honesty, and kindness were emphasized. What wonderful actors, who are sorely missed not only for their talents, but for being amazing human beings. Where can I catch the Cannonball to Hooverville? It was a simpler, gentler, more innocent time that I surely miss. ❤️
I loved petticoat junction we watch it every week. It was so much fun. To bad they don't make fun family shows like this anymore
Born in 1953 these 3 shows were all part of my school days. Network television was once so great. I remember it was actually exciting when the new television schedules were made available for the next season my family would figure out what we would watch for each time slot and maybe watch others only when shows repeated. And it was all free. Excellent history of Petticoat Junction. I recall watching it however only up until the passing of Bea Benaderet. It was before my time but thanks to CZcams I have seen episodes of the Burns and Allen show of the 1950s and there is Kate. Thanks for sharing on CZcams.
I remember getting either the TV Guide or saving the Sunday Paper's TV guide for the week. I didn't see the last seasons as Uncle Sam had plans for me I wasn't crazy about.
@@MountainFisher I understand. I know we did not purchase the TV Guide, but there was some kind of paper booklet provided by the local newspaper for the new TV season. We did get the local newspaper each day so it had the lineup for that night that would show any changes or what was being repeared that night. It might even be that Sunday papers TV Guide you mention. So long ago I am not sure.
@@larryloveless2967 LA Times' Sunday edition had a TV guide for the week, but my grandfather would sometimes buy the regular TV Guide to read about people in the shows. Plus he wouldn't admit it, but he was hooked on the soap opera General Hospital and he liked reading about some of the actors on the show. So if there was an article about GH you could bet the farm he would get it.😆
@@MountainFisher You got me thinking about it and I am sure it was a Guide placed in our Sunday local newspaper for the week as well. that we used. Funny you mention General Hospital, since that was also my mom's favorire soap.
Linda you are such a lovely lady.
Wish she had a Facebook page
This show was such a treasure for me and my family. I was still a little kid, preschooler, when Bea passed away and it was like a member of the family passing. Broke my heart.
I've been a big fan of the train which played The Canonball, Sierra No. 3, built in 1891 and has appeared in at least 38 different films and another 38 TV shows. I remember in the 1990s I started trying to research it on the early internet and it's fate an whereabouts was a little sketchy. Thankfully in 2010 a restoration project was completed and Sierra No.3 now resides fully restored in California at the Railtown 1879 State Historic Park.
Incredibly well made production of one of my favorite series. PJunction was a blessing of a show and it's sad that today there's nothing close to it.
Thank you, the the cast crew and Paul Henning.
The Hooterville name was actually a take on the community of Etterville which is just north of Eldon on the old Rock Island Railway. Even the bend the train rounds in the opening sequence is very similar to the bend in the tracks just before Etterville.
The city of Eldon does little if anything to celebrate it's ties to the universe created by Paul Hennig sadly. The Burris Hotel is long gone as is the train depot but a new visitor center was recently constructed where the depot was that shares design cues with the old depot.
Eldon is a community of around 5,000 people just north of Lake of the Ozarks. At the time Mr. Hennig was interviewed Eldon was a community of about 4200 people.
He and his wife are buried in the community of Tuscumbia which is about 16 miles from Eldon.
I'm a lifelong Eldon area resident and a bit of a local history buff in case anyone was curious.
Hooterville is similar to several small towns in east TN/ western NC/ north GA which have scenic railway train rides.
yeah but green acres is a real town out side of bskersfield on the rail route...not far north is the real town of pixley....then not far north of there is a town called porterville...
I was disappointed when I found out that Hooterville was not populated by a lot of women with large hooters.
@@michaelverbakel7632 As a 10 t0 18 year old boy when this show aired, I was pleased with the amount of Hooterage.
I was ONLY a little kid back then but Everyone of these folks really was my favorite movie stars on every one of these 📺 T.V. shows and the girls really was REALLY LOVELY AND REALLY beautiful and these are still my favorite TV show's EVEN NOW
DAY'S
To me Green Acres was the best of them all.The gags were so simple and easy but hilarious compared to todays smut.I even have Eddie and Toms autographs on old black and white 8 x 10s.One of my favorites was the Legend Of Molly Turgis.Where Lisa helps her spirit use make up and how anyone that said her name....bad luck would ensue.
I absolutely agree with you. Every now and then, I'll catch the reruns of Green Acres on MeTV, and I'll actually laugh at some of the lines, especially when Lisa (Eva Gabor) mispronounces words or phrases. It's a comedy whose humor still holds up well.
@@fcny1218 Lisa used to pronounce the towns name as Hootersville.
At about 25 minutes, there's a faint two pips on the sound track. I've heard this a few times earlier and wondered where it was coming from. It wasn't from my mobile phone, nor my smoke alarm. When I played back a section at about the 25 minute mark, there were those two faint pips.
ALWAYS LOVED this show!....wish they could start another modern version, BEST show EVER!
All three of these shows were my favorite shows when I was a kid ( plus Gilligan's Island), they where all great and hearing the stories of how they came about is fascinating, thanks for the great video.😊😊😊
This brings back a lot of memories. I loved everyone on this show and I very sad to walk down memory lane. The problem with being old is leaving all the older people behind.
I still watch reruns of all the great shows from my childhood. I wish they would put Petticoat back on.
Two episodes are aired Saturday on me tv.
@@johnchildress6717 I'll have to check listings
STILL WATCH IT IF I CAN FIND IT LOVE IT ALL OF THE FOLKS THAT MADE THE GREAT TV SHOWS , THANK YOU
Available on MeTV and websites!
Norman Lear filth shows was the beginning of the crap we have now,
Spot on!
I have loved this show my whole life!! I wanted to be a sister, SamiJo!! Thank you for doing this series!!
Classic comedy that was CLEAN! I don't need profanity and sexual overtures to make me laugh.
Even though the Rural Comedies of the 60s are not my top favorites from the 60s, they clearly were well made and acted. This video does a great job of going into the history of that era. Big thumbs ups to individuals that put this video together. It hands down far far better than the channels that use AI generated scripts and cloned voices.👍
Thank you so much for sharing this...one of my very favorite shows.
What a fantastic video!!! Never knew half of any of the behind-the-scenes stuff about this great show!! Very very interesting indeed!
Rufe Davis resumes as Floyd Smoot in the last year of the series. Alas, for according to IMDB he plays in only two episodes, "Steve's Uncle George" and "Last Train to Pixley."
I was 11 in '63. Petticoat Junction, Beverly Hillbillies, then Green Acres were 3 of my favorites.
like what you said at the end about the Family coming together Damn network trying to change American Life by erasing these Old shows but Folks who grew up with it still want the Old shows.
Thank you for this. being 64 i kinda grew up watching the shows talked about within this documentary. such wonderful memories.
And the most beautiful daughter in the junction! Thank you for your tour in our movie time!
one of my faves shows
The watertower is still there in Jamestown Ca. The steam trains are part of RailTown a state park. They also were part of Back to the Future Part 3. and a couple of Clint Eastwood movies My Little Chickadee and many other TV shows. Little House on the Prairie and others.
This was so fun to watch! Thanks for the memories!
I'm feeling nostalgic today so I really enjoyed watching this documentary. I loved all of the shows mentioned, especially Petticoat Junction. I was born in 1959 so these 1960's shows bring back a part of my childhood to me.
Uncle Joe had the good life at the Shady Rest. Laying around and dodging chores. Eating the country cooking and the girls were great eye candy.
He probably collected a $190 a month Social Security check like my Grandad did. People say that wasn't very much, but I made $60 a week in take home pay which was pretty good for a kid.
@@MountainFisher the eye candy girls were his necessary, damn waut?
I first discovered Petti Coat Junction on TV Land in the late 90s. The intro to the show with the girls peeking out the water tower naked, OMG 😍!!! All the girls were gorgeous, but I particularly had a thing for Lori Saunders as Bobby Joe.
This country needs more shows like this.
Thank you sincerely for this! I still think that Linda Kaye Henning is the most beautiful redhead to ever grace the small screen! ❤
Something precious about a middle aged person calling their father "daddy". We'll always be their kids.
🤔Petticoat Junction really is a great TV show especially Kate and her three beautiful lovely daughters and Kate and her 3 daughter's really was really lovely and really beautiful also Beverly Hillbillies was also a great t.v. show also Ellie May she REALLY was fine as wine and the Green Acres was also a great TV show and Mr Ed was another good TV SHOW that was back in the good old days when I was a little kid every one of them TV shows was my favorite TV shows especially the beautiful GIRl's
Elly May was my favorite of the,"Henning Honeys," followed closely by Lori Saunders' Bobbie Jo.
Connie Hines on Mr Ed was beautiful.
THIS was FABULOUS! It loved every single minute of this show about Petticoat Junction! 🎉🎉❤❤❤🎉❤❤🎉❤❤❤
So many great TV shows came out of the 1960s.
I used to look forward to Petticoat Junction every week...with young teenage lust in my heart
This was a wonderful documentary of a wonderful show!
Growing up in the 70s, I never got the chance to watch reruns of Petticoat Junction like I did with the Beverly Hillbillies and Green Acres. But occasionally I managed to catch a show or two. At one point, a local affiliate showed Petticoat Junction on weekday mornings at 6 or 6:30 am. I managed to get up early enough to watch it before going to school a few times, but it was too early to make it a regular habit for me.
@11:30 Not far from Eldon, MO (Home of the hotel that inspired Petticoat Junction) is a VERY small town called "Etterville." It was on the same railroad as Eldon, so perhaps Mrs. Henning suggested a modification of Etterville, thus Hooterville is named. Just speculation on my part, but since I'm an Eldon native, it makes sense to me.
Love these shows. Thanks for putting this on.
Wonderful tribute to the show!
Kansas City was the hotbed for so much talent in those days. Henning working for KMBC(Z) and Walt Disney at Laugh-o-grams. Down to earth, middle-of-the-country humor that played so well to the nation.
Linda unfortunately repeated a long-standing myth regarding the casting (and subsequent letting go) of Sharon Tate. Tate's risque photos were taken on the set of the film 'The Fearless Vampire Killers' some three years *after* PJ's first season. The real reason is that Filmways' director Martin Ransohoff, who had signed her up for a seven year contract, felt she lacked confidence and instead gave her bit parts to gain experience.
Yes, and Sharon had a bit part in one episode of The Beverly Hillbillies.
On
@@randyjordan5521 She was in a few episodes of BH, about five or six I think.
@@kiwitrainguyCorrect.
Thank you for this, they were grand old shows from the glory days of TV.
I always liked Dog. Easiest name to remember.
Don't really remember Petticoat Junction, but as a teen boy, loved Eva in Green Acres. I will always remember the pernundle that operated the automatic transmission!
If you don't remember, it was the lever with the markings: PRNDL
czcams.com/video/niAlyaTYi20/video.html
@@kiwitrainguy you're amazing! Thanks a million for the link.
I see you have a lot of interesting videos on your channel, so I subbed.
Do you have cassowaries running around your area?
Awesome documentary about Petticoat Junction. I thought I wouldn't like it, but was very pleasantly surprised with the information, the interviews with the the actors, and the backstories. Very well done. PJ aficionados should love this video.
I was born in '59, and grew up watching these shows. TV was a wonderful thing in the '60s and '70s, then just started falling apart. I haven't watched TV in a long time, there is nothing on TV but trash, except for channels that have reruns of '60s and '70s shows. I was also a big fan of Lost in Space back then, June Lockhart managed to get her role on Petticoat Junction when Lost in Space was canceled. I wasn't planning to watch this entire video, I was just going to skip through it, but got hooked and watched the whole thing. All these decades later, it's hard to believe that CBS once had shows like this, considering the trash they've become. Really makes me want to go back to those days.
Can you answer in more detail?
I was born in 1960. All I watch on network TV is the local news and national news (to see how crazy it is out there), Jeopardy, Wheel of Fortune, PGA Golf, NCAA Basketball tournament, World Series, Saturday College football, Superbowl, The Olympics. I have not locked on to any network series since they started reality (non-reality) TV shows. I don't watch Dancing with the stars, The Voice, etc I would be more productive weeding my backyard. I have started watching black & white movies from the 1920's and forward. AI lot of movies that we have not seen in the glory days of Hollywood. I also don't like watching 8 commercials during the breaks as they have today on these shows today.
@@AngieCarrollCan you read English?
Loved all of the cast members of Petticoat Junction.
I accidentally came across this sitcom on CZcams when CZcams suggested it to watch. So I did and haven’t looked back since.
In the early series I loved the Chief Executive Director of the C N F & W he was an amazing actor and had his heart set in preserving the train. Homer Bedlow was a brilliant actor too in trying his hardest to scrap the train