Theme Song Lyrics:
Come ride the little train that is rollin' down the track to the Junction.
Forget about your cares, it is time to relax at the Junction.
Lotsa curves, you bet 'N 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' kinda slow at the Junction,
Petticoat Junction! A spin-off from The Beverly Hillbillies.
The small farming community of Hooterville provided the
setting for this highly successful rural situation comedy.
Kate Bradley was the widowed owner of the only transient
housing in town, the Shady Rest Hotel. Helping her run the
hotel were her three beautiful daughters, Billie Jo, Bobbie
Jo, and Betty Jo. Also assisting was the girls' lazy Uncle
Joe, who had assumed the title of manager. In addition to
her involvement with the hotel, the romantic lives of her
daughters, and her association with the townspeople, Kate
was constantly at odds with Homer Bedlow, vice-president
of the C.F. & W. Railroad. Homer was determined to close
down the steam-driven branch of the railroad that ran
through Hooterville, scrap its lone engine (the Cannonball),
and put its two engineers (Charlie Pratt and
Floyd Smoot) out of jobs.
Two years after the premiere of Petticoat Junction, CBS
added Green Acres to its lineup. This situation
comedy was the story of a Manhattan lawyer who gave up
big-city life and bought a run-down farm near Hooterville.
For the remainder of their existences there was interplay
between the characters of the two shows.
In the fall of 1966 pilot Steve Elliott crashed outside
Hooterville and was nursed back to health by the Bradley
girls. He later became romantically involved with Betty Jo
and eventually married her. They set up housekeeping not
far from the hotel, and had a daughter, Kathy Jo. This
despite the efforts of Kate's hated adversary, Selma Plout,
to get Steve interested in her daughter, Henrietta.
Bea Benaderet passed away soon after production began for
the 1968-1969 season and her absence left the show without
a unifying center of attention. To fill the void, the role
of Dr. Janet Craig, a mature woman doctor who became the
town physcian when old Dr. Stuart retired, was added late
in 1968. The chemistry was not there anymore, however,
and the show was canceled in 1970.
One of the best parts of the series was the colorful townfolk:
Sam Drucker, the general store owner; Fred Ziffel, a pig
farmer; Arnold, Fred's intelligent pig; Doris Ziffel, Fred's
wife; Orrin Pike, the game warden; Ben Miller and Newt Kiley,
farmers; Herby Bates, a friend of the girls; and Boy,
the Bradley family dog.
Click HERE to download theme song.
(Theme song provided by Todd Fuller's Sitcoms Online.)
Click on the images above to purchase seasons one and two on DVD!
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