career

Forget about your cares, it is time to relax at the junction. Petticoat Junction, centered around a rural family that ran the Shady Rest Hotel. It was just one of the three interrelated rural shows by Paul Henning — the others including its spinoff Green Acres and Petticoat’s predecessor, The Beverly Hillbillies. And as such, there were a lot of memorable crossovers that made viewing even more fun. And it took a stellar cast to bring such color and life into Petticoat Junction. Today, we’re heading back to the Shady Rest and checking out what the whole gang has been up to since 1970. Is Bea Benaderet (Kate Bradley) still alive? Everett Collection/YouTube Screenshot Kate is the matriarch of the bunch. Benaderet was phenomenal as this comforting lead. However, the actress’s death during season 6 of Petticoat Junction was heartbreaking for fans. The show continued for two more seasons, yet ratings declined, with many fans missing Kate. Bea began acting in 1940, and by 1943, Benaderet became Warner Bros.'s primary voice of adult female supporting characters. She featured in multiple Merrie Melodies and Looney Tunes shorts. PETTICOAT JUNCTION, Bea Benaderet, (CBS, 1963 - 1970) Everett Collection In the late '40s, Benaderet befriended Paul Henning, who was working as a scriptwriter on the radio production of Burns & Allen. This friendship led to her big break. When The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show began, she’d join the fun for nearly 300 episodes. Benaderet was Lucille Ball's first choice for Ethel Mertz, even saying in a 1984 interview that she had "no other picture of anyone" for the role. Unfortunately, she was under contract with the Burns and Allen project. However, she guest-starred on the first-season episode "Lucy Plays Cupid" as a spinster neighbor. THE FLINTSTONES, Mel Blanc, Barney Rubble, Bea Benadaret, Betty Rubble, Fred Flintstone, Alan Reed, Jean Vander Pyl, Wilma Flintstone, 1960-1966. Everett Collection Additionally, Benaderet became cartoon royalty in the early '60s, voicing Betty Rubble on The Flintstones. Her Petticoat Junction role was her last, as she passed away in 1968 at the age of 62 from lung cancer. June Lockhart then joined the cast as Dr. Janet Craig, a mother figure to the girls, but no one could replace Benaderet. Is Edgar Buchanan (Joe Carson) still alive? Everett Collection/YouTube Screenshot Uncle Joe Carson was old, lazy, and just wanted to sit in his rocking chair. He did, however, enjoy a good scheme— always looking to get rich quickly. Edgar Buchanan was a successful dentist before he gave acting a shot at the age of 36 in 1939. It went so well that he signed over his practice to his wife and began his acting career. PETTICOAT JUNCTION, Higgins, Edgar Buchanan, Everett CollectionBuchanan appeared in more than 100 films, including Texas in 1941, where he played a dentist co-starring with William Holden. However, he may be better known for some quality TV shows like Hopalong Cassidy in 1952, and then Judge Roy Bean in 1955. He’d continue his Uncle Joe Carson on 16 episodes of Green Acres after Petticoat Junction. Then, fans got to enjoy Buchanan once again as a lead with Glenn Ford in the 1971 series, Cade's County. CADE'S COUNTY, Glenn Ford, Taylor Lacher, Edgar Buchanan, Victor Campos, 1971-72, TM and Copyright (c)20th Century Fox Film Corp. All rights reserved. Everett Collection His final acting role was in the great 1974 family adventure, Benji. Buchanan sadly passed away a few years later in ‘79 at the age of 76 from a stroke. However, from cleaning smiles to creating them, he definitely left his mark on the entertainment world. Is Frank Cady (Sam Drucker) still alive? Everett Collection/YouTube Screenshot Sam Drucker was the owner of the general store and part of the reason Petticoat Junction continued after Kate’s death. The surrounding cast, such as Cady, just brought so much life to this world. Frank Cady began acting in 1947 but gained popularity as Doc Williams on 78 episodes of The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet. PETTICOAT JUNCTION, (back l-r): Smiley Burnette, Rufe Davis, Frank Cady, (front l-r): Bea Benaderet, Edgar Buchanan, 1963-70. Everett Collection His role as Sam Drucker made history, as the only actor to play a recurring character on three sitcoms at the same time. From '68 to '69, Cady appeared on all three rural Henning creations. He’d get credited with nearly as many episodes of Green Acres as Petticoat Junction. Cady's final acting performance was in Return to Green Acres in 1990. He then retired and spent a lot of time playing golf with friends and traveling. Cady lived until the ripe age of 96, before passing away in 2012. Is Linda Henning (Betty Jo Bradley) still alive? Everett Collection/YouTube Screenshot Betty Jo Bradley was known as the tomboy of the siblings. However, fans were able to watch her character evolve. Betty Jo changed from a girl preoccupied with sports to a young woman who married the love of her life, Steve. And a year after the TV wedding, Linda and her TV-husband played by Mike Minor made things official, were genuinely married from 1968 until their divorce in 1973. Linda Henning stepped onto the scene with an episode of Mister Ed in 1962. However, Henning later became known for her Betty Jo when she first appeared on The Beverly Hillbillies in ‘62 before joining Petticoat Junction in '63. Of course, she was the main crossover contender being the daughter of both series creators. PETTICOAT JUNCTION, Linda Kaye Henning, Jeannine Riley, Pat Woodell, 1963-70. Everett Collection The rest of Henning's career mainly consisted of minor appearances on some huge shows. For example, two episodes each of Mork and Mindy in ‘79 and Happy Days in ‘77 and ‘84. One of her final acting performances featured Henning in five episodes of Sliders, the last of which aired in 2000. Today, she is 81 years old and lives a quiet life with her husband, former actor Ashby Adams. The two have been married since 1994. Are Pat Woodell or Lori Saunders (Bobbie Jo) still alive? Lori Saunders, Everett Collection/YouTube Screenshot Bobbie Jo was originally played as a shy bookworm who enjoyed singing. Pat Woodell originated the role for seasons 1 and 2, but she left Petticoat Junction with hopes of reaching singing stardom. In several episodes, Woodell performed musical numbers, including one called "The Ladybugs”— a play off of The Beatles. They even took The Ladybugs and performed on The Ed Sullivan Show. Woodell then toured as a singer with Jack Benny, and recorded an album. However, she never achieved great popularity as a vocalist. Woodell later passed away in 2015 after battling cancer for decades. She was 71 years old. PETTICOAT JUNCTION, Linda Kaye, Bea Benaderet, Pat Woodell, Jeannine Riley, in the debut episode, Season 1, 'Spur Line to Shady Rest' September 24, 1963. Everett Collection After Pat Woodell left the series, Lori Saunders took over. Saunders is best known as Bobbie Jo, and the character changed a bit. Bobbie Jo became more scatterbrained and boy crazy, yet very humorous. Lori began acting in 1960 with five episodes of The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet. Her other most notable gig was one of her final roles, as a series regular in Dusty's Trail in 1973. PETTICOAT JUNCTION, Lori Saunders, Rudy Vallee, 'But I've Never Been In Erie, PA', (Season 7, aired December 27, 1969), 1963-70. Everett Collection Today, Lori is 84 years old and enjoys photography, art, sculpture, and oil painting. She lives in Southern California with her longtime husband, Bernard Sandler. The couple has two children. Are Jeannine Riley, Gunilla Hutton, or Meredith MacRae (Billie Jo) still alive? Jeannine Riley, Everett Collection/YouTube Screenshot Billie Jo Bradley is the ambitious and starstruck sibling of the Bradley sisters. Jeannine Riley portrayed Billie Jo for seasons 1 and 2. She won the role over 300 competitors, obtaining the role after Sharon Tate. Tate was originally cast but was deemed too risky by Ivory Soap and other sponsors. Riley’s other most notable role was alongside Lori Saunders in Dusty’s Trail. Her final role featured her in 1991 as the Landlady in the film, Timebomb. Today Riley is 85 years old and released a book called The Bolder Woman: It's About Time. PETTICOAT JUNCTION, Jeannine Riley, Linda Kaye, Pat Woodell, Sheila James Kuehl, parody The Beatles and perform as The Ladybugs, at NY's Peppermint Lounge, in Season 1 episode, 'The Ladybugs,' March 24, 1964. Season three’s Billie was played by Gunilla Hutton. She is best known as Nurse Goodbody, part of the country variety program Hee Haw, where she sang, too. She even released a number of singles herself. Hutton had a longtime extramarital relationship with Nat King Cole until she telephoned his wife Maria to tell her to divorce him. Cole ended the relationship with Hutton after the confrontation. Today, Gunilla is 82 and has one daughter named Amber. The final and longest-tenured Billie Jo was played by Meredith MacRae. Her Billie was less ditsy than the previous two. MacRae’s big break was in 1963 as Sally Ann Morrison on My Three Sons. PETTICOAT JUNCTION, Gunilla Hutton, Linda Kaye Henning, Lori Saunders, 1963-1968. photo: Ivan Nagy/TV Guide/courtesy Everett Collection She continued acting through the ‘70s and ‘80s and was well-known for appearing on several game shows like Hollywood Squares and Match Game. Additionally, MacRae hosted the talk show Mid-Morning Los Angeles in the ‘80s, for which she won an Emmy for her interviewing skills. PETTICOAT JUNCTION, Meredith MacRae, Mike Minor, 1963-70. Everett Collection Sadly in the late '90s, MacRae experienced vertigo and short-term memory loss, which turned out to be brain cancer. Unfortunately, she passed away at her Manhattan Beach home in 2000 at the age of 56. Well, our journey has ended. What a show! One of the classic heartfelt and character-driven comedies. So, tell us, did you have a favorite Henning Creation? Which Jo Bradley girl was your favorite? Did you watch every episode of Petticoat Junction? PETTICOAT JUNCTION, (back l-r): Smiley Burnette, Rufe Davis, Frank Cady, (front l-r): Bea Benaderet, Edgar Buchanan, 1963-70. Everett Collection