Shark Bytes

I agree with everyone that when Bea left the show, it got dull and humorless. They should have ended the show when she passed away. When she died the show lost the motherly fiure and noone was tammed and they didn't have a service on the show saying she passed away. Paul Henning lost his comedian touch when he had 3 shows to look after.

This is one of my favorite shows ever. Maybe Betty Jo married Steve instead of Billie Jo since her father was the creator of the show.
A couple of posters suggested that Betty Jo was the least good looking but I disagree. She was, by far, the cutest of all the actresses and the tomboy aspect made her more interesting. This show used to be on Nickleodeon and I wish they would show it again.

On one episode Betty Joe and Steve announced they were having a second baby, "a brother for KathyJoe" It was never mentioned again. What happened?

I loved PJ, in fact it was one of my favorites growing up. I wish I could catch it now like all the other reruns that keep showing up.

"BEA WAS AN EXCELLANT MOTHER ON PETTYCOAT JUNCTION . BUT THERES SOMETHING THAT CONFUSES ME, HOW DID HER CHARECTOR AS KATE BECOME AUNT PEARL ON THE BEVERLY HILLBILLIES, THERE MUST HAVE BEEN A SIMPLISTIC FORM OF CLOANING WAY BACK THEN YEEEEEEEEE DOGGIES!!!!!

On an episode where "granny" was on PJ she said that "Kate was a cousin Pearl look alike" The actual premise was that granny, who had lost her glasses saw Uncle Joe and said "Their right Kate you are a cousin Pear lokk alike" lol

On the DVD Linda Henning introduces each episode. I noticed the resemblance she has to Barbra Bel Geddes. If they were making a remake of Dallas she would be perfect to Play "Miss Ellie"

The addition of the "Lady Doctor". They were on the right track when Kate's "sister" came to look after the family and the Shady Rest. She fit in so well with the rest of the cast making Bea Benaderet's departure almost unnoticeable. Then the next season she was gone and they introduced June Lockhart. She never fit in with the cast, and her character didn't fit in well with the premise of the show. The whole situation of Bea's death was handled very badly.

Steve, hope I have his name right, the guy who married the least attractive sister (which was the only good pert, the least likely was first). Got to sappy and those dreaded musical numbers (gag, but then again I dislike almost any musical number especially in a sit com). It was the last sitcom on Saturday night, and my least favorite, but still watched because I would watch anything (young and was only allowed to watch TV on Fri and Sat nights). I am not a big June L fan, but I did not mind her as many here seem to say. It's always impossible to replace someone who dies on a show and they needed a replacement straight person for balance. What would you do in this situation, with the realistic constraint that you do not drop a show with good ratings, no not artistic but again realistic.

Talented Bea...who could take the dumbest line or situation and make it work...how could she ever be replaced? But they might have at least tried. Unfortunately, those pretty girls were just pleasant, and not much else....the sassiness and goofiness was with the older characters, certainly not with dull Steve Elliot. Other posters are right...there is much to enjoy in the lesser-known black and white years...a real wackiness, more akin to GREEN ACRES. They might have saved the junction with an injection of fun, rather than the blank stares of the 'jo' sisters, doing their Lawrence Welk routines.

I wanted to add that the show should have ended when Bea died. They should have had the girls all move away together to a new locale and there have June join the cast. Get a new male foil and have Uncle Joe guest star a few times a year. Have better writers! The writers of the show could get fresh ideas with Kate gone, so revamp the show. Maybe then it would have lasted to 1970. By the way, Where is the show which mentions a Kate Bradley Memorial Suite? I have not found that 7th season show yet. Also, was Kate as Mom referred to in the 7th season?

The show jumped after Bea died, though the shows with Aunt Helen made you miss Bea, but at least in several of those shows her name was mentioned. When she died, they did a nice tribute when the baby was born to her good scences. You knew she was gone for good. They should have kept mentioning her in passing like her good traits and the fun they had. The show was boring without Bea. Yet some of the late shows were alright with June, especially as she finds against those sexists in Hooterville when she first came. However, June wasn't used a lot in the 7th season shows I saw and she seem to get the unwanted lines that filled in the time for the show. The singing didn't bother me at first; everybody sings around the piano and does not have to be great. However, when they started having an orchestra go off when they're singing, that made it too phony. The last shows were too slow-moving as well and lacked the energy the show had when Bea was on it. It should have ended after its 6th season with a show where they all move out of the Shady Rest to move in with kate at her new hotel in a different county. Then, we could imagine the rest and move on to better things.

Correction Ray. TV sitcoms like Make Room for Daddy (on before PJ) dealt with death of a character. As for when PJ jumped. It nevere really did. It seemed to lose direction after the sad passing of Bea Benederet(sp?) but actually it always was a little unestablished and flighty about some of its characters. Homer Bedlow came and went always. We didn't always see Floyd and Charley (not even when the actor who played Charley was still alive, I thought Charley was the better of the two original train guys). Dr. Craig made fine sense that due to her position she's have a lot of respect from the girls (even though the girls were all of legal age now and they didn't know Dr. Craig when they were younger). As for the girls themselves they were all enjoyable and great eye candy and BettyJo and Steve were a fine couple who were played by a real-life husband and wife team (actor Mike Minor, who played Steve, would have been my choice to have played Joe on Dark Shadows, along with sexy Sue Lyon as Carolyn Stoddard on DS, had I casted that show).

It was over after Bea passed away. Unfortunately, TV shows did not deal with death of a character until the 1970's. Until then, we were just to assume everyone knew that her character had also died. It would have been very touching to see the girls mourn the loss of their mother. This is a very basic part of life that everyone faces at some point. But strict rules prevented sitcoms from bearing too much similarity to real life.

Ha I had those water tower fantasies too! Cant remember much other than that, the theme song and opening scenes anymore. I think my mom and dad really liked this show and I just was kind of aware that it was on. Of the theme song all I can come up with is "There's Uncle Joe hes moving kinda slow at the junction. Petticoat Junction..."

Yes,I am aware,as we all are,that "Petticoat Junction"spun off "Green Acres",but toward the end of the series'run,the shows WITHOUT Bea Benaderet,when Steve and Betty Jo married,in the episodes that revolved around them,the show had some of the exact plots of early "Green Acres".For instance:Mr.Haney sold Steve and Betty Jo the cottage(which,at first,like the Douglas'house which he sold to Oliver,was a dump).Another similarity was that Betty Jo,like Lisa,of "Green Acres",couldn't cook.In conclusion,during the latter years of the seies,(I guess in order to beef up its' sagging ratings),it turned into a nearly carbon copy of "Greren Acres"in its prime.