Petticoat Junction: Behind the Scenes
Petticoat Junction was a beloved sitcom about the Bradley family and the Shady Rest Hotel in Hooterville. With seven seasons and 222 episodes, it became a classic of American television.
But the show had plenty of surprises. The opening credits famously contained a continuity mistake when Gunilla Hutton remained visible even after Meredith MacRae took over the role of Billie Jo.
The famous Hooterville Cannonball also wasn’t always the same train, and its number changed from 3 to 8 when the series switched to color.
One of the show’s stars, Bea Benaderet, was secretly battling lung cancer during the later seasons. She eventually became too ill to continue and died in 1968 at age 62.
Despite these behind-the-scenes challenges, Petticoat Junction continued to charm audiences until it ended in 1970, becoming one of television’s memorable rural comedies.
