Petticoat Junction

- Season 4

(1966)

Until the hundreds of entries come flooding in, Kate is unaware that Uncle Joe had advertised a free honeymoon letter writing contest for the hotel. He wanted to take advantage of the photographs he got of the honeymooning couple that recently stayed there. He figures that the free publicity and resulting business will more than make up the cost of running the contest. Out of all the entries, only one stands out: that of Laura Bentley and Tony Allison, a young couple whose parents will not allow them to get married. Thus, winning the contest is their only chance to ...

While the girls are swimming in the water tower, a bi-plane flies overhead. The pilot, distracted by the beautiful creatures he sees in the water tower, crashes the plane by the railroad tracks next to the hotel. As the injured pilot is unconscious, the family manages to carry him up to the hotel. For all three girls, it's love at first sight with the handsome pilot. What they are able to glean from information in his wallet is that his name is Steve Elliott, he's twenty-four and has an honorable discharge from the air force. Each of the girls do whatever they can to ...

Many people have come by to see Steve's plane, which is still sitting damaged where it crashed near the railroad tracks by the hotel. One very interested party is Henry Sharp, who actually owns the plane. The heartless Sharp has come by as Steve has missed a payment. Steve is in trouble as he barely has enough money to repair the plane let alone make his regular payments. When attempts to put off Sharp fail, Steve decides to cut corners in terms of the plane repair, while Kate, the girls and Uncle Joe try to help him raise some money, which ends up not being an easy ...

Steve spends time individually with Billie Jo, Bobbie Jo and Betty Jo doing their favorite activities. As such, each girl believes that Steve has chosen her as his girl. At least one - who has been doodling the name "B.J. Elliott" - if not more is even expecting Steve to marry her imminently. To bring her daughters back down to earth, Kate believes she has to tell Steve the girls' thoughts, he who had some suspicion that their feelings had gone that far. Steve has no intention on marrying anyone at this point in his life. Kate and Steve devise a plan to scare off each...

Since she is now in junior college, Bobbie Jo thinks she's all grown up, and as a grown up she can make her own decisions. The latest decision that she's made is to go to an all night party with her friends - the evening is to start with a dance in the school gym lasting until midnight, followed by the all night party at the country club. Kate refuses to let her go to the all-nighter, despite Bobbie Jo telling her that all the other mothers are letting their daughters go. Later seeing those mothers, Kate learns that none of the mothers want their daughters to stay out...

Charley and Floyd derail the Cannonball going around Deadman's Curve. They believe the reason for the derailment was that Floyd had removed too many of the railroad ties to stoke the engine. Floyd counters that he only took those that were deteriorating because of the worm holes. To get the Cannonball repaired and back into service, Uncle Joe takes matters into his own hands by calling the C&FW Railroad, who agree to pay the necessary $300 insurance deductible for the repairs. Kate doesn't think that what Uncle Joe did was such a good idea since it will probably mean ...

Selma is even less cordial to Kate than usual. Based on Selma's purchases at Drucker's and her implication, Sam and Kate surmise that Selma is beautifying Henrietta to snag a husband, with that probable target being the valley's new, eligible bachelor who happens to have a bright and seemingly lucrative aviation future, namely Steve. They're right as Selma tries to throw both money into Steve's crop dusting business and gourmet meals to entice Steve. Despite Billie Jo and Steve now officially dating, Kate vows to stay out of the matter. Billie Jo, on the other hand, ...

It's almost time for the Almost Annual Charity Show, and everyone is looking forward to Steve and Billie Jo performing a duet together. Those at the Shady Rest are thrown for a loop when Selma announces that she has been appointed the show's committee chair, a job usually held by Kate. In actuality, Selma strong-armed Sam, the overseer of the show, into appointing her. Regardless, Selma wants a few changes to the performing roster, including Steve singing with Henrietta instead. If he refuses, he doesn't perform at all. After Steve refuses to be bullied by Selma, a ...

As she sees Steve as a nice young man and a possible future son-in-law, Kate has his best interests and his welfare in mind. She believes his life as a pilot is a dangerous one and as such she would like to see him in a different profession. So when she learns that Steve has a journalism background, she tries to convince Sam to turn over the running of the Hooterville World Guardian to Steve. Sam agrees as he doesn't have time to do the newspaper justice. With no crop dusting work to be had in the valley, Steve accepts the offer. This move doesn't sit well with Uncle ...

An excited Uncle Joe comes bearing news. Kate's first boyfriend, Walter O'Connor, who is now a major league baseball manager, is coming to stay at the Shady Rest. Uncle Joe's excitement is primarily for Betty Jo as he sees her as a potential major leaguer, a stronger prospect if Walter has indeed come back to court Kate. As Uncle Joe and girls contemplate a rekindling of their mother and Walter's romance, a nervous Kate doesn't want to presuppose anything about Walter's visit. While Kate is excited to see Walter, she is still just as anxious and nervous about him ...

There's a dance on Saturday. Billie Jo has stopped accepting dates from everyone except Steve and Don, the new young doctor in the valley. Bobbie Jo has stopped accepting dates from everyone except Steve and Don. Although neither Steve or Don have asked anyone to the dance yet, Billie Jo and Bobbie Jo are certain that they will be the two lucky girls going to the dance with Steve and Don, with Billie Jo believing she has the right of first choice being the oldest. Through all this wrangling between sisters, the left out sister is Betty Jo, who feels she has as much ...

Young Doc Don Craig announces that he's leaving the valley since there just isn't enough business for him and Doc Stuart. Kate and the girls try to drum up business for him, which includes convincing him to examine Fred Ziffel's pig, Arnold. But based on Doc Craig's latest cases, Kate thinks she's come up with a solution for him to stay: that he specialize in house calls for people who can't make it into the office. He enlists the help of Floyd and Charley, who wait for him as he makes his stops along the rail line. Meanwhile, Kate has another problem: the imminent ...

It's the Christmas season, and those at the Shady Rest, among others, are decorating the Cannonball in preparation for their annual caroling and gift delivery runs. Their plans are placed into jeopardy with the arrival of Homer Bedloe, who states that what they are doing is against railroad policy. As such, he won't allow it. Since it's the Christmas season, Kate hopes that Bedloe will have some heart, and she tries to use her best Christmas spirit in treating Bedloe with kindness to change his mind. Only one person may be able to make Bedloe change his mind, but not ...

The Every Other Wednesday Afternoon Discussion Club has been chosen this year to send their recording secretary to the weekend long national conventional in Eagle Springs, Wisconsin, all expenses paid. That means Billie Jo, or so Kate and Billie Jo believe. Although Billie Jo sees it as an honor, she doesn't really want to leave Steve for an entire weekend. However, Selma, a club member, doesn't ever remember voting for someone to fill the position permanently, and she wants to hold a special vote just before the convention to elect a permanent recording secretary. ...

Everyone at the hotel thinks it's a beautiful day, that is until Homer Bedloe shows up unexpectedly. He's come to make an announcement of a new appointment of general manager for the Cannonball, that person who will oversee the train's operations. That person is Uncle Joe. Uncle Joe begins to act like a tyrant in bossing around Charley and Floyd, and making them operate the train against their sensibilities. Not only Charley and Floyd, but also everyone in the valley are mad at Uncle Joe for his new operating rules. As such, Charley and Floyd quit leaving Uncle Joe to...

A crew is filming a commercial at Lost Lake, the commercial starring Prince Hamlet of Kronenberg von Auschwile III, a rather large and imposing but valuable dog. With their own transportation broken down, Mr. Morton, the film crew director, needs Steve to fly him immediately to make a connection to a flight to New York. However, Hamlet can't risk the flight in Steve's plane, so he has to stay at the Shady Rest under the care of Uncle Joe until Mr. Morton can pick him up later. With all the special treatment Uncle Joe and the girls give Hamlet, Dog feels like the ...

After he agrees to go to the turnabout dance (where the girls ask the boys) with Bobbie Jo, Tommy Johnson has to back out since he ends up having another commitment. Bobbie Jo, who told all her friends about the date with the most sought after boy in her class, feels that she can't ask anyone else in that social circle to the dance since he would know that he was second choice. But as Billie Jo and Steve recently had a fight where Billie Jo isn't speaking to him anymore, Bobbie Jo feels that Steve is fair game as a potential date to the dance. Bobbie Jo even asks ...

Jeremiah Priddy, a temperance lecturer, is coming to the valley. Such a lecturer hasn't been seen in the valley for some time since no one in the valley really drinks. Meanwhile, Betty Jo has a new, somewhat unwanted friend. A quiet, little boy who she doesn't know but played catch with is following her around, even back to the hotel. Everyone at the hotel doesn't know what to do with Clint - which they eventually learn is his name - except to make sure he's OK until they find out to who he belongs. They finally learn that his father is Jeremiah Priddy and that Clint ...

Happy Harrison and his National Amateur Hour are screening for new talent, and are holding public voting auditions through several radio stations, including the valley's own Station K. The winning performer of the Station K audition is to receive $200. Once Uncle Joe hears about the prize money, he thinks that Steve and Billie Jo should enter. Billie Jo loves the idea, but Steve, who had never even considered singing for money, is less than enthusiastic. But he agrees to perform with Billie Jo. Sydney Sparks, a talent agent who heard Steve and Billie Jo, wants to ...

As Pixley's Sheriff Crandall is on a fishing vacation, Uncle Joe has made an arrangement with Sam, the valley's justice of the peace, to house kleptomaniac shoplifter, Eustace Pockle, at the hotel for $4 a day for a five day sentence or until the sheriff's return. Despite Eustace's relatively harmless nature, Kate doesn't like the idea, but allows Eustace to stay. Unfortunately for Kate and the hotel guests, Uncle Joe treats the hotel more like a jail than a hotel. Conversely, Kate and the girls treat Eustace more like a hotel guest than a prisoner. Eustace, on the ...

Billie Jo is buoyed by the news that Sydney Sparks, the talent agent that approached her and Steve following their radio talent show win, still wants to represent her with or without Steve. He got her an audition at the Flamingo Room in Springdale. Kate isn't too sure that she wants Billie Jo to pursue this career, but with Billie Jo being twenty-one and of age, there's no way she can stop her. Following the audition, Billie Jo is certain she got the job. Kate, however, isn't so sure her daughter's right as they told her "don't call us, we'll call you". When Kate ...

Steve has been spending a lot of time with Betty Jo, giving her flying lessons and she being his grease monkey in the airplane's repairs and maintenance. Billie Jo becomes jealous of her younger sister, who hasn't really yet figured out that she's no longer a little girl, a fact pointed out to her by her mother. Billie Jo tries to be more like Betty Jo - being a grease monkey however not really in Billie Jo's nature - while Betty Jo tries to act more grown up in an effort for others to see her in a more feminine light. Neither Billie Jo or Betty Jo achieve what they ...

Steve receives a somewhat cryptic telegram from his old flying buddy, Max Donohue. The implication of the message is that Max wants Steve as a business partner up in Cascade Valley. Steve quickly makes the decision not to accept Max's offer, but Steve joking about it irks Billie Jo, who wishes that he would take the future of their relationship more seriously. Kate suggests to Steve that Max join him in Hooterville, which Steve knows wouldn't work but doesn't say why. Regardless, without Steve's knowledge, Uncle Joe sends a reply telegram to Max, asking him to ...

Business at the Shady Rest is worse than usual which is bringing Kate down. Instead of looking for a job to raise money which was his original plan, Uncle Joe speaks to Sam about the Shady Rest and Drucker's Store jointly hosting a fishing derby on Lost Lake. Uncle Joe figures that they can advertise expensive prizes, such as a boat, outboard motor and fishing gear, and order the prizes on a 30-day layaway plan. Since Sam and Uncle Joe have collectively caught the biggest fish on Lost Lake year after year, he figures one of the two of them will win the derby and they ...

Without telling anyone in the valley the reason why, the anyone who includes the family, Kate takes a trip into the big city. It isn't until her return that she divulges the reason to everyone: she decided to sell the hotel and she went to the city to finalize the terms of the deal with the buyer, Mr. Holloway, a chain hotelier. The money from the sale will provide any opportunity the girls want. Beyond the valley residents who are sad to see Kate and the girls leave, the girls themselves are initially happy about the news and being able to live out their dreams. But ...

Bobbie Jo is ecstatic that the poem she submitted to a magazine has been accepted for publication. Sam ends up devoting the entire front page of the World Guardian to Bobbie Jo and her poem's publication. The notoriety changes Bobbie Jo, who begins to get "inspired" by the most mundane things. She also starts hanging out with a beatnik, pseudo-intellectual coffee house crowd. When Kate learns from Steve that the coffee house she is hanging out in in Springdale isn't quite what Kate had first imagined, Kate needs to see it first hand to see if it is a place suitable ...

After Steve sends him several letters inviting him to Hooterville, his best friend Jeff Maxwell, an air force captain, finally decides to take Steve up on his offer. Steve has told him about many of the great things in Hooterville like the fishing and the food, but Jeff seems more enamored by what Steve didn't write about: the Bradley sisters. After Jeff hits on Billie Jo, Jeff can understand when Steve tells him that Billie Jo is off limits since the two of them are going together. But Jeff can't understand when after he hits on Bobbie Jo then Betty Jo, that Steve ...

Late one evening, Uncle Joe and Sam, following a lodge meeting, run across a mysterious fellow looking for lodging. He calls himself Dr. Isaac Newton and claims that he's a geophysicist. Although Kate welcomes him with open arms, she and the rest of the family think that his all-knowing behavior, and the mysterious occurrences that have happened that night - which includes a lot of flickering lights - are not human. They believe he may be an alien from outer space. Despite the secretive nature of the club, the men offer to hold their upcoming lodge meeting, where ...

An excited Billie Jo has a one week singing engagement in Omaha. The only problem is that it is one week away from Steve. So that he won't be lonely, Billie Jo asks her sisters to keep Steve company. Bobbie Jo and Betty Jo take Billie Jo's request a little too to heart, and ask him out on what they consider official dates. They each treat Steve like their own boyfriend, at the exclusion of their current beaus. This situation places a potential strain between the younger sisters and Billie Jo - Bobbie Jo who sees that all is fair in love and war - but neither Bobbie Jo...

Kate's southern belle of a cousin, Mae Belle Jennings, comes to Hooterville for an unexpected visit, she who lives her life by "flitting" from one place to another. Cousin Mae, who is enamored by gallant men, unintentionally causes problems between Floyd and Charley, who recently and happily celebrated their twenty-fifth anniversary of working together. The problem is is that both men want to court Cousin Mae. They both will do whatever they can do earn Cousin Mae's favor, even if it means breaking up their professional partnership and their friendship. Seeing what is...

Henry and Wilma Tuttle, who were looking for a happy place to live, have decided to move into Hooterville Valley. They are the valley's two hundred fiftieth and two hundred fifty-first residents, pushing the valley's population over the magic two hundred fifty mark which means Hooterville is now eligible to have a representative on the County Board of Supervisors. Sam scoffs at Kate's suggestion of Elmira Peabody, the local schoolteacher, as a good candidate for Supervisor, Sam's scoffing solely because Elmira's a woman. That act by Sam sets off a battle of the sexes ...

Kate's cousin, Mae Belle Jennings, writes stating that she is coming for a visit with some big plans for the hotel. Along with her letter are some mod clothes for Kate and girls, which are part of the plan. Upon Mae's arrival, she tells them that with some backing from a wealthy banker, she plans on turning the Shady Rest into a health farm using a diet and exercise regimen called the "Mae Method Reducing Course". The only stipulation for the financing is that the banker's daughter, a slightly overweight woman named Agnes Bedford, has to lose fifteen pounds in two ...