Charles Stewart Movies
- 1967
Having shown up in a variety of roles in earlier episodes, Jimmy Hawkins appears in this one as Jeff, an old Air Force buddy of Steve Elliott (Mike Minor). Though he welcomes Jeff's arrival, Steve worries about his pal's reputation as a flagrant womanizer. Turns out Steve's got plenty to worry about when Jeff starts making advances towards the three Bradley girls--and especially Steve's sweetie Billie Jo (Meredith MacRae). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1967
Bandleader-composer-comedian Frank DeVol appears in this episode as Dr. Newton, a man gifted with Extra-Sensory Perception. When Newton shows up at the Shady Rest and evinces an ability to read minds and forecast the future, the locals jump to what they regard as the obvious conclusion: The Doctor is actually an alien from outer space! This episode was originally scheduled for April 4, 1967. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1967
Billie Jo (Meredith MacRae) goes out of town, leaving Steve (Mike Minor). Unfortunately, she has also left Steve at the mercy of her predatory younger sisters Bobbie Jo (Lori Saunders) and Betty Jo (Linda Kaye), both of whom hope to snag the handsome cropduster for themselves. This is the last episode to feature Smiley Burnette as Charlie; the actor died one week after filming wrapped, on February 16, 1967. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1967
Kate's cousin Mae Belle (Shirley Mitchell) hopes to set up a health spa with financing from a wealthy man named Bedford. To this end, Mae Belle brings Bedford's chubby daughter Agnes (Lorraine Bendix) to the Shady Rest and puts the girl on a strict weight-reduction regimen. Unfortunately, by the time the fat hits the fan, it is up to Kate (Bea Benadaret)--and Kate alone--to whip poor Agnes into shape. This is the final episode of Petticoat Junction's fourth season. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1967
In the first episode of Petticoat Junction's fifth season--and the first to originally be networkcast on Saturday rather than Tuesday evening--Betty Jo Bradley (Linda Kaye) returns to Hooterville after spending the summer in Europe as a graduation gift from her mother Kate (Bea Benaderet. Betty Jo's mother and sisters are quite surprised to discover that our formerly bucolic heroine has morphed into a chic, sophisticated fashion plate. Even more surprising are the three handsome young millionaires who have likewise arrived from Europe to vie for Betty's attentions! (Incidentally, one of those millionaires is played by Jack Bannon, son of series star Bea Benaderet). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1967
Former Leave It to Beaver paterfamilias Hugh Beaumont makes his second Petticoat Junction appearance, this time playing the father of Betty Jo's fiancé Steve Elliott (Mike Minor). The trouble begins when the elder Mr. Elliott and his wife (Ann Doran) arrive in Hooterville unexpectedly, looking forward to having Betty Jo (Linda Kaye) cook them a terrific meal, and then show them around the couple's "dream house." Alas, Betty still hasn't mastered the art of cooking, and the "dream" house is still a nightmare--so it's the rest of the family to the rescue. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1967
Veteran radio actress Shirley Mitchell makes her first appearance as Mae Belle Jennings, the Southern-fried cousin of Kate Bradley (Bea Benadaret). Turning on her mint-julep charm, Mae Belle quickly wraps bachelors Sam (Frank Cady), Charlie (Smiley Burnette and Floyd (Rufe Davis) around her little finger--while Kate fumes and plans a counterattack! Although Smiley Burnette had made his final Petticoat Junction appearance as Charlie in "The Eternal Rectangle" (he died on February 16, 1967), this was the last telecast episode in which he was seen; originally scheduled to air on March 28, 1967, "Kate's Cousin Mae" ended up being shown out of sequence on April 25 of that year. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1967
There's been a slight increase in the population of Hooterville Valley, requiring the services of a new county supervisor. Sam Drucker (Frank Cady) assumes that he's a shoe-in for the post, but when election time rolls around, he is faced with a formidable opponent: namely, Kate Bradley (Bea Benaderet. The hotly contested election ends up dividing the electorate along gender lines, with the boys declaring war against the girls, and vice versa! Watch for cult-film favorite Jackie Joseph (Little Shop of Horrors, Gremlins) in a supporting role. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1967
After helping him land a plane in a thunderstorm, Betty Jo (Linda Kaye) realizes that she in love with Steve (Mike Minor), and vice versa. Though Betty's older sister Billie Jo (Meredith MacRae), insists that she and Steve are "just friends", it isn't easy to forget that Billie and Steve had been dating the previous year.. The girls' mother Kate (Bea Benadaret) is placed in the delicate position of straightening out the dilemma with a minimum of hurt feelings. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1967
Now that the romantic entanglements amongst the Bradley girls have been untangled, Kate (Bea Benaderet) gives Steve (Mike Minor) permission to propose to her daughter Betty Jo (Linda Kaye). Overhearing this, Uncle Joe (Edgar Buchanan) tries to keep the news a secret, but he is constitutionally incapable of doing so. As a result, everybody in Hooterville Valley knows about Steve's impending proposal--except Betty Jo. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1967
Now that she is engaged to Steve (Mike Minor), Betty Jo (Linda Kaye) chooses a "dream house" as the couple's honeymoon cottage. Unfortunately, Steve takes one look at the tumbledown shack and declares the "dream house" to be "nightmare alley." This leads to the couple's first lover's quarrel--which threatens to be their last! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1967
Floyd (Rufe Davis) has fallen for a "mystery woman", going so far as to serenade her with his guitar. Approaching Steve (Mike Minor) with the good news, Floyd talks him into a double wedding when Steve walks down the aisle with Betty Jo (Linda Kaye). Only after the arrangements have been made is it revealed that Floyd's prospective bride is none other than Selma Plout (Elvia Allman), the arch-rival of Betty Jo's mother Kate (Bea Benaderet)! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1967
It's time again for the annual Hooterville Turnabout Dance, in which the girls invite the boys to the festivities (the series' producers probably would have it called it the "Sadie Hawkins Dance" had they gotten permission). Entering full-steam into the spirit of things, the Bradley sisters invite each others' boyfriends to the dance. Then, through a series of jealous misunderstandings, the girls end up swapping dates--over and over--leading to the usual chaos and confusion. This episode was originally slated to air on January 10, 1967. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1967
Tomboy Betty Jo (Linda Kaye) suddenly decides that she's interested in boys. The "boy" of her dreams turns out to be Steve Elliott (Mike Minor]), the current beau of her older sister Billie Jo (Meredith MacRae). In a jealous pique, Billie formulates a plan to keep Betty and Steve apart--but as every good Petticoat Junction fan already knows, things have a way of turning out contrary to plan! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1967
John Hoyt, best known to TV sitcom fans as the capricious Grandpa on Gimme a Break, appears in this episode as stern temperance lecturer Jeremiah Priddy. Kate is quick to realize that Priddy is so dedicated to his cause that he is sorely neglecting his young son Clint (played by Buddy Foster, the brother of Jodie Foster). When Clint runs away to the Shady Rest, Kate takes it upon herself to bring father and son back together by turning the tables on Priddy and lecturing HIM! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1967
Uncle Joe (Edgar Buchanan) has hatched yet another plan to get rich quick. This time, he sets up a dog-sitting service at the Shady Rest Hotel, his first client being a lovable Great Dane. The Bradley girls are enchanted by this new addition to the household--so much so that the girls' own pet dog becomes jealous and runs away from home! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1967
Billie Jo (Meredith MacRae) lands her first singing gig in the Flamingo Room of the Springdale Hotel. Since Billie got the job of the strength of her talents as a country singer, her family expects more of the same when she makes her debut. Imagine their surprise when Billie emerges on stage as a slinky French chanteuse! Along the way, Meredith MacRae manages to perform the standard "Make Someone Happy".This episode was originally telecast six days after the death of series regular Smiley Burnette. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1967
In retrospect, the first episode of Petticoat Junction's fifth season, "Is This My Daughter?," is ironically amusing. Kate Bradley, widowed owner of Hooterville's Shady Rest Hotel, is astonished by how much her daughter Betty Jo (Linda Kaye Henning), has changed upon returning from a trip to Europe. This in itself is astonishing since, of the six actresses who have portrayed Kate's three daughters during the previous five seasons, Linda Kaye Henning is the only one who has been with the series since the outset! (This loyalty may or may not stem from the fact that Henning was the daughter of the "boss," Petticoat Junction executive producer Paul Henning). That said, it can be noted that Betty Jo is pretty much the entire focus of season five. After choosing among the three Bradley girls, handsome crop duster Steve Elliott (Mike Minor) decides to propose to Betty, leading inevitably to a wedding episode, cunningly designed to boost Petticoat Junction's sagging ratings. Halfway through the season, Kate Bradley goes "out of town," obliging her lazy Uncle Joe (Edgar Buchanan) to take charge of the Shady Rest, with the occasional help of a hitherto unseen Bradley relative, Aunt Helen (played by Rosemary de Camp, who had previously co-starred in producer Paul Henning's "The Bob Cummings Show.") Kate would not return to Hooterville until the season finale, and then only briefly. The reason for her conspicuous absence was both simple and tragic: series star Bea Benaderet was seriously ill with cancer, unable to appear before the cameras for any more than a few minutes at a time. Bea Benaderet would be heard (but not seen) in only one more Petticoat Junction episode, filmed just before her death on October 13, 1968. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bea Benaderet, Edgar Buchanan, (more)
- 1966
The title of this episode refers to the Virginia town which serves as the home of the FBI Training Academy. One of Quantico's most promising trainees is Charlie Hunter (Michael Callan), who'd grown up in a slum neighborhood with his mentally unbalanced cousin Willard Smith (Robert Walker Jr.). Upon learning that Willard is planning to blow up the Supreme Court Building with a homemade bomb, Charlie is faced with a dilemma that could cost him his career--to say nothing of his life. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1966
When the Hooterville Cannonball is derailed, Homer Bedloe (Charles Lane) hopes to use the "disaster" as an excuse to put the engine out of commission. In response, the citizens of Hooterville take over the operation of the Cannonball themselves. At first, engineers Charley (Smiley Burnette) and Floyd (Rufe Davis) are delighted--but after a few weeks of suffering the impossible demands of the engine's new "owners", the boys are on the verge of quitting! Virginia Sale, who'd appeared in several earlier episodes as Selma Plout, returns in the role of Maude Blake. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1966
Normally, Kate Bradley (Bea Benaderet) is in charge of Hooterville's "Almost Annual" charity show. This year, however, Kate loses her post to her bitter rival, Selma Plout (Elvia Allman). Of course, by episode's end Selma has proven to be a washout, obliging the Bradley girls and Steve Elliott to save the show. Mike Minor (Steve) makes his singing debut in this episode with a soulful rendition of "I Believe", while costar Smiley Burnette (Charlie) teams up with fellow ex-cowboy sidekick Rufe Davis (Floyd) to perform his own composition "Steam, Cinders, and Smoke". ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1966
This first episode of a two-part story serves to introduce Mike Minor in the role of handsome cropduster Steve Elliott. While flying over the Shady Rest Hotel, Steve catches a tantalizing glimpse of the three Bradley girls swimming "au naturel" in the local water tower--and as a result he crash-lands his plane! Feeling responsible for the accident, the Bradley sisters do their best to help Steve recuperate from his injuries--and also aggressively vie for his attentions. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1966
In the conclusion of a two-part story, cropduster Steve Elliott (Mike Minor) is in danger of losing his plane because he can't keep up the payments. Uncle Joe (Edgar Buchanan) rallies the citizens of Hooterville to raise enough money so that Steve can stay in business. But Joe's motives are not entirely altruistic: He's been cashing in on Steve's wrecked plane by touting it as a tourist attraction! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1966
Veteran Hollywood leading man Dennis O'Keefe appears in this episode as Walter O'Connor, who comes to Hooterville in hopes of rekindling his romance with Kate Bradley (Bea Benaderet). But Walter encounters opposition in the form of a heretofore unsuspected romantic rival. And who is the mystery man who has come forth to declare his love for Kate? Why, none other than storekeeper Sam Drucker (Frank Cady)! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1966
Richard Tyler appears in this episode as young Doc Craig, a character introduced in the previous episode "The Runt Strikes Back"--in which he was played by Terry Phillips). Doc figures into another of Homer Bedloe's (Charles Lane) schemes to permanently derail the Hooterville Cannonball. It seems that the goodhearted Craig has been using the Cannonball to make unscheduled stops to treat various patients in the community...and while the Doc may be within the "spirit" of the law, Bedloe intends to rigidly adhere to the "letter". ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
