Bea Benaderet look

[johnbasalla]

A long time ago I started a thread about the "Daughters" on "Petticoat Junction". I thought that the girls who played the rolls during the series last 4 years were good looking and they were at their hottest in the last season.
I now turn our attention to the lead actress Bea Benaderet who played the mother, "Kate Bradley". I've seen Bea on "The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show" where she was a regular and in a few guest spots on other shows, such as "The Jack Benny Program". While never being a "bathing beauty", I must say that I think she was nicer looking in the 1960s on "Petticoat Junction" then in the 1950s. Her features seemed kind of sharp in the 1950s and were more rounded in the 1960s.

 

[LKellerIII]

I haven't thought about Benadaret specifically, but in general, some people actually look better as they get older. It's also possible that she had some "work done" - people did that in the 60s, though not as much as these days, obviously.

Another factor might be 50s make-up. I always thought that women looked a little too severe in the cosmetics and clothing that were popular in the 50s - and that the make-up then could actually make them look older.

Have you ever seen Benadaret in The Beverly Hillbillies? IIRC, she played Jethro's mother for a season or two before Petticoat Junction came along. She did NOT look pretty in that role - on purpose, I'm sure.

 

[jwk1979]

Have you ever seen Benadaret in The Beverly Hillbillies? IIRC, she played Jethro's mother for a season or two before Petticoat Junction came along. She did NOT look pretty in that role - on purpose, I'm sure.

I had always heard that she first tried out for the part of Granny but Paul Henning thought she was too well endowed for what he had in mind as Granny and that he created the role of Pearl Bodine, Jethro's mother, specifically for her.

 

[MCarney]

She was also Lucille Ball's first choice for Ethel Mertz but was not available at the time as she was playing Blanche on the Burns and Allen show. She had co-starred with Lucy on radio's "My Favorite Husband". (Gale Gordon was the first choice for Fred but was under contract for "Our Miss Brooks".)

 

[cd637299]

Bea appeared in a very early "I Love Lucy" ep as an old spinster who had a thing for the character played by Edward Everett Horton.

Bea also was on radio w/ Gale Gordon very briefly in 1950 on a show called "Granby's Green Acres," whose format lay dormant for 15 years until "Green Acres" came up---the latter, of course, being way nuttier than Granby's. This site w/ audio has been around for a while, but maybe the audio of the episodes still works:

http://www.maggiore.net/greenacres/garadio.asp

Bea sure was a hard worker in radio, TV, and also cartoons---she did a bit of work on WB cartoons and of course was Betty Rubble on The Flintstones, until she was replaced in 1964. I think I read it was because she was committed to Petticoat Junction, but that couldn't be the reason---she already had Season 1 of PJ under her belt while still working as Betty. I am not sure why she was replaced by Gerry Johnson.

cd

 

[BD Sullivan]

Bea sure was a hard worker in radio, TV, and also cartoons---she did a bit of work on WB cartoons and of course was Betty Rubble on The Flintstones, until she was replaced in 1964. I think I read it was because she was committed to Petticoat Junction, but that couldn't be the reason---she already had Season 1 of PJ under her belt while still working as Betty. I am not sure why she was replaced by Gerry Johnson.

cd

She may have thought during that first season that she could handle both jobs, but then realized that it was impossible and relinquished the Flintstones gig.

According to Linda Henning, her father specifically created PJ for Benaderet.

At the end of 1967, she was found to have lung cancer and had five weeks of treatment. She returned for the last show of the season, then started doing shows again for the new season until the cancer came back. In her last few episodes, her voice had to be recorded and stand-ins had to be used--much like what the Sopranos did with Nancy Marchand's fatal illness. Benaderet died on 10/13/68. Four days after her death--the day of her funeral, her husband died of a heart attack.

 

[therealjm12]

I think that Bea Benaderet was one of the most talented character actress in the early days of television. She was wonderful on Burns & Allen and playing Jack Benny's girlfriend, as well as Cousin Pearl Bodine. Her talents were pretty much wasted on Petticoat Junction. It was an inferior product from Paul Henning to begin with. Kate Bradley could have been played by anyone available at the time. She was so bland. The only limited humor from the show came from Uncle Joe. And the show definitely jumped the shark when it went went to color. The writing in the later episodes was just horrendous.
Her voice work was as good as it gets. Her Warner Brother's work was under rated and uncredited. As she said " I work and I slave and what thanks do I get?'

 

[Jimme]

On Youtube, there is a color episode of her playing "Password", the classic game show with Allen Ludden. Eddie Albert is captain of the other side. On this tape, Bea has a nicer-than-usual dress on, som ebetter jewelry, and her hair is made up tall and fancy. Not a bad looker.

She also gives us a few laughs when she does some flubs. She might also have laid the ideal which led to "The $10,000 Pyramid". As you know, the object of Password is to make your partner guess the word using one word clues. Bea divered a few times. For example, she tried to make her partner say "frankfurter" by saying, "It's a long thin hot dog."

 

[cd637299]

On Youtube, there is a color episode of her playing "Password", the classic game show with Allen Ludden. Eddie Albert is captain of the other side. On this tape, Bea has a nicer-than-usual dress on, som ebetter jewelry, and her hair is made up tall and fancy. Not a bad looker.

She also gives us a few laughs when she does some flubs. She might also have laid the ideal which led to "The $10,000 Pyramid". As you know, the object of Password is to make your partner guess the word using one word clues. Bea divered a few times. For example, she tried to make her partner say "frankfurter" by saying, "It's a long thin hot dog."

I saw that.....it makes me think, "that's how 'Pyramid' came about' "! After all, Bob Stewart created both shows.

I also get a kick out of how she gave out the "password" as a clue....not once, but twice!

cd

 

[joeybabe25]

Jack Bannon who was Bea Benaderet's son played Art Donovan on "Lou Grant". He is married to Ellen Travolta.

Hollywood is really a small town.

Joe

 

[joeybabe25]

It was an inferior product from Paul Henning to begin with. Kate Bradley could have been played by anyone available at the time. She was so bland. The only limited humor from the show came from Uncle Joe. And the show definitely jumped the shark when it went went to color. The writing in the later episodes was just horrendous.

True. She was a wonderful actress and she and Uncle Joe were the only reasons to watch that show.

I've often wondered how two shows (Petticoat Junction and Green Acres) one a mundane, pretty unfunny sitcom and the other "Green Acres" one of the cleverest and funniest sitcoms of all could have many of the same characters, the same town setting, AND come from the same production house.

Its almost like they muted PJ so that they could get away with the wild and wonderful wackiness of GA.

Joe

 

[joeybabe25]

On Youtube, there is a color episode of her playing "Password", the classic game show with Allen Ludden. Eddie Albert is captain of the other side. On this tape, Bea has a nicer-than-usual dress on, som ebetter jewelry, and her hair is made up tall and fancy. Not a bad looker.

She was very cute. I have also heard she was a very nice lady in a sometimes nasty business.

Link to Password:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NEfa99LbSYo

Joe

 

[FreddyE1977]

It was an inferior product from Paul Henning to begin with. Kate Bradley could have been played by anyone available at the time. She was so bland. The only limited humor from the show came from Uncle Joe. And the show definitely jumped the shark when it went went to color. The writing in the later episodes was just horrendous.

True. She was a wonderful actress and she and Uncle Joe were the only reasons to watch that show.

I've often wondered how two shows (Petticoat Junction and Green Acres) one a mundane, pretty unfunny sitcom and the other "Green Acres" one of the cleverest and funniest sitcoms of all could have many of the same characters, the same town setting, AND come from the same production house.

Its almost like they muted PJ so that they could get away with the wild and wonderful wackiness of GA.

Joe

uhh......you ever get a real good look at Lori Saunders?

I think it's pretty obvious where they were aiming the appeal of that show.
(and I'll admit, as much as I enjoy looking at Miss Saunders, Green Acres is a much
more entertaining program)

 

[cd637299]

^ Lori appeared in one GA episode---basically where Oliver hurt himself and was in bed for days, and Bobbi Jo brought him something to eat, as did practically all of Hooterville....but they ended up eating their own food, as they were entertained by what Oliver was watching on TV.

cd

 

[joeybabe25]

uhh......you ever get a real good look at Lori Saunders?

I think it's pretty obvious where they were aiming the appeal of that show.
(and I'll admit, as much as I enjoy looking at Miss Saunders, Green Acres is a much
more entertaining program)

Yeah, I know. I forgot that by the time I was twelve Petticoat Junction was for boys only ;D

I had another question about PJ, but it also pertains to other shows in syndication. Some series (Andy Griffth, Beverly Hillbillies, Petticoat Junction for example) all had a handfull of shows that fell out of copyright. To avoid paying fees for the opening and closing themes, the packager would substitute alternate music.

What about (and I'm not sure what they call it) the thematic music, the musical interludes between and during scenes? This music, it is my understanding, is under the protection of ASCAP or BMI who would collect fees for it. Yet it sounds like the syndicator of such shows leaves this music in. Do they have to pay fees, or has it as well, fallen out out of copyright?

BTW, check out this early PJ ep with DENNIS HOPPER!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Rn2lDsDw0k

Joe

 

[rnigma1]

Reportedly, CBS president James Aubrey recast one of the Petticoat Junction girls because he wanted someone with a bigger bosom.

The show was successful enough to inspire a Petticoat Junction amusement park in Panama City, Florida (Edgar Buchanan had a stake in it). It remained in business till 1983.

 

[BD Sullivan]

Linda Henning was the only "daughter" to stay for the entire show. Not surprising, since her Dad was in charge of the show.

 

[Braves2005]

I think that Bea Benaderet's voicing of Granny in the Warner Brothers cartoons with Tweety and Sylvester is a lot better than June Foray's Granny. Bea was more livelier and funnier as Granny than June's voicing of Granny.

 

[Markxxx]

Bea was a much in demand voice actress in radio. But it was common as you didn't really have to rehearse any lines or learn them as you read them off a script.

Frank Nelson (the YESSSSSS!! guy who is now parodied on "the Simpsons") was another hard working radio actor. He was seen as the frustrated sales guy on the Jack Benny radio show. And he worked so much that Jack had to write him in specifically only in the first part of the show or the second part. That way he could read off his line, jump into the subway (this was in NYC) and get to another show for that show's second half.

When Bea was thin she was very built. And it is true, she wanted Granny but Henning saw Granny as "a wispy little lady that didn't weigh 90 pounds sopping wet." He created "Cousin Pearl" specifically for Bea and liked her so much, he created another show for her.

Bea turned down Lucille Ball's offer to play Ethel because "Burns and Allen" was obviously a much stronger radio show, so it seemed better to do that.

I recall in a TV guide interview she said she didn't regret it as if she had taken the role, she never would have gotten to star in her own TV series. Which is basically true.

 

[Ultimajock]

Frank Nelson (the YESSSSSS!! guy who is now parodied on "the Simpsons") was another hard working radio actor. He was seen as the frustrated sales guy on the Jack Benny radio show. And he worked so much that Jack had to write him in specifically only in the first part of the show or the second part. That way he could read off his line, jump into the subway (this was in NYC) and get to another show for that show's second half.

...sorry, but Nelson never worked on Jack Benny's program until long after Benny had moved to Hollywood in the mid-'30s. However, the scenario you describe did apply to Benny's then-bandleader, Phil Harris, who found himself working at CBS on Benny's Lucky Strike Program from 1949 to 1952, but could only appear on the first half of the show so that he could dash down Vine Street to make it to his own NBC Phil Harris-Alice Faye Show, which started a minute after the Benny program ended...