Petticoat Junction/Green Acres "Crossovers"

[Stanislav]

Since I’ve been catching up on reruns of Petticoat Junction (PJ), many episodes of which I haven’t seen in ages, I’ve noted many more “crossover” appearances by characters from Green Acres (GA) than I remembered. To be sure, some of these are brief “cameos” in non-essential scenes that may well have been cut when PJ was previously syndicated. Anyway, with no life to speak of, and time on my hands, I decided to document GA-to-PJ and PJ-to-GA crossovers, using IMDB. (With the usual caveats about their accuracy, which has been occasionally found to be suspect, though not nearly to the degree of Wikipedia!) This does not, of course, include Frank Cady (Sam Drucker), the only actor who was a regular in both series.

The vast majority of these crossover appearances occurred in 1965-66, which was Season 1 for GA and Season 3 for PJ. This makes sense, as the producers were seeking to give a boost to their newest show, using a more well-established one.

For GA-to-PJ crossovers, the champ among the major characters is, unsurprisingly, Eddie Albert (Oliver Wendell Douglas), who appeared in 12 episodes of PJ, 11 of which occurred in that 1965-66 season. (In fact, he appeared in 7 of the first 8 PJ episodes that season). The list of major GA characters and their PJ appearances:

Eddie Albert (Oliver Wendell Douglas): 12 eps (11 x S3, 1 x S6)
Eva Gabor (Lisa Douglas): 9 eps (7 x S3, 2 x S6)
Tom Lester (Eb Dawson): 6 eps (5 x S4, 1 x S5)
Pat Buttram (Mr. Haney): 3 eps (1 x S3, 2 x S7)

Also, among the secondary cast, Kay E. Kuter (Newt Kiley) appeared in 16 PJ episodes (as opposed to 24 on GA), while Hank Patterson (Fred Ziffel) appeared in 10 PJ episodes (as well as 50 on GA).

(I’m pretty sure Arnold the Pig appeared in a few PJ episodes as well, but IMDB only lists human actors…)

For PJ-to-GA crossovers, the prize goes to Edgar Buchanan (Uncle Joe), who appeared in 16 episodes of GA; again, mostly in the 1965-66 season. The line-up of major PJ characters’ appearances on GA:

Edgar Buchanan (Uncle Joe): 16 eps (13 x S1, 1 x S2, 1 x S3, 1 x S4)
Bea Benaderet (Kate Bradley): 6 eps (all S1)
Lori Saunders (Bobbie Jo Bradley): 3 eps (all S1)
Linda Kaye Henning (Betty Jo Bradley): 1 ep (S1)

Note that this is strictly limited to episodes of GA and PJ. A lot of the “crossovers” I recall (including several involving both Tom Lester and Linda Kaye Henning) actually took place in Hooterville-infested episodes of The Beverly Hillbillies, during that infernal bastardized cross-pollination. (Can you tell I’m not a big fan of the Hillbillies/Hooterville “mixed marriage?")

 

[WMC2006]

Anyway, with no life to speak of, and time on my hands

You need to do another one of those Today In TV History threads. Maybe change it to Today in (name of tv show) History or something or other. Come on, you know you want to. And we all want you to do it. ;D

 

[cd637299]

What's amazing was that GA had that total surreal zaniness, whereas PJ was more "heartwarming" comedy.....I think it would be interesting to compare each "common" actor's styles in each show, how they fit in. Drucker, being one of the few sane GA members, kinda fit in well in both shows.

When "Hillbillies" tried to tie in to Hooterville, that was the jump-the-shark moment IMO. (Wasn't the first Hillbillies episode like that the one where Granny says she has to visit Kate Bradley, and everyone in the Clampett household, maybe just Jed, was saying "Who's Kate Bradley???" over and over.) Barf.

Had Filmways' "Mister Ed" stayed in into 1968-69, I wonder if all four shows would mix it up. "Addams Family" was Filmways too, but on another network; perish the thought of a fifth show.

cd

 

[Stanislav]

What's amazing was that GA had that total surreal zaniness, whereas PJ was more "heartwarming" comedy.....

PJ had its zanier moments (though never quite in the same league as GA), especially in the earlier seasons (before crooner Mike Minor became a regular, the baby came along, the girls started singing, and every other episode had musical overtones). It got a lot more staid as time went on, especially after Bea died -- she had basically been the "only sane (wo)man" role that the others flustered (much like Oliver in GA) -- that straight role is essential to making zaniness work. (For instance, try to imagine Newhart with just the crazies, and no central straight man -- Bob -- to play off of.)

Remember, too, that there were three geographically distinct spheres of activity in the PJ/GA universe: the Shady Rest, which was a train hop away from everything else; Hooterville proper; and the outlying farms. Things had to be kept relatively under control at the Shady Rest if patrons were going to spend money to stay there, and the farmers of GA were cuckoolanders primarily due to their isolation and relatively sporadic interactions with "normal" society.

What I never understood was...Hooterville is allegedly so small that it doesn't even appear on some maps, yet managed to have enough young people to support its own high school (and a fairly decent-sized one if the exterior location shots are to be believed). :

 

[easttxtv]

I was not a regular watcher of either one, so forgive my limited knowledge....

Were the Junction and Hooterville close together geographically? Did the Junction's railroad go through Hooterville also? Just wondering, as there apparently were so many chances for interaction and acquaintance among the citizens of both hamlets.

 

[visaman]

I was not a regular watcher of either one, so forgive my limited knowledge....

Were the Junction and Hooterville close together geographically? Did the Junction's railroad go through Hooterville also? Just wondering, as there apparently were so many chances for interaction and acquaintance among the citizens of both hamlets.

The Junction was the water stop for the Cannonball. I beleive there was a train station at the edge of Hooterville, but that was for the train going to New York. I have no idea what the Cannonball was used for, in fact in one episode, the Cannonball was going to stop running due to a lack of passengers :

I think in one of the episodes of PJ, one of the sisters went to New York, so they took the Cannonball to Hooterville, to catch the train going to New York. ???

I wish someone could tell me how the Clammpet's got to the Junction and Sam Drucker's store (by truck?), or why Mr. Drysdale would think that THE Howard Hughes, would bother with the Hughes air field in Hooterville!

 

[Stanislav]

That's more or less been my impression -- you had to ride the Cannonball to get from the Shady Rest to Hooterville locations like Drucker's Store. I believe the girls used to ride it to get to school. There is road access to Drucker's ("exterior" stage shots have shown vehicles and a crossing sign, and Oliver used to drive there from the farm), but unless I've missed something, there doesn't seem to be any highway access to the Shady Rest -- the Cannonball seems to exist only to do the Junction-to-Hooterville hop (although the train is often shown delivering the mail to the post office at Drucker's -- where they pick it up is a mystery). Makes one wonder how a hotel so inconveniently sited stays in business, but maybe that very isolation was the attraction (the "Rest" aspect of "Shady Rest").

Another mystery: if there are no roads there, from whence came the name "Petticoat Junction?" ???

 

[jh]

Another mystery: if there are no roads there, from whence came the name "Petticoat Junction?" ???

Railroad junction.

The Cannonball ran from Hooterville to Pixley, with the Shady Rest located at "Petticoat Junction" somewhere between the two towns. Supposedly, the only way you could get to the Shady Rest was by train. It seems like in an episode or two, somebody showed up in a truck or Jeep, but maybe not.

Hooterville was portrayed as quite small, but could have had a fair sized high school if the school district included a large rural area. Pixley was the larger rival town. Was it the county seat, or was Crabwell Corners? Of course, all this happened in "the kangaroo state." (At least on Green Acres, the kangaroo was the state's mascot.)

 

[therealjm12]

If I remember right. there was some kind of train wreck while the lumber and other supplies were being shipped to build The Shady Rest Hotel. So Kate's father figured it was fate and built the hotel there. Yes, the train did run from Pixley to Hooterville but it's connection to the main line was washed out in a 1920's flood.

Kate Bradley & Cousin Pearl Bodine (a Clampett) were cousin on their mothers' side. Granny was no relation to Kate Bradley except by distant marriage. Granny was just a busybody. There now you can all sleep tonight.

 

[Stanislav]

Another mystery: if there are no roads there, from whence came the name "Petticoat Junction?"  ???

Railroad junction.

The Cannonball ran from Hooterville to Pixley, with the Shady Rest located at "Petticoat Junction" somewhere between the two towns. 

Yes, but a "junction" is the intersection of two roads or railways. No roads, one rail line -- where's the "junction?"

Hooterville was portrayed as quite small, but could have had a fair sized high school if the school district included a large rural area. Pixley was the larger rival town.

Which also had a rival high school, IIRC. Odd, two good-sized schools so close together.

Unlessss.......you know, we really don't know the distances involved here. What we city folk would think of as a major commute is just an ordinary errand run in the country, where population centers are spread out, with a lot of nuthin' in-between. If the Cannonball has to take on water at the Junction, that may well imply that Hooterville and Pixley are a fair distance apart, perhaps far enough to warrant a high school in each community. Kate shops at Drucker's because it's the closest store, but that doesn't mean it's nearby.

(And don't bring up the "Kangeroo State" thing, or we'll get into another "Where is Hooterville?" discussion. Though I humbly state that I think my theory -- expounded upon in previous threads -- is the best...) 

 

[Markxxx]

The Hooterville of Petticoat Junction was different form the Hooterville portrayed in Green Acres.

It is stated in Season of of PJ that the Shady Rest is halfway between Hooterville and Pixley. But it's also stated that the Shady Rest is 25 miles from either place. This would put the two places far apart unless the train curves around on itself.

In G.A. Oliver says the Cannonball is the only way for people to get around in the valley as their are no roads. By this I take it he means paved roads, as he's seen driving a lot.

In G.A. Hooterville has about 40 people, while in PJ Hooterville has anywhere from 300 to over a thousand. Hooterville has a hospital in some PJ episodes and not in others. In G.A. Pixley has the hospital. Both Pixley and Hooterville have high schools and elementary schools, in both series.

Homer Bedloe always wanted to close the Cannonball down because he wanted to build a bus line. This meant that the Shady Rest would go out of business. The Shady Rest was said to compete with the Pixley Hotel for business. Indeed Uncle Joe once managed to wrestle the courthouse contract from the Pixley Hotel.

The girls took the train to school and there was the famous handcar as well. Eb and Betty Jo and a few of her friends had motorized scooters and bikes of some kind.

Mr Drucker was the Mayor of Hooterville and the Head of the School Board at least on Green Acres.

Kate's backstory changed a few times, but it was pretty minor changes. She fell in love with a man who wanted to open a nice quiet hotel in the country. She gave up a life in showbiz and moved from the big city to the country. Of course this was to convince Lisa to stay in Hooterville on G.A. Uncle Joe calls her out by saying she was a ticket taker in Pixley at the movie house. Her showbiz career being a ticket taker and the big city was Pixley.

In G.A. Oliver's Farm presented a problem when it was revealed the house was in Pixley and the farm in Hooterville. Later a resurvey finds the house IS INDEED in Hooterville. It's the barn that is in Pixley and for added hilarity, the farm itself is in Crabwell Corners.

Nearby Stankwell Falls has a saloon that is usually describe on both series as where the bachelors like Mr Drucker hang out.

Hooterville is described as near Chicago, then 500 miles from Chicago but it rarely gets snow. In G.A. it's hot and Lisa pays Haney to make snow for Oliver and in PJ Christmas is over 80ºF

Hooterville is first mentioned in the Beverly Hillbillies, in one of the beginning episodes as Jazzbeau DePew is there. He later courts Jethrine.

So it seems Hooterville must be in the Midwest, which probably corresponds to the Clampetts area of Southwest MO, NW Arkansas and NE Oklahoma. A huge continuity error in the BH, when Mr Drysdale is arrested on the way to Hooterville. Sam travels 50 miles to bail him out. Jed asks Miss Jane to drive them to the jail and she says it'll take most of the night to get there.

There's no way to get from Beverly Hills to the midwest overnight.

As for the junction? Perhaps the tracks for the Cannonball ran in a figure 8???

 

[cd637299]

^ Wow that's a lotta info....much appreciated.

Pixley has an airport as well! There was an episode of GA where, IIRC, Oliver & Lisa (and Arnold?) boarded a Trans-Pixley Airlines plane, and the "welcome" P.A. announcement was made.....in both English & Spanish!

I am almost 100% sure that an episode of GA said they were actually *300* miles from Chicago.

Much GA trivia----and even episodes of the 1950 radio show which somewhat spawned GA----can be found here:

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

cd

 

[Stanislav]

A very interesting list from someone obviously far more obsessed with these shows than I! 

It must be noted that continuity was not a strong point in 60's sitcoms, and the "Rule of Funny" prevailed over concerns about internal consistency.

Nevertheless...sorting these things out IS kinda fun...  ;D

It is stated in Season of of PJ that the Shady Rest is halfway between Hooterville and Pixley. But it's also stated that the Shady Rest is 25 miles from either place. This would put the two places far apart unless the train curves around on itself.

In G.A. Oliver's Farm presented a problem when it was revealed the house was in Pixley and the farm in Hooterville. Later a resurvey finds the house IS INDEED in Hooterville. It's the barn that is in Pixley and for added hilarity, the farm itself is in Crabwell Corners.

These are clearly incompatible "facts" -- unless the main population centers of the two communities are far apart, yet their respective incorporated boundaries are huge, incorporating a lot of rural area and actually adjoining. This is contrary to the practice in most of the USA whereby it's only the concentrated population centers that are incorporated as cities and towns. In the real world, the Shady Rest and Oliver's farm would likely not be part of Hooterville proper (although their mail, phone service, power, etc. would originate there), and would be subject to county or township government, depending on the state.

In G.A. Oliver says the Cannonball is the only way for people to get around in the valley as their are no roads. By this I take it he means paved roads, as he's seen driving a lot.

And often shown driving on paved roads, such as when taking his produce to market, etc. This is not really a contradiction, as it is entirely possible that the main connecting roads (state highways, etc.) are paved, while the local streets in small communities are not.

Hooterville is described as near Chicago, then 500 miles from Chicago but it rarely gets snow. In G.A. it's hot and Lisa pays Haney to make snow for Oliver and in PJ Christmas is over 80ºF

I am almost 100% sure that an episode of GA said they were actually *300* miles from Chicago.

I agree with Chris' recollection of the 300-mile figure; I don't recall the 500-mile figure cropping up, though such inconsistency would be par for the course.

Hooterville is first mentioned in the Beverly Hillbillies, in one of the beginning episodes as Jazzbeau DePew is there. He later courts Jethrine.

Could you pinpoint that episode? I don't recall Hooterville ever being mentioned on BH until the late-season crossovers.

So it seems Hooterville must be in the Midwest, which probably corresponds to the Clampetts area of Southwest MO, NW Arkansas and NE Oklahoma.

Though the Clampetts are specifically hailed as being from Tennessee, at least in the early seasons. The Ozarks don't enter into it until the Silver Dollar City story arc, and then only by inference as that is the location of the real-life SDC tourist attraction (not far from Branson MO, IIRC).

I agree with the Midwest milleu (bizarre climatological indications notwithstanding), but I place Hooterville somewhat north of the Ozarks, with the center of my imagined target area as extreme downstate Illinois or somewhere in that region. I cite a number of supporting indications:

-- The GA "300 miles to Chicago" quote

-- The lack of Southern accents or Confederate nostalgia on PJ and GA (unlike BH, where Granny was an unabashed, unrepentant Rebel)

-- The fact that Hooterville doesn't appear to be in a mountainous region, the generic appellation of "the Valley" notwithstanding, which might even be a reference to the Mississippi River valley (and "Land spreadin' out so far and wide" sounds like a stereotypical characterization of the relatively flat Midwest)

-- Most significantly (and only realized by me when catching up on PJ reruns in recent years), when "big cities" in the region are casually referenced on PJ, it is cities like Chicago, Cedar Rapids, Omaha, Indianapolis, etc. that are mentioned, NOT places like Little Rock or other cities geographically close to the Ozarks. In fact, if you plot all those references, and draw a circle around them, it centers on.....yup, downstate Illinois.

While there are other isolated "facts" that belie the theory, I think a "preponderance of evidence" supports my suppositions.

(Now, here's a mystery for ya -- how did Oliver's electrical miscue spark the 1965 blackout, as asserted in an episode of GA, when, no matter where you plot Hooterville's location, it is nowhere near the region of the Northeast affected by the blackout? I know, I know....."Rule of Funny...") (** DOUBLE DRiCK!! **)  ;D

 

[Stanislav]

A few additional afterthoughts:

-- The seemingly contradictory distances to Chicago (300 vs. 500 miles) could be reconciled if the latter is highway mileage (before most Interstates were completed), and the former "as the crow flies" air mileage

-- About "The Kangaroo State" thing.....see, GA actually takes place in one of an infinite number of similar, but separate universes...in this one, impoverished Midwest farmers imported Kangaroos during the Depression, staving off starvation and, in gratitude, Illinois was renamed "The Kangaroo State" (OK, bit of a stretch here...) ;D

-- Most importantly to the topic of this board, we must mention that one of the "awfully complete infrastructure for such a small town" factors is that Pixley even had its own TV station! (In my postulated parallel universe, Pixley-Hooterville-Crabwell Corners was the smallest TV market in the country.) We know it was a CBS affiliate, as the residents watched The Beverly Hillbillies on it, with the Hooterville Players even enacting a stage version of the show. Which only adds to the surrealism when the Clampetts actually show up in Hooterville. Fictitious TV characters, or real people inhabiting the same physical universe as Kate, Uncle Joe, and Oliver? I report...you decide! ???

 

[cd637299]

Ah yes, WPIXL-TV....Assuming it was the only TV station they could get, programming included the soap opera "Tomorrow Will Be Brighter," and some movie that Oliver was watching while his leg was in a cast or something....during the movie was an ad for a local restaurant featuring a delicious full course dinner....for 59 cents (to which Mr. Kimball commented to Oliver, "Yeah they raised the price again")....

I do believe their logo was shown once as well.

If it weren't for the inconsistencies, what would we be discussing on such classic TV?

And remember.....Pearl Bodine *was* Kate Bradley. Hmmm.

And, Bea Benaderet was even in the radio version "Granby's Green Acres," with full episodes on the above site I listed. A busy woman, she.

cd

 

[Stanislav]

Ah yes, WPIXL-TV....Assuming it was the only TV station they could get, programming included the soap opera "Tomorrow Will Be Brighter," and some movie that Oliver was watching while his leg was in a cast or something....during the movie was an ad for a local restaurant featuring a delicious full course dinner....for 59 cents (to which Mr. Kimball commented to Oliver, "Yeah they raised the price again")....

Another anomaly of the Hooterville universe (primarily as a running gag in GA episodes) -- the ridiculously low prices charged for goods and services. I guess the premise was funny in an absurd sense, but...I mean, even if you argue that Hootervillians are so isolated and stuck in past ways that they've never raised prices, the stuff they are selling had to come from wholesale sources in the real (non-Hooterville) world. Sam Drucker, for example, was no dummy -- surely as his suppliers raised their prices, he would know to charge more; else, how is he making any profit? And one would think that even an inept farmer like Oliver could live like a king in a town where the cost of living is apparently on a par with 1920's prices! ???

 

[cd637299]

Oh about Hooterville's location....

Drucker was also H'ville's postmaster. In the "Return to Green Acres" made-for-TV movie from 1991ish, Drucker revealed H'ville's ZIP code as "40516 and a half." That would put in in Kentucky, but IMO it was a throwaway line.

Info on the ZIP was from that site I mentioned, but, I did record that movie. I think they waited *way* too long (20 years) after the original show ended. I think the behind-the-scenes staff expected too much for actors who had aged considerably. One smart move was to focus on a younger person, the Ziffel's niece, and *that* plot....everything else was basically add-ons.

cd

 

[Stanislav]

Agree that the TV-movie was a dud. Much more enjoyable was the cast reunion on Nick at Nite, hosted by Marc Summers. Used to have both of those on VHS -- they may still be lurking in a box somewhere.

BTW, Tom Lester (Eb) has a website with one of the best and most appropriate domain names ever: gollymisterdouglas.com !!

 

[oldiesfan6479]

Pixley has an airport as well! There was an episode of GA where, IIRC, Oliver & Lisa
(and Arnold?) boarded a Trans-Pixley Airlines plane, and the...

Lisa to (I believe) the stewardess:

"Arnold's locked himself in the Occupied!"

 

[therealjm12]

One of the things I didn't like about the TV movie of Green Acres was that they made Mr. Haney as an evil villain. Haney was a bad con man but wasn't evil. His character in the series was likeable, although flawed and very funny.