Today television has to be cutting edge. Dramas have to be shocking and comedies are created to be controversial or push the limits. This was not the case some forty five years ago. In those days entertainment was simpler. Sure the sit-coms where virtually mindless but they were a much needed distraction from the cold war that pervaded just about every aspect of the news. What the public wanted was something that the whole family could watch together and have a few laughs. One series that was popular albeit extremely corny was ‘Petticoat Junction’. It had all the elements necessary for a sit-com in the early sixties; pretty girls, a crusty old uncle and a extended group of quirky characters. As for the pretty girls the opening credits show them supposedly skinny dipping in a railway water tower. Sure, we all knew they had strapless swim suits on but when you are a pre-puberty boy back then it was about as risqué as TV got. The series got its start as part of the spin off fad that was extremely popular at that time. First there was the ‘Beverley Hillbillies’ about a poor mountain man who strikes oil on his property. That series was wildly popular and gave rise to ‘Green Acres’ which reversed the plot and had a wealthy man giving up the good life and moving to a rural community. Both had connections to the fictional small town of ‘Hooterville’. ‘Petticoat Junction’ followed the exploits of a widow and her three daughters running a little out of the way hotel. Whenever a ratings boost was needed by one of the series there was always the cross over episode around to cross pollinate the character pool. There have been some previous releases of this series to DVD but they have been somewhat controversial and cloudy. Some of the earliest episodes have gone into public domain. This opened the way for cheap DVD releases. Since the music was still under copyright those releases had some generic bluegrass music replacing the famous explanatory opening and closing theme song. After changing hands for awhile CBS Paramount finally obtained the distribution. They have released the ‘official’ first season of this series to DVD. It contains all 38 black and white episodes and will be a touch of nostalgia for many baby boomers out there. It is also something that even your kids may find surprisingly entertaining.

The series creator Paul Henning was the golden boy of television in his day. He also created ‘The Beverley Hillbillies’ and ‘Green Acres’ and previously worked on both the ‘Bob Cummings Show’ and the "Dennis Day Show’. Kids, ask your parents or grandparents about them; they were big in the fifties. The premise was simple but effective. In Hootervile Kate Bradley (Bea Benaderet) was the owner of the ‘Shady Rest Hotel. It was in a remote part of the world even by rural standards. The only way to get to it was the local rail line with one train the Hooterville Cannonball. Here express was a very relative term since the engineer Charley Pratt (Smiley Burnette) and the conductor Floyd Smoot (Rufe Davis) were frequently prone to stop the train to go fishing or other leisurely endeavors. Floyd also served as fireman and baggage man depending on what hat he literally had on at the moment. The spur line had only two ‘official’ stops Hooterville and Pixley. It was not uncommon for the crew of two to equal or exceed the passenger list for any given run. The schedule of the train was haphazard at best. Kate had three daughters and they were the dream of any boy back then. There was the boy crazy blonde Billie Jo (Jeannine Riley), intellectual brunette intellectual Bobbie Jo (Pat Woodell) and redhead Betty Joe (Linda Kaye) who was the tomboy of the group. The actress was also the real life daughter of the show’s creator. Also always hanging around doing as little as humanly possible was Uncle Joe (Edgar Buchanan). He usually has impossibly big ideas but fortunately for everyone lacks the drive or energy to follow through on any of them. In the town the one general store was owned by Sam Drucker (Frank Cady); a cross over character with ‘Green Acres’. The nearest larger town was Pixley but most of the characters preferred to shop at the friendlier Ducker’s.

Like any sit-com of the day the stories tended to follow a rather strict formula. Many of the plot lines looked at some sort of disruption to the idyllic life in peaceful Hooterville. In the first episode of the series the railroad company, C&FW Railroad, is considering shutting down the Hooterville Express. The company sends a trouble shooter Homer Bedloe (Charles Lane) to see why they should continue a branch line that doesn’t even connect to the main line. The Cannonball is only the steam locomotive, wood car and a single passenger car and it is showing signs of age. It has been over twenty years since Charley and Floyd have even seen the main line. When he gets to the small town the first thing that annoys the company man is the train doesn’t stop at the station but takes Kate and the girls to Druckers. Bedloe is outraged and it takes a lot of convincing by everyone to let him forget all about the little line to nowhere. In a usually move for half hour sit-coms of the day the story here was continued on for four weeks. In the second set of two the president of the line, Norman Curtis (Roy Roberts) is sent for when Bedloe is unable to scrap the train. He is appalled that Betty Jo frequently runs the train. Finally they get the president to relent and the little train is saved. Other stories are just a slice of life look at living in a small community. There is a massive rivalry between Hooterville and neighboring Pixley during the annual Shady Rest horseshoe competition. There is also the return of Homer Bedloe more determined than ever to shut the line down. Uncle Joe almost goes through with one of his plans. He becomes a justice of the peace to turn the Shady Rest into a honeymoon hotel but chaos ensues when it is discovered that his license is invalid. In another double episode Billie Jo receives a $500 insurance payment from her late father for the first born to become a doctor. She wants to use the money to go to Hollywood. Back then $500 was a lot of money but still not that much!

To their credit CBS Paramount has paid a lot of attention to the DVD release of this vintage series. All of the episodes are in their original form complete with the opening theme. The full screen black and white video has a touch of grain but has held up far better than most of us over the last forty five years. The mono sound track is free from clicks or other noticeable defects. Each episode has an optional introduction by Pat Woodell and Linda Kaye Henning. There are also interviews with both actresses included. Another interview is from 1998 featuring Paul Henning introduced by his daughter and Ms Woodell. Rounding things off are some original sponsor spots to help set the mood. This is a classic gentle sit-com that the whole family will love.