The Girls From Petticoat Junction - Thirty Days Hath September (1968)

[cmulwee001]

I just learned that on this track, the girls are backed by the group The Sunshine Company("Happy"). That info is on their brand new release The Girls From Petticoat Junction: Sixties Sounds. It also contains a solo recording of "Up Up And Away" by Linda Kaye Henning, that also uses the backing track from The Sunshine Company's original pre-5th Dimension recording, and it implies that Linda's version ALSO was record before The 5th Dimensions, though unreleased until now. How's that for info?

[cmulwee001]

At the 0:30 mark, you can hear Linda Kaye Henning hitting the low notes. It's really amazing for a woman who spoke with a high pitched young girl voice, to sing with such a deep rich alto range.

But that's why these girls sang so well, Linda's deep alto, combined with Lori's mid to high alto, and then Meredith's high soprano/mezzo-soprano resulted in heavenly harmonies!

One has to wonder what these girls could have done with the song; "Today" made popular by The New Christy Minstrels. Agreed?

[cmulwee001]

On METV I just saw the third season episode "The County Fair", and it's got to be the only episode in which Lori Saunders(Bobbie Jo) ever sang solo. Pat's Bobbie Jo did some sporadic solos in the early seasons. But i never know the Lori's Bobbie Jo could sing well too! She sings "Beautiful Dreamer" Incredible voice! And of course, this was still a whole year before singing would become a really big part of PJ.

Why Lori didn't do more solos, I'll never know. Meredith and Linda did most of them.

[CarolinaNIM]

@cmulwee001 I remember that episode but haven't seen it recently. Betty Jo enters a piglet in the fair. He prances around when Bobbie Jo sings. However, the pig's appearance is scheduled for the same time that Bobbie Jo is singing elsewhere at the fair. Betty Jo solves the problem by winning a tape recorder as a prize in Mr. Haney's game booth. That was another of the many GA/PJ crossovers that first year of GA.

[bxktd]

@captzdc They are wonderful aren't they? If you haven't done so already, do yourself a favor and buy Season 1 and 2 on DVD. Season 1 is the best season in my opinion, but I've only seen Season 1, 2, most of 5, and a handful of episodes from 4, 6, and 7.

[cmulwee001]

@bxktd

Season 3 is now playing on METV, and I must say, it is PJ at it's most slapstick and absurd, and is my personal favorite season. Possibly because there were numerous crossovers between this and Green Acres. GA premiered the same year that the "Junction" went to color, and much of the madcap humor from Green Acres rubbed off on it's parent show. It's also the one year that Gunilla Hutton was on.

The tone would really change from season 4 onward with way more singing and less slapstick...

[cmulwee001]

@bxktd

.. due to addition of Mike Minor and Meredith MacRae, who were not "slapstick" type people but who were professional singers.  Linda Henning ALSO sang extremely well. Singing became WAY more prominent in the years 4, 5,6, and 7, and there was no looking back. I'd think you'd agree with me. It's as if season 1,2, and 3, and then 4,5,6, and 7 are two separate shows with the same title.

[cmulwee001]

@bxktd

Do you know if this song was ever performed on the series? Or was it just a stand alone recording? I know most of their songs WERE performed on the series to promote the singles; like the double sided "I'm So Glad That You Found Me/If You Could Only Be Me" which were performed in separate episodes.

Also is there an episode from season 4 in which the girls perform "Sisters" from WHITE CHRISTMAS"?

I seem to recall such an eppy followed by a Steve and Billie duet of "The Glory OF Love"

[bxktd]

@cmulwee001 I don't recall it being performed, but it's been 25 years since I've seen most of the color episodes (not counting the ones on youtube). I believe it was merely the B side of the WHEELING WEST VIRGINIA song, which I have never heard. They did such a nice job with 30 DAYS.

[cmulwee001]

@bxktd

Thank you. Did You know that during the height of the shows' singing era,which was this period(1966-'70) the girls actually made a few appearances on the Tonight Show? That's right! And unlike on PJ in which they lip synced to their own recordings, they actually sang live! They also toured, and performed at festivals, county fairs, and nightclubs! I would love to have seen Linda, Lori, and Meredith's Tonight Show performances, if anyone has them please put them up!

Th

[cmulwee001]

@bxktd

Well, maybe you COULD help me with something related to this. METV is now showing season 4 of Petticoat Junction. Now I well remember that it was the season in which singing became much more frequent than in the first 3 seasons. But so far there has only been some random singing, and then several episodes in a row with no singing at all. Maybe it's the second half or even three quarters into season 4 when the singing angle really takes off? I asked 1964 Nickel the same thing.

[bxktd]

@cmulwee001 Sorry, but other than the episodes posted here on youtube, I haven't seen a season 4 episode in at least 25 years and I just don't remember. My guess was that it was gradual or sporadic and before becoming much more frequent during Bea's absence. I could be wrong. Anyway, enjoy Season 4. I'm jealous that I don't have METV.

[cmulwee001]

@bxktd

Thank you. Anyhow, don't know about you, but I find it ironic that, the Bradley girl with the highest speaking voice

Betty Jo(Linda Kaye Henning), had the deepest singing voice. Her speaking voice was rather high pitched, and very young girl sounding, but when she sang, she had this rich deep alto voice(like the honeymoon episode, or the " A Cottage for Two" episode.)

But I guess it's really not that unusual for singing and speaking voices to be stark contrast from one another.

[cmulwee001]

Was this sung in any Petticoat Junction episode like their other releases;"I'm So Glad That You Found Me", and "If You Could Only Be Me"? Or is it a stand alone single that they did, and was not featured in any episode?

[cmulwee001]

This was also done by Robert Goulet as the poster of this video said. But who did it first?

[bxktd]

I never get tired of hearing this. And yes, I agree- all the PJ girls were cute, but Lori was #1 total doll.

[beattleBob]

What was their other single : A & B side , year and record label.

[parkman35]

I too think Lori Saunders is the sexiest of them all. That Girl was a total Doll!

[bxktd]

Does anyone know if the songs of The Girls From Petticoat Junction are available for dowload or purchase anywhere?

This show was winding up shortly after I was born and I was introduced to the show as a teenager in the mid 80s. I hadn't seen the show since then, until I caught some episodes on YouTube this week. What an awesome show- Kate, Uncle Joe, Betty Jo, Bobbie Jo, Billie Jo, Floyd, Charlie, and of course Sam Drucker.

[genericgeorge]

I like Lori Saunders. I've been on her site and god she is sexy. Was sexy

[videogeekin]

Nat 'King' Cole had a mad affair with Gunilla Hutton!

[MrSpringtime22]

@videogeekin

thats hogwash

i know her and she denies it

she's too classy to do that

[CarolinaNIM]

@MrSpringtime22

What I read was that she was fired for having the affair with Cole, not because he was a Negro but because he was married.

[cmulwee001]

@CarolinaNIM She was NOT fired. Even if she had an affair with Nat, that wouldn't have anything to do with her leaving as Nat passed on in Feb. 1965, BEFORE Gunilla got cast. The REAL reason she left is because she was offered a chance to appear in a London Stage Musical which of course would take her off the series. She hated leaving, but this was a once in a lifetime opportunity for her. Like Jeannine, and Pat Gunilla left on her own terms, because she had "other offers"...

[cmulwee001]

@CarolinaNIM So you see, the Gunilla/Nat affair if it really happened at all(they may have just been friends would have been in an earlier time frame, and surely before Billie Jo #2 went before the camera

Gunilla REALLY liked Meredith from what I know, I think they might have even known each other personally and were friends, and she though "Mere" would make a good Billie Jo, although Ms. MacRae's version of the character was COMPLETELY different from Jeannine's or her own ..

[cmulwee001]

@CarolinaNIM

The only "cast member" that was "fired" was Sharon Tate as she was the original choice for Billie. But SHE may have had a mad love affair with a married male celebrity or she may have done a nude picture(most likely the latter), and was let go even BEFORE she went before the camera's. So Hopefully that helps

[CarolinaNIM]

@cmulwee001 My understanding is that the producers realized that Sharon was not ready for a regular series role. She was under contract at Filmways and was reassigned to do bit parts in different shows like Beverly Hillbillies and Mister Ed. I remember seeing this on the E! Entertainment show about Sharon Tate. Max Baer (Jethro) went out with her a few times when she was doing BH. He was very devastated when she was murdered.

[slcrawford2003]

Gunilla Hutton was the sexiest of the 3 actresses who played Billie Jo!!! She would later join Hew Haw , and from time to time sing on that show.

[REDHAIREDMONSTER]

btw, the pic you have has Gunilla as Billie Jo, and by the time they recorded these sides, Meredith Macrae had taken that spot, and these records feature her very much.

[TheLimePopsicle]

I knew someone was going to mention that, lol. Yes, I know, but I wanted to use a different picture than the accurate one with Meredith I used on the other two postings of their records. You make a good point, but I just liked the picture a lot. I hope people won't mind too much.

[REDHAIREDMONSTER]

it is a good pic, I do believe I had a printout of it on my wall back when I was in middle school, lol

do u happen to have Wheeling West Virginia on here, i'd really like to hear it.

[TheLimePopsicle]

No, that's the only one I don't have.

[REDHAIREDMONSTER]

i have a really terrible sounding copy on a cassette I need to dub off on cd, when I do, would you like me to send you an mp3?

[TheLimePopsicle]

Not really, but thanks for the offer, lol!

[REDHAIREDMONSTER]

ok...

[TheLimePopsicle]

No offence, I just have so many records already that they keep me quite busy. I have heard their record of "Wheeling, West Virginia" before, but I didn't keep a copy of it.

[cmulwee001]

@REDHAIREDMONSTER

You're right, and as far as I know,singing didn't really become a recurring thing (on "Petticoat Junction") until Meredith took over as Billie Jo from Ms. Hutton, who had taken over the role from Ms. Riley. She was already an accomplished singer even before she became a cast member.

Even though she wasn't the original, Mrs. MacRae was, to me the DEFINITIVE Billie Jo Bradley!

[bxktd]

@cmulwee001 There was some singing in the B&W episodes, but not nearly to the extent in the later ones. I think Pat Woodell, the first Bobbie Jo did most of the singing in the early episodes. She had a wonderful voice. Once Smiley Burnette (Charley Pratt) died, the train became less of a focal point and the plot focus shifted more towards the girls. Of course, once Bea's health seriously declined, it focus was almost exclusively on the girls and most episodes featured their great singing.

[cmulwee001]

@bxktd

Well METV (Memorable Entertainment Television) shows this program. They are currently as of this writing into the seventh and last season. Although the first episode of Season 7 has most of the cast performing "Moonlight Bay", it seems to me that there is far less singing in year 7 than in 4,5, and 6. Don't know why, but maybe they were trying to revert the show back to it's earlier form, with more slapstick and physical comedy

that was characteristic of the first 3 years...

[cmulwee001]

@bxktd

Part 2: Still there are a handful of great musical moments, like Billie Jo singing "I Enjoy Being A Girl" which she had sung at least twice already. I also remember Steve singing to Kathy Jo "I Can Sing A Rainbow" in one episode.

But nonetheless, season 7 seems like a throwback to the earlier days, with the emphasis on the slapstick comedy, and less on the singing.

Strangely Gunilla Hutton was a singer, but I don't remember any singing in her episodes.

[cmulwee001]

@bxktd

Oh and might I add, in Season 7 episode "The Tenant", the girls (Billie on piano, Bobbie on sax, Betty on banjo) play a humorous sped up version of "12th Street Rag" to drive out an unwanted guest. It had the madcap feel, of

the early "Ladybugs" episode

[bxktd]

Respond to this video...That's a tough call Meredith MacRae or Jeannine Riley. Meredith had a great voice and I loved watching perform and sing, but Jeannine Riley was hilarious as the boy crazy Billie Jo. Ms. Riley made Billie Jo seem very much like a small town or country girl, where I always thought Meredith seemed a little too cosmopolitan for a girl from Hooterville. Either way, I enjoyed both of their portrayals of Billie Jo. I've never seen Gunilla Hutton episode.

[cmulwee001]

@bxktd

Well it seems to me as you're implying, that Jeannine Riley's Billie Jo is an entirely different character from Meredith MacRae' version of the Bradley's eldest daughter. Meredith's interpretation of the Billie Jo is a warm hearted soft spoken young lady with an aspiration for a singing career, while Ms. Riley's original is a boy crazy southern belle with a HEAVY drawl. When I finally saw one of early B&W episodes, it seemed like a completely different show. To Be Cont...

[cmulwee001]

Respond to this video... Part 2:Gunilla Hutton only played Billie Jo for one year, 1965-'66 the first color season, so it's pretty easy to not have seen one. I guess Mrs. Hutton was used after Jeannine left, but I guess she wasn't right for the role, so then it took Meredith MacRae for the rest of the series to "get it right" as they say.

[angelofbebop]

Beautiful!

[liloldnightingale]

Lovely voices singing a lovely song.