Who Is Still Alive From ‘Petticoat Junction’?
September 24 marks 63 years since viewers first met the Bradley family on Petticoat Junction. The CBS comedy premiered on September 24, 1963, and followed Kate Bradley, her three daughters, and Uncle Joe at the Shady Rest Hotel. It ran for seven seasons before ending in 1970.
If you remember the Bradley sisters looking a little different depending on the episode, there’s a reason. Six actresses played the three daughters over the years, and only Linda Kaye Henning played her role throughout the series. For the show’s anniversary, let’s take a look at the four women from the series who are still alive, plus another familiar face from Hooterville.
Linda Kaye Henning, 82 (Betty Jo Bradley)
Ivan Nagy/TV Guide/Everett Collection; Bobby Bank/Getty Images
Henning played Betty Jo, the youngest Bradley sister, throughout all seven seasons. She was the daughter of series creator Paul Henning, although viewers initially knew her simply as Linda Kaye. She also had another connection to her father’s television shows: She voiced Jethrine Bodine on The Beverly Hillbillies.
Betty Jo eventually married pilot Steve Elliott, played by Mike Minor. The two actors also married in real life in 1968, but divorced in 1973. Henning continued working after Petticoat Junction, with appearances on Happy Days, Mork & Mindy, The Facts of Life and Sliders.
Lori Saunders, 84 (Bobbie Jo Bradley)
Ivan Nagy/TV Guide/Everett Collection; Albert L. Ortega/Getty Images
Saunders took over as Bobbie Jo after Pat Woodell left at the end of the second season. She stayed through the show’s final season in 1970. Before arriving at the Shady Rest, Saunders had appeared on The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet and starred opposite Adam West in the 1965 film Mara of the Wilderness.
After Petticoat Junction, she played secretary Elizabeth Gordon on The Beverly Hillbillies and Betsy on Dusty’s Trail, which also featured Jeannine Riley. Saunders retired from acting in 1980. Her official website says she later pursued art, including sculpture and oil painting.
Jeannine Riley, 85 (The Original Billie Jo Bradley)
Eugene Coeal/TV Guide/Everett Collection
Riley was the first Billie Jo, playing the oldest Bradley daughter during the show’s first two seasons. After leaving in 1965, she appeared in films including The Big Mouth with Jerry Lewis and Electra Glide in Blue with Robert Blake. She also joined Hee Haw and played Lulu McQueen on Dusty’s Trail.
Years later, Riley became an author. Her 2020 book, The Bolder Woman: It’s About Time, encourages older women to pursue interests and goals they may have put aside. In a 2021 interview with The Madera Tribune, she said she wants women to keep following their dreams as they get older.
Gunilla Hutton, 82 (The Second Billie Jo Bradley)
Ivan Nagy/TV Guide/Everett Collection; Albert L. Ortega/Getty Images
Hutton replaced Riley as Billie Jo for the third season, from 1965 to 1966. Her stay was the shortest of the three actresses who played the character. Meredith MacRae took over for the remaining four seasons.
Hutton later became a familiar face on Hee Haw, where she played Nurse Goodbody opposite Archie Campbell’s doctor. The show’s official biography also notes her work in musical theater, including playing Lola in Damn Yankees and appearing with Roy Clark in Paint Your Wagon. Her other television credits include Love, American Style and Fantasy Island.
Jimmy Hawkins, 84 (Orville Miggs)
Everett Collection; Jonathan Leibson/FilmMagic/Getty Images
Hawkins appeared as Orville Miggs, one of Betty Jo’s early love interests. Long before that, he played little Tommy Bailey in It’s a Wonderful Life. Television fans may also remember him as Tagg on Annie Oakley and Scotty on The Donna Reed Show.
He has continued sharing stories from his career. In August 2026, Hawkins appeared at Graceland’s Elvis Week, where he discussed working with Elvis Presley on Girl Happy. He also released The Heart of It in a Wonderful Life in 2025.
In Memoriam
Bea Benaderet (Kate Bradley) died of lung cancer on October 13, 1968, at 62, while the series was still airing.
Smiley Burnette (Charley Pratt) died of leukemia on February 16, 1967, at 55.
Rufe Davis (Floyd Smoot) died on December 13, 1974, at 66.
Edgar Buchanan (Uncle Joe Carson) died in 1979 at 76 after a prolonged coma complicated by pneumonia and a stroke.
Meredith MacRae (The Third Billie Jo Bradley) died of brain cancer on July 14, 2000, at 56.
Frank Cady (Sam Drucker) died on June 8, 2012, at 96.
Pat Woodell (The Original Bobbie Jo Bradley) died of cancer on September 29, 2015, at 71.
Mike Minor (Steve Elliott) died on January 28, 2016, at 75.
June Lockhart (Dr. Janet Craig) died of natural causes on October 23, 2025, at 100.
Remind 
Classic TV Shows of the ’50s & ’60s
September 2020
Test your knowledge, from Bonanza and Gunsmoke to I Love Lucy, I Dream of Jeannie, Star Trek and more fun TV of the 1950s and 1960s.
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