Episode
Petticoat Junction: The Power of the Press
Overview
Bobbie Jo tells everyone that she and the man of her dreams, Jeff Powers, will be working on a newspaper together. The school professor is allowing students to put out an existing newspaper for a week as an assignment. Bobbie Jo is hoping Kate will ask Sam if she and Jeff can be the editors of the Hooterville World Guardian for the week. Sam is more than willing to hand over the reigns. Jeff has a hard hitting view of newspaper journalism and is not afraid to name names. Bobbie Jo may change her mind about the policy when one of the stories affects Uncle Joe negatively.
Details
- Series
- Petticoat Junction
- Season
- Season 5
- Episode
- Episode 18
- Air date
- 1968-01-06
- Runtime
- 25 min
Episode context
The Power of the Press is Episode 18 in Season 5 of Petticoat Junction. It aired on 1968-01-06. The runtime is 25 min.
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Episode 17: All Sales Final
Betty Jo is writing checks faster than Steve is putting money into the account. They make a deal: Betty Jo will not spend any more money for a month. What Betty Jo didn't tell Steve is that she has already purchased an extremely long sofa for $100 from Agnew's Furniture Store. The problem is that the sofa doesn't fit in their tiny living room unless a wall gets knocked down, and the sofa was a no return sale. Kate talks profit hungry Mr. Agnew into taking the sofa back for $90. Steve would like to surprise Betty Jo with a piano and asks her if he could knock down a wall in the house. Thinking there will be room for the sofa, Betty Jo has Kate go and repurchase the sofa. Betty Jo finds out about the piano and once again Kate has to return the sofa for a loss. Steve finds out about the sofa and has Kate buy it again. Steve and Betty Jo decide to keep both items.
Episode 19: Steve, the Apple Polisher
J.P. Marshall, who recently bought much of the farm land in the valley, has checked into the hotel. Uncle Joe sees an opportunity to secure the crop dusting contract for his fields. Uncle Joe convinces Steve to do whatever Marshall wants to secure the contract. Steve agrees, as he doesn't think there will be any problems. Then he meets Marshall's daughter, Millicent, who has her sights set on Steve. Steve now also has to be nice to Millicent. Betty Jo doesn't like Millicent as the competition and leaves not-so-subtle reminders to Steve that he's married. Steve tells Mr. Marshall that he won't be an apple polisher even if it means losing the contract. Mr. Marshall tells Steve that is exactly the kind of man he wants and gives Steve the contract.
More episodes from this season
Episode 16: All That Buzzes Ain't Bees
Uncle Joe's latest scheme has him keeping bees, hoping to make a fortune selling honey. Joe borrows $25 from Steve, money that Steve and Betty Jo had set aside as mad money. This leads to problems between Steve and Betty Jo, who made a pact to tell each other everything. Kate helps Steve and Betty Jo weather this minor storm. Uncle Joe discovers that what he thought were bees are actually hornets and they have infested the hotel. While the hotel is being fumigated, everyone stays at Steve and Betty Joe's house. This indirectly solves a problem that the couple were having.
Episode 20: The Barber Shop Quartet
Uncle Joe's barbershop quartet have entered the Winter Festival competition. One member is singing a bunch of bad notes. They soon realize that the offending member is Joe. Joe decides to step aside if they can find somebody to replace him. They quickly find Grampa Jenson to fill Joe's place. This leads to the end of Joe's friendship with Sam. Selma, the head of the Winter Festival's judging committee, asks Joe to be on the panel of judges. Her request has an ulterior motive as Henrietta has entered the contest. Selma implies that she will give the Carson-Elliott Enterprises her crop dusting business if Joe votes for Henrietta. Something Sam does at the competition repairs his and Joe's friendship
Episode 15: Uncle Joe and the Master Plan
Billie Jo and Uncle Joe have just arrived back from Omaha, where Billie Jo had a singing engagement. While there, Uncle Joe applied for the Shady Rest to be listed in the Master Plan hotel directory. Joe believes a guest named Gaylord Martindale s there to make a secret inspection for the directory. As such, Uncle Joe will do anything to please him, which is a tall order as he is perhaps the most demanding guest they have ever had. This service may be at the expense of their only other guest, the very accommodating Mrs. Pruit. In the end, Mrs. Pruit has a surprise for everyone.
Episode 21: Higgins Come Home
Everyone at the hotel is worried since Dog has been missing for most of the day. He actually ran off to Betty Jo and Steve's. When Betty Jo brings him back to the hotel, Billie Jo and Bobbie Jo are angry that Betty Jo didn't send him back sooner. Betty Jo doesn't like the notion that Dog doesn't equally belong to her. The sisters' feud doesn't stop Dog from going back to Betty Jo and Steve's. Things escalate when Steve sides with Billie Jo and Bobbie Jo, and Sam sides with Betty Jo. Steve thinks he has the answer when he gets Betty Jo a cute girl dog. But Dog winds up coming over to visit the new dog. The sisters continue feuding and Dog finds a way to get them to stop.
Episode 14: Kate's Day in Court
Kate received a traffic ticket for jaywalking against a new traffic light in Pixley. She refuses to pay the $2 fine because the traffic light, which is supposed to be operating only peak hours, was in operation during a non-peak time when she crossed against the light. So she decides to take the case to court. Kate finds that most of the people in the valley believe she's in the wrong. Kate goes back to Pixley to try and find anyone who can verify that she was at the traffic light during an off peak time. Uncle Joe calls a surprise witness trying to help Kate, but it doesn't work out the way he hoped. Kate actually comes up with a way to prove her innocence
Episode 22: Girl of Our Dreams
Florabelle Campbell, the valley's beauty while Uncle Joe's was growing up, is coming to stay at the Hotel. News of her visit quickly spreads among her former suitors, including Uncle Joe, Sam and Ralph. They all believe that they can rekindle their romances with Florabelle. When Florabelle arrives, she doesn't remember either Joe or Sam. It takes Betty Jo to jog Florabelle's memory. They all then have a wonderful evening.
Episode 13: A Horse On You, Mr. Bedloe
Kate receives a surprisingly sweet letter from Homer Bedloe saying he will be coming to the Shady Rest for a few days. Kate is suspicious. Upon his arrival, Bedloe is as sweet as his letter. He tells Kate that the reason for his visit is that a valuable race horse is being transported from Hooterville to Pixley on the Cannonball. He wants to be around to make sure all goes smoothly. Ray Rogers, the race horse owner, tells Kate that the horse is being transported to a county fair. But when Kate sees the broken down nag that they are calling a race horse, Kate knows that Bedloe and Rogers are working together. Kate figures out Bedloes and Rogers' scheme and also figures out a way to foil his plan.
Episode 23: Uncle Joe Runs the Hotel
While Kate is away, Uncle Joe has been left to manage the hotel. Uncle Joe believes he needs to collect rent from their guests. Their only guest is 'Old Man' Bill Clayton, who Kate allowed to stay despite having no money. Uncle Joe decides to collect his rent or kick him out. Joe changes his mind, but Mr. Clayton sees the hotel bill in Joe's hand and decides to voluntarily leave. Thinking that he kicked Mr. Clayton out, the girls, Sam and Floyd treat Uncle Joe like a social outcast. Feeling bad, Uncle Joe decides to leave. Joe winds up staying in an old cabin with the very person he had leave the hotel. The girls and Steve find out where Uncle Joe's been hiding and get both him and Bill back.
Episode 12: The Honeymoon is Over
Steve and Betty Jo are back from their honeymoon and have settled into their cottage. Betty Jo and Steve are still in a honeymoon state of mind. Betty Jo wants to spend every moment of his free time with him. Billie Jo announces that she got a gig for the Bradley sisters to sing at a show on Saturday night. Betty Jo has to decide what to do, sing at the show or stay at home with Steve. Joe and Sam invite Steve to a boys' night out for Saturday. He really wants to go just to prove that he doesn't need Betty Jo's approval. Betty Jo has a plan that ensures she comes out on top.
Episode 24: Billie Jo's First Record
Billie Jo is thrilled that her first 45 has been produced. The record company has plans to market it heavily. Billie Jo is worried that she won't be exciting enough for press agent Ted Swift, or the record buying public. Swift is not impressed by life at the Shady Rest as a means to market Billie Jo. He decides to market Billie Jo as a glamorous and sophisticated pampered southern belle. Steve and Betty Jo hate the idea because that's not the real Billie Jo. Billie Jo eventually decides she doesn't like the idea either, even if it risks her recording career. Mr. Cameron, from the record company, stops by and says he wants to promote Billie Jo just as she is.