Episode
Petticoat Junction: First Night Out
Overview
Steve wants to take Betty Jo out on the town, but Betty Jo doesn't want to leave the baby with sitters. Dr. Craig says that she, Uncle Joe and Bobbie Jo can look after Kathy Jo at the hotel. Betty Jo reluctantly agrees but all night all she can think of is Kathy Jo. Meanwhile back at the hotel, Bobbie Jo is the first to leave on a date she forgot about. Then Janet has to go on a medical emergency, leaving Uncle Joe alone to look after the baby. Trouble starts when a friendly poker game, Brisbane Snead, the editor of the Pixley newspaper, and the Pixley Sheriff are thrown into the mix. Janet finds a way to get Joe and the baby out of jail before Steve and Betty Jo get home.
Details
- Series
- Petticoat Junction
- Season
- Season 6
- Episode
- Episode 11
- Air date
- 1968-12-14
- Runtime
- 25 min
Episode context
First Night Out is Episode 11 in Season 6 of Petticoat Junction. It aired on 1968-12-14. The runtime is 25 min.
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Episode 10: Bye, Bye, Doctor
Dennis Roberts, a friend of Janet's, arrives in the valley. Janet seems happy to see him, but is somewhat nervous about his visit. She knows he is there to ask her to marry him, and she is not sure how she'll answer him. If she says yes, it means she will be leaving the valley. No one wants to see Janet leave and they try to come up with a plan to make her stay. In the end, they decide to just tell her how they feel.
Episode 12: A Cake from Granny
The Cannonball's arch enemy, Homer Bedloe, has arrived in the valley. All he seems to be doing is riding the train. Sam and Joe learn that Bedloe is watching Wendell's performance to use as an excuse to scrap the Cannonball in favor of a bus service for the valley. That would put the Shady Rest out of business as there is no road that goes by the hotel. Janet comes up with the idea to use kindness in dealing with Bedloe's mean ways. They decide to throw Bedloe a birthday party. A cake sent from Granny to the Elliotts ends up playing a part in Janet's plan. Charles Lane's final appearance as Homer Bedloe ends on a happy note, with him finally giving up his quest to shut down the Cannonball.
More episodes from this season
Episode 9: The Strange Case of Joseph P. Carson
Joe's campaign to get rid of Dr. Janet Craig continues when she opens her office just off the lobby of the Shady Rest. She and Doc Stuart are splitting up the patients in the valley based on location. This means that Joe will have to go to her if he gets sick. Uncle Joe fakes a strange illness, something that she can't diagnose, hoping no one will have any confidence in her. What Joe doesn't count on is that doctors talk to each other and Doc Stuart tells Janet that Joe is probably faking. But when Joe actually does gets sick, it's Dr. Craig to the rescue.
Episode 13: The Feminine Mistake
Bobbie Jo really likes a new book she is reading called "The Feminine Mistake". It talks about how women are denied their humanity by men by being forced into domestic lives rather than real careers. Bobbie Jo decides to look for a job so that she can gain an identity through her work. Her first attempts at jobs end in disaster. Sam let's Bobbie Jo write for the paper. Bobbie Jo writes an article about Dr. Craig that incorrectly portrays her as a snob, causing an uproar in the valley. A remorseful Bobbie Jo decides to leave town. It may take Janet using some reverse psychology to make Bobbie Jo fully understand her life in Hooterville. Bobbie Jo decides to stay, stating "I'm the only one left to give that woman's touch to the Shady Rest..." Meanwhile, Uncle Joe tries to build a motorized bicycle so that he doesn't have to pedal.
Episode 8: The Sneaky Ways of a Woman Who is Both Beautiful and Smart
Joe continues his campaign to get Dr. Janet Craig to leave the valley. He concocts a plan with Sam and Wendell to give her the "old freeze". But Janet, who has every intention of staying, has ways of thawing the old freeze. Sam and Wendell quickly melt under Janet's charms. Joe, on the surface, is a slightly more difficult case. But Janet knows how to get to Joe and that way is through his stomach.
Episode 14: The Ballad of the Everyday Housewife
Bobbie Jo is babysitting Kathy Jo while Betty Jo is out shopping. Bobbie Jo tells Steve that she believes he is ignoring Betty Jo. In an effort to make it up to her, Steve professes his love to Betty Jo. Betty Jo, who is busy with her chores, doesn't pay too much attention to Steve. When Betty Jo learns from Bobbie Jo why Steve said what he did, Betty Jo feels that she has to make it up to him. But now with Steve preoccupied, Betty Jo really does feel like she's being ignored when she tries to talk to him. In the end, both Steve and Betty Jo make a special effort to make up.
Episode 7: The Lady Doctor
Doc Stuart surprises the people of the valley by announcing that he is going into semi-retirement. He will work part-time and is hiring a new associate. Doc Stuart is as surprised as anyone when Dr. Janet Craig arrives. Janet is as aware that it will be an uphill battle winning acceptance in this rural area. Indeed, those in the older generation are against a female doctor for several reasons. Joe comes up with a plan to get rid of Dr. Craig. But his plan isn't going to stop Janet from staying
Episode 15: The Christening
Betty Jo has arranged with Reverend Barton to hold Kathy Jo's christening this Sunday. Janet reminds Betty Jo and Steve that it is customary to have godparents stand up during the christening. They have only a few days to decide on who Kathy Jo's godparents will be. They also know that whoever they don't choose will be hurt and offended. Uncle Joe, Sam, Bert Smedley, Wendell and even Doc Stuart all compete to be chosen godfather. Janet is honored that Betty Jo and Steve ask her to be godmother. Betty Jo asks Janet to decide who will be godfather. Janet then asks the Reverend's advice. He comes up with the only choice that makes sense.
Episode 6: Wings
Gus Huffle, the owner of the Pixley Bijou movie theater, has decided to close due to lack of business. Sam says that a big part of the problem is that Richard Arlen and Charles 'Buddy' Rogers, who were supposed to come to the Bijou for the world premiere of their Academy Award-winning Wings (1927 film), decided instead to attend a premiere at the Roxy in New York City. Joe decides to write a nasty letter to Arlen and Rogers. After receiving the letter, Arlen and Rogers think that attending a world premiere of the movie at the Pixley Bijou - despite being forty years late - would be good publicity. When they arrive in Hooterville, the community pulls out all the stops, including a parade and musical performances.
Episode 16: Billie Jo and the Big Big Star
Billie Jo arrives back home from a gig in Omaha with her new boyfriend, comedian Rick Wayne. Rick doesn't make a very good first impression in Hooterville. Billie Jo thinks that a good way for the valley residents to get to know Rick better is for him to star in the Hooterville charity radio show. She wishes she could take back the invitation when she hears a part of Rick's routine for the show, which is a put-down of the valley and its residents. Billie Jo has to figure out how to get Rick to not do that routine. A little talk from Steve and everything turns out fine.
Episode 5: Granny, the Baby Expert
Betty Jo and the baby are coming home from the hospital. They'll be staying at the Shady Rest temporarily. Hearing that a doctor is coming from Beverly Hills, Billie Jo and Bobbie Jo are hoping that the doctor is a young, handsome, eligible bachelor. The doctor ends up being Granny, who is not what one would consider a traditional doctor. After losing her glasses, nearsighted Granny mistakes Dog for the baby. Granny prescribes a powerful homemade medicine to transform a dog-like baby into a baby-like baby. Steve gives the medicine to Dog. Granny gets her glasses back and when she is shown the baby, she believes she cured her.
Note: This episode concludes a crossover with The Beverly Hillbillies that began on "Granny Goes to Hooterville".
Episode 17: Steve's New Job
Steve receives a lucrative job offer from his old Air Force commanding officer to work in his new company. The job, however, is in New York. Steve has a hard time passing up the thought of the offer. Betty Jo tells Steve she'll go wherever he goes. But, without the other knowing, Steve and Betty Jo are both looking for an excuse not to go. Meanwhile, as Steve has no use for his plane in New York, Uncle Joe tries to find someone else to fly the plane. Something Uncle Joe does gives Steve the reason not to take the job.