Homer Bedloe, trouble-shooter for the C&F W Railroad, is sent by railroad president Norman P. Curtis (Roy Roberts) to the little community of Hooterville to find out why a branch line doesn't connect with the main line. The branch line carries the "Cannonball" train, and is vital to the Shady Rest Hotel, run by Kate Bradley, her three grown daughters and "Uncle Joe" Carson. If Bedloe succeeds in shutting down the Cannonball, Kate faces ruin. John Ashley appears as passenger Fred. Eddie Quillan appears as passenger Dick.

Uncle Joe spends Kate's money to buy cases of lousy smelling men and women's cologne to make a fast buck reselling it. The money was intended to put screens in the hotel that will keep mosquitoes from chasing away paying guests. Kate figures out a way to sell all the cologne to salesmen Mr. Blake (George Cisar) and Mr. Gordon (Phil Gordon). The men are going to sell it as insecticide. Olan Soule appears as a Coffee Salesman.

Note: First appearance of Fred Ziffel (Hank Patterson).

When Billie Jo has to come up with a fourth for her double date with Junior Hocker and Junior's visiting friend Roger Budd (Jack Bannon), Kate suggests Bobbie Jo to her. Billie Jo doesn't think Bobbie Jo would be a good fit as she knows all the boys see Bobbie Jo as a book worm instead of a fun girl. Convincing Bobbie Jo may be more difficult as Bobbie Jo admits that she just doesn't feel comfortable around boys yet. She goes on the date, but comes home early saying she just can't compete with Billie Jo. Kate tries to teach Bobbie Jo how to flatter a man the way Billie Jo does. On her next date with Roger, things go much better. George Cisar appears as Mr. Blake.

Kate and the girls go to Drucker's store to pick up the pocket watch they ordered for Uncle Joe's birthday present. While there Kate, in an effort to boost Herby's confidence, inadvertently offers him a job as Assistant Manager at the hotel. Now Kate doesn't have the heart not to give him the job, so she decides that she can give him some menial tasks at the hotel. Uncle Joe believes he is being put out to pasture with Herby showing up. He goes in search of another job. He gets one, telling everyone that he is an executive with some large company. Kate follows him and finds out his big job is actually mopping floors in a cafe. Kate and Sam have to figure out a way to get both Herby and Uncle Joe back to their real jobs. Beverly Wills as Mrs. Norton.

A brochure made by Uncle Joe describing the incomparable Shady Rest Hotel of the future is accidentally mailed to The Centerville Sun Express travel columnist Gladys Stroud (Elvia Allman). In the brochure was the vision of what he hoped the hotel would one day be, including indoor ice rink, bowling alley, and swimming pool. Gladys decides to come and review the Shady Rest. Now the family has to scramble to keep her from finding out the truth and closing them down for lying. Despite their best efforts, Gladys finds out. Uncle Joe manages to sweet talk Gladys into not closing them down. Shug Fisher appears as a Salesman.

Note: This is the first of Elvia Allman's 19 appearances on the show.

The Bradleys, Sam Drucker, Herby, Charlie and Floyd are decorating the Cannonball for its annual Christmas Eve trip of caroling, gift-giving and merriment around the valley. But, Homer Bedloe is determined to be a Scrooge and take possession of the train on Christmas Eve. Railroad President Norman Curtis finds out what Bedloe is up to and goes to Hooterville to stop him.

Bobbie Jo brings home Alan Landman (Dennis Hopper), a mad-at-the-world young poet and slacker who has won her heart. Despite Bobbie Jo liking him in every respect, he dismisses her way of life. Bobbie Jo wants to prove him wrong, while deep down she wants to find out for herself if Alan is really right about how meaningless her conventional life is. The family's impression of Alan is quite dismal. Kate has to figure out a way to make Bobbie Jo come to the conclusion on her own that Alan and his life do not deserve to be romanticized. Hugh Sanders appears as Roger Stanley, a man that helps Kate.

Business is bad at the Shady Rest and Kate needs to make a $200 bank loan payment. Uncle Joe meets Henrietta Boswell and Gertrude Hawley, who are lost and looking for Madame Bovary's Hideaway Reducing Farm. He convinces them that the Shady Rest is the most exclusive reducing farm and charges them $200 for a week. The catch is that Uncle Joe provides them with a money back guarantee. Uncle Joe tries to hide from Kate why the women are staying at the hotel. With a rigged scale, Joe has to convince the two that the secret to weight loss is to eat whatever they want as long as it is combined with turnip greens. He also has them do what would normally be considered all his chores. Ultimately, the two women do whatever they can to find what they believe is Kate's miracle weight loss and youth secret.

A regional talent contest is being held in Hooterville with the winner being awarded $50 and a trip to Chicago for the television broadcast final. Kate worries that competition among the girls will affect the family. Uncle Joe has other thoughts where he wants the girls to compete their hearts out with the goal of winning. The girls agree in that they figure Kate could use the $50. With the ulterior motive of being the adult chaperon for his winning niece in going to Chicago for the final, Uncle Joe tries to convince all the credible competition not to enter the contest. Kate wants the contest to be fair and undoes all of Joe's scheming. After their performances, the girls decide they were only thinking of themselves and drop out of the competition. Nora Marlowe as Mrs. Whipple

An old school chum named Emily Mapes (Rosemary DeCamp) thinks it's time Kate was married again. She tells the girls to round up some prospects to go to the Shady Rest to court Kate. The girls do this by offering special rates to single men. However, Uncle Joe thinks that if Kate finds a man, he will lose his job. Joe even pretends to be the house detective and tells guest Grover Woodstock (Walter Reed) to leave Kate alone. Kate finds out from Grover what her daughters have been up to. She comes up with a plan with all the men to teach her girls a lesson. Robert Carson appears as Wilbur Spriggs.

Note: This was Rosemary DeCamp's first appearance on the show; she appeared again in the last six episodes of Season Five as Kate's sister Aunt Helen during Bea Benaderet's absence.

Beatlemania has hit Hooterville by storm. Uncle Joe recruits Billy, Bobbie, and Betty Joe along with their friend Sally Ragsdale (Sheila James) to form their own band called the Ladybugs.^[1] Colonel Partridge (Jesse White), a booking agent, comes to the Shady Rest to see the girls in action. Partridge likes what he hears and wants to book the girls. Sally's father, Sheriff Ragsdale, comes by and says he wants his daughter to finish school and not tour the country. Uncle Joe thinks he has a way to save the group and dresses up as a Ladybug.

Charley begins to believe that everyone seems too busy to spend any time with him. Floyd has started to call on the widow Sarah Lawrence. Uncle Joe has a speech he has to prepare, so has no time to go fishing with him. Kate has far too much work to do around the hotel. Charley doesn't want to spend his time alone and miserable running the Cannonball. He decides to quit and move to the big city. Kate tries to manufacture ways of keeping Charley in the valley before his replacement Bill Tuttle (Bob Hastings) comes and takes over his job. When Charley realizes how much he is loved and needed, he finds a way to talk Tuttle out of staying.

An old friend of Kate's from high school is coming for a visit. Kate admits that she had a crush on H.J. Grant (Hayden Rorke) back then. His letter implies that he is now wealthy, and is coming back to the valley on personal business. Uncle Joe, however, believes that Herbie is a con artist after Kate's money. Uncle Joe decides he needs to break up any chance of a romance between Kate and Herbie. Orville finds a newspaper article that proves Herbie is wealthy. Now Joe wants Kate to marry Herbie. But Kate and Herbie want to remain just friends.

Uncle Joe wants to dig out an old cave to use as a wine cellar for the hotel. Kate receives a telegram from Brooks T. Webster (John Clarke), who wants to possibly hold a convention at the Shady Rest. He will be arriving that afternoon. Uncle Joe causes a landslide covering up the cave entrance with Kate inside the cave. They will need Ding Woodhouse's tractor to remove all the rubble to get Kate out. But Ding's tractor needs some work done on it and won't be ready until the morning. Mr. Webster arrives and insists on dinner, but Kate isn't there to cook. Uncle Joe comes up with a plan to feed Mr. Webster and get the convention business. But is Mr. Webster the only one they need to impress?

Kate has sprained her ankle which means she will be off her feet for three or four days. Now that Mr. Webster's gone, the family has to prepare for Mr. Feasel's (Barry Kelley) visit. He is the one that will decide if the convention will be held at the Shady Rest. Uncle Joe decides to make some changes to the hotel he's sure will appeal to conventioneers. He also hires Smokey Harner (Don Dubbins), a country singer and guitarist. Hearing about all the new ideas, Kate believes Uncle Joe and the girls may be running the hotel better than she did. Mr. Feasel arrives early and is not impressed with anything about the hotel. Kate recovers quicker than Dr. John Rhone (Willis Bouchey) expected. But she wants to keep her recovery a secret because she thinks everything is running smoothly and wants the family to feel good about themselves. With everything going wrong in the hotel, Mr. Feasel leaves. Kate finds out that Feasel has left. But he later returns for a very unusual reason.

It's the first day of school and Kate is having trouble getting a couple of her daughters motivated to go. Betty Jo has a new friend, a little dog that follows her back from school. Kate refuses to let Betty Jo keep the dog, despite it being cute and well trained. Kate believes that he must belong to someone. Betty Jo brings him back to school, but he stills follows her home. Kate decides to let the dog stay until the owner claims him or until the dog starts to cause problems for the family. The dog does end up causing some problems, but Kate has a change of heart and let's him stay. Douglas Evans appears as Mr. Pierson.

Uncle Joe isn't thrilled with the idea of turning the Cannonball's baggage car into a mobile library. He likes even less having to build the library shelves. But after meeting her, Uncle Joe grows extremely fond of pretty librarian Phyllis Marsh (Dianne Foster as Diane Foster). Despite their age difference, among other things, Joe is not shy about romancing Phyllis. Phyllis has to find a way to let him down easy without hurting his feelings, because she is actually engaged. Phyllis introduces her fiance Hal Jackson (Robert Harland) to Kate. Kate comes up with a plan to show Uncle Joe how inappropriate he and Miss Marsh are as a couple.

Hooterville has a long standing record of being the first community to have their political votes submitted to the state. Pip Winslow from Crabwell Corners is taking bets that they will beat Hooterville this year, because they have a new automatic voting machine. Hooterville may lose regardless because of a disagreement between Kate and Selma Plout. Selma threatens to cast her ballot late in the day just to spite Kate. A letter from the Governor comes addressed to the Hooterville Chamber of Commerce, which doesn't exist. So they can open the letter, Joe, Charley and Floyd create the Chamber. The Governor hopes they can extend their 20 year record. Kate believes she has a way for Selma to change her mind. Despite a couple of set-backs, Hooterville gets their votes in first.

Note: Virginia Sale makes her first of eight appearances on the show, six of them as the valley's prickly resident Selma Plout, later played in 17 episodes by Elvia Allman.

Betty Jo wants to enter Dog in a contest to make a commercial for Tailwagger Dog Food. The winner also receives a $500 cash award. Kate tries to discourage Betty Jo because Dog doesn't have a chance against purebreds. The girls are thrilled when they receive a letter telling them that Dog is one of the five finalists. The letter also says that Mr. Talbot (Ross Elliott) with the dog food company will be coming by to see Dog. What they don't know is that Henry Brewster, the local photo-finisher, who sent in both his and the Bradleys' entries, got the pictures interchanged. This means that Mr. Talbot was really naming Henry's collie one of the five finalists. But after meeting Dog, Mr. Talbot has an idea for a whole series of other commercials. He would like to use Dog and the entire family. Uncle Joe's meddling may ruin everything and Dog may have a say in how things go.

The girls are trying to learn some Japanese to make Betty Jo's Japanese pen pal, Nobuko Takamura, feel at home for her visit. Nobuko has come to the US to attend college to improve her English so that she can teach it back in Japan. She would also like to learn American customs. Nobuko tells Joe that in Japan, the women do the yard work. Joe gets Nobuko to do his chores until Kate puts a stop to it. On a picnic, Nobuko can't help but serve Billie Jo and Bobbie Jo's boyfriends. Kate tells Nobuko that the men should be the ones helping the women. Nobuko catches on to that custom quite quickly.

Billie Jo is upset that the Cannonball is late and she believes it has outlived its usefulness. Meanwhile, Homer Bedloe, the Hooterville Cannonball's arch-enemy, has been having terrible nightmares about the train. To get rid of them, his psychiatrist Dr. Leonard suggests that he "learn to love" the Cannonball. The Cannonball has been encountering some broken tracks. Kate decides to let the C&FW Railroad know. Bedloe writes back that he will fix the tracks. When Bedloe visits the Shadyrest Hotel, he is surprised how friendly everyone is being to him. Everyone except Uncle Joe. But Kate was just gas-lighting Bedloe and didn't really believe the change in him when he said he loved the train. She finds out Bedloe is planning to remove the old damaged tracks instead of replacing them to shut down the Cannonball. Kate comes up with a plan to stop him.

Kate doesn't have anything against Dan, Billie Jo's boyfriend, that is except his mother is Selma Plout, her arch-enemy. Kate and Selma are once again arguing at the Every Other Wednesday Afternoon Discussion Club. Kate doesn't even mind talk of Billie Jo and Dan perhaps getting married. Uncle Joe tells Kate there's a real possibility that the two are going to get married and she might want to think about becoming friends with Selma. Kate makes an attempt to be nice to Selma, but that doesn't work out too well. Rumors are flying and it's starting to look as though Billie Jo and Dan are going to elope. Sam makes a call to Pixley and finds out that Dan got married. Kate and Selma start crying in each others arms. Turns out Dan married Emily Lawrence (Diane Bond) and Billie Jo was just helping. Phil Gordon as Harvey.

Note: This was Mike Minor's only appearance on the show before becoming a regular cast member in the fourth season

Kate learns from Sam that the US Army is conducting war games in the area around the Shady Rest. Kate is worried about her three daughters because they are swimming in the water tower and wearing bikinis. Three lost soldiers from the Blue Squad - Hank Benton, Tod Langwell and Stu Howard - come to the Shady Rest after they spot the girls. Kate doesn't mind the GIs and the girls spending time together, as long as someone else is keeping an eye on them. General Patterson (Edward Platt) of the Green Squad arrives at the Shady Rest and is captured by the three GIs. More and more soldiers come by and they wind up having a large party. Kate manages to get the General to go along with things. Jack Bannon appears as Jack Bevans.

It's a dark and stormy night in Hooterville. Mr. Richardson (Hal Smith) is a guest at the hotel. Uncle Joe tells him about the curse of Chester W. Farnsworth (Doodles Weaver), a guest at the hotel fifty years ago. He was a traveling drummer and notorious hotel towel thief. On a stormy night like this, he stole a Shady Rest towel from his room, went out into the night and was never seen again. Since then, Chester has been haunting all the hotels that he stole towels from. He has to return them all before he can end up in his final resting place. Joe figures it won't be long before Chester visits the Shady Rest. After Joe tells the story, strange events start to occur. Kate finds out that a bunch of salesmen who were supposed to be guests won't be returning until the curse has been lifted. When more strange things occur, Kate decides to talk to Doc Stuart. He recommends speaking with Dr. Melman, a psychiatrist and an expert is paranormal events. Something happens to make everyone believe that Chester arrived and the curse has been lifted. But did he actually show up?

Billie Jo wins a contest at secretarial school and is offered her first job. She will be private secretary to author Oliver Fenton (Ernest Truex). World traveling Fenton is coming to Hooterville because his next book is based in a small town. He has rented one of the houses in town. Selma tells Kate that Fenton writes "those kind of books". After reading one of Fenton's books, Kate tells Billie Jo that she can't work for him. Uncle Joe tells Kate she has to trust Billie Jo. When Billie Jo meets Fenton, she finds him to be a graying old man. She now knows that her mother's worries are ill-founded. After Kate sends some spies to check on her, Billie Jo decides to have a little fun and test just how much her mother does truly trust her. Kate goes to confront Fenton and realizes Billie Jo was playing games with her.

Volunteer fire chief Uncle Joe has designed a new nighttime alarm system. When a valley resident sets off a skyrocket in the event of a fire, a volunteer will fire off a cannon. But there soon is opposition to Joe's plan because, even though the canon fires blanks, things still get damaged. A fire breaks out on the Cannonball. Because Joe has all the fire equipment at the Shady Rest, Sam has to call the Crabwell Corners Volunteer Fire Department. Joe challenges Bink Sharfells (Dick Wessel), Crabwell Corners Fire Chief, to see which volunteer fire department is the best. When none of Hooterville's firefighters want to accept the challenge, it looks like Joe will lose by default. Kate and the girls offer to help. The contest winds up a tie. Joe suggests a game of checkers to break the tie. Bink loses the game to Dog.

The Cannonball has temporarily ceased operations. The reason is a bird has built a nest on top of the smokestack and has laid five eggs. Charley and Floyd refuse to move the train until the eggs have hatched. They figure it will be two weeks before they hatch. When Homer Bedloe hears of this news, he is all in support of what Charley and Floyd are doing, he even puts an article in the paper about it. But he has a reason why he wants to help the birds: If the train doesn't run for two weeks, he can shut it down permanently. Homer shows up at the hotel and Kate is suspicious of his motives. Billie Jo and Betty Jo overhear Homer's plan and tell Kate. Kate comes up with a plan to save both the Cannonball and the birds. William O'Connell appears as Martin Evans.

Crabwell Corners is suing the Town of Hooterville for possession of a Spanish-American War cannon. Crabwell Corners feels it is rightly theirs. Meanwhile, Tad Winslow of Crabwell Corners challenges his lazy dog, a blood hound named Speedy, against Betty Jo's dog in an obedience contest. If Tad wins, Betty Jo has to get Billie Jo to go with him to the upcoming Pioneer Dance. Betty Jo finds out that Billie Jo already has a date with her steady, Henry Brewster. Kate and Uncle Joe want to speak to the Winslows to call off the bet. But things intensify, with now the winner getting either the Crabwell Corners' fire engine or the Spanish-American War cannon. To make matters worse, Kate and Joe find out that Speedy isn't Tad's dog after all. Tad has a well trained German Shepherd. The day of the contest arrives. The score is close, but Dog pulls a trick of his own and wins. Minerva Urecal appears as Martha Winslow. Robert Shayne appears as Mr. Fillmore.

Kate's spring cleaning coincides with the US Air Force doing maneuvers over the valley. Part of those maneuvers includes testing out a new high powered camera. It looks like an ordinary black box with wires coming out of it and is set to explode twelve hours after any unauthorized removal from the plane. Colonel Millbank (Richard Erdman), who is flying the aircraft, accidentally loses the camera. It winds up landing on the Shady Rest property. Joe finds it and thinking it might be valuable, brings to the hotel. But as often as Kate and the girls try to get rid of it, Dog keeps bringing it back. General Elmer Loomis and Millbank make it to Hooterville. With little time to spare, they get to the hotel and start searching for the box. Dog brings them the box with no time left. However, the box winds up being a dud and doesn't explode. Jack Bannon appears as Technical Sergeant.

In this second half of a two-part story, Homer Bedloe has controlling interest in the Pixley Bank and has fired its President, Mr. Guerney. He has decided not only to foreclose on Kate's mortgage, but foreclose on all the bad mortgages in the valley. That will make the Cannonball's services useless. The Shady Rest is going to host a Monte Carlo night as a modest fundraiser. Whoever wins the most fake money by the end of the evening wins the secret grand prize. Betty Jo's friend Willie gets vibrations off of the roulette wheel and can guess the number every spin. Uncle Joe wants send Willie to Vegas to win enough money to solve all their problems. With Willie's help, Kate comes up with a plan to save the valley and get rid of Bedloe. Harold Peary as Mr. Davis.

Lately, bad things have been happening to people whenever Uncle Joe is around. He is now getting the reputation of being a jinx. Joe is initially upset by all the talk of him being a jinx. But then he decides to offer his services as a jinx for a fee. Sam hires Joe to jinx Crabwell Corners so they don't get the new box factory, and it instead comes to Hooterville. As hard as Joe tries, that factory still winds up going to Crabwell Corners. Kate says that proves that Joe is not a jinx. But, could there be another jinx at the Shady Rest? William Fawcett as Pip Winslow. Jack Pepper as Mr. Harrington.

Hinky Mittenfloss (Percy Helton), the new dog catcher, is constantly trying to catch Dog. Hinky now believes that Dog killed three of Luther Craig's (Guy Wilkerson) chickens. He takes Dog to the County Dog Pound where he will eventually be put down. Kate, Betty Jo and Uncle Joe consult with lawyer Melvin Randall (Walter Reed). Melvin thinks that Kate is more than capable of handling the case before a judge. Though hesitant at first, Judge Murdock allows the case to proceed. With the help of a cat, Arnold the pig and Dog, Kate almost wins the case. But Dog grabbing Joe's chicken sandwich seals his fate. That is until Betty Jo wakes up from her dream.

Music Professor Lieberschmit (Sig Ruman) recommends that would-be singer Bobbie Jo go to New York City for three months to take singing lessons. Kate barely manages to borrow $300 for Bobbie Jo's trip from Mr. Guerney at the bank. Billie Jo announces that her secretarial school is giving her a chance for a secretarial job at a Hollywood studio. Along with the job there is also the possibility of a screen test. Kate is able to get an extra $100 from Mr. Gurney. Then Betty Jo announces that she has received a Phys-Ed scholarship at a school in New Hampshire. Kate figures that only one girl can go and now has to decide which one. Before Kate can, the girls decide Billie Jo should be the one. Billie Jo says she has fallen for a boy and that Bobbie Jo should go. Bobbie Jo says it will cost too much in New York and that Betty Jo should go. Betty Jo says she found out it's an all girl school and doesn't want to go.

Fed up with chopping wood for Kate's old wood-burner, Uncle Joe tries to convince Kate to buy a new electric stove. Joe tells Kate that people have stopped coming to the hotel because the old stove is ruining her cooking. Joe writes to New York food critic Lucius J. Penrose (veteran English stage and screen character actor Alan Mowbray) and asks him to come to the hotel to taste Kate's cooking. With a new oven and Penrose's stamp of approval, the hotel could be famous. Joe sabotages the old stove and then tells Kate he has already ordered the new one. The new stove shows up, but it has to be put together. Penrose arrives and is not impressed with the new oven. He says that the only reason he agreed to come was to get a meal cooked on an old fashioned wood burning stove. Kate winds up cooking the meal in the Cannonball's wood burner. Grady Sutton appears as a Chef.

Betty Jo is giving up baseball to devote her life to science. The family finds out that she has a crush on Roland Barrett, her new science teacher. Dog brings home a large animal bone which Betty Jo takes to Roland. Roland is very interested in the bone and would like to find out where Dog got it from. Dog brings home more and more bones and Roland believes they could be from a brontosaurus. The family starts to believe the bones are buried below the hotel. Kate is not thrilled when they start digging a hole in the lobby floor. Clarence McGill (Ken Drake), curator for the Pixley museum, comes to the Shady Rest. It seems the museum has been closed for repairs. Clarence caught Dog sneaking in and stealing the bones from the baby brontosaurus skeleton. Jonathan Hole as Mr. Earnshaw.

Uncle Joe gets his friends Sam, Charley and Floyd to invest $15 in his latest get rich quick scheme. Kate makes him give back the money, and also makes him promise no more schemes. Joe runs into his simpleminded friend Hector (Robert Easton). Hector tells him that his hair has been growing like crazy since he started drinking his goat's milk. Joe buys the goat and hopes to get rich selling the goat milk to bald men. Despite his promise to Kate, Joe tells her about selling the goat milk as a baldness cure. Kate comes up with a plan to try and teach Joe a lesson and she gets Sam and Floyd to help her.

Their latest traveling salesman guest sneaks out of the hotel without paying his bill. Kate and Uncle Joe find a guidebook for traveling salesmen listing certain hotels that can be scammed. Joe's name is mentioned as an easy mark. Harry Harmon (George O'Hanlon), the owner of a traveling circus, has a similar guidebook. He plans to con Joe into letting the flat-broke circus troupe take up lodging at Shady Rest. Harry claims he'll pay for 5 rooms and then he sneaks in the rest of his performers. Kate becomes suspicious when she thinks she sees people that haven't registered, more food is being consumed than should be, and she hasn't seen any money yet. Kate finds Harry's guidebook and, realizing that she has been taken, kicks everyone out. Iris Adrian as Mary Sills. Charles Tannen as Mr. Haley. Don Megowan as Freddie. Felix Silla as Baron Munchin.

Note: This episode is the last one to be filmed in black-and-white and the last one where Jeannine Riley plays Billie Jo and Pat Woodell plays Bobbie Jo.

Sam has added an advice column called Dear Minerva to the newspaper, and Sam is Minerva. Kate thinks that the column should be written by a woman. Sam convinces Kate to be Minerva as long as no one knows it's her. Kate has a hard time writing the column in the hotel without anyone finding out. The column becomes a big hit, but writing it and taking care of things at the hotel takes its toll on Kate. Sam gets a call from a large newspaper that wants to syndicate the Dear Minerva column. He writes a note about it to Kate. The girls intercept the note and, misunderstanding what Sam wrote, they believe Sam and Kate are in love. They write to Minerva and ask her advice. "Minerva" eases the girls concerns and announces that this is her last column.

Oliver Wendell Douglas and Lisa Douglas are staying overnight at the hotel. They are moving into their newly purchased farmhouse, the run down Haney place. When Joe finds out that Oliver is a lawyer, he wants to ask him how to get out of jury duty. Oliver inadvertently gives Joe an idea and Joe gets Kate to take his place. Joe finds out that he won a television set in a raffle, but he has to claim it by noon tomorrow. At first Joe can't find the ticket, then he remembers it's in the suitcase that Kate took to Pixley. As hard as he tries, Joe can't get a message to a sequestered Kate. Kate does come home in time, but something else prevents Joe from claiming his prize. Ray Kellogg appears as Henry the Bailiff. Sidney Clute appears as Waiter. Dan White appears as 1st Juror.

Betty Jo and Bobbie Jo and a group of friends are trying to plan a fund-raising stage production to buy some playground equipment for the kids. Because of casting problems, Betty Jo comes up with an idea: rewrite the play for an all canine cast with Dog in the lead. Lawyer Arthur Bronson (William Lanteau) arrives at the hotel. He informs them that a former guest of the hotel, Mr. Kroger, who has just passed away, has left $200 to Dog. Dog is generous to his friends, and wants to buy them things. But Dog is letting the money and fame go to his head. Dog learns the hard way that fame and wealth can be fleeting, and that keeping to commitments is more important. Paul De Rolf appears as Jeff. Henry Z Jones, Jr. appears as Herbert.

Guest star from Green Acres: Eddie Albert as Oliver Douglas

Bobbie Jo is entering an upcoming spelling bee, but it may be a losing battle against stuck up but excellent speller Henrietta Watson. Cora Watson (Elvia Allman), Henrietta's equally stuck up mother, protests Sam's appointment as judge since she feels he will be biased in favor of Bobbie Jo. As such, Oliver Douglas, is appointed the new judge. Bobbie Jo doesn't have the confidence to win, until she finds a scarab ring. Now it seems she is flooded with good luck. Slowly, the family begins to believe in the power of the ring when they too get what they want when wearing it. Uncle Joe loses the ring and buys another one. After winning the spelling bee, Bobbie Jo realizes it wasn't because of the ring. Byron Foulger appears as Mr. Guerney at the Bank.

Because Uncle Joe is supposed to paint the Hotel, he gets the idea that he can go into business as a general contractor. He finds out that the wealthy Douglases are looking for a contractor to help fix up the "Green Acres" farmhouse. He does get Mrs. Douglas to hire him. Although Joe knows nothing about construction work, he tries to juggle the hotel and the Douglas jobs. Joe also finds that he may be scheming rich, but cash poor. He needs to find some additional capital to get both jobs going. Uncle Joe's scheming affects Kate in unexpected ways, so she comes up with a plan to set Uncle Joe straight.

Bobbie Jo has been nominated for membership into Hooterville High's only sorority. She is worried as she knows many girls who were nominated but didn't pass the initiation. The head of the sorority, Henrietta Watson doesn't want Bobbie Jo in the sorority. She devises what she believes is an impossible initiation task for Bobbie Jo. Bobbie Jo must get a date with the school's star athlete, Stonewall Jackson, who seems only interested in sports and not girls. Bobbie Jo enlists Betty Jo to teach her some things about sports. Thanks to Betty Jo, Bobbie Jo gets the date and her membership. Bobbie Jo also has a way to get back at Henrietta for the difficult initiation task.

Uncle Joe answers the ad of Dr. Mathew Bailey. Dr. Bailey is looking for office space in return for free medical service. Kate doesn't think it's a good idea, especially with everyone in Hooterville going to see Doc Stuart (Frank Ferguson). But once the girls get a look at the young and handsome Dr. Bailey, there is no way they're going to let Kate let him get away. So they open up an office for Dr. Bailey adjacent to the hotel lobby. But Kate is right, there is no business for Dr. Bailey as many locals see him as too young and inexperienced. The girls and Uncle Joe go on a marketing spree to round up patients, to no avail. Doc Stuart unwittingly gives Kate an idea to boost Doc Bailey's clientèle. Kate's plan takes an unexpected turn. Elsie Baker appears as a townswoman. Dave Willock appears as Touhey Benson.

The Every Other Wednesday Afternoon Discussion Club, with its new member Lisa Douglas, is planning on holding a square dance as a high school benefit. The Bradley girls decide to try and get King Ring a Ding, the big rock 'n' roll star, to perform at the benefit instead. Who shows up unexpectedly at the hotel instead is Herbie Willits, who used to live in Hooterville and who Kate encouraged to become a singer. Kate wants Herbie to sing at the benefit. What Kate and girls don't realize is that Herbie is King Ring a Ding. When Herbie hears that no tickets have been sold mainly because he's the "headliner", he comes up with a plan. Uncle Joe has his own plan, not realizing what Herbie's plans actually are, and in the process almost ruins the benefit. Maudie Prickett appears as Tillie Finney. Milton Frome appears as Reece Garrett, Herbie's manager.

Guest stars from Green Acres: Eddie Albert as Oliver Douglas and Eva Gabor as Lisa Douglas

Mrs. Douglas asks an excited Betty Jo to accompany her on a week long trip to New York City as her guest. After an initial hesitation, Kate allows Betty Jo to go. When Betty Jo returns to Hooterville she's a changed person, putting on airs and believing country life is beneath her. Kate initially believes Mrs. Douglas is to blame for Betty Jo's new snooty attitude, but quickly realizes that she isn't. Kate does get some help from Mrs. Douglas for an upcoming visit by Gregory Tremayne, a young gentleman Betty Jo met in New York. Gregory's visit ultimately shows Betty Jo where her heart lies.

Joe insults Sam about the way he runs the post office, so Sam lets Joe take over. Joe decides to set up the post office at the hotel's reception desk. Kate tries to persuade Joe to give the post office back to Sam and for Sam to take it back. Joe tries to gather the equipment he needs to run the post office, even if it means confiscating what he needs in the name of the federal government. Customers treat the new post office like it was still in Drucker's Store, wanting to buy groceries. Things start falling apart around Joe and after the Government steps in, the post office is moved back to Sam's store. Damian O'Flynn appears as Mr. Wickersham.

High-schooler Betty Jo is on the verge of breaking up with her latest boyfriend Edward. He believes Betty Jo is intellectually immature. The problem is that she now has no date for Saturday night's basketball game. Betty Jo meets an older college boy named Chuck, who is visiting relatives in Hooterville. Chuck believes Betty Jo is an intellectual Emily Dickinson College girl, which she doesn't correct. In an effort to impress Chuck on their upcoming date, Betty Jo tries to be what she believes a college girl should be. But in the end, she finds she's better off with Edward. Meanwhile, Uncle Joe is collecting loose pieces of string to roll into one really big ball.

It's the start of the new semester at Hooterville High and there are seven new girls and one new boy enrolled. Bobbie Jo takes pity on the new boy, Walter Thorp, as he is the only boy in her home economics class. Bobbie Jo is attracted to the athletic Walter, and wants to make him feel welcome. She and Betty Jo try and get someone to switch classes with Walter, but they have no luck. There is an upcoming home ec class exam, which is to prepare a full dinner for one's imaginary spouse's imaginary boss in twenty minutes. Kate comes up with a way to help Walter get a passing grade.

The annual county fair is coming soon. Betty Jo picks Everett the pig for Hooterville High's cutest livestock contest. Bobbie Jo will be singing in the talent contest. Uncle Joe hopes to win all the prizes at the baseball throwing booth. Although she wasn't going to enter the cake baking contest again, Kate reconsiders. It seems that Everett only perks up when Bobbie Jo is singing. At the fair, they learn that the livestock contest and the talent contest will be at the same time. Betty Jo figures out how Bobbie Jo can be in two places at the same time. Betty Jo and Bobbie Jo both win their contests, but Uncle Joe manages to ruin it for Kate. Tim Rooney appears as Douglas. Paul De Rolf appears as Bruce.

The cheap refrigerator that Uncle Joe bought isn't working, so Kate sends him into Pixley to get some ice for the icebox. Floyd and Charley are having a fight over who is the boss of the Cannonball and then they have a fight over a missing apple. Because of this, Joe can't get to Pixley and Kate's food will spoil. Kate gets the two to patch things up, but then Joe says something and they start fighting again. Kate has Betty Jo bring in the analytical mind of Mr. Douglas to assist in convincing the two to make up, but that doesn't work. Joe uses the hand car to get some ice, while the Cannonball strike continues. Floyd and Charley make up, but once again Joe does something to break them up again. Kate finally comes up with a way to get the two to be friends again. Hank Worden appears as Farmer.

It seems that every night everyone has something to do except for Kate. Uncle Joe tells Kate that she needs to get out herself. The girls decide to try and find Kate an eligible bachelor. They first tell Kate that they're grown up now, she doesn't need to take care of them and she should go on a date. That direct approach doesn't work. Their next attempt fails as well. They then ask Mrs. Douglas for her advice. Mrs. Douglas suggests holding a lonely hearts club gathering at the hotel. Three desperate men show up at the hotel hoping to meet some women. Once she knows what is going on, Kate finds a way to get each of the men to leave. Jack Collins appears as Hubert Thatcher. Norman Leavitt appears as Clyde Rambo. Jack Bannon appears as Betty Jo's Date. Paul De Rolf appears as Bobbie Jo's Date.

Uncle Joe starts a Free Wedding and Honeymoon Contest to promote business for the Shady Rest Hotel. Out of all the entries, one stands out: that of Laura Bentley (Sylvia Field) and Tony Allison (Ernest Truex), a young couple whose parents will not allow them to get married. However, when they arrive at the hotel, they are actually an elderly couple whose respective grown children objected to their marriage. Kate and the girls still want to give them the best wedding and honeymoon the hotel has ever seen. Laura's daughter Violet (Janet Waldo), and Tony's son Herbert (William Bakewell), arrive just in time to stop the wedding. Kate tries a little reverse psychology to get the bride and groom back on track. Kate's ploy has an unintended consequence which threatens not only the wedding but Laura and Tony's relationship altogether. In the end, Laura and Tony get married along with Violet and Herbert. Richard Hale appears as Judge Clarke.

Note: This is the first one where Meredith MacRae plays Billie Jo.

While the girls are swimming in the water tower, a bi-plane flies overhead. The pilot, distracted by the beautiful girls he sees in the water tower, crashes the plane by the railroad tracks next to the hotel. The family manage to get the unconscious injured pilot up to the hotel. For all three girls, it's love at first sight. Each of the girls do whatever they can to gain Steve's favor while they nurse him back to health. Steve will do whatever he can to stay at the hotel as long as possible. Kate and the girls later learn that he is a crop duster. Uncle Joe believes Steve's a Russian spy. Steve tries to use Uncle Joe's belief to his advantage. George Chandler appears as Dr. Barton Stuart.

Since she is now in junior college, Bobbie Jo thinks she's all grown up. She decides to go to an all night party with her friends. Kate refuses to let her go to the all-nighter, despite Bobbie Jo telling her that all the other mothers are letting their daughters go. Kate learns that none of the mothers want their daughters to stay out all night. Kate says Bobbie Jo can stay out until 01:30 and the Cannonball will be ready to pick the girls up at that time. Bobbie Jo and all the other girls plan to stay out all night anyway. Bobbie Jo and the girls decide to go home, but Kate has a surprise waiting for her and the others on the Cannonball. Melinda Casey appears as Mary Jane Burris. Sheila Bromley appears as Mrs. Burris. Guest star from Green Acres: Tom Lester as Eb Dawson

Kate Bradley tangles with Selma Plout when Selma tries to lure pilot Steve Elliott into marriage with her daughter, Henrietta. Selma tries to throw both money into Steve's crop dusting business and gourmet meals to entice Steve. Selma ramps up her fight one notch by moving herself and Henrietta into the hotel to be closer to Steve. Kate, knowing Billie Jo and Steve are officially dating, comes up with a plan. She enlists the help of Floyd and Charley to get Selma uninterested in Steve.

It's almost time for the Almost Annual Charity Show, and everyone is looking forward to Steve and Billie Jo performing a duet together. Selma strong-arms Sam, the overseer of the show, into appointing her the show's committee chair, a job usually held by Kate. Selma wants a few changes to the performing roster, including Steve singing with Henrietta. A worse change is that Selma makes herself the headliner, she playing the part of a singing Cleopatra. When news spreads around the valley of Selma's starring role, ticket sales plummet. Kate sets up a money back guarantee scheme at least to get people to the auditorium. Selma gets a case of stage fright and the show goes on without her.

There's a dance on Saturday. Billie Jo and Bobbie Jo will only accept a date from either Steve or Don, the new young doctor in the valley. Neither Steve or Don have asked anyone to the dance yet. Billie Jo believes she has the right of first choice being the oldest. Left out is Betty Jo, who feels she has the right to be included in the dating discussion. Not wanting to take it anymore, Betty Jo decides to strike out on her own by moving out and getting a job. Through a series of misunderstandings, Billie Jo and Bobbie Jo wind up going to the dance with Eb and Betty Jo shows up with Steve and Don. It's not long before the girls are paired off with the boys they should've been with all along.

It's the Christmas season, and everyone's in a rush to decorate the Cannonball in preparation for their annual caroling and gift delivery runs. Their plans are placed into jeopardy with the arrival of Homer Bedloe. He says that what they are doing is against railroad policy and he won't allow it. Kate hopes that Bedloe will have some heart, and she tries to use her best Christmas spirit in treating Bedloe with kindness to change his mind. Only Norman Curtis (Roy Roberts), the President of the Railroad, may be able to make Bedloe change his mind.

Guest star from Green Acres: Tom Lester as Eb Dawson

Jeremiah Priddy (John Hoyt), a temperance lecturer, is coming to the valley. Meanwhile, Betty Jo has a quiet little boy following her around, even back to the hotel. They learn his name is Clint (Buddy Foster) and try to make sure he's OK until they find out who he belongs to. Eventually they find that his father is Mr. Priddy and that Clint has run away. It seems Mr. Priddy is less than a friendly or hospitable man. Mr. Priddy deals with his son much as he deals with anyone who drinks: unyielding. Kate has a change of heart about Mr. Priddy when she learns a little more about him. She uses this information to try and bring him and Clint closer together.

The National Amateur Hour is screening for new talent, and are holding auditions through the valley's own radio Station K. The winning performer is to receive $200. Once Uncle Joe hears about the prize money, he thinks that Steve and Billie Jo should enter. Sydney Sparks (Peter Leeds), a talent agent who heard Steve and Billie Jo, wants to represent them if they win the contest. His plans are for them to go on the road as a nightclub act. The family has mixed emotions. They are happy for the potential new career, but sad to see Steve and Billie Jo possibly leave for good. Billie Jo wants to do it and sees no down side. Steve doesn't as he doesn't want to be continually on the road living out of a suitcase. Uncle Joe thinks he may have a way so that Steve and Billie Jo don't have to make the decision themselves. Walter Baldwin appears as Grandpappy Miller. Hank Worden appears as Roy Turlock. Walker Edmiston appears as the Announcer.

Billie Jo is excited by the news that Sydney Sparks, the talent agent that approached her and Steve following their radio talent show win, got her an audition at the Flamingo Room in Springdale. Kate isn't too sure that she wants Billie Jo to pursue this career. Following the audition, Billie Jo is certain she got the job. Kate receives the news that Billie Jo didn't get the job because she didn't have a big enough name to draw in customers. With help from Uncle Joe and Sam, Kate thinks she knows a way for Mr. Austin (Frank Nelson), the Flamingo Room's manager, to change his mind. Billie Jo, based on a comment by Uncle Joe, may kill her own chances of show business success by her warped sense of what it means to be a star.

Bobbie Jo is ecstatic that the poem she submitted to a magazine has been accepted for publication. Sam ends up devoting the entire front page of the World Guardian to Bobbie Jo. The notoriety changes Bobbie Jo. She also starts hanging out with Stanley Harper (Jimmy Hawkins), a beatnik, pseudo-intellectual from the coffee house crowd. Kate learns from Steve that the coffee house she is hanging out in, in Springdale, isn't quite what Kate had first imagined. Kate goes to see if it is a place suitable for Bobbie Jo. Kate finds a way to show Bobbie Jo that being a beatnik does not always equate to true art and intellectualism. Jack Perkins appears as a Beatnik Painter.

After Steve sends him several letters inviting him to Hooterville, his best friend Jeff Maxwell (Jimmy Hawkins), an air force captain, finally decides to take Steve up on his offer. Steve told him about many of the great things in Hooterville like the fishing and the food. But Jeff is more interested in the Bradley sisters. After Jeff hits on Billie Jo, Steve tells him that Billie Jo is off limits since the two of them are going together. Jeff can't understand when after he hits on Bobbie Jo then Betty Jo, Steve tells him that both aren't his type. Steve gets Jeff a date with Henrietta Plout. The Bradley sisters decide to take matters into their own hands when it comes to Steve deciding with who they should or should not go out with.

Late one evening, Uncle Joe and Sam, following a lodge meeting, run across a mysterious fellow looking for lodging. He calls himself Dr. Isaac Newton and claims that he's a geophysicist. Because of his all-knowing behavior, and the mysterious occurrences that have happened that night, they start to believe he may be an alien from outer space. Floyd and Charley know that Dr. Newton is starting to make Kate nervous. Despite the secretive nature of their lodge, the men offer to hold their upcoming lodge meeting, where Uncle Joe is going through an important initiation process, at the hotel. They hope that this ensures that Kate and the girls feel safe from Dr. Newton. Goings-on during and after the initiation ceremony ultimately settle Kate's mind about Dr. Newton.

An excited Billie Jo has a one week singing engagement in Omaha. The only problem is that it is one week away from Steve. So that he won't be lonely, Billie Jo asks her sisters to keep Steve company. Bobbie Jo and Betty Jo each ask him out on what they consider official dates. They each treat Steve like their own boyfriend, at the exclusion of their current beaus. Kate thinks she has the answer for a confused Steve, but that doesn't solve the problem about what she will tell Billie Jo when she comes back. When Billie Joe returns, she has some news for Kate that may solve the problem. Meanwhile, Uncle Joe is trying to install an electronic room service request system, much to Kate's chagrin.

Song: "Three Of Us", sung by Linda Kaye Henning, Lori Saunders and Meredith MacRae

Kate's southern belle of a cousin, Mae Belle Jennings (played by prolific comedic actress Shirley Mitchell in the first of four appearances), comes to Hooterville for an unexpected visit. Cousin Mae unintentionally causes problems between Floyd and Charley, who recently and happily celebrated their twenty-fifth anniversary of working together. The problem is that both men want to court her. They both will do whatever they can do earn her favor, even if it means breaking up their professional partnership and their friendship. Seeing what is happening between Charley and Floyd, Kate thinks she has a plan to bring the two friends back together, but Kate's plan worsens the matter. After having a chat with Cousin Mae, Kate turns to Plan B. But that almost backfires as well. Forrest Lewis appears as Judge Clark.

Kate's cousin Mae visits and tells everyone that with some backing from a wealthy banker, she plans on turning the Shady Rest into a health farm using a diet and exercise program called the "Mae Method Reducing Course". The only stipulation for the financing is that the banker's daughter, Agnes Bedford, has to lose fifteen pounds in two weeks using the method. However, Mae can't stay as she has to go back and deal with the banker, leaving Kate to work with Agnes. Uncle Joe is all for the idea until Kate tells him that he will be the male guinea pig of the Mae Method. Agnes, who loves her food, isn't the easiest person to convert to this new way of life. Kate, the girls and Uncle Joe's kindness towards Agnes doesn't help their cause. Mae returns with a new scheme for the hotel.

Betty Jo has been traveling through Europe for the past three months. Billie Jo and Bobbie Jo believe that the trip probably has changed her. Kate doesn't think Betty Jo will be any different. But Billie Jo and Bobbie Jo are right. Accompanying Betty Jo from New York City are three handsome jet-setters (one played by Bea Benaderet's son Jack Bannon). They are all stuck up and pretentious, just like Betty Jo is now. Peter, Brad and Ronnie make their way to Hooterville and the Shady Rest to see first hand Betty Jo's rural life. Betty Jo is initially ashamed of her background as she tries to put on airs for her three friends. But, Betty Jo learns who her real friends and loved ones are, and who she really is. David Watson appears as Peter. Merie Earle appears as Martha Hughes.

Note: This is a very similar plot to Season 3, Episode 10, also involving Betty Jo and new-found sophistication.

Betty Jo has been receiving a large number of floral bouquets, all signed "From an Admirer". Billie Jo and Bobbie Jo believe that the sender is probably one of the many boys she met on her travels. However, Betty Jo's admirer eventually make himself known and it's Eb. He is neither who Betty Jo expected nor wanted and she has to try to let him down easy. Against Kate's wishes, Bobbie Jo suggests to Betty Jo that she get Steve to act as her boyfriend to scare away Eb. The only problem with that plan is that Steve actually has feelings for Betty Jo. Kate manages to convince Eb that things wouldn't work out with him and Betty Jo. Meanwhile, Uncle Joe is trying to set up a labor saving luggage pulley system between the Shady Rest stop and the hotel's front porch.

Secluded in the woods, Betty Jo has found what she believes is the perfect house for herself and Steve for after their marriage. All Steve and Kate can see in the building is an old, dilapidated shack, and one that has no bathroom. As difficult as it is, Steve wants to be supportive of Betty Jo's dream. He makes an off the cuff comment about the up side of owning that house. That comment places a strain on Steve and Betty Jo's relationship and upcoming marriage. While Billie Jo and Bobbie Jo support their sister in the matter, Kate tries to talk some sense into Betty Jo. Kate then comes up with a way for Steve to let Betty Jo know how he feels about her.

It's Kate's birthday. She is grateful for all the presents and the birthday good wishes, but she is hoping to receive something from Betty Jo and Steve who are still on their honeymoon in Hawaii. But the mail comes and goes with no gift from the honeymooners. Kate starts to believe the two have forgotten her birthday. Meanwhile, Betty Jo and Steve hope to fly home early and in time for Kate's birthday. Sam and Joe decide to go to the Pixley post office to see if anything for Kate is held up there. Because they tamper with the mail there, the two wind up in jail. Betty Jo misplaces Kate's present, and while looking for it, they miss their connecting flight. Thanks to an Air Force buddy, Betty Jo and Steve make it back in time. Barry Kelley appears as Sheriff Vic Crandall. Dick Wilson appears as Airline Clerk.

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. Jack Bannon appears as Sgt. Neely.

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 (William O'Connell) 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. Sam Edwards appears as a store clerk.

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 (Del Moore), 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 (Jay Jostyn), from the record company, stops by and says he wants to promote Billie Jo just as she is.

Note: Steve lists the celebrities he'd like to be linked with, naming the biggest female stars of 1968: "Brigitte Bardot, Elizabeth Taylor, Sophia Loren, Jane Fonda, Ann-Margret, Juliet Prowse, Jill St. John, Susan Strasberg, Kim Novak, Natalie Wood, Raquel Welch, Julie Christie, the Lennon Sisters..."

Life at the Shady Rest is going well despite Kate's absence. The girls and Uncle Joe receive a letter from Cousin Mae (Shirley Mitchell), who is planning on coming by to take charge. Cousin Mae's meddling quickly wreaks havoc for everyone. This includes the hotel's relationship with Drucker's Store, Steve and Betty Jo's remodeling plan for the cottage, Bobbie Jo's love life with Jeff and Billie Jo's singing career. Fortunately, sane and stable Aunt Helen arrives. As Helen too ends up a victim of Mae's meddling, she comes up with a plan to convince Mae that her time at the Shady Rest is at its end. Olan Soule appears as Stanley Benson. Alice Nunn appears as Mrs. Benson.

Sam has decided to remodel the general store. It will be closed for five days while he goes on vacation. Sam decides spend his time at the Shady Rest. Joe is excited to have all this time with his best friend. But what Joe doesn't account for is that Sam may have plans of his own. Sam ends up spending most of his time helping Helen around the hotel. When Sam finds out on day four why Joe has been in a bad mood, Sam tries to make it up to him all in one day, even if it kills both him and Joe.

In this valentine to Kate Bradley (Bea Benaderet), the citizens of Hooterville pull out all the stops to welcome Kate home, including a parade with floats, songs and fireworks. But first, arguments begin about where her official welcoming celebration will take place and who will preside over such an event. Mayor Potts (William Mims) wants to preside over it at a downtown location. Sam wants to preside over it outside his store. Selma wants to preside over it in her garden. And Joe wants to preside over it at the Shady Rest. They all wait for Kate's three o'clock arrival in front of Sam's store. Then they read her message to Uncle Joe and realize that Joe didn't read the part that said she will be arriving in Pixley. Amid the chaotic festivities, Kate muses "There's no doubt about it, I'm home." Dennis Fimple appears as Elwood.

Ted Swift (Sid Melton), a booking agent, hears the Bradley Sisters singing on the radio. He wants to book them for the season opener of the Buddy Buster (David Ketchum) television program. After Sam shows him a photo of the girls, Ted signs a contract with Uncle Joe for the girls' appearance. What Uncle Joe forgets is that Betty Jo's pregnancy is not exactly television friendly. When Ted sees Betty Jo, he knows that he is in a bit of a bind with days until the show, and Uncle Joe can't renege on the contract as he has already spent the advance. At the performance, the girls use some creative moves to hide Betty Jo's condition, but things don't go as planned. Kathryn Minner appears as an Old Lady.

Steve feels like he's playing second fiddle to his yet unborn child and that he is not needed. That feeling is fostered by Betty Jo focusing on issues around the baby instead of focusing on his needs. It doesn't help that others in the valley want to solely deal with Betty Jo in anything having to do with the baby. To get Steve out of feeling this way, Uncle Joe comes up with a plan for himself and Steve to "disappear". This is supposed to result in Betty Jo and the rest of the family being worried to death about where they are. But things don't go quite as planned. Geoff Edwards appears as Jeff Powers.

Song: Richard A. Whiting's "Sleepy Time Gal", sung by Mike Minor.

Betty Jo and Steve's baby is due anytime now. Steve thinks it's a good idea if they move back to the Shady Rest until the baby comes. Wendell has been on around the clock watch for the last week keeping the train engine stoked. But it's taking a toll on his body. Betty Jo is trying to hold off the baby's arrival as Billie Jo and Kate are out of town. When Betty Jo finally goes into labor, they can't wake Wendell up, so Betty Jo must work the Cannonball herself. Betty Jo has a baby girl and Billie Jo and Kate do make it back in time. Jean Vander Pyl appears as Gladys Tuttle. Elvia Allman appears as Selma Plout.

Guest Stars: Eddie Albert and Eva Gabor as Oliver and Lisa Douglas from Green Acres.

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 (Irene Ryan), 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.

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. Hal Smith appears as Ben Miller.

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.

Dennis Roberts (Dennis Morgan), 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.

Songs: "I'm So Glad That You Found Me," sung by Linda Kaye Henning, Lori Saunders and Meredith MacRae. Shine On, Harvest Moon is sung by the main cast and guest star Dennis Morgan

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.

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.

Betty Jo has arranged with Reverend Barton (Frank De Vol) 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 (Olan Soule), 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.

Billie Jo arrives back home from a gig in Omaha with her new boyfriend, comedian Rick Wayne (Rich Little). 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.

Janet's friend, Adelle Colby (Betty White), arrives in the valley. Sam, Bert and Uncle Joe are each attracted to her. Adelle, a librarian, is in the valley to open up a new library. They have the books and the money, but now need a location. Janet suggests a mobile library in the form of the Cannonball. Sam, Bert and Uncle Joe do whatever they can to spend time aboard the mobile library to be with Adelle. This competition causes a rift between the three friends. But it's Wendell that has the upper hand in attracting Adelle's attention.

The valley folk are preparing for the annual Founder's Day celebrations. Janet's idea is to have a musical tribute from then to now. Billie Jo, Bobbie Jo and Betty Jo would be the featured performers. Selma, whose husband's great great uncle Cyrus Plout founded Hooterville, believes the girls' mini-skirt outfits are indecent. Uncle Joe actually agrees with her. Uncle Joe believes that since his lodge, the Royal Order of the Camels, is hosting this year's celebrations, he has final say. Janet thinks that the younger people should also have a say. Henrietta Plout unwittingly comes up with an issue that breaks the stalemate.

Note: Selma herself appears in a miniskirt by the end of the episode.

Reverend Barton has hired Freddie Kirby, a professional fund-raiser, to raise money for their organ fund. The fund has $113 in it, and they need $2,000 for the new organ. The valley residents soon follow Freddie in whatever he suggests and they trust him with their money. But Freddie turns out to be a con artist. He plans to take off with the money while leaving the church with an inferior second hand organ worth $20. With everyone continually thanking Freddie for his noble work, will his conscience gets the better of him.

Janet returns from a business trip with some news. She has decided to work with the famous neurologist, Dr. Pope, which means that she will leave the valley for good. The news hits everyone pretty hard and they try to think of a way to make her stay. Hopefully Ted Thorsen, the forest ranger who has just injured his ankle, may provide a romantic reason for Janet to stay. Ted is definitely interested in Janet, but she is still going to leave. But Betty Jo and Steve come up with a reason for her to stay.

Note: This was meant to be the series finale. The episode ends with Betty Jo and Steve announcing that they're having another baby. At the last minute, CBS decided to renew the series for a seventh season because it would give the series five full seasons of color episodes for syndication, which would be very profitable for the network. When the show returned for its seventh and final season in September 1969, the storyline involving Betty Jo's pregnancy was dropped and never referred to again.

Steve is going to submit a bit for a lucrative government contract. Meanwhile, Bobbie Jo tries to get Uncle Joe to start running as a form of exercise. Uncle Joe finds out that Steve is submitting the bid. Joe wonders why Steve didn't ask him for his advice on it. When Steve doesn't hear if he was awarded the contract or not, Joe rubs it into Steve that he should have talked to him first. Steve gets mad at Uncle Joe and dissolves their partnership. Steve finally hears that he was awarded the contract. He is willing to bury the hatchet, but Joe isn't. Steve hears from a government official named William R. Blake (Kenneth Washington), an old Air Force nemesis of Steve's, that there's a problem with the contract. Blake finds an error in Steve's bid that would have cost him a lot of money.

Since Steve has been away for three weeks on a job, Betty Jo makes herself and Kathy Jo up for a special homecoming for him. Betty Jo is jealous of Steve paying more attention to Kathy Jo. Dr. Craig suggests they take a "second honeymoon" at their cottage before it is sold. Getting into a romantic mood isn't easy as they are faced with obstacles and unwanted guests. Alice Nunn appears as Mrs. Birdwell. Marvin Kaplan appears as Stanley. Herbie Faye appears as Oliver.

It's Kathy Jo's first birthday. Billie Jo is out of town on a singing engagement. She was planning on making it back in time for the party, but the club wants to extend her engagement. Steve is called back to redo a job he just finished because the insects are back. Janet and her nursing assistant Bobbie Jo are called off on a medical emergency. Uncle Joe takes Kathy Jo into Pixley to buy her a birthday present. The Chimpanzee that Joe buys winds up taking a lady's (Alice Nunn) wallet and he gets arrested. Billie Jo makes it home but tells Betty Jo that Sam has a last minute court case. Despite the delays, everyone does make it to the party. Herbie Faye appears as Jack Stewart. Karl Lukas appears as Charlie Hanks.

Mallard P. Bradley was the girls' great-great-grandfather and founder of the Shady Rest and builder of the railroad between Hooterville and Pixley. Uncle Joe realizes that it will be the seventy-fifth anniversary of the completion of the railroad. He feels there should be a special ceremony marking the anniversary. The problem is Uncle Joe wants all the special moments of the ceremony for himself, even though there will be representatives from both Pixley and Hooterville. They also argue over who will drive the golden spike. Bobbie Jo suggests Grandpa Miller (Walter Baldwin) as he was at the driving of the original last spike. At a practice ceremony, the spike is driven in and strikes oil. Everyone makes plans with what to do with the money they will get. Mr. Henderson (Frank Wilcox), from the Tri-State Oil Company, informs everyone that they ruptured one of their pipelines. Jonathan Hole appears as Hank Thackery. Bartlett Robinson appears as Mayor Potts. Harry Hickox appears as Mr. Ike Buell.

Billie Jo is bringing her new friend, Jerry Roberts, to Hooterville. Bobbie Jo talks with Billie Jo on the telephone, and is told that Billie Jo thinks she's in love. So everyone wants to make a good impression. Before their arrive, Billie Jo tells Jerry that everyone back home is down to earth, and that they all get along. When they arrive, Uncle Joe and Sam are fighting. Steve and Betty Jo are also feuding, but pretend to be happy when they meet Jerry. Bobbie Jo really goes over board with the talk of marriage. So much so, that a frightened Orrin says he can't get married yet. Billie Jo has mixed feelings about what Bobbie Jo is doing. It may not matter as Jerry has a surprise for them.

New boyfriend Jerry is played by Meredith MacRae's real-life husband Greg Mullavey.

Selma stops by the Shady Rest to spread the news that Henrietta has a potential husband. Everyone later learns that he is Ronnie Coleman, a helicopter pilot. Selma brought him to the valley to set up a rival crop dusting business to Steve's. While Steve is not thrilled having competition, he believes Ronnie has every right to start his business. Uncle Joe, Billie Jo and Bobbie Jo devise a plan to split up Ronnie and Henrietta in order to save Steve's business. But Janet tells the girls that their plan will ultimately hurt Henrietta. To help Henrietta win over Ronnie, Billie Jo and Bobbie Jo give her a makeover. A pretty Henrietta now wants to play the field, so Ronnie decides to leave.

While in Pixley, Betty Jo and Steve see Orrin in a jewelry store buying what looks like an engagement ring. Betty Jo is surprised because Orrin has said that he couldn't get married until he got at least one more pay raise. They tell Uncle Joe what they saw and he is not happy. Later, Orrin tells Bobbie Jo that he got the raise he wanted, and wants to celebrate with the entire family. The family thinks that at the party he will propose. Meanwhile, burly farmer Merlin Fergus (special guest Merlin Olsen) comes into town looking for a wife. Uncle Joe hopes to match Merlin and Bobbie Jo together. But that plan doesn't pan out. Everyone is surprised when they find out why Orin bought a ring.

Orrin brings Bobbie Jo home late from a date. Uncle Joe yells at him and forbids Orrin from seeing Bobbie Jo anymore. Orrin makes the decision to leave the valley for good, which devastates Bobbie Jo. Orrin gives everyone some family heirlooms as farewell gifts. Janet finds a deed which makes Orrin the owner of the entire valley. Mayor Potts (William Mims) and Sam insist Uncle Joe apologize to Orrin, who can now control what happens in the valley. Orrin starts to get used to his new found power and it goes to his head. Janet finds out the deed is worthless, but comes up with a plan to make Orrin look good in the eyes of all.

Steve's Uncle George (Don Ameche) is coming to the Shady Rest for a visit. Everyone at the hotel is excited about his visit except Steve. He says Uncle George is a nice guy but, without knowing it, he always ends up causing trouble. Everyone finds George to be nothing but a charming man. But just as Steve predicted, everyone soon starts fighting with everyone else. Steve decides to put an end to the fighting by asking Uncle George to leave. But before Steve can say anything, George tells Steve he had a lovely visit, but it's time to move on.

Norbert Thompson (Robert Rockwell), of the Highway Commission, checks into the hotel. The Commission is planning on constructing a new road through the valley. He is there to pick which route it will take. Steve tells Joe that there could be some land speculation based on figuring out where the new route goes. Joe tries to convince all the residents of the valley to let him to act on their behalf to get the best deal. Only a few people go along with plan. Thompson decides that the road will go through Steve and Betty Jo's property. Betty Jo, Bobbie Jo and Janet become upset when they learn that the honeymoon cottage will be torn down. Uncle Joe ruins the deal by asking too much for the land, but the girls are thrilled. Stuart Wilson appears as Ben Miller.

While at the hotel, Selma falls while breaking through a hammock that Joe just bought at the church rummage sale. Janet can't find anything wrong with her, but Selma fakes whiplash and a back injury which means she is to be bedridden. Henrietta is away, so the girls and Janet have Selma stay at the hotel. Selma becomes a very demanding guest. Joe believes that Selma plans on suing when there's a letter to a lawyer to be mailed. Joe and Sam go to consult a lawyer. But, not knowing who he is at first, they wind up speaking to Timothy T. Temkin (Buddy Lester), the lawyer that Selma contacted. Things start to look bad, but thanks to something Henrietta says, Selma no longer has a case.

Floyd is retiring, so the people need to find another engineer to run the Cannonball. Joe volunteers, despite having limited experience doing the job. Joe says he will adhere to a rigid schedule that only makes pick-ups and drop-offs at designated stops. The people in the valley are not used to this and it angers many of them who missed the train or who Joe wouldn't pick-up. Mr. Bellingham (Parley Baer), from the C & FW Railroad, arrives to tell the people that Floyd's retirement also means the retirement of the Cannonball. To save the Cannonball, they need to find a missing document that has the agreement between the railroad and the people of the valley. While taking what they think is a last ride, the gang shares favorite memories of the Cannonball. The document is found and thanks to a technicality, the Cannonball stays. Plus, Floyd comes out of retirement. Sarah Selby appears as Mrs. Frisby. Percy Helton appears as Mr. Benton. (The travel time between Hooterville and Pixley is listed as two hours.)

Mild satire with Billie Jo, inspired by the New Age movement, teaching her sisters sensory awareness and touch therapy techniques to spread the message of love throughout the valley. Most of the men believe Billie Jo's idea is just her latest weirdo fad. This causes a strain between Steve and Betty Jo, and Orrin and Bobbie Jo. The men decide they don't want to escalate the problems. They hope to diffuse the issue by joining in a group awareness session. But things do not go well. Janet ends up being the voice of reason. Roy Roberts appears as Game Warden Horton Hughes.

Song: "The Impossible Dream", sung by Mike Minor

Janet tells the girls and Steve that Dr. Peter Marlow (Keith Andes), an old friend from her medical school days, is coming to visit. Peter has come to ask for Janet's hand, but instead of staying in Hooterville, he wants to take Janet to his home in Hawaii. The Bradley's start to panic at the thought of losing Janet. Bobbie Jo volunteers to break Janet and Peter up, but is unsuccessful. Betty Jo and Steve think that Kathie Jo may be able to sway Janet, but Janet is on to their scheme. Janet is torn between her feelings for Peter and her love for the lifestyle of Hooterville. The gang tells Janet that they just want her to be happy no matter what she decides. Janet makes up her mind based on where her heart truly lies.

Steve is worried about the family finances. His business is doing fine, but all his customers are requesting credit while his suppliers want their payment. Betty Jo tells Steve to demand payment from his customers, but he doesn't have much luck. Betty Jo thinks that the best way to solve their money problem is for her to get a job. As she's looking after Kathy Jo anyway, she figures the perfect job would be to open a daycare at the hotel. She decides to not tell Steve. Betty Jo, with the help of her sisters, has a lot of children under her care and all seem happy. When Steve comes home early, Bobbie Jo hides all evidence of the babies, including the babies themselves. Steve knows that something isn't quite right and eventually finds out about the daycare. The mothers come to pick up their babies and are furious to find them hidden in a cabinet. Steve is also mad, but something Kathy Jo does calms him down. Nora Denney appears as Mrs. Graham.