roger.pape Site Admin
Joined: 17 Mar 2009 Posts: 414 Location: Liverpool, NY
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Posted: Tue Feb 02, 2016 12:14 pm Post subject: Concordia and Petticoat Junction |
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There is an often repeated story that inspiration for the TV series Petticoat Junction was Concordia, MO. The apparent source of this legend is the fact that the family of the show's producer, Paul Henning, came from Concordia. However, his family moved to Independence, MO where Paul was born. It is not clear if Paul ever visited Concordia, but he may have as a youth.
If you check Paul's biography on Wikipedia at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Henning, you will note that Paul's wife Ruth claims that the location of the series was based on her Barth family home of Eldon, MO. Paul himself claimed that the settings for his shows Beverly Hillbillies, Petticoat Junction, and Green Acres were derived from the Ozark area around Branson, MO where he vacationed. If Paul did in fact visit Concordia, it is possible that he drew on this experience for some of the content of the show. The name "Shady Rest Hotel" could possibly be derived from the establishment in Concordia by that name. He did write the preface to his sister Florence and second cousin Elverna Henning Bradley's book "Vat Vood Papa Say" noting that his family roots were in Concordia. |
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