Seasons & episodes
S1 · E19Visit From a Big Star 1964-01-28 · 25 min
Uncle Joe has made a deal with Lucy Wayne, the secretary of movie star Lane Haggard, for them to stay for two weeks at the Shady Rest. Incognito as Mr. Jones, Haggard, according to Miss Wayne, needs to get some rest and relaxation away from prying public eyes. But upon their arrival, Miss Wayne believes Uncle Joe has duped her. It seems that Joe has told the entire valley about their stay. Miss Wayne also wanted no attractive women around to fall under Haggard's movie idol charms. Kate and the girls are not quite as homely as Uncle Joe described them. The problem arises that those charms do surface without Haggard realizing what he is doing. The three girls, not used to such words from a big city man, believe what he tells each of them. But, the words are just niceties which he says to every attractive female. Kate tries to protect her girls and she also tries to help the one person to who those charms really do mean something, Lucy.
S1 · E20Last Chance Farm 1964-02-04 · 25 min
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.
S1 · E21The Very Old Antique 1964-02-11 · 25 min
When Kate unexpectedly sees Homer Bedloe in Hooterville, she knows trouble is in store. Bedloe plans on selling the Cannonball, a seemingly one-of-a-kind antique locomotive. His buyer is millionaire retired train man and antique train aficionado, Phillip Waterhouse. Waterhouse is an old, ornery and snobbish man who generally gets what he wants. With Charley and Floyd's help, Kate hopes she can convince Waterhouse that the train is in such disrepair that it's not worth buying. Kate's plan backfires when she learns Waterhouse enjoys repairing old trains. She hopes that with the family's help, she can get through to Waterhouse the necessity of the train to the valley.
S1 · E22The Art Game 1964-02-18 · 25 min
A traveling salesman guest leaves Uncle Joe a set of six paint-by-number canvases in lieu of a cash payment. Joe decides to take up painting and hopes to make money with his new venture. Mr. Cheever, an antique dealer, buys Joe's first painting. Joe now thinks he is a new art master on his way to success. However, the dealer only wanted the valuable picture frame. Before wrapping up the painting, Joe trades the frame for one he believes is nicer. News of the painting sale spreads throughout Hooterville. People come by to see Joe's other paintings, including E. T. Gibbs from a local museum. Gibbs hates the paintings, which depresses Joe. Cheever comes back to get the original frame he bought. Kate comes up with a plan for Cheever to get the frame and for Joe to feel better.
S1 · E23Betty Jo's First Love 1964-02-25 · 25 min
Betty Jo has her first crush on a boy named Orville Miggs. But the object of her affections is more interested in tinkering with cars than he is in romance. As such, all Orville sees in Betty Jo is a mechanic's expert assistant. Kate doesn't want to see Betty Jo get hurt. Kate thinks he will see her in a different and more romantic light if she wears a dress and becomes a bit more feminine. But nothing they try makes Orville really notice Betty Jo, and ultimately give her her much wanted first kiss. If the family is able to accomplish their task, will Betty Jo ultimately think it was worth it?
S1 · E24Behind All Silver, There's a Cloud Lining 1964-03-03 · 25 min
Homer Bedloe is back in Hooterville trying yet again to find a way to shut down the Cannonball. He believes there must be something in the financial books since Charley and Floyd have not submitted a report in twelve years. That plan ends up being more confusing to Bedloe than it's worth pursuing. Meanwhile, Uncle Joe is given the task of digging a drainage ditch down by the tracks. He finds the lazy way to do it by advertising that guests can dig for silver down by the tracks. He figures others will do the digging for him. Bedloe decides to sell leases all along the track from Hooterville to Pixley for people to prospect for silver. In the process, all the digging will just rip up the track, leaving the train unable to run without major repairs to the track. Kate can see through Bedloe's scheme and she devises a way to outsmart him once again to keep the Cannonball running.
S1 · E25The Talent Contest 1964-03-10 · 25 min
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.
S1 · E26Kate and the Manpower Problem 1964-03-17 · 25 min
An old school chum named Emily Mapes 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 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.
S1 · E27The Ladybugs 1964-03-24 · 25 min
Beatlemania has hit Hooterville by storm. Uncle Joe recruits Billy, Bobbie, and Betty Joe along with their friend Sally Ragsdale to form their own band called the Ladybugs. Colonel Partridge, 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.
S1 · E28The Hooterville Flivverball 1964-03-31 · 25 min
Uncle Joe gets angry at Charlie and Floyd when he is left behind by the Cannonball. He decides to start his own transport business by using Orville Miggs' "Flivverball", an old car converted into a railway car. At first the Flivverball is a success. Kate must now deal with the feuding groups before the Cannonball goes out of business.
S1 · E29Kate the Stockholder 1964-04-07 · 25 min
Norman Curtis, President of the C&FW Railroad, is currently on vacation in Europe. He left instructions not to do anything to the Cannonball while he's gone. However, Homer Bedloe has a scheme to shut down the Cannonball for good. He hopes to do it without disobeying Curtis' orders. The plan entails Bedloe being appointed Superintendent of the Cannonball. He would then enforce an efficiency program with an impossible to meet new schedule. He expects Charley and Floyd will eventually just give up. Kate and the gang go to the stockholders meeting where she believes they've got a secret weapon to ruin Bedloe's plans.
S1 · E30Kate and the Dowager 1964-04-14 · 25 min
Mr. Bunce with the bank is doing an inspection of the hotel and is not planning on extending Kate's financing. Wealthy socialite Clara Watkins checks into the hotel with her son Sonny. Bunce will only extend Kate's financing if Mrs. Watkins recommends the hotel to her friends. Meanwhile, annoying Sonny is constantly chasing after Billie Jo. Mrs. Watkins wants the two of them to get married. While Kate has done whatever she can to please Mrs. Watkins, she has to say no to that. Uncle Joe decides to romance Mrs. Watkins instead and she soon accepts his marriage proposal. Kate comes up with a plan to save Joe and the hotel.
S1 · E31Charley Abandons the Cannonball 1964-04-21 · 25 min
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 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.
S1 · E32Dog Days at Shady Rest 1964-04-28 · 25 min
Kate receives a telegram from Railroad President Norman Curtis that he is sending Homer Bedloe with someone named Fred. Fred is actually Mr. Curtis' housekeeper's aged basset hound. Curtis believes Fred needs some good country air and space to re-energize himself. Curtis also hopes that Bedloe will soften his ways in the process. Bedloe comes up with the plan to "ruin" Fred and have him return to Curtis in worse shape than he arrived. That will hopefully sour Curtis' view of the Shady Rest and what it stands for. Kate figures out a way to bring back spirit to Fred and a way to break Bedloe's spirit.
S1 · E33A Millionaire for Kate 1964-05-05 · 25 min
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 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.
S1 · E34Bedloe and Son 1964-05-12 · 25 min
Homer Bedloe arrives at the Shady Rest with his son, Homer Bedloe Jr., who is as hateful and devious as his father. He even looks like his father down to the horn-rimmed glasses. Bedloe Sr.'s plan is that he wants to appear the loving and caring father, bringing his son up right. Then he will leave Jr. alone at the Shady Rest to snoop around and find a way to shut down the Shady Rest and the Cannonball for good. But Jr. comes to like everyone because he is treated with kindness and goodwill for no apparent reason.
S1 · E35Local Girl Makes Good 1964-05-19 · 25 min
Business executive Mary Jane Hastings returns home to Hooterville to receive the Chamber of Commerce award. She commands attention just by her very presence, with everyone being at her beck and call. Kate doesn't like the effect Mary Jane has on her girls. Kate blames Mary Jane's assistant Steve, who is setting the example that what Mary Jane wants, she gets. Kate learns that Steve is in love with Mary Jane. Kate tells Steve he needs to stop being the ever obedient servant. But when Steve stands up to Mary Jane, she fires him. After learning that Mary Jane is in love with Steve, Kate finds a way to bring them back together.
S1 · E36Cave Woman 1964-05-26 · 25 min
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, 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?
S1 · E37Kate Flat on Her Back 1964-06-02 · 25 min
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 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, 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 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.
S1 · E38The Genghis Keane Story 1964-06-09 · 25 min
Kate's former grade school teacher returns to Hooterville. Kate and her children reminisce how Miss Adelaide "Genghis" Keane was so strict on all the children, and she was a dreaded teacher. Kate and the girls are surprised to find that the elderly schoolteacher is no longer the tyrannical disciplinarian she used to be. They all get together to bring Miss Keane's confidence back. It doesn't take long for Miss Keane to become a disciplinarian again and Kate and the girls are beginning to regret what they did. Before Kate can confront her, Adelaide acknowledges that she has gone too far and is scaring people off. Kate finds a way for Miss Keane to be happy again.
S2 · E1Betty Jo's Dog 1964-09-22 · 25 min
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.
S2 · E2Race Against the Stork 1964-09-29 · 25 min
Henry Barton is dropping off his pregnant wife Elsie at the Shady Rest. While the baby isn't due for two weeks, Henry still wants someone to watch Elsie as he will be gone for three days. The women aren't at all worried, but Uncle Joe is quite concerned. Joe gets even more panicked when Kate tells him most babies arrive in the middle of the night. He comes up with an elaborate plan involving some of the men of the valley to get Doc Stuart to the Shady Rest if Elsie has the baby in the middle of the night. Without telling anyone, Joe has a trial run of his plan at 3am just to make sure it all goes smoothly. Everyone is quite mad at Uncle Joe. To make matters worse, Joe does it a second time. When Elsie does actually go into labor, it looks as though someone else will have to help with the delivery
S2 · E3Have Library, Will Travel 1964-10-06 · 25 min
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. 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 to Kate. Kate comes up with a plan to show Uncle Joe how inappropriate he and Miss Marsh are as a couple.
S2 · E4The Umquaw Strip 1964-10-13 · 25 min
Sam, Charley, Floyd and Uncle Joe are rehearsing a reenactment of the signing of the treaty between the Umquaw Indians and the C&FW Railroad. The treaty gave Indian land in the vicinity of Deadman's Curve to the company. Joe thinks the reenactment will bring in tourists to the area and guests to the hotel. Meanwhile, Norman Curtis wants the company's stockholders' meeting to be held at the Shady Rest with Homer Bedloe presiding. Norman tells Bedloe he doesn't want anyone to vote for anything that would harm Kate or the people of the valley. Bedloe finds out about Joe's treaty reenactment plan. He then finds out that the Umquaw never signed the treaty according to C&FW files. Bedloe lets the Umquaw know. Despite not really wanting to do it, Chief Fleeteagle and Black Salmon make what will be a profitable deal for them and the end of the Cannonball. Kate may come up with the best deal of them all.