Though Ryan was selected for the role, Bea Benaderet fell in love with the part before Ryan even had the chance to do a screen test. Decades before The Beverly Hillbillies aired, Benaderet befriended ...

When “Petticoat Junction” premiered in 1963, it quickly became a beloved classic — and according to its cast it’s easy to see why. The show, a spinoff of “The Beverly Hillbillies,” explored the ...

Beatrice "Bea" Benaderet was an American actress born in New York City and raised in San Francisco, California. She appeared in a wide variety of television work, which included a starring role in the ...

Irene Ryan, left, as Daisy May ‘Granny’ Moses, with the woman she beat out for the role, Bea Benaderet, playing ‘Cousin’ Pearl Bodine, in ‘The Beverly Hillbillies’ (1962-71). After losing out on the ...

When Petticoat Junction first came to American living rooms in 1963, it brought with it a sunny dose of small-town charm and country comedy that quickly won over audiences. The series ran for seven ...