Bobbie Jo Bradley

Bobbie Jo Bradley is a main fictional character on the 1960s CBS sitcom, Petticoat Junction. Like her older sister, Billie Jo, she was played by more than one actress.

Fictional character overview

Roberta Josephine, in the show always called just Bobbie Jo, a pretty brunette, lives with her mother Kate, her Uncle Joe, her older sister Billie Jo, and her younger sister Betty Jo, at her mother's Shady Rest Hotel. She, along with her sisters, attend Hooterville High and, as seen in the opening credits, enjoy swimming in the Hooterville Cannonball's water tower.

When the series begins, Bobbie Jo's a book-loving, well-educated girl who'd rather stay home and read than go out with boys. According to her sister Billie Jo, Bobbie Jo is known as "the walking encyclopedia" at school. Midway through the series, however, Bobbie Jo becomes more of a bubble head and more boy-crazy. This change in the character's persona is never explained. During the show's final season, Orrin Pike (played by Jonathan Daly) romances Bobbie Jo, much to Uncle Joe's chagrin.

Besides appearing on Petticoat Junction, Bobbie Jo also appeared on Paul Henning's sister shows Green Acres and The Beverly Hillbillies.

Bobbie Jo appeared in 217 out of 222 episodes of Petticoat Junction. She was first played by Pat Woodell in 70 episodes (out of 74) from 1963 to 1965 and Lori Saunders in 147 episodes (out of 148) from 1965 to 1970. When Woodell moved on to promote her singing career, Saunders was cast as her replacement due to her resemblance to Woodell.