The Akron Beacon Journal from Akron, Ohio • Page 114

1 4F Akron Beacon Journal Sunday, September 29, 1963 Bea Has Own Show After 27-Year Wait 'if ff 'fmmmrnm-smmMmiM aI VYk-v A BEA BENADERET RUNS SMAL TOWN HOTEL IN NEW SHOW for once the laughs revolve around her only time will tell, but for one, will be surprised if it fails and I say this regardless of the show's quality or lack of it. For one thing, Bea's program is scheduled between Red Skelton and Jack Benny "two of my old bosses" and you can't hardly get better placement than that. For another, the show has Henning's touch, and everything he touches these days turns to gold. On the other hand, Bea's excitement might turn to disappointment Petticoat Junction simply could be the straw that breaks the viewers' patience. There are now 26 comedy shows on television 27 if you are one of those people who classify Garry Moore's 60-minute program as comedy.

These shows take up nearly 25 per cent of prime television time. It seems only logical that something has got to give this year. That something could be Petticoat Junction. Competition includes The Richard Boone Theater on NBC and The Greatest Show on Earth on ABC. They could garner a large share of the audience if Petticoat Junction, doesn't measure up to the several other TV comedies.

It should be an interesting battle. In any event, Miss Benaderet will be a busy Bea this year. In addition to her Petticoat Junction duties, she will continue to provide the voice of Betty Rubble on ABC's cartoon series, The Flintstones. "But that's not so tough," she admits. "The cast of that show gets together at convenient times in the evening to dub in the voices.

The real workers on The Flint-stones are the artists." The Flintstones is a throwback to Bea's early days when her voice and only her voice was responsible for success. It started in 1936 when she became a member of the Orson Welles radio company. Then followed her big break in comedy when Jack Benny selected her to be Gertrude Gearshift, the Brooklyn telephone operator, on his radio shows. Other radio credits included supporting parts on My Friend Irma, The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet, The Great Gildersleeve, Fibber McGee and Molly and Burns and Allen. "I worked a different radio show every day and once did four shows in one day," she recalls.

"I was still under contract to four network shows in 1950, but then television moved in. That was the yer Burns and Allen made the shift to TV. By 1951, there were no more 1 network radio- shows." By JACK MAJOR WASHINGTON Bea Benaderet estimates she has been out of work "about 30 minutes" since she started performing professionally 27 years ago. But with all that work and in all those years she has never been as excited about any job as she is about her new television series, Petticoat Junction. Why? Because for the first time in her long career, Bea is a top banana "and not just somebody's next door neighbor." "Also," she says, "the role is relatively straight.

I'm the hub of Petticoat Junction and the comedy revolves around me." In every other program she made, it was Bea who did the and she did it around some of the best comedians in the business. Now, thanks to writer-producer Paul Henning, Bea has a show of her own. Henning is the guy we can blame for last year's smash hit, The Beverly Hillbillies. Originally Henning had Bea in mind to play Granny Clampett, but after some last-minute conferences he settled for Irene Ryan as Granny and cast Bea as a semi-regular, Cousin Pearl. Henning and Bea had worked together several times before he was head writer on the old Burns and Allen Show when Bea, as usual, played a next door neighbor but it wasn't until Henning watched Bea's portrayal of Cousin Pearl that he finally decided to build a program around the versatile comedienne.

This time there would be no last-minute conferences involving cast changes. The only thing different from Henning's original idea is the title. It was supposed to be Ozark Widow. Petticoat Junction made its bow last Tuesday over WJW. Old-timers were probably pleasantly surprised to see Smiley Burnette in the supporting cast.

Smiley, who was Gene Autry's sidekick years ago, came out of semi-retirement to do the show. Younger viewers particularly the male kind likely ignored Smiley to concentrate on Jeannine Riley, Pat Wo ode 11 and Linda Kaye, the attractive trio who provide the scenery on the show. "But the real star is Henning," says Bea, making her relationship with Henning a mutual admiration society. Petticoat Junction is one of the few additions to the CBS lineup this year. The network, which scored heavily in the ratings last season, has high hopes for the program.

How successful It is, of course, She moved to television with Burns and Allen and played Blanche Morton for eight years. (As Blanche, she survived four husbands played by Hal March, John Brown, Fred Clark and Larry Keating.) "We took only two days to film each show in those days," she says, "so I had time to do other things." Those other things included frequent guest shots and a regular job on the old TV show, Meet Millie. When Burns and Allen left the air, Bea signed to do the Betty Rubble voice on The Flintstones. Bea has been performing since she was an 11-year-old student at a Dominican convent in San Francisco. one of the sisters thought I'd make a better actress than a nun' jokes Bea, so she talked me into trying out for a school play.

I got the part I was an old man with a long beard." Actually, the nun's intention was to draw a shy girl into the spotlight. "That's right," says Bea. "I was and still am very shy, but I found acting a great outlet. a great way to hide my shyness." When Bea was 12 she had a minor singing role in a children's production of "The Beggar's Opera." The manager of a San Francisco radio station saw her and asked her to appear on one of his programs. "I got $10 for singing two songs," Bea recalls.

After graduating from St. Rose Academy High School, she attended the Reginald Travis School of Acting in San Francisco. Then she appeared with stock companies and little theater groups until she got a job with Welles' radio troupe. Bea lives in Calabasas, with her two children, Jack, 23, and Maggie, 15. Both want to be performers.

"Maggie is still in high school and I don't want her to start acting until she has graduated. Jack just finished college and he is going to do some little theater work this Winter. I understand he's quite good, but I've never seen him perform. "He's got one thing in his favor he's terribly good looking. "I'd be happy to see both of them go into show business, but I want them to realize it could be a long time before they're successful." Then Bea reflected upon her own career.

"One thing, my children can't use their mother as an example because somehow I missed those lean years most performers have. "I don't know how good I am, but I'm sure I must be one of the luckiest performers in the world." Bea had her fingers crossed when she said that. If she ever wanted luck, she wants it now. 3 i -a.