Petticoat Junction was like a second home for Edgar Buchanan
"And that's Uncle Joe, he's movin' kind of slow at the junction," can be heard when listening to the theme song of the classic rural comedy Petticoat Junction.
Uncle Joe Carson was always "moving slow," but he was definitely a quick thinker and didn't mind cooking up a fast-money scheme here or there.
Edgar Buchanan played the role so well that you'd think he was similar to Uncle Joe in real life. That's because Buchanan grew up in a small town, and the show reminded him of his younger life so much that it became his home.
In an interview with The Daily Herald in 1963, the actor talked about how well the series portrayed simple life.
"The small community is the heritage of every American," he began. "We all evolved from small towns. Humansville had a population of about 600 — give 'r take a couple hundred."
Humansville, Mo, was where the actor was born. Small town-living was the background of many actors before they became Hollywood stars during this time.
Buchanan added, "Young people have heard stories about the simple life passed down by their folks, and their folks, in many cases, remember it well. It's this association that gives the show an interesting realism."
According to the article in the newspaper, Buchanan smiled as he said those words because it reminded him of a much simpler time in his life.
"For me, especially," he continued. "Petticoat Junction is home. On the show, I work with four pretty gals. And in real life, I had four sisters always peckin' at me."
When watching the show, Kate Bradley and her girls had to deal with Uncle Joe's nonsense while trying to bring business to the Shady Rest Hotel, and we're sure they wouldn't have wanted it any other way.