# Anyone remember this episode of "Petticoat Junction" (1960's sitcom on CBS)? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** tv-shows-scripted\ **Created:** [November 18, 2020, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-remember-this-episode-of-petticoat-junction-1960s-sitcom-on-cbs/925922 "2020-11-18T21:46:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![F.U.Shakespeare](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/aca169/32.png) [@F.U.Shakespeare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/F.U.Shakespeare)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2020, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-remember-this-episode-of-petticoat-junction-1960s-sitcom-on-cbs/925922/1 "2020-11-18T21:46:27Z")
A refined middle-age man from out of town checks into the Shady Rest. He is polite and friendly, enjoys relaxing on the front porch, but otherwise tends to keep to himself. Kate and her daughters take an immediate liking to him. But Uncle Joe has his usual harebrained suspicions, and convinces his doofus friends of same. IIRC, they think he’s a spy or a communist. At one point, the man hands Kate something like $200 and asks if that would be enough for him to rent the entire Shady Rest for the duration of his stay (explaining that he’s just finished a big work project and wants to relax in quiet). She replies something like, “Five more dollars and it would be enough to _buy_ (the Shady Rest)!” After he’s left, they learn from an article in the paper that he’s a renowned rocket scientist who had just recently completed some historic space mission. Since the episode featured Kate, it had to be in one of the first five seasons, since Bea Benaderet left the show after season five due to her 1968 death from lung cancer. I know it sounds similar to “That Was the Night That Was”, an episode where composer Frank De Vol plays a visiting scientist who seems connected to some recent spooky outer space occurences near Hooterville, which leads to similar crackpot suspicions from Uncle Joe. But that’s not the one. TIA. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2020, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-remember-this-episode-of-petticoat-junction-1960s-sitcom-on-cbs/925922/2 "2020-11-18T21:53:21Z")
I scanned IMDB; this seems to be the one. “What’s a Trajectory?”, season 3, episode 14. The summary: > [@](#): > > It’s been close to a month since there have been any guests at the hotel. So Kate is surprised when a Mr. Reynolds checks in, he who walked to the hotel from Stuben’s Bluff instead of taking the train. To Kate and the girls, Mr. Reynolds seems like a warm, friendly and kind man. Despite paying in cash and reserving the entire hotel solely for himself so as not to be disturbed, Uncle Joe however doesn’t trust him - how can he trust anyone who likes to walk? Uncle Joe thinks he’s a criminal on the run from the law. So when Uncle Joe hears that the Benton Bank was recently robbed of $3,000, Uncle Joe is certain Reynolds is the robber. Uncle Joe does whatever he can to bring Reynolds in to the authorities, more for the $500 reward money than to see justice served. Will Uncle Joe get his man, and if so how will he get Reynolds to the police? > **["Petticoat Junction" What's a Trajectory? (TV Episode 1965) - Plot - IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0674058/plotsummary/?ref_=tt_ov_pl)** > > "Petticoat Junction" What's a Trajectory? (TV Episode 1965) - Plot summary, synopsis, and more... ---
**Author:** ![F.U.Shakespeare](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/aca169/32.png) [@F.U.Shakespeare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/F.U.Shakespeare)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2020, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-remember-this-episode-of-petticoat-junction-1960s-sitcom-on-cbs/925922/3 "2020-11-18T22:00:15Z")
_That’s the one!_ I had thought the guy was named Reynolds, but I held off on stating same, because he reminded me of a math professor I had by that name, and I thought I might have been conflating them. Kudos on your google-fu! ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2020, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-remember-this-episode-of-petticoat-junction-1960s-sitcom-on-cbs/925922/4 "2020-11-18T22:04:10Z")
> [@F.U.Shakespeare](#): > > Kudos on your google-fu! Not even that, so much…I just started skimming the episode summaries on IMDB, season by season, until I found a likely candidate. 😃 Even so, you are welcome! ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2020, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-remember-this-episode-of-petticoat-junction-1960s-sitcom-on-cbs/925922/5 "2020-11-18T22:16:37Z")
[![]( " - YouTube") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VoVC2Cv_cfA) ---
**Author:** ![P-man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/p-man/32/3606_2.png) [@P-man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/P-man)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2020, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-remember-this-episode-of-petticoat-junction-1960s-sitcom-on-cbs/925922/6 "2020-11-18T22:48:45Z")
It does this librarian’s heart good to see someone go straight to a trusted source rather than Google. Not that I have a problem with Google, of course.