I (vaguely) remember the show’s intro where they’re shown naked from the shoulders up peeking out of some water tower arrangement. Were they actually bathing (along with the dog) in the Town’s drinking water supply?
It could be that they are bathing in a tank for restocking the steam engines. It’s called “Petticoat Junction” after all. I seem to recall that they were easily visible from the approaching train, which means it probably isn’t a city water tower they are in. I may be misremembering though, the camera might have panned up as well as out. I found two places that seem to bear my theory out.
And what ‘junction’ do you find under a petticoat? Hmmmm? ‘That’s Uncle Joe, he’s a-movin’ kinda slow at the junction’ Which junction? the one under the petticoat? PORN, I tells ya! 
[sub]I think Ellison said it first.[/sub]
I had always assumed it was for the train. IIRC, the train passes right next to the tank.
Although the girls peering over the top of the tank is obviously shot on a stage, later in the credits it shows the girls, now dressed, walking down a path beside a watertower where the train sits. IIRC, the latter shots of the credits (and stock shots of the train, tower, etc.) were filmed at an actual old depot outside L. A.
So, jokes aisde, it is obvious that they were bathing, as noted above, in the water used for the train. Plus, they didn’t live very close to Hooterville, so it could not have been water for the town’s consumption.
Sir Rhosis
Uncle Joe and his hot nieces, eh?
Could someone pass the brain bleach, please?
One trivia tidbid: There were numberous cast changes for the Bradley girls (except the producer’s daughter *Linda Kaye [Henning]). However, the distance shot, where the girls are walking down the ladder beside the tower used the original cast, and was never reshot, since none of the faces could be identified.
*Who was the real-life inspiration for the Elly Mae Clampett character, and supplied the voice of Jethrene in “The Beverly Hillbillies.”
Hence the phrase used by the testosterone poisoned, “Man, I’d drink her bathwater!”
And I remember pigtails, dammit.
A wizard did it.
Admit it: You watched that opening carefully each and every time in the hope that one of these days they’d pop up a bit farther before grabbing their towels…
I was a mere lad being babysat by my Grandmother.
Damn right I did.
In many rural Australian towns, it was indeed popular to bathe in the water tower that provided the drinking water. At least, thats the impression I got from childrens literature, I don’t know if it happens in RL.
Come on- that wasn’t Max Baer Jr doing a falsetto?
Well it was Hooterville after all.
But they’re waist-deep in the water. Maybe it should be Cooterville.
Mr. Blue Sky for the win!
Game, set, match
Damn, I always get to these things too late.
“Petticoat Junction”
“Hooterville”
I mean, c’mon!
It was water for the TRAIN!
[sub]Sounds like your market and my market showed the same episode of That 70s Show last night![/sub]