Linda Kaye Henning

Linda Kaye Henning

Linda Kaye Henning (born September 16, 1944) is an American actress and singer most notable for starring in the 1960s sitcom Petticoat Junction. Henning was born in Los Angeles to television producer Paul Henning and his wife, Ruth. She began to focus on acting in her late teens. Her career began in 1953. Her earliest stage acting roles include: Rebel Without a Cause, Bus Stop, and Gidget. She was cast as a dancer in the Columbia Pictures film Bye Bye Birdie (1963). She has appeared in numerous musicals including High Button Shoes, Brigadoon, and The Sound of Music. She made many TV appearances during the 1960s and 1970s on a variety of programs. She appeared in guest roles in network television shows including The Ed Sullivan Show, Adam-12, Happy Days, Mork & Mindy, and The Tonight Show. She also provided the voice of Jethrine Bodine in The Beverly Hillbillies. She made dramatic appearances in Sliders as Mrs. Mallory, Hunter, and Capitol. Her many game-show appearances include Family Feud, Match Game, Hollywood Squares, The Perfect Match, Three for the Money, Password, Tattletales, Showoffs, Password Plus, and Body Language. Henning also became a substitute hostess on the 1974–1976 daytime edition of High Rollers. Her most notable role was as Betty Jo Bradley in the CBS series Petticoat Junction, which ran from 1963 until 1970. She was only one of three cast members, along with Edgar Buchanan and Frank Cady, to remain throughout the show's entire run and appeared in all but three of the 222 episodes (the exceptions being the season one episode "Bobbie Jo and The Beatnik", the season two episode "Have Library, Will Travel" and the season five episode "The Power of the Press"). She was billed for the first five seasons of the series as Linda Kaye. From season six (fall 1968) until the show was cancelled, she was billed by her full name. In some episodes in later years, Henning and her television sisters (played by Meredith MacRae and Lori Saunders) sang in a trio, and she often sang duets with co-star Mike Minor, who played Steve Elliott.

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