Lori Saunders (born Linda Marie Hines October 4, 1941, in Kansas City, Missouri) is an American film and

television Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertisin ...

actress An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), li ...

, probably best known for her role as Bobbie Jo Bradley in the television series ''

Petticoat Junction ''Petticoat Junction'' is an American television sitcom that originally aired on CBS from September 1963 to April 1970. The series takes place at the Shady Rest Hotel, which is run by Kate Bradley; her three daughters Billie Jo, Bobbie Jo, and ...

'' (1965–1970).

Television

Starring roles

Saunders played brunette middle-sister Bobbie Jo Bradley in 3 episodes of ''Green Acres'', 147 episodes of the rural

sitcom A sitcom, a portmanteau of situation comedy, or situational comedy, is a genre of comedy centered on a fixed set of characters who mostly carry over from episode to episode. Sitcoms can be contrasted with sketch comedy, where a troupe may use ...

''Petticoat Junction'', and 7 episodes of ''The Beverly Hillbillies''. In ''Petticoat Junction'', she took over the role in 1965 from Pat Woodell, who left the show to focus on her singing career. Co-star

Meredith MacRae Meredith Lynn MacRae (May 30, 1944 – July 14, 2000) was an American actress, singer and talk show host. She is most remembered for her roles as Sally Morrison on ''My Three Sons'' (1963–1965) and as Billie Jo Bradley on ''Petticoat Junction ...

, who joined the show in 1966, said in a 1960s interview that she and Lori were very close, "like the

Bobbsey twins The Bobbsey Twins are the principal characters of what was, for 75 years, the Stratemeyer Syndicate's longest-running series of American children's novels, written under the pseudonym Laura Lee Hope. The first of 72 books was published in 1904, t ...

", since they were both married and had each replaced another actress on the series. She played Betty Gordon, one of Mr. Drysdale's secretaries, in the last season of ''

The Beverly Hillbillies ''The Beverly Hillbillies'' is an American television sitcom that was broadcast on CBS from 1962 to 1971. It had an ensemble cast featuring Buddy Ebsen, Irene Ryan, Donna Douglas, and Max Baer Jr. as the Clampetts, a poor, backwoods family f ...

''. In 1973–74, Saunders played Betsy on the situation-comedy western ''

Dusty's Trail ''Dusty's Trail'' is an American Western/ comedy series starring Bob Denver and Forrest Tucker that aired in syndication from September 1973 to March 1974. The series is a western-themed reworking of Denver's previous series '' Gilligan's Island'' ...

''. Created by

Sherwood Schwartz Sherwood Charles Schwartz (; November 14, 1916 – July 12, 2011) was an American television screenwriter and producer. He worked on radio shows in the 1940s, but he now is best known for creating the 1960s television series '' Gilligan's Isla ...

and starring

Bob Denver Robert Osbourne Denver (January 9, 1935 – September 2, 2005) was an American comedic actor who portrayed Gilligan on the 1964–1967 television series ''Gilligan's Island'', and beatnik Maynard G. Krebs on the 1959–1963 series ''The Ma ...

, the show was based on '' Gilligan's Island'', but set in the

wild west The American frontier, also known as the Old West or the Wild West, encompasses the geography, history, folklore, and culture associated with the forward wave of American expansion in mainland North America that began with European colonial ...

; her character Betsy was an ingénue drawn after Dawn Wells' character of "Mary Ann". Saunders quipped: "It was the same show, just no coconuts." She said it was interesting to work with Jeannine Riley, who had also starred in ''Petticoat Junction'' (as Billie Jo Bradley), but not at the same time as Saunders. In 2015, she appeared in a

MeTV MeTV, an acronym for Memorable Entertainment Television, is an American broadcast television network owned by Weigel Broadcasting. Marketed as "The Definitive Destination for Classic TV", the network airs a variety of classic television program ...

commercial promoting ''Petticoat Junction'', along with fellow cast members

Linda Kaye Henning Linda Kaye Henning is an American actress and singer most notable for starring in the 1960s sitcom ''Petticoat Junction''. Career Henning began to focus on acting in her late teens. Her career began in 1953. Her earliest acting roles include ' ...

and

Gunilla Hutton Gunilla Hutton (born May 15, 1944) is a Swedish-born American actress and singer, perhaps best known for her roles as the second Billie Jo Bradley (1965–1966) on ''Petticoat Junction'' and as a regular cast member in the television series ''He ...

...... plus she was in season 6 of '' Tales of Wells Fargo'' as a regular cast member.

Guest-starring roles

In her early television years, Saunders appeared five times (credited as Linda Marie Hines) as four different characters on ''

The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet ''The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet'' is an American television sitcom that aired on ABC from October 3, 1952, to April 23, 1966, and starred the real-life Nelson family. After a long run on radio, the show was brought to television, where it ...

''. She also appeared in '' Burke's Law'', and the season four episode "The Prairie Elephant" of '' Rawhide'' (original air-date November 17, 1961). She appeared in the 1970 episode "Bringing Up Josh" of ''

Daniel Boone Daniel Boone (September 26, 1820) was an American pioneer and frontiersman whose exploits made him one of the first folk heroes of the United States. He became famous for his exploration and settlement of Kentucky, which was then beyond the we ...

'', and also in the

anthology series An anthology series is a radio, television, video game or film series that spans different genres and presents a different story and a different set of characters in each different episode, season, segment, or short. These usually have a dif ...

Bob Hope Presents The Chrysler Theatre ''Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre'' is an American anthology series, sponsored by Chrysler Corporation, which ran on NBC from 1963 through 1967. The show was hosted by Bob Hope, but it had a variety of formats, including musical, dramatic ...

.''

Film

She appeared in the cult horror film '' Blood Bath'' (1966), credited as Linda Saunders. Other films include: ''A Day at the White House'' (1972), ''So Sad About Gloria'' (1973), ''Captive'' (1980), ''The Girls on The Beach'', (1965) and '' Mara of the Wilderness'' (1965, as Linda Saunders).

Music

In the 1960s, Saunders released the single "Lonely Christmas", with the B-side "Out of Your Mind". The latter song was later featured on the compilation album ''Girls in the Garage, Vol. 02''. Saunders and her ''Petticoat Junction'' co-stars Linda Kaye Henning and Meredith MacRae released several singles in the 1960s as the singing group ''The Girls from Petticoat Junction'', including "If You Could Only Be Me" (1968) and "Thirty Days Hath September". Their music is compiled on the album ''The Girls from Petticoat Junction: Sixties Sounds''.

Personal life

Saunders married Bernard Sandler in 1961. They have two children. The couple campaigned against the elephant ivory trade in the 1980s. As there was another "Linda" (

) credited on ''Petticoat Junction'', Saunders officially changed her first name to "Lori" in the fall of 1965.Lisanti, Tom ''Hollywood Surf and Beach Movies: The First Wave, 1959-1969'', pg. 212 Saunders retired from acting in 1980.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Saunders, Lori 1941 births American film actresses American television actresses Living people 21st-century American women People from Missouri Actresses from Missouri People from Kansas City, Missouri People from California 20th-century American actresses