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Sherwood Schwartz's "The Brady Bunch" was entering its Cousin Oliver death throes when the bankable television producer unveiled what he hoped would be his next sitcom smash in "Dusty's Trail." He had good reason to be upbeat. The zany Western series was a reunion with his "Gilligan's Island" star Bob Denver, who'd become a household name thanks to the syndication success of that critically derided, yet ridiculously watchable 1960s show. If couch potatoes were content to gorge on reruns of their previous collaboration, surely they'd have an appetite for Denver playing an equally inept coachman bumbling his way west to California.

There were, however, warning signs ahead of the series' September 1973 debut. For starters, Schwartz's efforts to revive "Gilligan's Island" based on the strength of its syndication popularity had proven fruitless. Meanwhile, the networks simply weren't interested in another go-round with Schwartz and Denver, which forced the producer...

"Petticoat Junction" was the unofficial second part of the Paul Henning Hooterville trilogy, a trio of 1960s sitcoms about the clash between city slickers and country bumpkins. In 1962, Henning created "The Beverly Hillbillies," a series about hillbillies who, when they strike oil, move to Beverly Hills. In 1965, he inverted the formula with "Green Acres," a show about millionaires who move to a farm to learn about country living. Sandwiched in between the two was "Petticoat Junction," which debuted on September 24, 1963. "Junction" took place at the Shady Rest Hotel, overseen by the lovable widowed hayseed Kate Bradley (Bea Benederet). She and her uncle Joe (Edgar Buchanan) would run the hotel and oversee the shenanigans of her three daughters Betty Jo, Billie Jo, and Bobbie Jo. 

"Petticoat Junction" takes place in the same universe as "Green Acres," as both shows make constant references to common fictional cities that the characters visit. There were a few supporting crossovers,...

Television crossovers craft a universe wherein fictional worlds converge. Characters roam to unfamiliar territories, sometimes far away from the fold of their shows. Some crossovers transcend genres or networks, and others stay within more familiar neighborhoods. Crossovers existed for centuries in literature and decades in comic books before entering the world of television.

Beyond technical crossovers, miniature universes are formed simply by one show spinning off from another. Norman Lear's "All in the Family" led to "The Jeffersons" and "Maude," which led to "Good Times," with several more shows tied together in that extended television family. "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" birthed the main characters of three spin-offs -- "Rhoda," "Phyllis," and "Lou Grant" -- and is linked to all the other shows produced or distributed by Mtm Enterprises. Without "Perfect Strangers" on ABC's Tgif, we wouldn't have its spin-off, "Family Matters," a show linked to "Full House," "Step by Step,...

This four-feature set is the weirdest cinematic treasure box of the year, a sort of anti-matter film school. Three of the films are derived from a single Yugoslavian picture rejected by Roger Corman. His acolytes Jack Hill and Stephanie Rothman proceeded to add serial killings, supernatural hauntings, a goofy vampire, and an ending that could be called 'Zombies In The Wax Museum.' Tim Lucas tells the whole story in a fascinating feature-length extra docu. Blood Bath Blu-ray Arrow Video (USA) 1963 - 1966 / B&W / 1:66 widescreen / 95 - 81 - 62 - 75 min. / 2-Disc Limited Edition / Street Date May 30, 2016 / 49.95 Starring William Campbell, Patrick Magee, Rade Marcovic, Miha Baloh, Irena Prosen; Marissa Mathes, Linda Saunders, Sandra Knight, Carl Schanzer, Biff Elliot, Sid Haig, Jonathan Haze. Cinematography Nenad Jovicic, Dan Telford, Alfred Taylor. Original Music Bojan Adamic, Ronald Stein, Written by Vlasta Radovanovic, Vic Webber, Jack Hill & Stephanie Rothman Directed by Rados Novakovic, Michael Roy,...

Petticoat Junction actress Pat Woodell, who played one of the three original Bradley sisters on CBS’ rural sitcom stalwart of the 1960s, died of cancer September 29. She was 71. Woodell, a native of Massachusetts but living in Fallbrook, California, at the time of her death, originated the role of Bobbi Jo in 1963, but left after the second season (she was replaced in 1965 by Lori Saunders). The Bradley sisters — Linda Kaye Henning was Betty Jo and Jeannine Riley was…...