Room 222 Now on ASPiRE; Remembering Mike Minor of Petticoat Junction

Tuesday, February 02, 2016

Room 222 Now on ASPiRE; Remembering Mike Minor of Petticoat Junction

The classic sitcom Room 222 is now on ASPiRE, airing every weekday morning at 7:00am & 7:30am. The sitcom is leading into another classic late '60s comedy, Julia, from 8-9am. ASPiRE also airs The Flip Wilson Show, Soul Food and The Mod Squad. In Room 222, Pete Dixon is a dedicated and popular history teacher who fights the good fight on the side of his students. Joining him in his idealistic approach to education are guidance counselor Liz McIntyre and student teacher Alice Johnson. Experienced and slightly world-weary principal Seymour Kaufman provides a balance to the youthful idealism of the 60s cultural revolution but at the end of the day everyone is on the side of the students.

Mike Minor

Actor Mike Minor, who starred as Steve Elliott in Petticoat Junction, has died. He died in New York City on January 28. Mr. Minor was 75.

Linda Kaye Henning and Mike Minor

Minor appeared as Steve Elliott in over 100 episodes of Petticoat Junction from 1966-1970. He joined the cast in the second episode of the fourth season. His character was a pilot who crashed his airplane in Hooterville when he is distracted by the sight of the Bradley sisters swimming in the Hooterville Cannonball's water tower. After being nursed back to health by the Bradley girls, he became romantically involved with Betty Jo (Linda Kaye Henning). The characters were married in in the fifth season. They had a daughter, Kathy Jo Elliott, in the sixth season. Minor was married to Linda Kaye Henning in real life from 1968-1973. He was interviewed for the "The History of Hooterville" and the "Paul Henning & The Hillbillies" DVD special features in 2005.

His sitcom guest appearances included eight episodes of My Three Sons (he was the son of executive producer Don Fedderson) and eight episodes of The Beverly Hillbillies. Some of his other television guest appearances included The Lieutenant, CHiPs, Vega$ and L.A. Law. He performed the theme song, "Primrose Lane," on the first season of Henry Fonda'a The Smith Family in 1971.

He was later known for his work on daytime television. He appeared as Brandon Kingsley on All My Children from 1980-1981 and as Dr. Royal Dunning on Another World from 1983-1984. He also had brief roles on The Edge of Night and As the World Turns.

Survivors include his wife, Marilyn Minor, and a son, John, with his first wife Monyeen Rae Martini.

Mr. Minor was a talented actor and a fine singer. His singing skills were showcased in many Petticoat Junction episodes. He will be greatly missed.

Share your memories on our Petticoat Junction message board. View photos in our galleries.

Mike Minor - Petticoat Junction

The MeTV Network will be running a tribute to Mike Minor the rest of this week, during the regular Petticoat Junction airing at 6:30am. Here's the list of episodes airing:

Tuesday: How Bugged Was My Valley
Wednesday: Love Rears Its Ugly Head
Thursday: Steve, The Apple Polisher
Friday: Steve's Ol' Buddy

Sitcoms Airing Tonight

Sunday, October 2

The Simpsons - "Pixelated and Afraid" (Fox, 7:00PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
When Homer and Marge are lost in an icy wilderness, they must push themselves to their limits to survive.

Bob's Burgers - "Frigate Me Knot" (Fox, 7:30PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
Linda encourages Teddy to attend a farewell ceremony for the ship on which he served in the Navy, but it means confronting his Navy pals and his past.

The Simpsons - "One Angry Lisa" (Fox, 8:00PM ET/PT)
Lisa gets called for jury duty; Marge becomes obsessed with her exercise bike.

The Great North - "Cillian Me Softly Adventure" (Fox, 8:30PM ET/PT)
During Lone Moose's Disaster Day event, Wolf and Honeybee have their very first fight.

Bob's Burgers - "The Reeky Lake Show" (Fox, 9:00PM ET/PT)
The family's Labor Day lake trip takes a turn when the Belchers find themselves trapped in their cabin, hiding from what lurks outside.

Family Guy - "Bend or Blockbuster" (Fox, 9:30PM ET/PT)
Resolved to enjoy a family movie night, the Griffins take a road trip to Bend, Ore., to rent a VHS from the last Blockbuster in existence.

The Villains of Valley View - "Havoc-Ween" (Disney Channel, 8:00PM ET/PT)
Amy brings her mischievous body-snatching Grandma to a party. Vic and Eva scam kids out of their candy untill they come across a villain even bigger than themselves.

Raven's Home - "The Girl Who Cried Tasha" (Disney Channel, 8:30PM ET/PT)
Alice uses a spell to bring her doll, Tasha, to life; when Tasha refuses to return to being a doll, Alice must enlist the help of Booker, Ivy and Neil.

Complete TV Listings

Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of September 26)

Friday, September 30

Jason Bateman (Arrested Development/George and Leo/Chicago Sons/Simon/The Hogan Family/It's Your Move/Silver Spoons) - Watch Jason on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
Lea Michele (The Mayor) - Lea is a guest on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
Phil Rosenthal (Creator of Everybody Loves Raymond) - Phil appears on a repeat of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert at 11:35pm on CBS.
Quinta Brunson (Abbott Elementary) - Quinta is a guest on a repeat of Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
Kevin Hart (The Big House/Undeclared) - Kevin appears on The Late Late Show with James Corden at 12:37am on CBS.
Alison Brie (GLOW/Community) - Alison will be on The Late Late Show with James Corden at 12:37am on CBS.
Mario Cantone (And Just Like That.../Sex and the City) - Mario chats with the ladies of The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.
David Alan Grier (Dad Stop Embarrassing Me!/The Cool Kids/The Carmichael Show/Bad Teacher/Life with Bonnie/DAG) - David appears on The Talk on CBS at 2pm ET/1pm CT-PT.
Topher Grace (Home Economics/That '70s Show) - Topher is a guest on The Kelly Clarkson Show, so check your local listings.
Billy Eichner (Friends from College/Difficult People/Parks and Recreation) - Billy stops by to chat and play a rousing game of Never Have I Ever with a twist on The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.
Jim Rash (Community/Help Me Help You/Thanks/Katie Joplin) - Jim appears on The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.
Jason Alexander (Seinfeld/Bob Patterson/Listen Up!/Hit the Road) - Jason shares stories from his hit sitcom on Rachael Ray, so check your local listings.
Alfonso Ribeiro (In the House/The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air/Silver Spoons) - Alfonso dishes about the new season of Dancing with the Stars on Disney+ on Sherri, so check your local listings. He will also be on NBC's Today in the 10am hour.
Nick Kroll (Big Mouth/The League/Cavemen) - Nick talks about Don't Worry Darling and Little Big Boys on ABC's Good Morning America sometime between 7-9am.
Drew Carey (The Drew Carey Show/The Good Life) - Drew is a guest on Sherri, so check your local listings.