In Memory of Actor Edgar Buchannon ('Petticoat Junction'): 45 Years After His Tragic Death

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It's been 45 years since beloved character-actor Edgar Buchanan, best known as Uncle Joe Carson on TV's Petticoat Junction, died tragically after brain surgery in 1979. He was 76 years old and this is his story.

A Closer Look

Edgar Buchanan made 100 movies and four TV shows, including big-screen Westerns like Shane (1953) and Ride the High Country (1962), and small-screen gems such as Hopalong Cassidy (NBC, 1949-1953), Judge Roy Bean (in syndication, 1955-1956), the aforementioned Petticoat Junction (CBS, 1963-1970), and Cade's County (CBS, 1971-1972).

Born March 20, 1903, in Humansville, Missouri, and raised in Eugene, Oregon, Buchanan initially ventured into dentistry before honing his artistry as an actor. From 1929 to 1937, he was Dr. William Edgar Buchanan, the head of oral surgery at Eugene Hospital.

However, the creative life was ever on his mind, as Buchanan began to appear in local theatrical productions.

In 1939, he and his wife, Dr. Mildred Spence, also a dentist, then took their son Buck and business to Pasadena, CA.

That same year, Buchanon made his first movie: My Son Is Guilty, which was followed by others; Penny Serenade (1941), Talk of the Town (1942), Cheaper by the Dozen (1950), and many more.

Then Came Television

In time, Edgar Buchanon made the transition from dentistry to stage acting, to the movie screen, and then, finally, to bringing his performing procedures to television.

Buchanon's initial foray into TV included what became his most charming and trademark role: that of Uncle Joe Carson on Petticoat Junction. Playing opposite Bea Benederet (later replaced by June Lost in Space Lockart after Benederet's demise), Uncle Joe was always "movin' kind of slow" (as the show's adored opening theme song professes), but he was swift in gaining a loyal following of fans.

After his final series, Cade's County (starring his good friend Glenn Ford) left the air, Buchanon returned to the big screen in movies like the 1975 hit, Benji.

That film was a particular favorite of the actor, as it granted him the chance to reunite with the leading canine who played the family dog on Petticoat Junction.

Conclusion

The charm, affability, and talent of an actor like Edgar Buchanon are rare finds in the modern world of what some consider Hollywood's Tinseltown mentality.