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Linda Henning didn't want to use her real last name while on Petticoat Junction
She was Linda Kaye by day, and Linda Henning at home.
If the last name Henning sounds familiar, there's a good reason. Linda Henning's father was Paul Henning, the man behind TV classics including The Beverly Hillbillies, Petticoat Junction and Green Acres. He wasn't exactly a one-hit wonder, and neither was his daughter.
But when Linda joined the cast of Petticoat Junction, she decided to leave the family name at the door.
According to a 1965 interview with the Shreveport Journal, Linda went by Linda Kaye during her time on the show for one big reason: She didn't want viewers making snap judgments about nepotism. It was a clever plan in theory. In practice? Not exactly a secret identity.
"By this clever maneuver, we fooled absolutely no one," Henning said. "I have labored for two years with the mingled advantage and handicap of being known as the boss' daughter."
Being the boss' daughter may have come with its share of raised eyebrows, but it also came with a pretty great front-row seat to Hollywood. Henning loved growing up around show business and knew from an early age that she wanted to be part of it.
"The big advantage is that since childhood, I have lived and breathed show business," Henning said. "When my folks gave parties, I'd leave the door open a crack, and lie in bed listening to people like Joan Davis, Dennis Day, George Burns, and Gracie Allen letting their hair down."
"By the time I was five, I knew more punchlines to more gags than any kid on the block."
Still, stepping onto the set of Petticoat Junction as the boss' daughter was enough to make Henning nervous. She worried that her castmates might see her as a case of nepotism rather than a professional actress. Fortunately, those fears didn't last long.
"If one person had uttered that dreadful word, 'nepotism' I know I would have burst into tears," Henning said. "But everyone was marvelous, especially Edgar Buchanan and Bea Benaderet. They treated me as just another actor."
So, at home, she was Linda Henning, Paul Henning's daughter. On set, she was Linda Kaye, ready to prove she belonged there on her own.
"At home, I was Linda Henning, his daughter and the apple of his eye," Henning said. "On set, I was Linda Kaye, a professional actress who was expected to show up prepared and do a good job."
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