In mid-1971, I experienced a most distressing visit to the dentist.
A TV fan magazine in the waiting room divulged life-changing news. Irene Ryan (who portrayed Granny on “The Beverly Hillbillies”) told an interviewer she was madder than a wet hen — because CBS had canceled the beloved sitcom after nine seasons!
TV historians regard this as part of the “rural purge” of the early 70s. “Petticoat…