Arnold Ziffel
Encyclopedia
Arnold Ziffel was a pig featured in Green Acres
, an American
situation comedy
that was produced by Filmways, Inc., and originally aired on the CBS
network from 1965 to 1971. The show was premised on rural American humor and featured Oliver Wendell Douglas
and his wife Lisa
as city-dwellers who move to the unfamiliar environment of Hooterville
, a fictional farming community.
Arnold was a pig
, but he was treated as the son of Fred and Doris Ziffel. As evidenced by Arnold's erect ears and all white coloration, he was of the American Yorkshire breed.
, and play the piano
. He was an accomplished abstract painter (dubbed "Porky Picasso"), whose work, such as "Nude at a Filling Station," was banned. Arnold also attended school, carrying his lunchbox in his mouth, where he often played practical joke
s on the other students. He was once drafted into the U.S. Army and even worked as a "paper pig" delivering newspaper
s, although he had a bad habit of throwing copies so hard and so badly aimed that he sometimes broke residential windows doing it.
Arnold was also very lucky, winning a trip to Hawaii in one episode, a prize at the Pixley movie theater for having the most original costume (the theater manager said he had the best looking pig costume he'd ever seen), and a trip to Hollywood. After a screen test, he was cast in a role originally intended for a horse, but after the horse explained to Arnold that, without the job, he'd never be able to send his son to Stanford, Arnold's deliberate bad behavior led to his being fired and the horse getting his job back.
Arnold fell in love with Mr. Haney
's prized Basset Hound
"Cynthia", but in a scene full of pig grunts and dog barks, subtitles explained that they were realizing that their love could never be. Mr. Haney then threatened to sue Mr. Ziffel, claiming that Arnold had ruined Cynthia for show as she had begun to grunt like a pig too.
One storyline had Arnold inheriting millions of dollars as the sole descendant of the favorite pig of a pork-packing magnate, distinguished by his ability to predict the weather with his tail. There was some doubt to the pig's ability when during the claims process for the money, his demonstration predicted snow in the middle of warm weather. This prediction was disbelieved and Oliver found himself in a difficult situation checking out of an expensive hotel because he had to deal with Arnold's expensive bill. However during that difficulty, Arnold's seemingly impossible prediction proved accurate with a freak snowstorm burying the city and thus the hotel welcomed the pig with open arms again.
, who trained virtually all of the animals seen in the rural television comedies of the time period, including Petticoat Junction
and Beverly Hillbillies. Arnold won three Patsy Award
s for Inn during the 1960s.
Inn died in 2002 and at his request, the ashes of Arnold and of the dog Higgins
(who had played "Dog" on Petticoat Junction and had the title role in the 1974 film Benji
) were placed in his coffin and buried with him.
Some sources point out that Arnold was actually played by a piglet. Because piglets grow quickly as they become adult pigs, this would require that at least one piglet per year had to be trained for the role of Arnold during the seven years that the show was in production.
In most episodes, Arnold was played by a female piglet.
circulated during the era of the show's greatest popularity to the effect that the cast and crew of Green Acres ate Arnold. The story is false, however it persisted long after Green Acres went off the air; moreover, as noted above, there was more than one Arnold.
In the 1994 film Pulp Fiction
, the character Jules (played by Samuel L. Jackson
) refers to Arnold, saying a pig would have to be "ten times more charming" than Arnold for him to eat it.
The 1995 theatrical film Gordy
was originally conceived in the early 1970s by Green Acres
creator Jay Sommers
and writer Dick Chevillat as a vehicle for the Arnold Ziffel character. Both are given writing credit for the film, although Sommers had died some ten years before the release of Gordy.
The band Anthrax dedicated their cover of Black Sabbath's "Sabbath Bloody Sabbath" to Arnold Ziffel on their I'm the Man EP.
Green Acres
Green Acres is an American television series starring Eddie Albert and Eva Gabor as a couple who move from New York City to a country farm...
, an American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
situation comedy
Situation comedy
A situation comedy, often shortened to sitcom, is a genre of comedy that features characters sharing the same common environment, such as a home or workplace, accompanied with jokes as part of the dialogue...
that was produced by Filmways, Inc., and originally aired on the CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
network from 1965 to 1971. The show was premised on rural American humor and featured Oliver Wendell Douglas
Oliver Wendell Douglas
Oliver Wendell Douglas was the major character in the 1960s CBS situation comedy Green Acres. The character's name was inspired by famed Supreme Court justice Oliver Wendell Holmes and possibly also by then-Supreme Court justice William Orville Douglas....
and his wife Lisa
Lisa Douglas
Lisa Douglas was the leading female character in the 1960s CBS situation comedy Green Acres.Lisa , a glamorous Hungarian immigrant, was the wife of...
as city-dwellers who move to the unfamiliar environment of Hooterville
Hooterville
Hooterville was a fictional town that was the setting of the American television sitcoms Petticoat Junction and Green Acres.-Citizens:The town of Hooterville was founded in 1868 by Horace Hooter...
, a fictional farming community.
Arnold was a pig
Pig
A pig is any of the animals in the genus Sus, within the Suidae family of even-toed ungulates. Pigs include the domestic pig, its ancestor the wild boar, and several other wild relatives...
, but he was treated as the son of Fred and Doris Ziffel. As evidenced by Arnold's erect ears and all white coloration, he was of the American Yorkshire breed.
Situations
Arnold could do pretty much anything he wanted. He was very talented. He could write his name, change the channels on the televisionTelevision
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
, and play the piano
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
. He was an accomplished abstract painter (dubbed "Porky Picasso"), whose work, such as "Nude at a Filling Station," was banned. Arnold also attended school, carrying his lunchbox in his mouth, where he often played practical joke
Practical joke
A practical joke is a mischievous trick played on someone, typically causing the victim to experience embarrassment, indignity, or discomfort. Practical jokes differ from confidence tricks in that the victim finds out, or is let in on the joke, rather than being fooled into handing over money or...
s on the other students. He was once drafted into the U.S. Army and even worked as a "paper pig" delivering newspaper
Newspaper
A newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...
s, although he had a bad habit of throwing copies so hard and so badly aimed that he sometimes broke residential windows doing it.
Arnold was also very lucky, winning a trip to Hawaii in one episode, a prize at the Pixley movie theater for having the most original costume (the theater manager said he had the best looking pig costume he'd ever seen), and a trip to Hollywood. After a screen test, he was cast in a role originally intended for a horse, but after the horse explained to Arnold that, without the job, he'd never be able to send his son to Stanford, Arnold's deliberate bad behavior led to his being fired and the horse getting his job back.
Arnold fell in love with Mr. Haney
Mr. Haney
Mr. Haney was a local farmer turned salesman and con man in the rural Hooterville community who was a supporting antagonist character on the 1960s CBS television series Green Acres.Haney, portrayed by veteran character actor and longtime Western film sidekick Pat Buttram with the odd,...
's prized Basset Hound
Basset Hound
The Basset Hound is a short-legged breed of dog of the hound family. They are scent hounds, bred to hunt rabbits and hare by scent. Their sense of smell for tracking is second only to that of the Bloodhound....
"Cynthia", but in a scene full of pig grunts and dog barks, subtitles explained that they were realizing that their love could never be. Mr. Haney then threatened to sue Mr. Ziffel, claiming that Arnold had ruined Cynthia for show as she had begun to grunt like a pig too.
One storyline had Arnold inheriting millions of dollars as the sole descendant of the favorite pig of a pork-packing magnate, distinguished by his ability to predict the weather with his tail. There was some doubt to the pig's ability when during the claims process for the money, his demonstration predicted snow in the middle of warm weather. This prediction was disbelieved and Oliver found himself in a difficult situation checking out of an expensive hotel because he had to deal with Arnold's expensive bill. However during that difficulty, Arnold's seemingly impossible prediction proved accurate with a freak snowstorm burying the city and thus the hotel welcomed the pig with open arms again.
Behind the scenes
The trainer of Arnold was Frank InnFrank Inn
Frank Inn was born as Elias Franklin Freeman, was an American animal trainer. He trained several animals for movies, but was most known for his work with the dogs in the Benji series.-Personal life:...
, who trained virtually all of the animals seen in the rural television comedies of the time period, including Petticoat Junction
Petticoat Junction
Petticoat Junction is an American situation comedy produced by Filmways which originally aired on CBS from 1963 to 1970. The series is one of three interrelated shows about rural characters created by Paul Henning; the others are The Beverly Hillbillies and Green Acres.The setting for the series...
and Beverly Hillbillies. Arnold won three Patsy Award
Patsy Award
The Patsy Award was originated by the Hollywood office of the American Humane Association in 1939. They decided to honor animal performers after a horse was killed in an on-set accident during the filming of the Tyrone Power film Jesse James...
s for Inn during the 1960s.
Inn died in 2002 and at his request, the ashes of Arnold and of the dog Higgins
Higgins (dog)
Higgins was one of the best-known dog actors of the 1960s – 1970s. Most people remember him either as "Dog" or as "Benji," two of the most popular roles he played during a 14-year career in show business....
(who had played "Dog" on Petticoat Junction and had the title role in the 1974 film Benji
Benji
Benji is the name of a fictional dog who has been the focus of several movies from 1974 through the 2000s. It is also the title of the first film in the Benji series....
) were placed in his coffin and buried with him.
Some sources point out that Arnold was actually played by a piglet. Because piglets grow quickly as they become adult pigs, this would require that at least one piglet per year had to be trained for the role of Arnold during the seven years that the show was in production.
In most episodes, Arnold was played by a female piglet.
Influence on popular culture
A popular urban legendUrban legend
An urban legend, urban myth, urban tale, or contemporary legend, is a form of modern folklore consisting of stories that may or may not have been believed by their tellers to be true...
circulated during the era of the show's greatest popularity to the effect that the cast and crew of Green Acres ate Arnold. The story is false, however it persisted long after Green Acres went off the air; moreover, as noted above, there was more than one Arnold.
In the 1994 film Pulp Fiction
Pulp Fiction (film)
Pulp Fiction is a 1994 American crime film directed by Quentin Tarantino, who co-wrote its screenplay with Roger Avary. The film is known for its rich, eclectic dialogue, ironic mix of humor and violence, nonlinear storyline, and host of cinematic allusions and pop culture references...
, the character Jules (played by Samuel L. Jackson
Samuel L. Jackson
Samuel Leroy Jackson is an American film and television actor and film producer. After becoming involved with the Civil Rights Movement, he moved on to acting in theater at Morehouse College, and then films. He had several small roles such as in the film Goodfellas before meeting his mentor,...
) refers to Arnold, saying a pig would have to be "ten times more charming" than Arnold for him to eat it.
The 1995 theatrical film Gordy
Gordy
Gordy is a 1995 feature film about a piglet who searches for his missing family...
was originally conceived in the early 1970s by Green Acres
Green Acres
Green Acres is an American television series starring Eddie Albert and Eva Gabor as a couple who move from New York City to a country farm...
creator Jay Sommers
Jay Sommers
Jay Sommers was a producer, director and comedy writer whose career spanned four decades. He wrote more than 90 television comedy episodes, produced 63, and had a major responsibility for creating the Green Acres television show...
and writer Dick Chevillat as a vehicle for the Arnold Ziffel character. Both are given writing credit for the film, although Sommers had died some ten years before the release of Gordy.
The band Anthrax dedicated their cover of Black Sabbath's "Sabbath Bloody Sabbath" to Arnold Ziffel on their I'm the Man EP.