Green Acres
Encyclopedia
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. Produced by Filmways
, as a sister show
to Petticoat Junction
, the series was broadcast on CBS
from September 15, 1965, to April 27, 1971.
and Petticoat Junction
, CBS
offered producer Paul Henning
another half-hour on the schedule — unusually with no pilot
required. Lacking the time, he encouraged colleague Jay Sommers
to create the series. Sommers used his 1950 radio
series, Granby's Green Acres, as the basis for the new series. The 13-episode radio series had starred Gale Gordon
and Bea Benaderet
(who also sometimes appeared in the TV version) as a big-city family who move to the country.
In pre-production, proposed titles were Country Cousins and The Eddie Albert Show.
Green Acres was about Oliver Wendell Douglas
(Eddie Albert
), an accomplished and erudite New York City attorney, acting on his dream to be a farmer, and Lisa Douglas
(Eva Gabor
), his glamorous, bejeweled Hungarian wife, dragged unwillingly from the privileged city life she adored to a ramshackle farm. The theme tune, as with those of the show's rural cousins, explains the basic premise of the show. Eddie Albert sings all of his lyrics. Eva Gabor recites most of her part. At the end of the opening sequence, Albert and Gabor strike a pose which is a parody of the painting "American Gothic
" by Grant Wood.
The debut episode was a mockumentary
about this big-city attorney's decision to move to a rural area, anchored by former ABC newscaster (and then current host of the CBS game show What's My Line) John Charles Daly
. A few weeks after the show's debut, Albert and Gabor returned the favor by appearing on What's My Line as that episode's Mystery Guests, and publicly thanked Daly for helping to launch their series.
After the first episodes the series shifted from a run-of-the-mill rural comedy, developing an absurdist world. Though there were still many episodes that were standard 1960s sitcom fare, the show became notable for its surreal aspects that frequently included satire
. They had an appeal to children for the slapstick
, silliness, and shtick, though adults were able to appreciate it on a different level.
television comedy Petticoat Junction, featuring such picturesque towns as Hooterville
(mispronounced "Hootersville" by Lisa), Pixley, Crabwell Corners, and Stankwell Falls. As a spin-off, it at times shared some of the same characters. Sometimes Petticoat Junction folks, such as Joe Carson, Newt Kiley, and Floyd Smoot, are seen in "cross-over" episodes and vice versa. Petticoat Junction frequently had crossover storylines with Beverly Hillbillies during 1969-70.
Much of the humor of the series derived from the pragmatic yet short-fused Oliver attempting to make sense of the largely insane
world around him. There seemed to be a dual perspective of reality: Oliver versus everyone else. The latter envelops the Hootervillians, as well as wife Lisa and Oliver's affluent mother (Eleanor Audley
), who lampoons Oliver for his agricultural pipe-dreams. At times Oliver himself leaves reality, for example, renting a rooster to awaken him, and farming and doing home and tractor repairs while in a three-piece suit.
The dishonest, oily salesman Mr. Haney
(Pat Buttram
), who sold Oliver the Green Acres farm, continues to con his easy "mark" in most episodes. Haney, along with young, glib farmhand Eb Dawson (Tom Lester
), scatterbrained county agent Hank Kimball
(Alvy Moore
), and general store owner Sam Drucker
(Frank Cady
) make up the main supporting cast. Eb habitually addressed the Douglases as "Dad" and "Mom", much to Oliver's irritation.
A pair of recurring characters are two quarrelsome carpenter
s the Monroe Brothers, Alf and Ralph. Despite Ralph's name and status as a brother, Ralph, played by Mary Grace Canfield
, is a woman. Alf is played by Sid Melton
. Seemingly, only Oliver questions the bizarre contradiction. The brothers rarely finish projects (such as the Douglases' bedroom, securing the door knob to front door, etc.), and those they do complete are disasters. Melton left in 1970 (season four) to do Make Room For Granddaddy, so the writers developed an occasional subplot which involved sister Ralph's attempts to win the affections of "Hanky" Kimball, or some other hapless Hooterville bachelor. Alf would later return for Ralph's failed wedding ceremony to Kimble.
Drucker was a regular on both series. The first bar of the Petticoat Junction theme song is usually played during the establishing shot
of his store. While Drucker is a provincial everyman in Petticoat Junction, his character is bent a bit here (keeping plastic pickles in a barrel to appease "city folk"). Drucker also serves as a newspaper editor and printer, volunteer fireman, constable
, justice of the peace
, and postmaster. As editor of the Hooterville World Guardian his headlines were often decades-old. He was slow as postmaster, having belatedly delivered a lost 1917 "draft" notice to Fred Ziffel after 51 years, which surpassed the 26-year delivery record of a lost 1942 WPA
letter to Haney for stealing a shovel. As justice of the peace, he once let his license lapse, unwittingly sending Ralph Monroe and Kimball to their premature honeymoon. Drucker often is the only character to be inspired by Oliver's rural patriotism, filtering Oliver's idealism to the townsfolk and the plebian, backwoods notions of the community back to Douglas. In one episode the menfolk thought they could get a tax refund without ever having paid taxes. To Oliver's surprise, they did.
In a slap to government bureaucrats and civil service employees, Alvy Moore plays spacey agricultural agent Kimball, who would draw folks into inane conversations, digress and lose his train of thought, and then exit the scene.
The Douglases' childless elderly neighbors, Fred and Doris Ziffel, "adopted" a pig named Arnold Ziffel
as their "son". Arnold understands English, lives indoors, and is pampered. Arnold is an avid TV watcher and a Western fan, who attends the local grade school (carries book pack in mouth). Only Oliver seems cognizant that Arnold is just livestock, although he frequently slips and begins treating him as a boy. Arnold makes regular appearances throughout the series, often visiting the Douglas farm to watch their TV.
Lisa's domestic ignorance provides fertile ground for recurring gags – her "coffee" oozes from the pot in a thick, tar-like sludge; her "hotscakes" are inedible, and so tough that Oliver made head gaskets for a truck and his tractor using the recipe. In one episode, hotcake batter is used for fireplace mortar; in another, hotcakes are used to reshingle a roof. Her sandwiches include such epicurean delights as liverwurst
and jelly. Instead of washing dishes, Lisa sometimes tosses them out the kitchen window. In the episode "Alf and Ralph Break Up", Lisa admits that she has no cooking abilities and says her only talent is her Zsa Zsa Gabor
imitation (the real life sisters were often mistaken for one another).
Though Oliver and Lisa are both depicted as fish-out-of-water, the concept provides an ironic twist. While Oliver instigated the move from Manhattan to Hooterville, over Lisa's objections, it is Lisa who quickly assimilates to her new quirky, offbeat surroundings. Oliver, while eager to fit-in, is often at a loss to grasp the surreal Hootervillians.
Many of the Shady Rest Hotel folks from Petticoat Junction appear, including the four Bradleys, and Joe Carson. Uncle Joe is sometimes playing checkers, loafing, or mooching fruit at the General Store with Newt Kiley or Floyd Smoot. Betty-Jo Bradley appears in one episode as Eb Dawson's date. Bobbi-Jo appears in the same episode. Kate Bradley appeared in a few of the early episodes trying to help Lisa adapt to country living, most notably giving her the recipe for her infamous "hotscakes". Western film actor Smiley Burnette
guested several times as railway engineer Charley Pratt during the 1965 and 1966 seasons, but Burnette's ill health ended the role.
" when CBS decided to shift its schedule to more urban, contemporary-themed shows, which drew the younger audiences desired by advertisers. Nearly the entire Green Acres cast was middle-aged or older. The Beverly Hillbillies and other shows with rural settings, including Hee Haw
and Mayberry R.F.D.
, were also dropped. Said Pat Buttram of the purge: "CBS canceled everything with a tree — including Lassie
". Since its cancellation, Green Acres has been shown in reruns, in syndication, on TBS
, and on TV Land
.
An urban legend
says that Arnold the pig was cooked and eaten by the cast after the show ended. In reality, several different pigs were used during the show's run, none of which was eaten by the cast. Trainer Frank Inn
used a smaller, female pig in later seasons, with visible mammaries. The pig actors were dissimilar in more ways than one (as with the two actresses who played Doris) — for example, one Arnold had tufts of grey hair behind his ears, giving him an aged look. Yet another Arnold has spots that others lack. This may have been an intentional goof by producers for comedic effect. Other sources point out that Arnold was actually played by a piglet, and because piglets grow quickly on the way to becoming adult pigs, many different piglets had to be used in the role of Arnold during the show's production run.
The Hooterville Handbook: A Viewer's Guide To Green Acres (ISBN 0-312-08811-6) has detailed show information. Seasons 1–3 of the show are released for Region 0 (suitable for all DVD players) through MGM Home Entertainment
(whose sister company, MGM Television, now owns the rights to the show through its acquisition of Orion Television
, successor-in-interest to Filmways, making this the only one of Paul Hennning's "Rural Trilogy" of shows, which included The Beverly Hillbillies
and Petticoat Junction
, that is not owned by CBS Television Distribution
).
). With a nod to the times, Haney's latest product is a Russian miracle fertilizer called "Gorby
Grow".
In addition, there were crossovers from Petticoat Junction cast members, most frequently:
Of the above cast, Cady (oldest), Canfield, and Lester (youngest) are the only surviving members .
, Elaine Joyce
, Gary Dubin
, Herbert Anderson
, June Foray
, Buddy Foster, Robert Cummings
, Sam Edwards
, Jerry Van Dyke
, J. Pat O'Malley
, Johnny Whitaker
, Garry Wallberg, Jesse White
, Al Lewis, Dave Barry, George Ives, Gordon Jump
, Bernie Kopell
, Len Lesser
, Bob Hastings
, Don Keefer
, Don Porter
, Alan Hale Jr., Melody Patterson
, Anthony Spinelli, Rusty Hamer
, Regis Toomey
, Norman Leavitt, Heather North
, Allan Melvin
, Parley Baer
, Jack Bannon
, David Ketchum, Francine York, Rick Lenz
, Karen Valentine
among many others.
Future Happy Days
stars Al Molinaro
and Pat Morita
guest-starred on separate episodes, while a young comedian Rich Little
made a cameo
appearance as himself.
on May 18, 1990.
On November 19, 2007, original series director Richard L. Bare announced that he is working on a revival of Green Acres.
released the first three seasons of Green Acres on Region 1 DVD. No release of the remaining three seasons is announced.
, who wrote and produced a third of the Green Acres episodes. In both, a businessman knowing little about farming moves to an impoverished farm. The characters are more conventionally odd, the wife stereotypically talkative and dim, the "Sam Drucker" character senile, the hired hand stoic about the incompetent management.
As a Top 30 series, Green Acres has an average rating of 24.
Eddie Albert
Edward Albert Heimberger , known professionally as Eddie Albert, was an American actor and activist. He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor in 1954 for his performance in Roman Holiday, and in 1973 for The Heartbreak Kid.Other well-known screen roles of his include Bing...
and Eva Gabor
Eva Gabor
Eva Gabor was a Hungarian-born socialite and actress. She was widely known for her role on Green Acres as Lisa Douglas, the wife of Eddie Albert's character, Oliver Wendell Douglas, Duchess in the 1970 Disney film The Aristocats, and Miss Bianca in Disney's The Rescuers and The Rescuers Down Under...
as a couple who move from New York City to a country farm. Produced by Filmways
Filmways
Filmways, Inc. was a television and film production company founded by American film executive Martin Ransohoff in 1958...
, as a sister show
Sister show
Sister shows are two or more television shows which exist in the same fictional universe and which may have crossovers. They differ to a degree from spin-offs in that shows may air simultaneously, rather than being derived from, and replacing, another. The popularity of most shows is limited to a...
to 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...
, the series was broadcast on 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...
from September 15, 1965, to April 27, 1971.
Background
With the success of The Beverly HillbilliesThe Beverly Hillbillies
The Beverly Hillbillies is an American situation comedy originally broadcast for nine seasons on CBS from 1962 to 1971, starring Buddy Ebsen, Irene Ryan, Donna Douglas, and Max Baer, Jr....
and 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...
, 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...
offered producer Paul Henning
Paul Henning
Paul William Henning was an American producer and writer. Most famous for the successful TV sitcom The Beverly Hillbillies, he was crucial in the development of several "rural" comedies for CBS.-Early life:...
another half-hour on the schedule — unusually with no pilot
Television pilot
A "television pilot" is a standalone episode of a television series that is used to sell the show to a television network. At the time of its inception, the pilot is meant to be the "testing ground" to see if a series will be possibly desired and successful and therefore a test episode of an...
required. Lacking the time, he encouraged colleague 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...
to create the series. Sommers used his 1950 radio
Old-time radio
Old-Time Radio and the Golden Age of Radio refer to a period of radio programming in the United States lasting from the proliferation of radio broadcasting in the early 1920s until television's replacement of radio as the primary home entertainment medium in the 1950s...
series, Granby's Green Acres, as the basis for the new series. The 13-episode radio series had starred Gale Gordon
Gale Gordon
Gale Gordon was an American character actor perhaps best remembered as Lucille Ball's longtime television foil—and particularly as cantankerously combustible, tightfisted bank executive Theodore J. Mooney, on Ball's second television situation comedy, The Lucy Show...
and Bea Benaderet
Bea Benaderet
Bea Benaderet was an American actress born in New York City and raised in San Francisco, California. She is best remembered for her wide variety of television work, which included a starring role in the 1960s television series Petticoat Junction and Green Acres as Shady Rest Hotel owner Kate...
(who also sometimes appeared in the TV version) as a big-city family who move to the country.
In pre-production, proposed titles were Country Cousins and The Eddie Albert Show.
Green Acres was about 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....
(Eddie Albert
Eddie Albert
Edward Albert Heimberger , known professionally as Eddie Albert, was an American actor and activist. He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor in 1954 for his performance in Roman Holiday, and in 1973 for The Heartbreak Kid.Other well-known screen roles of his include Bing...
), an accomplished and erudite New York City attorney, acting on his dream to be a farmer, and Lisa Douglas
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...
(Eva Gabor
Eva Gabor
Eva Gabor was a Hungarian-born socialite and actress. She was widely known for her role on Green Acres as Lisa Douglas, the wife of Eddie Albert's character, Oliver Wendell Douglas, Duchess in the 1970 Disney film The Aristocats, and Miss Bianca in Disney's The Rescuers and The Rescuers Down Under...
), his glamorous, bejeweled Hungarian wife, dragged unwillingly from the privileged city life she adored to a ramshackle farm. The theme tune, as with those of the show's rural cousins, explains the basic premise of the show. Eddie Albert sings all of his lyrics. Eva Gabor recites most of her part. At the end of the opening sequence, Albert and Gabor strike a pose which is a parody of the painting "American Gothic
American Gothic
American Gothic is a painting by Grant Wood, in the collection of the Art Institute of Chicago. Wood's inspiration came from a cottage designed in the Gothic Revival style with a distinctive upper window and a decision to paint the house along with "the kind of people I fancied should live in that...
" by Grant Wood.
The debut episode was a mockumentary
Mockumentary
A mockumentary , is a type of film or television show in which fictitious events are presented in documentary format. These productions are often used to analyze or comment on current events and issues by using a fictitious setting, or to parody the documentary form itself...
about this big-city attorney's decision to move to a rural area, anchored by former ABC newscaster (and then current host of the CBS game show What's My Line) John Charles Daly
John Charles Daly
John Charles Patrick Croghan Daly John Charles Patrick Croghan Daly John Charles Patrick Croghan Daly (generally known as John Charles Daly or simply John Daly (February 20, 1914 – February 24, 1991) was an American journalist, game show host and radio personality, probably best known for hosting...
. A few weeks after the show's debut, Albert and Gabor returned the favor by appearing on What's My Line as that episode's Mystery Guests, and publicly thanked Daly for helping to launch their series.
After the first episodes the series shifted from a run-of-the-mill rural comedy, developing an absurdist world. Though there were still many episodes that were standard 1960s sitcom fare, the show became notable for its surreal aspects that frequently included satire
Satire
Satire is primarily a literary genre or form, although in practice it can also be found in the graphic and performing arts. In satire, vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, ideally with the intent of shaming individuals, and society itself, into improvement...
. They had an appeal to children for the slapstick
Slapstick
Slapstick is a type of comedy involving exaggerated violence and activities which may exceed the boundaries of common sense.- Origins :The phrase comes from the batacchio or bataccio — called the 'slap stick' in English — a club-like object composed of two wooden slats used in Commedia dell'arte...
, silliness, and shtick, though adults were able to appreciate it on a different level.
Supporting characters
It was set in the same universe as Henning's other ruralRural
Rural areas or the country or countryside are areas that are not urbanized, though when large areas are described, country towns and smaller cities will be included. They have a low population density, and typically much of the land is devoted to agriculture...
television comedy Petticoat Junction, featuring such picturesque towns as 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...
(mispronounced "Hootersville" by Lisa), Pixley, Crabwell Corners, and Stankwell Falls. As a spin-off, it at times shared some of the same characters. Sometimes Petticoat Junction folks, such as Joe Carson, Newt Kiley, and Floyd Smoot, are seen in "cross-over" episodes and vice versa. Petticoat Junction frequently had crossover storylines with Beverly Hillbillies during 1969-70.
Much of the humor of the series derived from the pragmatic yet short-fused Oliver attempting to make sense of the largely insane
Insanity
Insanity, craziness or madness is a spectrum of behaviors characterized by certain abnormal mental or behavioral patterns. Insanity may manifest as violations of societal norms, including becoming a danger to themselves and others, though not all such acts are considered insanity...
world around him. There seemed to be a dual perspective of reality: Oliver versus everyone else. The latter envelops the Hootervillians, as well as wife Lisa and Oliver's affluent mother (Eleanor Audley
Eleanor Audley
Eleanor Audley was an American actress who was a familiar radio and animation voice, in addition to her TV and film roles...
), who lampoons Oliver for his agricultural pipe-dreams. At times Oliver himself leaves reality, for example, renting a rooster to awaken him, and farming and doing home and tractor repairs while in a three-piece suit.
The dishonest, oily salesman 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,...
(Pat Buttram
Pat Buttram
Maxwell Emmett "Pat" Buttram was an American actor, known for playing the sidekick of Gene Autry and for playing the character of Mr. Haney in the TV series Green Acres. He had a distinctive voice which, in his own words, "... never quite made it through puberty"...
), who sold Oliver the Green Acres farm, continues to con his easy "mark" in most episodes. Haney, along with young, glib farmhand Eb Dawson (Tom Lester
Tom Lester
Thomas William "Tom" Lester is an American actor and evangelist. He may be best remembered for his role as Oliver & Lisa Douglas's farmhand, Eb Dawson, in the television series Green Acres, and appeared in the movies Gordy and Benji.-Biography:Lester was born in Laurel, Mississippi...
), scatterbrained county agent Hank Kimball
Hank Kimball
Henry Wadsworth "Hank" Kimball was the fictitious county agent of the 1965-71 American television comedy Green Acres. The show was about a rich New York City couple who decide to buy and run a farm in the wacky and surreal town of Hooterville....
(Alvy Moore
Alvy Moore
Jack Alvin "Alvy" Moore was an American light comic actor best known for his role as scatterbrained county agricultural agent "Hank Kimball" on the television series Green Acres....
), and general store owner Sam Drucker
Sam Drucker
Sam Drucker was the operator of the general store in Hooterville in the fictional world of the 1960s American sitcoms Petticoat Junction and Green Acres and made several guest appearances on The Beverly Hillbillies, created by Paul Henning...
(Frank Cady
Frank Cady
Frank Cady is an American actor best known for his recurring and popular role as storekeeper Sam Drucker in three US television series during the 1960s: Petticoat Junction, Green Acres and The Beverly Hillbillies.-Career:...
) make up the main supporting cast. Eb habitually addressed the Douglases as "Dad" and "Mom", much to Oliver's irritation.
A pair of recurring characters are two quarrelsome carpenter
Carpentry
A carpenter is a skilled craftsperson who works with timber to construct, install and maintain buildings, furniture, and other objects. The work, known as carpentry, may involve manual labor and work outdoors....
s the Monroe Brothers, Alf and Ralph. Despite Ralph's name and status as a brother, Ralph, played by Mary Grace Canfield
Mary Grace Canfield
Mary Grace Canfield is an American actress who often played the role of a romance-starved spinster/wallflower...
, is a woman. Alf is played by Sid Melton
Sid Melton
Sid Melton was an American actor known for his roles as incompetent carpenter Alf Monroe in the CBS sitcom Green Acres and as Uncle Charlie Halper, proprietor of the Copa Club, in Make Room for Daddy and its spin-offs.Born as Sidney Meltzer in Brooklyn, New York, he was the brother of screenwriter...
. Seemingly, only Oliver questions the bizarre contradiction. The brothers rarely finish projects (such as the Douglases' bedroom, securing the door knob to front door, etc.), and those they do complete are disasters. Melton left in 1970 (season four) to do Make Room For Granddaddy, so the writers developed an occasional subplot which involved sister Ralph's attempts to win the affections of "Hanky" Kimball, or some other hapless Hooterville bachelor. Alf would later return for Ralph's failed wedding ceremony to Kimble.
Drucker was a regular on both series. The first bar of the Petticoat Junction theme song is usually played during the establishing shot
Establishing shot
An establishing shot in filmmaking and television production sets up, or establishes the context for a scene by showing the relationship between its important figures and objects...
of his store. While Drucker is a provincial everyman in Petticoat Junction, his character is bent a bit here (keeping plastic pickles in a barrel to appease "city folk"). Drucker also serves as a newspaper editor and printer, volunteer fireman, constable
Constable
A constable is a person holding a particular office, most commonly in law enforcement. The office of constable can vary significantly in different jurisdictions.-Etymology:...
, justice of the peace
Justice of the Peace
A justice of the peace is a puisne judicial officer elected or appointed by means of a commission to keep the peace. Depending on the jurisdiction, they might dispense summary justice or merely deal with local administrative applications in common law jurisdictions...
, and postmaster. As editor of the Hooterville World Guardian his headlines were often decades-old. He was slow as postmaster, having belatedly delivered a lost 1917 "draft" notice to Fred Ziffel after 51 years, which surpassed the 26-year delivery record of a lost 1942 WPA
Works Progress Administration
The Works Progress Administration was the largest and most ambitious New Deal agency, employing millions of unskilled workers to carry out public works projects, including the construction of public buildings and roads, and operated large arts, drama, media, and literacy projects...
letter to Haney for stealing a shovel. As justice of the peace, he once let his license lapse, unwittingly sending Ralph Monroe and Kimball to their premature honeymoon. Drucker often is the only character to be inspired by Oliver's rural patriotism, filtering Oliver's idealism to the townsfolk and the plebian, backwoods notions of the community back to Douglas. In one episode the menfolk thought they could get a tax refund without ever having paid taxes. To Oliver's surprise, they did.
In a slap to government bureaucrats and civil service employees, Alvy Moore plays spacey agricultural agent Kimball, who would draw folks into inane conversations, digress and lose his train of thought, and then exit the scene.
The Douglases' childless elderly neighbors, Fred and Doris Ziffel, "adopted" a pig named Arnold Ziffel
Arnold Ziffel
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...
as their "son". Arnold understands English, lives indoors, and is pampered. Arnold is an avid TV watcher and a Western fan, who attends the local grade school (carries book pack in mouth). Only Oliver seems cognizant that Arnold is just livestock, although he frequently slips and begins treating him as a boy. Arnold makes regular appearances throughout the series, often visiting the Douglas farm to watch their TV.
Lisa's domestic ignorance provides fertile ground for recurring gags – her "coffee" oozes from the pot in a thick, tar-like sludge; her "hotscakes" are inedible, and so tough that Oliver made head gaskets for a truck and his tractor using the recipe. In one episode, hotcake batter is used for fireplace mortar; in another, hotcakes are used to reshingle a roof. Her sandwiches include such epicurean delights as liverwurst
Liverwurst
The German , that translates literally as "liver sausage," is the typical sausage served in Germany, Austria, Hungary, Serbia, Slovenia, the Netherlands, Finland, Sweden and Romania . Liverwurst normally contains pigs' livers, rather than calves' livers and also contains veal...
and jelly. Instead of washing dishes, Lisa sometimes tosses them out the kitchen window. In the episode "Alf and Ralph Break Up", Lisa admits that she has no cooking abilities and says her only talent is her Zsa Zsa Gabor
Zsa Zsa Gabor
Zsa Zsa Gabor is a Hungarian-born American stage, film and television actress.She acted on stage in Vienna, Austria, in 1932, and was crowned Miss Hungary in 1936. She emigrated to the United States in 1941 and became a sought-after actress with "European flair and style", with a personality that...
imitation (the real life sisters were often mistaken for one another).
Though Oliver and Lisa are both depicted as fish-out-of-water, the concept provides an ironic twist. While Oliver instigated the move from Manhattan to Hooterville, over Lisa's objections, it is Lisa who quickly assimilates to her new quirky, offbeat surroundings. Oliver, while eager to fit-in, is often at a loss to grasp the surreal Hootervillians.
Many of the Shady Rest Hotel folks from Petticoat Junction appear, including the four Bradleys, and Joe Carson. Uncle Joe is sometimes playing checkers, loafing, or mooching fruit at the General Store with Newt Kiley or Floyd Smoot. Betty-Jo Bradley appears in one episode as Eb Dawson's date. Bobbi-Jo appears in the same episode. Kate Bradley appeared in a few of the early episodes trying to help Lisa adapt to country living, most notably giving her the recipe for her infamous "hotscakes". Western film actor Smiley Burnette
Smiley Burnette
Lester Alvin Burnett , better known as Smiley Burnette, was a popular American country music performer and a comedic actor in Western films and on radio and TV, playing sidekick to Gene Autry and other B-movie cowboys. He was also a prolific singer-songwriter who could play as many as 100 musical...
guested several times as railway engineer Charley Pratt during the 1965 and 1966 seasons, but Burnette's ill health ended the role.
Recurrent gags
Gags used through the series:- Lisa and Oliver must always climb the telephone pole to make calls, because the telephone company ran out of line before they could bring the handset into the kitchen.
- Lisa mangles English words because of a Hungarian accent (or as her sly joke – it is not always clear which).
- Eb occasionally calling Lisa and Oliver "Mom and Dad" and (in one episode) Lisa's mother "Grandma" and Oliver becoming exasperated when he does so.
- "Mother" (Eunice Douglas, played by Eleanor AudleyEleanor AudleyEleanor Audley was an American actress who was a familiar radio and animation voice, in addition to her TV and film roles...
) completely adores Lisa and seems indifferent or antagonistic to Oliver, despite the fact that she is HIS mother, and not hers. She goes as far as advising Lisa to leave Oliver and move in with her in New York. - A fife and drum of the traditional patriotic American song "Yankee Doodle" plays while Oliver makes a long-winded speech; everyone but Oliver hears it. Sometimes they try to find the source of the music.
- Lisa's incredibly bad cooking, due mostly to her having had maids, cooks and other domestic help for most of her life. She can only cook one item "competently": hotcakes, and she thus prepares hotcakes for nearly every meal.
- Oliver and Lisa wear metropolitan clothes unsuited for farm life: Oliver a three-piece suit, even going so far as to have a specific suit for a specific task, leading to comments by townspeople such as "He's wearing his plowing suit". Lisa wears jewelry, heels, and expensive dresses, although she did dress down for tasks outside of the house.
- The Douglas' house being dilapidated and falling apart when they purchased it, and despite attempts to renovate their home -- which lasted nearly the duration of the entire series -- it never really saw much improvement. In addition to its sorry structural state, the house offered a number of quirks, including Oliver and Lisa's master bedroom closet, which featured a faulty sliding door that always seemed to slide off of its tracks, and no back, exterior wall (the closet opened directly to the outside). Oliver and Lisa's expensive, high-end furniture from their former Manhattan apartment is placed in the house for comic effect, making the structure appear even more shabby by contrast.
- The Douglas' automobile - a glamorous Lincoln Continental 4-door convertible, always with the top down.
- Oliver's and Lisa's stories about each other — where fact cannot be distinguished from joke.
- Mr. Haney showing up at inopportune moments, attempting to sell Oliver just what he needs at that moment (according to Haney, of course). Despite Oliver's protests and the obvious worthlessness of the items, Haney often succeeds.
- Characters breaking the fourth wallFourth wallThe fourth wall is the imaginary "wall" at the front of the stage in a traditional three-walled box set in a proscenium theatre, through which the audience sees the action in the world of the play...
by seeing and reacting to words in the opening credits. - A Hoyt-Clagwell farm tractor that rarely works and whose wheels regularly fall off.
- Arnold being able to do things (off camera) like knock on doors, sign his name, and turn on/turn off television sets, leaving an amazed Oliver to say "How did he....?"
- Green Acres treated Beverly Hillbillies as a fictional TV show – one episode had the Hooterville Community Theater re-create an episode of the series as a play. References were made to star Buddy EbsenBuddy EbsenBuddy Ebsen was an American character actor and dancer. A performer for seven decades, he had starring roles as Jed Clampett in the long-running television series The Beverly Hillbillies and as the title character in the 1970s detective series Barnaby Jones, and played Barnaby Jones in the movie...
and producer and creator Henning. In the Beverly Hillbillies episode "The Thanksgiving Spirit", members of the three programs share a Thanksgiving meal with the Clampetts as they visit Hooterville. In an in-joke crossover Mr. Haney tries to sell Douglas a colored picture of the Clampetts.
"Rural purge" cancellation
Although still popular, the show was canceled in 1971 as part of the "rural purgeRural purge
The "rural purge" of American television networks was a series of cancellations between 1969 and 1972, the majority of which occurred at the end of the 1970-71 television season, of still popular rural-themed shows and shows with demographically-skewed audiences...
" when CBS decided to shift its schedule to more urban, contemporary-themed shows, which drew the younger audiences desired by advertisers. Nearly the entire Green Acres cast was middle-aged or older. The Beverly Hillbillies and other shows with rural settings, including Hee Haw
Hee Haw
Hee Haw is an American television variety show featuring country music and humor with fictional rural Kornfield Kounty as a backdrop. It aired on CBS-TV from 1969–1971 before a 20-year run in local syndication. The show was inspired by Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In, the major difference being...
and Mayberry R.F.D.
Mayberry R.F.D.
Mayberry R.F.D. is a spin-off and direct continuation of The Andy Griffith Show under a new title, for the same sponsor, General Foods...
, were also dropped. Said Pat Buttram of the purge: "CBS canceled everything with a tree — including Lassie
Lassie
Lassie is a fictional collie dog character created by Eric Knight in a short story expanded to novel length called Lassie Come-Home. Published in 1940, the novel was filmed by MGM in 1943 as Lassie Come Home with a dog named Pal playing Lassie. Pal then appeared with the stage name "Lassie" in six...
". Since its cancellation, Green Acres has been shown in reruns, in syndication, on TBS
TBS (TV channel)
TBS , stylized in the logo as tbs, is an American cable television channel owned by Time Warner that shows a variety of programming, with a focus on comedy. TBS was originally known as WTCG, a UHF terrestrial television station that broadcast from Atlanta, Georgia, during the late 1970s...
, and on TV Land
TV Land
TV Land is an American cable television network launched on April 29, 1996. It is owned by MTV Networks, a division of Viacom, which also owns Paramount Pictures, and networks such as MTV and Nickelodeon...
.
An urban legend
Urban 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...
says that Arnold the pig was cooked and eaten by the cast after the show ended. In reality, several different pigs were used during the show's run, none of which was eaten by the cast. Trainer Frank Inn
Frank 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:...
used a smaller, female pig in later seasons, with visible mammaries. The pig actors were dissimilar in more ways than one (as with the two actresses who played Doris) — for example, one Arnold had tufts of grey hair behind his ears, giving him an aged look. Yet another Arnold has spots that others lack. This may have been an intentional goof by producers for comedic effect. Other sources point out that Arnold was actually played by a piglet, and because piglets grow quickly on the way to becoming adult pigs, many different piglets had to be used in the role of Arnold during the show's production run.
The Hooterville Handbook: A Viewer's Guide To Green Acres (ISBN 0-312-08811-6) has detailed show information. Seasons 1–3 of the show are released for Region 0 (suitable for all DVD players) through MGM Home Entertainment
MGM Home Entertainment
MGM Home Entertainment is the home video and DVD arm of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.-History:The home video division of MGM started in 1979 as MGM Home Video, releasing all the movies and TV shows by MGM. In 1980, MGM joined forces with CBS Video Enterprises, the home video division of the CBS television...
(whose sister company, MGM Television, now owns the rights to the show through its acquisition of Orion Television
Orion Pictures
Orion Pictures Corporation was an American independent production company that produced movies from 1978 until 1998. It was formed in 1978 as a joint venture between Warner Bros. and three former top-level executives of United Artists. Although it was never a large motion picture producer, Orion...
, successor-in-interest to Filmways, making this the only one of Paul Hennning's "Rural Trilogy" of shows, which included The Beverly Hillbillies
The Beverly Hillbillies
The Beverly Hillbillies is an American situation comedy originally broadcast for nine seasons on CBS from 1962 to 1971, starring Buddy Ebsen, Irene Ryan, Donna Douglas, and Max Baer, Jr....
and 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...
, that is not owned by CBS Television Distribution
CBS Television Distribution
CBS Television Distribution is a global television distribution company, formed from the merger of CBS Corporation's two domestic television distribution arms CBS Paramount Domestic Television and King World Productions, including its home entertainment arm CBS Home Entertainment...
).
Return to Green Acres reunion movie
In the 1990 reunion TV movie Return to Green Acres, a twenty-something Arnold survived his "parents", and subsequently bunks with his "cousin", the Ziffels' comely niece. (In reality a pig life span averages 12–15 years, similar to a dog.) The film was made and set two decades after the series. The Monroe Brothers still have not finished the Douglas' bedroom. In the movie, Oliver and Lisa have moved back to New York, but are miserable there. They are implored by the Hootervillians to return and save the town from a scheme to destroy it, cooked up between Mr. Haney and a wealthy, underhanded developer (Henry GibsonHenry Gibson
Henry Gibson was an American actor and songwriter, best known as a cast member of Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In and for his recurring role as Judge Clark Brown on Boston Legal.-Early life:...
). With a nod to the times, Haney's latest product is a Russian miracle fertilizer called "Gorby
Mikhail Gorbachev
Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev is a former Soviet statesman, having served as General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1985 until 1991, and as the last head of state of the USSR, having served from 1988 until its dissolution in 1991...
Grow".
Cast
- Oliver Wendell Douglas: Eddie AlbertEddie AlbertEdward Albert Heimberger , known professionally as Eddie Albert, was an American actor and activist. He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor in 1954 for his performance in Roman Holiday, and in 1973 for The Heartbreak Kid.Other well-known screen roles of his include Bing...
(170 episodes) - Lisa Douglas: Eva GaborEva GaborEva Gabor was a Hungarian-born socialite and actress. She was widely known for her role on Green Acres as Lisa Douglas, the wife of Eddie Albert's character, Oliver Wendell Douglas, Duchess in the 1970 Disney film The Aristocats, and Miss Bianca in Disney's The Rescuers and The Rescuers Down Under...
(170 episodes) - Mr. Eustace Haney: Pat ButtramPat ButtramMaxwell Emmett "Pat" Buttram was an American actor, known for playing the sidekick of Gene Autry and for playing the character of Mr. Haney in the TV series Green Acres. He had a distinctive voice which, in his own words, "... never quite made it through puberty"...
- Eb Dawson: Tom LesterTom LesterThomas William "Tom" Lester is an American actor and evangelist. He may be best remembered for his role as Oliver & Lisa Douglas's farmhand, Eb Dawson, in the television series Green Acres, and appeared in the movies Gordy and Benji.-Biography:Lester was born in Laurel, Mississippi...
(148 episodes) - Fred Ziffel: Hank PattersonHank PattersonHank Patterson was an American actor and musician. He is most known for playing stableman Hank Miller on Gunsmoke and Fred Ziffel on Petticoat Junction and Green Acres....
(83 episodes) - Doris Ziffel: Barbara Pepper (1965–1968) (30 episodes)
- Doris Ziffel: Fran RyanFran RyanFran Ryan was an American character actress featured in television and films. She was born in Los Angeles, California....
(1969–71) - Arnold Ziffel: (Original pig came from the town of Union Star, MissouriUnion Star, MissouriUnion Star is a city in DeKalb County, Missouri, United States, along the Third Fork of the Platte River. The population was 433 at the 2000 census, at which time it was a town. It is part of the St. Joseph, MO–KS Metropolitan Statistical Area....
) - Hank Kimball: Alvy MooreAlvy MooreJack Alvin "Alvy" Moore was an American light comic actor best known for his role as scatterbrained county agricultural agent "Hank Kimball" on the television series Green Acres....
- Sam Drucker: Frank CadyFrank CadyFrank Cady is an American actor best known for his recurring and popular role as storekeeper Sam Drucker in three US television series during the 1960s: Petticoat Junction, Green Acres and The Beverly Hillbillies.-Career:...
(142 episodes) - Mother Eunice Douglas: Eleanor AudleyEleanor AudleyEleanor Audley was an American actress who was a familiar radio and animation voice, in addition to her TV and film roles...
(1965–1969) - Alf Monroe: Sid MeltonSid MeltonSid Melton was an American actor known for his roles as incompetent carpenter Alf Monroe in the CBS sitcom Green Acres and as Uncle Charlie Halper, proprietor of the Copa Club, in Make Room for Daddy and its spin-offs.Born as Sidney Meltzer in Brooklyn, New York, he was the brother of screenwriter...
(1965–1969) - Ralph Monroe: Mary Grace CanfieldMary Grace CanfieldMary Grace Canfield is an American actress who often played the role of a romance-starved spinster/wallflower...
- Newt Kiley: Kay E. KuterKay E. KuterKay Edwin Emmert Kuter was an American actor who starred on television and in film. Kay was born in Los Angeles, California....
(1965–1970) (24 episodes) - Ben Miller: Tom Fadden (1965)
- Roy Trendell: Robert Foulk (1966–1968)
In addition, there were crossovers from Petticoat Junction cast members, most frequently:
- Kate Bradley: Bea BenaderetBea BenaderetBea Benaderet was an American actress born in New York City and raised in San Francisco, California. She is best remembered for her wide variety of television work, which included a starring role in the 1960s television series Petticoat Junction and Green Acres as Shady Rest Hotel owner Kate...
(1965–1966) (6 episodes) - Uncle Joe Carson: Edgar BuchananEdgar BuchananEdgar Buchanan was an American actor with a long career in both film and television, most familiar today as Uncle Joe Carson from the Petticoat Junction, Green Acres and The Beverly Hillbillies television sitcoms of the 1960s...
(1965–1969) (17 episodes) - Charley Pratt: Smiley BurnetteSmiley BurnetteLester Alvin Burnett , better known as Smiley Burnette, was a popular American country music performer and a comedic actor in Western films and on radio and TV, playing sidekick to Gene Autry and other B-movie cowboys. He was also a prolific singer-songwriter who could play as many as 100 musical...
(1965–1967) (7 episodes) - Floyd Smoot: Rufe Davis (1965–1967) (10 episodes)
Of the above cast, Cady (oldest), Canfield, and Lester (youngest) are the only surviving members .
Guest stars
During its six season run, many familiar actors guest-starred on the show, along with other lesser-known performers who later achieved stardom, among them: John Charles DalyJohn Charles Daly
John Charles Patrick Croghan Daly John Charles Patrick Croghan Daly John Charles Patrick Croghan Daly (generally known as John Charles Daly or simply John Daly (February 20, 1914 – February 24, 1991) was an American journalist, game show host and radio personality, probably best known for hosting...
, Elaine Joyce
Elaine Joyce
Elaine Joyce is an American actress.Joyce was born in Kansas City, Missouri. She made her film debut in 1961 as an extra in West Side Story and made uncredited appearances in several musical films, including The Music Man, Bye Bye Birdie, and Funny Girl before being cast in Such Good Friends in 1971...
, Gary Dubin
Gary Dubin
Gary Dubin is an actor who portrayed Punky Lazaar, a friend of Danny's on The Partridge Family. He also voiced Toulouse in the UK version of The Aristocats in 1970 and played a person who was eaten by the shark in Jaws 2.He has also acted in many other projects as well...
, Herbert Anderson
Herbert Anderson
Herbert Anderson was an American character actor from Oakland, California, probably best remembered for his part as Henry Mitchell in the classic television sitcom Dennis The Menace.-Career:...
, June Foray
June Foray
June Foray is an American voice actress, best known as the voice of many animated characters...
, Buddy Foster, Robert Cummings
Robert Cummings
Charles Clarence Robert Orville Cummings , mostly known professionally as Robert Cummings but sometimes as Bob Cummings, was an American film and television actor....
, Sam Edwards
Sam Edwards
Sam Edwards was an American actor. His most famous role on TV was as the banker in the TV series Little House on the Prairie.-Biography:Born into a showbusiness family, his first role was as a baby in his mother's arms...
, Jerry Van Dyke
Jerry Van Dyke
Jerry Van Dyke is an American comedian and actor. He is the younger brother of comedian and actor Dick Van Dyke, and made his acting debut on The Dick Van Dyke Show with several guest appearances as Rob Petrie's brother, Stacey...
, J. Pat O'Malley
J. Pat O'Malley
James Patrick O'Malley was an English singer and character actor, who appeared in many American films and television programs during the 1940s–1970s, using the stage name J. Pat O'Malley...
, Johnny Whitaker
Johnny Whitaker
Johnny Whitaker is an American actor and singer notable for several performances for film and television during his childhood...
, Garry Wallberg, Jesse White
Jesse White
Jesse White may refer to:*Jesse White , film and television actor*Jesse White , Illinois politician*Jesse J. White, member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives*Jesco White, the West Virginia "Dancing Outlaw"...
, Al Lewis, Dave Barry, George Ives, Gordon Jump
Gordon Jump
Alexander Gordon Jump was an American actor best known as the clueless radio station manager Arthur "Big Guy" Carlson in the TV series WKRP in Cincinnati and the incompetent "Chief of Police Tinkler" in the sitcom Soap...
, Bernie Kopell
Bernie Kopell
Bernard Morton "Bernie" Kopell is an American television character actor who is probably best known for his roles as Dr. Adam Bricker in The Love Boat and KAOS agent Siegfried in Get Smart...
, Len Lesser
Len Lesser
Leonard King "Len" Lesser was an American actor. He was known for a key role in the Clint Eastwood movie Kelly's Heroes and his recurring role as Uncle Leo in Seinfeld, which began during the show's second season in "The Pony Remark" episode.-Early life:Lesser was born in The Bronx in 1922...
, Bob Hastings
Bob Hastings
Robert "Bob" Hastings is an American film, radio, and television character actor. He has also provided voices for animated cartoons....
, Don Keefer
Don Keefer
Donald "Don" H. Keefer is a retired American actor known for the versatility of his roles. He was born in Highspire in Dauphin County near Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Keefer's first role was as Bernard in the 1951 film, Death of a Salesman, based on the Arthur Miller play...
, Don Porter
Don Porter
Donald Porter was an American actor who appeared in a number of films in the 1940s, including Top Sergeant and Eagle Squadron, but is perhaps best known for his role as Russell Lawrence, the widowed father of 15-year old Frances "Gidget" Lawrence in the 1965 ABC television series...
, Alan Hale Jr., Melody Patterson
Melody Patterson
Melody Patterson is an American actress best known for her role as Wrangler Jane in the 1960s TV series F Troop...
, Anthony Spinelli, Rusty Hamer
Rusty Hamer
Rusty Hamer was an American television actor best known for his role as Rusty Williams in the popular NBC/CBS situation comedy The Danny Thomas Show also known as Make Room for Daddy.-Career:...
, Regis Toomey
Regis Toomey
John Regis Toomey was an American film and television actor.-Early life:Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, he was one of four children of Francis X. and Mary Ellen Toomey and attended Peabody High School...
, Norman Leavitt, Heather North
Heather North
Heather Lindsay North is an American television and voice actress. She is most notable as having performed the voice of Daphne Blake in all incarnations of Hanna-Barbera's Scooby-Doo Saturday morning cartoon series from 1970 to 1979, 1983 to 1997, and from 2002 to 2003.North was the second actress...
, Allan Melvin
Allan Melvin
Allan Melvin was an American character actor who appeared in several television shows, including the roles of Corporal Henshaw on The Phil Silvers Show; Alice's boyfriend Sam the Butcher on The Brady Bunch; and Archie Bunker's friend Barney Hefner on All in the Family and Archie Bunker's...
, Parley Baer
Parley Baer
Parley Edward Baer was an American actor in film, television, and radio.-Radio:Born in Salt Lake City, Utah, Baer had a circus background, but began his radio career at Utah station KSL...
, Jack Bannon
Jack Bannon
John James "Jack" Bannon is an American television actor. He is most famous for his role as Assistant City Editor Art Donovan on Lou Grant, a role he played for the duration of the series, from 1977 until 1982....
, David Ketchum, Francine York, Rick Lenz
Rick Lenz
Rick Lenz is an American actor best known for repeating his Broadway role as Igor Sullivan in the 1969 film Cactus Flower.-Career:...
, Karen Valentine
Karen Valentine
Karen Valentine is an American actress best-known for her role as the idealistic schoolteacher "Alice Johnson" in the television series Room 222.-Early life:...
among many others.
Future Happy Days
Happy Days
Happy Days is an American television sitcom that originally aired from January 15, 1974, to September 24, 1984, on ABC. Created by Garry Marshall, the series presents an idealized vision of life in mid-1950s to mid-1960s America....
stars Al Molinaro
Al Molinaro
Albert Francis "Al" Molinaro is an actor in television and films, most notably as Al Delvecchio, the owner of Arnold's on Happy Days and its spin-off show Joanie Loves Chachi, Murray the Cop on The Odd Couple television series, as well as starring in commercials for On-Cor frozen dinners...
and Pat Morita
Pat Morita
Noriyuki "Pat" Morita was an American actor of Japanese descent who was well-known for playing the roles of Matsuo "Arnold" Takahashi on Happy Days and Mr. Miyagi in the The Karate Kid movie series, for which he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor in 1984.-Early life:Pat...
guest-starred on separate episodes, while a young comedian Rich Little
Rich Little
Richard Caruthers "Rich" Little is a Canadian-American impressionist and voice actor. He has long been known throughout the world as a top impersonator of famous people, resulting in his nickname, "The Man of a Thousand Voices"....
made a cameo
Cameo appearance
A cameo role or cameo appearance is a brief appearance of a known person in a work of the performing arts, such as plays, films, video games and television...
appearance as himself.
Broadcasting History
| Season | Day & Time | Before or After |
|---|---|---|
| 1 (1965-1966) | Wednesdays at 9:00 pm | The Dick Van Dyke Show The Dick Van Dyke Show The Dick Van Dyke Show is an American television sitcom that initially aired on the Columbia Broadcasting System from October 3, 1961, until June 1, 1966. The show was created by Carl Reiner and starred Dick Van Dyke and Mary Tyler Moore. It was produced by Reiner with Bill Persky and Sam Denoff.... at 9:30 pm |
| 2 (1966-1967) | Gomer Pyle, USMC at 9:30 pm | |
| 3 (1967-1968) | He & She He & She He & She is an American sitcom that aired on the CBS television network as part of its 1967-68 lineup, originally sponsored by General Foods and Lever Brothers. This landmark sitcom is widely considered to be ahead of its time by broadcast historians... at 9:30 pm |
|
| 4 (1968-1969) | Wednesdays at 9:30 pm | The Beverly Hillbillies The Beverly Hillbillies The Beverly Hillbillies is an American situation comedy originally broadcast for nine seasons on CBS from 1962 to 1971, starring Buddy Ebsen, Irene Ryan, Donna Douglas, and Max Baer, Jr.... at 9:00 pm |
| 5 (1969-1970) | Saturdays at 9:00 pm | 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... at 9:30 pm |
| 6 (1970-1971) | Tuesdays at 8:00 pm | Various Programs |
Revivals
As previously mentioned, the surviving members of the cast were reunited for a TV movie titled Return to Green Acres. It aired on CBSCBS
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...
on May 18, 1990.
On November 19, 2007, original series director Richard L. Bare announced that he is working on a revival of Green Acres.
DVD releases
MGM Home EntertainmentMGM Home Entertainment
MGM Home Entertainment is the home video and DVD arm of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.-History:The home video division of MGM started in 1979 as MGM Home Video, releasing all the movies and TV shows by MGM. In 1980, MGM joined forces with CBS Video Enterprises, the home video division of the CBS television...
released the first three seasons of Green Acres on Region 1 DVD. No release of the remaining three seasons is announced.
| DVD Name | Episodes | Release Date |
|---|---|---|
| Season 1 | 32 | January 13, 2004 |
| Season 2 | 30 | March 8, 2005 |
| Season 3 | 30 | December 6, 2005 |
Granby's Green Acres
The Granby's Green Acres radio show aired from July 3 to August 21, 1950. The show was produced, directed and written by Jay SommersJay 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...
, who wrote and produced a third of the Green Acres episodes. In both, a businessman knowing little about farming moves to an impoverished farm. The characters are more conventionally odd, the wife stereotypically talkative and dim, the "Sam Drucker" character senile, the hired hand stoic about the incompetent management.
Nielsen ratings
- Season 1 1965–1966: #11 (24.6)
- Season 2 1966–1967: #6 (24.6)
- Season 3 1967–1968: #16 (22.8)
- Season 4 1968–1969: Not in Top 30
- Season 5 1969–1970: Not in Top 30
- Season 6 1970–1971: Not in Top 30
As a Top 30 series, Green Acres has an average rating of 24.
See also
- The Beverly HillbilliesThe Beverly HillbilliesThe Beverly Hillbillies is an American situation comedy originally broadcast for nine seasons on CBS from 1962 to 1971, starring Buddy Ebsen, Irene Ryan, Donna Douglas, and Max Baer, Jr....
- Petticoat JunctionPetticoat JunctionPetticoat 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...
- Guestward, Ho!Guestward, Ho!Guestward, Ho! is a situation comedy which aired on the ABC network in the 1960-1961 television season, based on the 1956 book of the same title by Patrick Dennis, author of Auntie Mame....
- Rural purgeRural purgeThe "rural purge" of American television networks was a series of cancellations between 1969 and 1972, the majority of which occurred at the end of the 1970-71 television season, of still popular rural-themed shows and shows with demographically-skewed audiences...
External links
- Green Acres Home Page
- Green Acres on TVLand.comTV LandTV Land is an American cable television network launched on April 29, 1996. It is owned by MTV Networks, a division of Viacom, which also owns Paramount Pictures, and networks such as MTV and Nickelodeon...
- Green Acres on ION Television
- Green Acres episodes on Hulu