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Green Acres

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Green Acres
File:Greenacres.jpg
Aerial photo featured in the opening sequence
Created byJay Sommers
StarringEddie Albert
Eva Gabor
Pat Buttram
Tom Lester
Frank Cady
Alvy Moore
Country of origin United States
No. of seasons6
No. of episodes170
Production
Executive producerPaul Henning
Running timeExcluding credits, about 23 minutes per episode
Original release
NetworkCBS
ReleaseSeptember 15, 1965 –
April 27, 1971
This article is about the television series. For other uses, see Green Acres (disambiguation).

Green Acres is an American television series starring Eddie Albert and Eva Gabor as a couple who move from New York City to a farm in the country. Produced by Filmways, Inc. as a sister show to Petticoat Junction, the series was originally broadcast on CBS from September 15, 1965 to April 27, 1971.

Background

After the success of The Beverly Hillbillies and Petticoat Junction, CBS offered producer Paul Henning another half-hour on the schedule with no pilot required. Lacking the time to commit to another project himself, 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 television series. The 13-episode radio series had starred Gale Gordon and Bea Benaderet (who also appeared in the TV version) as a big-city family who move to the country.

The television series Green Acres was about Oliver Wendell Douglas (Eddie Albert), an accomplished and erudite New York attorney who was acting on his lifelong dream to be a farmer, and Lisa Douglas (Eva Gabor), his glamorously bejeweled Hungarian wife, dragged unwillingly from the privileged city life she adored to a bucolic life on a ramshackle farm. The debut episode was a mock documentary about this big-city attorney's decision to move to a rural area, narrated by CBS newscaster John Charles Daly.

Ostensibly a reverse Beverly Hillbillies, after the first few episodes the series shifted from a run-of-the-mill rural comedy and developed an absurdist world of its own. 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 also had an appeal to children due to the slapstick, silliness and schtick, though adults were able to appreciate it on a different level.

It was set in the same universe as Henning's other rural television comedy Petticoat Junction, featuring such picturesque towns as Hooterville (miscalled "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.

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 envelopes the Hootervillians - and inexplicably Lisa and Oliver's affluent mother (Eleanor Audley). Mother Douglas lampoons Oliver and mollifies Lisa. There were, however, times when it appeared that Oliver wasn't entirely sane either, such as renting a rooster.

The dishonest and 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 grocer Sam Drucker (Frank Cady), make up the main supporting cast. Eb habitually addressed the Douglas' as "Dad" and "Mom", much to Oliver's irritation.

Sam Drucker was a regular on both series. Petticoat Junction regular Betty-Jo Bradley appears in one episode in a short-lived romance with Eb Dawson. Bobbi-Jo appears in the same episode. Popular western film actor Smiley Burnette guested several times in the role of railway engineer Charley Pratt during the 1965 and 1966 seasons but Burnette's ill health ended the role.([1]

While general store owner Sam Drucker is a reliable Dutch uncle 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 printer/editor; volunteer fireman; constable; justice of the peace and a postmaster. As editor of the Hooterville World Guardian, his headlines were often decades-old. He was a bit slow as postmaster, once delivering a lost 1917 "draft" notice to Fred Ziffel after 51 years, breaking his previous record of delivering a lost 1942 WPA letter to Mr Haney for stealing a shovel, after 26 years. As justice of the peace, he once let his license lapse, unwittingly sending two supporting characters to a premature honeymoon (Ralph Monroe and Hank Kimball).

In a slap to government bureaucrats and civil service employees, Alvy Moore plays spacey agricultural agent Hank Kimball, who never really seems to know which end is up. Kimball would draw people into inane conversations, then lose his train of thought.

The Douglas' childless elderly neighbors, Fred and Doris Ziffel, "adopted" a pig named Arnold Ziffel as their "son". Arnold understands English, lives indoors, and is pampered by everyone. Like all 1960s children, Arnold is an avid TV watcher and a big Western fan. 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.

A pair of recurring characters were two quarrelsome carpenters known as the Monroe Brothers, Alf and Ralph. Despite her name and her status as one of the brothers, Ralph was in fact a woman, played by Mary Grace Canfield. Alf was played by Sid Melton of Make Room for Daddy. In general, only Oliver seems to notice or care about this bizarre contradiction. Nothing the Monroe brothers ever did was either finished (such as the Douglas' bedroom) or ever turned out right.

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 repaired his truck's head-gasket with them. In one episode, hotcake batter is used for fireplace mortar. Her sandwiches include such epicurean combo 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.

Gags used through the series include:

  • Lisa's mangling of English words due to a Hungarian accent (or as her sly joke – it is not always clear which).
  • Patriotic music playing while Oliver makes a long-winded speech; everyone but him hearing it, and sometimes trying to find the source.
  • Oliver and Lisa usually wearing metropolitan clothes unsuited for farm life: Oliver a three-piece suit, even while working, and Lisa jewelry, heels, and expensive dresses.
  • Expensive furniture and a fancy Lincoln Continental four-door convertible, despite the house never being fixed up.
  • Oliver and Lisa relating stories about one another where the facts can't always be distinguished from jokes.
  • Characters breaking the fourth wall by seeing and reacting to words in the opening credits.
  • Never having a working phone in the house, but having to climb a pole outside to use one.
  • A Hoyt-Clagwell farm tractor that rarely works and whose wheels regularly fall off.

Although still reasonably popular, the show was canceled in 1971 as part of the "rural purge" 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.)

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 ever eaten by the cast. Trainer Frank Inn used a smaller, female pig in later seasons, giving Arnold some obvious mammary ducts. 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.)

Arnold, it is revealed in the 1990 reunion TV movie Return to Green Acres, survived his "parents", and subsequently bunks with his "cousin", the Ziffels' comely niece. The film was made and set two decades after the series (as Haney's latest product is a Russian miracle fertilizer called "Gorby Grow")...but in reality a pig life span averages 12–15 years, similar to a dog. In the reunion movie, Oliver and Lisa had moved back to New York but are miserable there and are implored by the Hootervillians to return and save the town from a scheme to destroy it which has been cooked up between Haney and a wealthy, dishonest developer (Henry Gibson).

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) via MGM Home Entertainment (whose sister company, MGM Television, now owns the rights to the show via its acquisition of Orion Television, successor-in-interest to Filmways).

The theme tune, as with that of this show's rural cousins, explains the basic premise of the show. Eddie Albert sings all of his part of the lyrics. Eva Gabor recites most of her part.

Cast

In addition, there were crossovers from Petticoat Junction cast members, most frequently:

Surreal humor

The series was notable for its often surreal humor, and it was one of the first American TV series which transgressed the traditional diegetic or fourth wall 'borders' of TV presentation for deliberately humorous effect – characters addressed the audience directly and were somehow able to perceive and react to post-production elements such as the music soundtrack and the superimposed program credits.

Some of the more noteworthy surreal aspects of the show's humour included:

  • The episode titled "A Square is Not Round" featured both a chicken that lays square eggs, which Oliver is desperate to locate, and a toaster that only works when you say "five" to it. In the end it is revealed that it has all been a dream of Oliver's, which he rushes back to bed to see how it finishes. At the very end, Lisa is muttering to herself, "Hmph, square eggs, talking to toasters..." and approaches the refrigerator and says clearly, "Mabel!" and the fridge opens by itself. In other episodes, Lisa is also evidently able to coax the chickens into laying on demand, simply by talking to them.
  • Oliver has always dreamed of becoming a farmer, but he lives in complete denial of the fact that he is virtually incapable of growing anything. Lisa, who always longs to go back to New York, actually adjusts quite well and seems quite at home in Hooterville. Despite Lisa's blatantly urban, sophisticated socialite manner, the local people like her, yet find Oliver weird and make constant references to his supposed "drinking problem".
  • Lisa claimed in one episode to be from New Jersey but went to boarding school in Hungary, thereby explaining both her accent and her lack of ability to speak Hungarian. In another episode, she claims her mother sent her to "Hungarian accent school". However, in some episodes, she is seen to converse with other Hungarians in fluent Hungarian. She also has a wide variety of stories involving how her father became the King of Hungary.
  • The comic-book style sound effects are faintly visible to the characters. For example, in the episode "Double Drick" (season 1), when the generator sparks and sputters, the word "Drick!" appears on the screen, like in the fight scenes in Batman. Lisa then asks Oliver what the word "Drick" means.

Trivia

  • Eddie Albert and Eva Gabor are the only two actors to appear in every episode of the series. Tom Lester appeared in the second highest amount of episodes, having to appear in 148 of the 170 episodes.
  • With the passing of Eddie Albert on May 26, 2005, Tom Lester, Frank Cady, Sid Melton & Mary Grace Canfield are the only surviving stars of Green Acres.
  • While the series began with an episode explaining how Oliver and Lisa came to live on Green Acres, the series finale was anti-climatic, actually serving as a pilot for an unsuccessful TV series. Oliver contacts an old law secretary, Carol Rush (played by Elaine Joyce), who is now living with her sister and brother-in-law in Los Angeles and working as a secretary for Mr. Oglethorpe (played by Richard Deacon). The bulk of the episode takes place with this new set of characters. Besides Oliver and Lisa, no other Green Acres characters appeared on the series finale, and even they are not seen in the third act of the show. The next-to-last episode, "Hawaiian Honeymoon," was also a pilot for another series that did not sell.
  • Green Acres was mentioned on a show of Designing Women by Suzanne Sugarbaker. She mentioned she could be watching Green Acres instead of waiting for the team's customer.
  • Green Acres is a favorite program of WNYX station manager Dave Nelson on News Radio. Whilst trying to convince girlfriend Lisa to purchase her first television, Dave extols the genius of Arnold Ziffel.
  • An episode of Pinky and the Brain, titled "Brain Acres", revolved around the mice moving to the country as part of Brain's plan in that episode (to make henchmen out of vegetables). At one point, the mice sing a parody of the Green Acres theme song.
  • Novelty rockers Barnes & Barnes and Damaskas collaborated on a song titled "A Day in the Life of Green Acres" in 1979, which set the lyrics of the Green Acres theme song to the tune of The Beatles' "A Day in the Life."

Episode list

Main article: List of Green Acres episodes

Revivals

The surviving members of the cast were reunited for a TV movie titled Return to Green Acres. It aired on CBS 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.[1]

DVD releases

MGM Home Entertainment released the first three seasons of Green Acres on Region 1 DVD.It is currently unknown when the remaining three seasons will be released.

DVD Name Ep # Release Date Additional Information
Season 1 32 January 13 2004 ISBN 0792859308 or ISBN 9780792859307
Season 2 30 March 8 2005 ISBN 0792865502 or ISBN 9780792865506
Season 3 30 December 6 2005 ISBN 1580674437 or ISBN 9781580674430

Special broadcasts

On Wedensday, April 30th, for the celebration of the premiere of The CW's reality series Farmer Wants a Wife (U.S. TV series) WPIX (New-York City's CW Affiliate) is showing the first four episodes of Green Acres, from 3:00 PM to 5:00 PM, replacing the original The CW Daytime schedule.

Reruns

Reruns of Green Acres have aired in the past in syndication and on Nick at Nite. Since April 2004, TV Land has aired episodes. Also from 2006 to 2007, ION Television had been airing episodes on weekday evenings.

Cable networks

TV Land, currently Mon-Fri at 1pm ET, and weekends at 8:00am ET.

Local stations

WWME in Chicago, currently Mon-Fri at 3:30pm CT.

Canada

DejaView, currently Mon-Fri at 11:30am ET.

Comparison with radio show

The Granby's Green Acres radio show was produced, directed and written by Jay Sommers, 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. Some humor is reminiscent of Green Acres:

Wife: "Sell the cow."

Husband: "Well, I'm...kill the sow!? I mean sell the cow!?"

Daughter: "That's a good idea, Dad!"

Husband: "I'll do no such thing! Why selling that cow would be like selling your mother!"

Wife: "What!"

Husband: "Well, that is...well, what I meant, Martha, is that old cow means as much to me as you do."

References

  • Cox, Stephen (1993). The Hooterville Handbook : A Viewer's Guide To Green Acres. St. Martin's Griffin. ISBN 0-312-08811-6.
  1. ^ Green Acres: Original Series Director Wants to Continue Classic Sitcom, TV Series Finale, November 19, 2007
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