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Watch classic Green Acres moments whenever you want.
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Green
Acres, television's 160-acres of agrarian psychedelia,
aired on CBS from 1965 to 1971. It was the brainchild of writer
Jay Sommers and creative overachiever writer/producer Paul Henning.
Henning was the inspired force behind the hit series The Beverly
Hillbillies and Petticoat Junction, and his clout with CBS was
such that in 1965, while Henning's schedule was jam-packed with
supervising nearly every aspect of Hillbillies and Junction, CBS
President James Aubrey offered Henning a half-hour primetime slot
to produce whatever he wanted. According to "The Hooterville Handbook,
A Viewers Guide to Green Acres", by Stephen Cox (St. Martin's Press),
"the meeting went like this: James Aubrey (sometimes known as "the
smiling cobra") told Henning CBS would air whatever he handed in.
No pilot necessary. Just do it."
Writer Jay Sommers had the concept for what would eventually become
the surreal word of Green Acres in 1950, when he created,
wrote, and directed a thirteen part radio show for CBS entitled
Granby's Green Acres, which the network aired that year as
a summer replacement. The bedrock for the fertile soil of Hooterville
is evident in the premise of Granby's . . . John Granby, a bank
clerk; his bewildered wife, Martha; and their teenage daughter leave
the city behind in search of literal greener pastures. They have
a hired hand named Eb.
In 1965, when Hemming was given the green light to produce anything
that suited his fancy, Sommers was well ensconced as a television
writer, working on shows such as Ozzie and Harriet and Petticoat
Junction. Interested in getting a show of his own on the air,
Sommers approached Hemming with his old Granby's . . . scripts.
Hemming saw the opportunity to cross-pollinate the hicks-in-reverse
show with his existing series, and Green Acres sprung up
like a crop of summer corn.
Successful lawyer Oliver Wendell Douglas (Eddie Albert) longs to
leave behind the complications of modern society and life as a Manhattanite,
and despite the protestations of his glamorous, socialite, Hungarian
wife Lisa (Eva Gabor), Oliver buys a farm, sight unseen, from swindler
Mr. Haney. The couple says "goodbye city life!" and take up residence
in Hooterville, U.S.A. While there is some debate amongst the show's
fans as to the actual geographic location of Hooterville, one thing
is clear; it exists in a state of mind-bending logic and hallucinatory
natural laws, and is inhabited by an eccentric population that includes
favorite son Arnold Ziffel, a multi-lingual,
television watching pig. The farm Oliver
has purchased is a shambles, the farmhouse in a state of advanced
disrepair. Along with hired hand Eb, Oliver tries to make a go at
being a gentleman farmer. Meanwhile, Lisa settles in to her new
surroundings despite herself, and attempts to bring gracious living
and the finer things to the oddball residents of this off-the-map
town.
In 1971 CBS wanted to revamp its image and canceled Green Acres
and the other shows on its roster set in rural environs. Nevertheless,
the show lived on in syndication and in the hearts and imaginations
of its devoted fans. In other words . . . the pig stays in the picture.
THE CAST AND CHARACTERS OF GREEN ACRES
Eddie Albert...Oliver
Wendell Douglas
Eva Gabor...Lisa
Douglas, nee Gronyitz
Pat Buttram...Mr.
Haney
Tom Lester...Eb
Dawson
Frank Cady...Sam
Drucker
Alvy Moore...Hank Kimball
Hank Patterson...Fred
Ziffel
Barbara Pepper...Doris
Ziffel (1965-1969)
Fran Ryan...Doris Ziffel (1969-1971)
Kay E. Kuter...Newt Kiley (1965-1970)
Sid Melton...Alf Monroe (1966-1969)
Mary Grace Canfield...Ralph Monroe (1966-1971)
THE GREEN ACRES EPISODE GUIDE
Next Three Airings:
Neighborliness : TV-G
Thursday, January 15 at 4:00 PM (ET/PT)
Lisa, The Helpmate : TV-G
Thursday, January 15 at 4:30 PM (ET/PT)
You Can't Plug In a 2 With a 6 : TV-G
Friday, January 16 at 4:00 PM (ET/PT)
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