Green Acres

This series while as corny as it can be had something which endeared it to all of us who watched it. This series had a heart which beat strongly & carried us through each week to the conclusion with Oliver & Lisa in their Monroe remodeled open air bedroom.

While there were times the series got too hung up on Arnold, & Ebb Dawson's love life, the characters of Hooterville always made for great comedy. There were times that Paul Henning was winking & smiling as he made fun of Lawyers, American Farmers, Mobsters, Hollywood, & many other targets during the shows run.

The characters he created were amazing. The physical comedy in this along with the great verbal comedy blended together into as fine a 1960's sitcom as could be produced.

Eddie Albert was kind of old for his role, but brought it off with an amazing energy. Ava Gabor was given a character where she could put herself into it, & this series turned out to the best role of her life. Pat Buttrum & the rest of the cast were great in support with special credos to Alvy Moore as Mr. Kimble who created one of the more amazing county agents ever portrayed.

All of this, higher pay, full benefits, & a years supply of cracked crab. It just don't get any better than that.

When I was a kid, back in the 60's, there were two shows that I never missed. "Lost In Space" was one, and "Green Acres" was the other. Funny that both were on CBS, and I remember that my parents watched CBS's national news, too.

I always loved Mr. Haney, and when Mr. Douglas begins some story about "The American Farmer", and the patriotic music begins playing in the background. On one episode, the other actors begin looking for where the music is coming from. Priceless gag.

I am looking forward to the DVD of this series. I hope that they are cleaned up, as what we see on TV now are fairly faded prints of the show.

When I watch "Green Acres" I can't help but think that this is what Vaudeville must have been like. There's Oliver Wendell Douglas in his three-piece suit and Phi Beta Kappa key standing in front of an obviously painted backdrop with the most pathetic looking stalk of corn "growing" nearby. Then comes onstage a series of the finest comedians doing their standup routine with Mr. Douglas as the straight man: Mr. Haney (Pat Buttram) with an endless supply of wacky things to sell; Hank Kimball (Alvy Moore) as the oh-so-forgetful farm agent ("Ah, Mr. Douglas! I have a message for you." "What is it?" "What is WHAT?" "The message!" "What message?" "MY MESSAGE!" "You have a message?"); Eb the farmhand (Tom Lester); on and on and on.

Love it.

I once heard "Green Acres" described as being "Twin Peaks:the sitcom," which isn't too far off base if you take away the darker elements of "Peaks."

I'm not sure it's the best television series either, but it certainly my favorite, and the best thing about it is that it was funny when I was four years old, still funny when I was a teenager, and even funnier now that I'm in my late 30's and can sit and watch the show with my young sons.

Eddie Albert and Eva Gabor should have won multiple emmy's. The writers stand alone as some of the funniest sitcom writers of all time. Jay Somers and Paul Henning are geniuses. The amazing thing about this show is at a time when most shows were star driven, this show gives all of the actors great lines and showcases for their talent.

Of course, Oliver and Lisa are my favorite denizens of Hooterville, but I have a lot of fondness for Eb (who is endlessly funny), Mr. Haney (who my kids think is the funniest person ever!) and Mr. Kimble (who ALWAYS cracks me up!).

"Green Acres" really is the place to be. It's funny, it's family friendly and it is one of the best shows of all time!

The DVD is great too, but I would have loved some extra commentaries from some of the surviving cast members!



David Cox Independence Missouri

Watching this as a child during the late 1960's I didn't like this show. I didn't find it funny because it frustrated me! With all of the locals frustrating Mr. Douglas endlessly, they frustrated me too. Stumbling upon the show years later, the frustration was gone and I could finally enjoy the humor of it all. This was light years ahead of the tame (and boring) "Pettycoat Junction." This was life with "The Three Stooges." I always loved the on-going home improvement projects with the closet doors opening to the outside, the telephone poll phone, the over-blown big chic New York City furniture stuffed into a little farmhouse, Lisa's pink appliances, her cooking, Arnold the pig and many more. When they say they don't make 'em like they used to, they don't, and that's a darn shame.