The Controversial Reason That Took GREEN ACRES Off The Air

[@Mike-DuBose]

I was 8 years old when the series premiered, my family watched it every week and at the start of each episode my younger sister and myself would stand up and sing along with Lisa and Oliver while mimicking their motions.

[@cfwintner1]

I worked in Hollywood for 25 years. Of all the stars I worked with, Eddie Albert was by far the finest. A true gentleman, from when this country had class.

[@brianarbenz1329]

I as well like Eddie Albert. However, this country has class now, and had class then. It has evil now, and evil then. Nostalgia is a con.

[@melkor251]

Did you also work with Eva Gabor? And was she also a class act?

[@BartholomewSmutz]

@@brianarbenz1329 It's hard to imagine a presenter getting slapped at the Academy Awards in the 1960's. Some peple have class but as a whole terrible behavior is accepted more than ever.

[@Groucho_Marxist_ASMR]

@@BartholomewSmutz In the 1960s evil had class.

[@wdd3141]

I lived in Fairfield, Iowa in the early 1990s. Eddie Albert came to visit Maharishi International University, and he entertained us with behind-the-scenes stories about the show. Nice guy.

[@ExecuMutant]

I liked how the character of Hank Kimball would self-sidetrack and backtrack until he was miles from the original train of thought. Cracked me up!

[@non-exist-ent]

I always pay strict attention whenever he comes on the screen. I love trying to follow the inner logic 😄

[@georgelush1998]

My favorite memory of Green Acres is Lisa’s extraordinary cooking skills, creating such delicacies as “hot water soup” and “hotscakes.”

[@JanetDax]

Yes. There was an episode where Lisa's hotcakes formed a perfect replacement for the head gasket on Oliver's truck.

[@richparks1966]

I still got a gourmet version of this: "Hotdog water soup"

[@ferrisreels66]

and hotskabobs.

[@richparks1966]

@@ferrisreels66 The legendary Hoyt Clagwell tractor repair, of those factory part list named do-hickys and thing-a-ma-bobs, along with Mrs. Douglas's hot cake head gasket.

[@richdouglas2311]

It is almost unfair to lump Green Acres into the other rural-based shows on TV--even the ones with which it shares a universe. Green Acres was way different. It was surreal. For example, the one man who wanted desperately to be there and to fit in was Oliver. Meanwhile, the one person who absolutely rejected it all--Lisa--fit right into the zeitgeist of the show and its setting. She got it; he never did. Also, the show was willing to do surreal things to advance its plots. The Beverly Hillbillies did a good job of this, but Green Acres put them all to shame. (And you can forget about Petticoat Junction, a run-of-the-mill broad comedy if there ever was one. If any show should have survived Fred Silverman's purge, it was this one.

[@RerunZone]

Insightful comments, Rich, and I totally agree.

[@STho205]

Agreed. They flipped Oliver and Lisa after the first 13 episode package. In the original treatment he was a nut, and she was savvy and smart. Fish out of water, but she was no fool. Then they switched them with her being a town favorite, and Oliver getting more and more perturbed at every little thing. Great irony. However in the last year, Oliver settled in and enjoyed watching outsiders squirm confused over Arnold and the town. He basically became Kate Bradshaw. Through the series, only Sam Druker respected Oliver.

[@ngc628kt]

Ditto...This is my favourite American comedy; a timeless jewel.

[@RayPointerChannel]

Yes. The Writers on GREEN ACRES should have worked in the cartoon industry. They had the imagination for that.

[@f.lloydwrong7127]

Nope both were pedestrian, but petticoat had bobbi joe. Way hotter than eva, even finer than donna douglas..

[@Telcomvic]

I loved the bit where Lisa had to add up numbers to plug in appliances. Living in an underwired house at the time myself and blowing fuses on occasion--I could relate!

[@kylewood8327]

That and when they had to climb the telephone poll to use the phone. 😆

[@samiam5557]

I always got a chuckle out of Haney's crazy scheme's and sales techniques.

[@thomaslucas6079]

I talked to his niece in a message she sent me when I made a comment on the findagrave site. She said he was her favorite uncle when she was a little girl. He was kind and soft hearted and he would have long conversations with her. In other words he was a good person in real life.

[@theanswerisinthebackofyourhead]

SAME HERE. I LOVED HIM AND EDDIE ALBERTS EXCHANGES ON THIS SHOW THAT HAD ME IN TEARS FROM LAUGHING SO HARD AS A LITTLE GIRL.

[@nadezhdawall-rossi2864]

Couldn't stand him!

[@jerrylisby3440]

I still got took a couple times at used car lots even though I had watched Mr. Haney's sales tactics many times. 😄

[@shirleybalinski4535]

I loved him in that part. Him & all his junk & old truck. He was shameless as Mr. Haney.

[@MelissaThompson432]

I remember all the times when Albert would hear another person's line and say, "oh, come on!" Especially the handy man, Eb. I never realized it was because of a script switch, but it makes perfect sense.

[@veronicasiegfried2712]

I loved all three of these shows!❤ They were entertaining without being violent or ridiculous.

[@robsemail]

You didn’t find them to be just a little ridiculous? That word is one of the first I’d use to describe shows like this, the Beverly Hillbillies, Gilligan’s Island, etc. ‘Silly’ and ‘absurd’ also pop to mind quickly. It’s all those things. The show was a success, I believe not despite its ridiculousness but because of it. A silly premise like this gives rise to all sorts of ridiculous running jokes, like the anthropomorphic pig, the square eggs, the bedroom closet door, the pole telephone, Lisa’s cooking, and on and on. The writers on ‘Green Acres’ were brilliant at making it all just believable enough that you wanted to see what was going to happen next. You always knew that in the end there would probably be a deus ex machina resolution, but with the possibilities limited to one of the show’s running gags, something that had been suggested as possible somewhere before. What would it be? You had to watch to the end to find out. To say it was ridiculous is positive criticism in this case, I think.

[@fishercat503]

My favorite GA moment was Lisa yelling to the deer from Eb's plane that the hunters were, "going to shoost you!"

[@alankent]

My facorite moment is when Lisa talks of the many jobs she has had including as a Zsa Zsa Gabor imitator

[@loriehaisen9555]

We moved from a big city to a farm about a year and a half ago, Many times we have referenced Green Acres. When I explain to people how we get internet out here in the country, I start by saying "Remember how Oliver had to climb up a telephone pole to make a phone call on Green Acres....?" LOL

[@islandgal500]

Hey, welcome to my world now. I've moved back to my tiny home town of a few hundred people and we just recently have better internet. Finally I don't have to take a nap in the afternoon so I could stream-watch any shows in the early hours without buffering problems. The lag was ridiculous during the day where you'd get to see/hear half a sentence and then the rest would finally catch up about 2 minutes later. Even trying a download would take 4 hours to do for a one hour show. I still don't have a cell phone. Most of the town is a dead zone so I would actually have to use a long selfie-stick and hold the phone out my upstairs window to get a signal. I've watched people struggle to get a signal. There is one place in the middle of town where you see cars parked around dinner time so they can catch up on their messages and calls.

[@eaglerider1826]

I'm 65 and haven't watched Green Acres in many years but I can still sing every word of their theme sone . I always laughed when Lisa would just throw the dirty plates out of the kitchen window instead of washing them .

[@Eisen_Jaeger]

Wasn't there also a Hogan's Heros connection? Eddy was a fighter pilot that got shot down and was told to make it to Stalag 13 and look for a chap named Hogan. He met Lisa as part of the resistance.

[@glennruscher4007]

I seem to remember watching that when it was new. I am vintage 1958.

[@glennruscher4007]

Edit; Not Eddy, I think that was Oliver. Hey, That was half a century ago. ;-)

[@pavelsarneki354]

Yeah but not in-universe like Petticoat and The Hillbillies. More of an in joke.🤓😎✌🏻

[@loanaoftheshellpeople5627]

The Green Acres Theme Song was one of the Best on Television.

[@Ernie_Centofanti]

And all of Vic Mizzy’s music for that show was skillfully done.

[@chuckgrenci6404]

I can still sing all the words (not very well of course) 😀

[@d.e.b.b5788]

I still know it word for word, and will still break out into it when we're on vacation and drive through a country area and can smell the manure. The chores! THe Stores! Fresh air! ....... Times Square!

[@mitzithompson6585]

@@chuckgrenci6404 me too!!😂😂

[@ralphgarcia913]

Did you miss the Beatles. They had a four year cartoon series. You know they're still the world's greatest band. If you say no, then you're probably from the South U.S.A or a country music fan. The show was funny but silly and ridiculous at times. They must have been eating those funny brownies with weed in it as I think some of those country people were as high as the hippies in the 1960s. And I think they gave some of those brownies to Lisa Douglas, Eva Gabor. Arnold Ziffle being like a kid is like hallucigenic. And not only brownies but they washed it down with corn mash whiskey moonshine made in their radiator stills.

[@uliuli201]

I met Mr. Haines wife and daughter in Pacific Grove years ago. Their car license plate was...GRNACRS. That caught my attention. Very nice people.

[@penny533]

I remember watching all of these shows as a child. Green Acres and the Beverly Hillbillies will always hold a special place with me, and I thank you, so very much, for this video reminder of what good television was. And I never knew that I needed all of these little known facts!

[@Ernie_Centofanti]

Curious me wants to ask you this question: did you also watch Lost in Space? It was on the same night before the other two on Wednesdays. All 3 on CBS.

[@penny533]

@@Ernie_Centofanti Yes, I absolutely loved Lost in Space! Gosh, I’m getting hit with so much nostalgia, right in the heart!

[@Ernie_Centofanti]

@@penny533 I’ll bet you also loved the character Penny Robinson. 😉 Just a hunch.

[@penny533]

@@Ernie_Centofanti actually, I preferred the dynamic of Will Robinson, Dr. Smith, and the Robot, lol.

[@pickleballer1729]

I enjoyed all of those shows. I thought Irene Ryan as Granny was the funniest of all those characters. Eve Gabor was next. I think those two could have played off each other extremely well- so very much the opposite.

[@islandgal500]

A senior now and loved TV in the early years. One thing I do remember well is that each year seemed to dwell on a similar theme. It would be a lot of Westerns one season, and then Doctor shows, Detective series...

[@Ernie_Centofanti]

When I was 9 years old in 1966, Pat Buttram and Eva Gabor made a personal appearance at the National Orange Show (a type of county fair) in my home town of San Bernardino. They were part of the celebrity entertainment. Difficult for me to wrap my brain around the idea that that was 56 years ago.

[@christopherkraft1327]

I remember the Orange Show very well!!! As a kid I went every year!! 🙂

[@brianarbenz1329]

When Pat Butram would sign an autograph for someone, he’d put his hand out and say in Haney fashion, “That’ll be 25 dollars.” For a second, the fan would freak out, but then Pat would grin to show he was joking.

[@Ernie_Centofanti]

@@brianarbenz1329 LOL 🤣🤣🤣

[@meyerweinstock9567]

San Bernardino natives are everywhere! Howdy!

[@christopherkraft1327]

@@meyerweinstock9567 howdy fellow San Bernardino native!! 🙂

[@tracyjacoby2382]

Always LOL'd at Mr. Haney(carnival barker-like), Mr. Ziffle(cranky), Arnold(adorable), Lisa(comical & sweet) Mr. Kimbal(confused) & Eb totally driving Oliver aka Mr. Douglas nutts!!!😂😂😂😂🥰

[@Daisnap]

What a wonderful video! So well researched and presented. I learned a great deal about this show and others. I love Barbara Pepper - Mrs. Ziffle - who appeared in many I Love Lucy episodes. And the formidable Eleanor Audrey! Playing Oliver’s mother, she had appeared in many other TV shows and movies. Equally adept at comedy and drama, she provided the chilling voice of the iconic Maleficent in Disney’s Sleeping Beauty, and of Cinderella’s wicked stepmother!

[@RayPointerChannel]

Eleanor was perfectly cast as Oliver's mother, although he looked old enough to be her husband.

[@ericmason349]

Maybe I missed it but I think there should have been mention of Eddie Albert's OUTSTANDING military career prior to being an actor. Ok, at least I mentioned it.

[@thomasjefferson1883]

Eb calling Oliver dad always cracked me up

[@houdinibat1]

We had a boat dealer in our town that we started calling Haney, as he had just about any thing you could want even new boats going back to the 50's.

[@MomentsInTrading]

You didn’t mention the constant problems with the telephone 😀 I watched all the shows mentioned as a kid. At the time, I totally noticed the ‘Hillbillies’ still dressing like hillbillies, but never really noticed (or paid attention to I guess) Oliver still wearing a suit doing farm work lol.

[@JohnDlugosz]

Oh, the other characters would remark on it. They'd ask if that was his "plowing suit" or whatnot.

[@rcbrooks1123]

It's funny, because I was the same way. I knew adults that wore suits, overalls, open shirts, etc. When I was a kid I did not question Oliver wearing his suits. BUT did wonder why Mr. Drysdale did not buy the Beverly Hillbillies nicer cloths?

[@RayPointerChannel]

@@rcbrooks1123 They tried that. Occasionally they would dress Elly Mae up.

[@hectorheathcote9495]

It's impossible to choose any single episode as a favorite. Loved them all. I grew up in the 60's and spent many an after school hour watching Green Acres, Petticoat Junction and Beverly hillbillies. One of my earliest TV crushes was Lori Saunders on Petticoat Junction. Great shows from a great era in television.

[@BrownEyedGirl1367]

One of my favorite lines, by Mr. Kimball - When someone meeting him said, “How do you do”, Kimball said, “How do I do what?” I still think of tht when I hear someone say “how do you do”, and it always makes me smile. It’s the little things. 😂😂😂

[@eam311]

It must have been a blast being around the writers when they were conjuring up these scripts. What sense of humors. And there was just enough entertainment for the young and just enough entertainment and parody for the young at heart. Their writing reminds me of Jay Ward and Bill Scott of Rocky and Bullwinkle fame. Loved them as a kid, love them as a big kid. Thank you to the downloaders

[@icemike1]

If you're white

[@jnbfrancisco]

I'm pretty sure the writers were smoking something and it wasn't cigarettes. I'm sure it was a blast too. You should watch the shows after smoking a fatty. It's an experience you won't forget.

[@Colt-tf6xf]

@@icemike1 87% of the population, well over 90% of the advertising target market, just about the same numbers today, colored folk don't buy anything

[@icemike1]

@@Colt-tf6xf what's a colored person

[@lizc6393]

Dude, your channel is delightful. TV Land in the early 2000s was my safe haven, as I grew up in an abusive home, and I really needed that escape. It's sad to me that I'm 30, but none of my friends know them. So thank you for giving me a feeling of belonging.

[@lindawheeler4385]

I loved Green Acres and all of the other shows mentioned. I still watch the re-runs and look forward to viewing them every chance i get.

[@MsThebeMoon]

My thing is Andy Griffith. I can re-watch and re-watch episodes of that show ---- well it's been over fifty years now. In a doctor's office or where ever and I come across it - I'm glued.

[@grizzleyadams2101]

Oliver with the pitchfork and Lisa posing at the beginning of the show is a play on Grant Woods painting "American Gothic".

[@thomaswhitten2537]

No matter the reason, it's best not to cancel a single show when it's high in the ratings much less multiple shows. I believe that was one mistake that was never repeated. All were great shows!

[@JohnDlugosz]

I think Petticoat Junction had run to a natural completion, with the girls growing up and the actress playing the mother dying in real life. I wish they would release the full series on DVD or streaming. I guess I was lucky to see a fairly complete run as a rerun in the early 70's.

[@efandmk3382]

@@JohnDlugosz Her name was Bea Benederet. She was a wonderful woman with a long list of film and television credits.

[@57RickH]

@@efandmk3382 Was also the voice of Betty Rubble in the Flintstones

[@johnIZaUWL]

CBS in the eighties would cancel THREE top rated shows… Lou Grant WKRP House Calls F’ing INEXCUSABLE 🤬😢🤬

[@MsThebeMoon]

Think it was a fad thing with the networks at the time. The 70's came in with great stuff too: All in the Family, Mary Tyler Moore (my personal fav), etc. After awhile the sitcoms start repeating stuff and I don't mean re-runs. The writing gets stale and repetitive --- though I think MTM could have gone on much longer and still be great.

[@georgegonzalez2476]

I'm surprised you didn't mention the show's more surreal aspects, like breaking the fourth wall, the"insolated icident", using flapjacks as shingles, etc, etc, etc....

[@snapcutter9596]

And it was a good thing every one else could understand Arnold. One of my favorite episodes. Was when Arnold saved Lisa and Mr Douglass life. After they decided to finally. One day, open a door in the house they never had before. And discovered the basement Mr.Hannys father had dug to hid his still. A lot of folks didn't know they had a basement. Even the Douglass. Then they got trapped in it after the entrance collapsed. And Arnold! Saved them. After hearing Lisa. Through the kitchen sink drain. Quality. Main stream T.V. The overlap in the shows was wonderful. Donna Douglass may your wonderful heart. Rest in peace. Ellie May. And to the wonderful actors of those shows. Who brought us happiness. And special memories. To our. And future generations.

[@MelissaThompson432]

"Rural purge" and the line about "every show with a tree" were both attributed to Pat Buttram.

[@DavidLS1]

A survey taken at the time showed that more Americans knew the words to the Green Acres song than the words to the National Anthem.

[@hollib3900]

What a great video! I love these trivia tidbits on these shows.

[@RerunZone]

Thanks, Holli B. Glad you liked it!

[@briankreezan9500]

But yes good video BUT STOP with the click bait titles because it's like a slap in the face. " " Even more when asking to prescribe " "

[@matthewholzinger1042]

I enjoyed all three series. Green Acres then Beverly Hillbillies and third Petticoat Junction. Green Acres was the most twisted comedy where generally Mr Douglas was the only straight man. Though occasionally Mr Drucker could be straight too.

[@stephenharvey5289]

I always loved how Oliver seemed to be just out of step with the rest of the cast. Know I know why , loved it and miss it.

[@hereticpariah6_66]

If you think about it, mr. haney *had* to have been psychic. I'm not sure how far away he lived in the show, but he'd show up with *precisely* what was needed...ish _every time._

[@d.e.b.b5788]

This is still one of my favorite shows; no matter how many times I see it, it still makes me laugh. 10 stars.

[@marlenesingleton8839]

I liked this interesting video. I didn't know some of these things. One of my favorite shows was when they moved to the farm. And I always liked seeing what they would be wearing as the show would be going on.

[@jons.6216]

The crossovers including the music would crack me up! I was once doing homework in my kitchen with Green Acres on in the other room and as it panned the scene and played an instrumental version of the show I could hear the music change to a quick instrumental of Petticoat Junction so I figured they must be going into Sam Drucker's store! Haha!

[@JohnnyAngel8]

I remember Oliver had to climb a telephone pole to make phone calls.

[@rondpert5167]

Eleanor Audley, the actress who played Oliver's mother, was only 4 months older than Eddie Albert.

[@joegoodman9452]

I loved that they climbed a pole to use the telephone ☎️

[@mitzithompson6585]

🤣😂🤣😂

[@tomvalveede6808]

Arnold the Pig was my favorite as a kid. What a crack-up?!! Loved how Beautiful Eva Gabor was in contrast to her new country home. The fix-it "brothers" Never could Fix Anything! The Short telephone wire that wasn't long enough to reach the house was a great Nuisance as all calls had to be made up a telephone pole! Mr. Haney drove me nuts! All Quirky characters made for a Fun show! Innocent times!

[@jabbahursty]

in 1971, i was a kid in NYC and i like all of those shows. many of us did

[@gerrynightingale9045]

*For whatever reason, Albert never got many of the 'Big Movie' roles he should have because he had enough talent to play anything and do it well* ( *I've always thought he 'took the movie away from Peck' in "Roman Holiday" because his character was completely believable, making an audience think "He really is that guy!"* ) __________ '*I LOVED 'Green Acres' and still do...Arnold Ziffle' was/is the single best 'created character' ever!*

[@davegibson9641]

I loved all three of these shows. My favorite was Green Acres. I do admit though, I had a thing for Bobby Jo.

[@DavidLS1]

So did Uncle Joe.

[@jryecart8017]

see Albert WWIIservice record - - Before World War II commenced he was secretly working for U.S. Army intelligence photographing German U-boats in Mexico. He was awarded the Bronze Star for rescuing American soldiers during the Battle of Tarawa while under heavy gunfire in 1943. He also lost a portion of his hearing from the noise of the battle.

[@JORDAN-ul9vs]

It’s just as well that it ended when it did. I’m about as big of a Green Acres fan as it gets, but after the 3rd season the show went down hill. After the 3rd, each season was a step down from the previous. As a lot of fans point out, between the 3rd and 4th season most of the characters go from quirky to crazy and it just wasn’t the same anymore. Having said that, I would still rather watch the 6th season of Green Acres than any junk that’s on today.

[@private825]

many episodes from seasons 4-6 just didnt feel like Green Acres anymore

[@JORDAN-ul9vs]

@@private825 In my opinion, “How to get from Hooterville to Pixley without moving” is the only top notch episode from the last 3 seasons.

[@Hawk1966]

There was an episode of GE where Eb took some improv classes and was walking up and down imaginary stairs. It had me rolling.

[@vanessajazp6341]

When I was little, I remember my grandparents watching this show and Petticoat Junction faithfully. They lived out in the country.

[@MrWildbill]

What I liked about the show was that every character was crazy except Douglas which actually made him the oddball in that setting.

[@thomasauslander3757]

What an amazing actor Beatrice Benaderet.. she was capable of acting in so many different things.

[@bookmouse2719]

It was funny that the closet was just a sliding door to the outdoors.

[@STho205]

I think my favorite was picking the apple crop with the Lincoln convertible and the delivery in the old truck with the head gasket made out of a hotscake skeleton. It'll never work.... BUT IT DID Second favorite was Hooterville Community Theater doing their rendition of "The Beverly Hilbillies"

[@wdd3141]

Strange -- I thought "Green Acres" was inspired by the movie "The Egg And I," starring Fred MacMurray and Claudette Colbert. There were even similar situations, such as when Colbert's character would clean an ancient filthy stove, getting it beautiful, only to have it messed up again when a stovepipe came loose, pouring soot all over the stove. And there was a Haney-like character named Reed who made questionable deals with MacMurray's character. More trivia: this was the movie that introduced Marjorie Main and Percy Kilbride as Ma & Pa Kettle.

[@williamcarroll9380]

And ALL those great shows were really great television..good, clean, and funny...I'm smiling right now remembering them.

[@rickjay3805]

I was lucky to have met Eva Gabor in the early 80's. I didn't know at the time that she knew my fencing coach, Istvan. They were both Hungarian. I found out later that the Gabors made her 3 daughters take fencing lessons.

[@davemorris6644]

When I was a teenager we were boating at Folsom lake. My friend Mike Milliron was water skiing and we could see he was singing while skiing. When we got him in the boat my dad asked him what he was singing. His answer, “Green Acres”

[@david_walker_esq]

Bless This Mess had a very similar premise to Green Acres, but ABC cancelled it after only two seasons. It was a decent sitcom by 2020s standards, but it wasn't nearly as good as the original; Green Acres. I think Green Acres could have managed another three or four seasons if it weren't for CBS' change in advertising demographics. It was such a good show. I also appreciated the shared television universe of Green Acres, Petticoat Junction and the Beverly Hillbillies. That concept doesn't seem very common anymore. But, it's definitely popular among DC and Marvel movie fans and even Pixar universe theorists. When Modern Family ended its long run, I had wished for a number of spin-offs including a Green Acres type of series following Mitch and Cam leading their new rural lives in Missouri. It would have been a "gay" take on Green Acres involving Mitch leaving his law practice to try his hand at dirt farming while his husband Cam coaches football at the University of North Central Missouri.

[@reneelipton695]

Hubby and I record and watch the reruns to this day. The writers of this show were the best. Each caricature fit the part to a T. Mr. Ziffelll is my favorite. Although hubby and I live on our farm with our Yorkey we joke about how much we resemble the caricatures. He does not wear his suit to work in but I do wear my diamonds and rubies when gardening. lol, Sweet memories of this show. I just wonder if the younger generation can still comprehend the show? Just roll you a big fat one before watching it really is the best.

[@davidpeters6536]

Mary Canfield played a "Tom Boy" character, something that was commonplace in the 60s. You could say Donna Douglas played a similar role. How about Doris Day in Calamity Jane?

[@MsThebeMoon]

Donna Douglas and Doris Day were both glamourous and gorgeous. Mary Canfield also had the boyish look and style. Every guy seemed to be in love with Ellie Mae.

[@gn4720]

Lisa's pancake making skills were always hilarious. In one episode Oliver used Lisa's pancakes to make a head gasket for a truck. Good show.

[@kylewood8327]

This was my staple morning show before going to bed after night shift in the late 70’s. A joint while watching just made this show even more funny! It was the best mornings ever.

[@bxdanny]

Green Acres came on right after Lost in Space. That was the one night during the week that I watched a full hour and a half of prime-time TV. (Prime time started at 7:30 PM in those days.) One recurring bit not mentioned here was when Oliver would wax poetic about the joys of being a farmer. When he did, the sound of a fife (a small flute, as in "fife and drum") would be played behind his words. Eventually, the other characters started hearing the fife and talking about it, but Oliver never heard it. Years later, I spent some time as a livery cab driver in the Bronx. I once picked up Eva Gabor at Loehmann's, a discount clothing store in the Riverdale area that was housed in a structure that had previously been an ice-skating rink (which I used as a kid) and then a beer distributor. She was dressed in a leather miniskirt, if you can believe that. I drove her to her hotel on 56th Street off 5th Avenue, one block away from the more famous Plaza Hotel. I told her I had been a big fan of Green Acres, and she laughed and said she had fond memories of "Hootersville". We also discussed issues of the day, such as the infamous and then-recent "Central Park Jogger" case. She was the only celebrity I ever had in my cab.

[@tommymartinelli6043]

I always loved the title gags.

[@TheTriplelman]

Mr Haney - the greatest salesman!

[@nathanielj.boston352]

They all had a good run and were enjoyed by many.

[@robertglospie8994]

It was a brilliantly written show, way ahead of anything else. A different type of comedy. Very unique. Almost bizarre but amazing. The characters were just so great

[@midnightrambler8866]

Green Acres has to be my all time favorite sitcom. It's just bizarre!

[@richparks1966]

The asmatic wheezing Haney Place after painting it, the wood pores could not breath, until you turned they pore key, in the pore key hole, then the house sucked up all the new paint and turned back to the ramshackle Haney Place. I also like Haney filling out the official building inspector check list "A-Proved' or "Dis-A-Proved" Kimball was the best (on radio calling in laborers after his idiocy keeps making Douglas go 'Oh-For'.... leaving out the Pete's Sake) "Send 4 pickers over to the 'Oh-For' place"

[@gilbertdare5921]

You didnt give credit to the lady that played Lisa's mother shown in the last group shot.

[@DavidLS1]

Eleanor Audley (Lisa's mother) also appeared in several Beverly Hillbillies episodes.

[@wot2343]

I'm much younger than most people that remember this show. my family always enjoyed the reruns, and my favorite part is when the theme song gets stuck in my head.

[@jaxsquier]

Thanks you covered the Rural purge and my favorite Character was Mr.Haney. Favorite episode is the one where Arnold gets Drafted as well as Ralph Monroe.

[@guitorb]

Look at your circle of friends and you can find personalities that pair with the characters on these shows.

[@merrickmixson362]

In one of the earlier episodes of Petticoat Junction, it is also stated by Kate that Sam is the mayor.

[@starey1]

in the opening when Lisa sings "New York is where I'd rather stay" when I was little and the show was originally airing on CBS I always thought she said "NOOO; York is where I'd rather stay!"

[@interwebtubes]

Interesting stuffs, Great rundown 👍👍

[@theresecallahan8548]

I wanted to sing the theme song in a karaoke bar, since I can imitate Eva Gabor's voice perfectly.

[@malcolmtas5601]

Mad Magazine said that ideas for TV programs come in pairs, because they simply reverse the premises. Thus: "Beverley Hillbillies" - country folk in the city, "Green Acres" - city folk in the country.

[@joemackey1950]

When this show originally aired as a teenager I thought it was stupid and never watched. A few years ago I found the complete series on line and loved it. It was wasn't stupid, it was surreal. One of the best shows of that genre ever done.

[@oddfoxx_]

as in many other comments...I'm an absolute nut of a fan for this show and always will be...one of my favorite parts about the show was the banter between Haney and Oliver their comedic timing was always spot on...around 2000 in OKC I saw Tom Lester in a commercial for a local car dealer, I jumped in my ride and went there but it turned out it been pre-recorded, it was still a cool though...

[@1957Shep]

Always loved this show. Kind of a natural evolution of the "If you are dumb enough anything can happen" that Laurel & Hardy did back in the 1920s and 30s.

[@pavelsarneki354]

I loved Mr. Haney's never say you-just-said-no-emphaticlly attitude! 😅🤓😎✌🏻

[@chokkan7]

As a kid (with an older brother who was heavily into substance abuse at the time), I always thought that Green Acres was the Beverly Hillbillies in reverse...and on acid.

[@richparks1966]

You might think that if you were 'Smoking Crawdads' like granny did, and the Griffith Park hippies wanted to know where they grew. Jethro "Down by the river"

[@vickierinehart4434]

They took off the good family shows . Now they show a lot of weird shows you wouldn't want to set down and watch with the family. I rarely and I do mean rarely watch television anymore.

[@williamrooth]

I always loved this show. It was wonderfully goofy and had a charm all to it's own. I would love to see other shows in this genre, but those days are passed, I fear. RIP Green Acres Cast and Crew! You may be gone, but you still keep us in stitches!

[@GermanShepherd1983]

I grew up on a very rural area and we actually had a county agent that looked a lot like Hank Kimball. He had completely different mannerisms, but we still thought of him as Hank Kimball.

[@shedjammer87]

Alvy Moore as Hank Kimball was hilarious!!!

[@richparks1966]

Exacerbating Kimball on jeep radio: "Send 4 pickers to the 'Oh-For' place."

[@FaydOgolon]

I remember getting to see the first episode when my local station started running syndicated episodes in the mid-70s. (I had actually watched some episodes first run before it went off the air.) I thought it was an unusual way to start a TV series. Years later, when I learned more about TV show production and how pilot episodes often get re-edited or re-purposed, I thought that had been the case with "Green Acres." Years after that, however, was when I found out they didn't shoot the pilot and the first episode was exactly how they had planned it.

[@philwaller4379]

Hank Patterson. "Fred Ziffle." He nailed that role and I looked forward to hearing his country wisdoms.

[@CSLee-yu6ht]

I loved it growing up and now I have my 12 year old grandson hooked on it lol…

[@endtheliesnow5906]

Great video!!

[@browngreen933]

As a young man Mr. KIMBALL was an outlaw biker in the movie The Wild One.

[@bgbeck55]

You cut the John Daly ending too soon. That is my favorite moment of the show;

[@davemarr7743]

Loved the show and now many years later I live at Green Acres Trailer park. ..hahaha

[@dan7163]

I grew up watching them all from their first premier shows. How many remember live TV?