15 Odd Facts About Green Acres

It was actually better than I realized.

Old TVPhoto byTopSphere MediaonUnsplash

I can still remember the Green Acres theme song. It’s one of the catchiest in the history of TV. The show itself was a pretty good ratings getter for CBS in the 60s. Eventually, however, like The Beverly Hillbillies and Petticoat Junction, it ran afoul of the great CBS rural purge of the early 70s.

So, here’s a look back at Green Acres. How much of this do you remember?

1: Arnold Ziffel was the only member of the cast to win an acting award.

Arnold won the PATSY, which stands for Picture Animal Top Star of the Year. I understand, like Brando, Arnold was a method actor and stayed in character all the time.

2: Arnold’s dad, Fred Ziffel, was played by Hank Patterson who was deaf.

To work around that situation Hank had a dialogue coach tap him on the leg with a yardstick when it was time for him to deliver his line. That must have been a fun set when the Ziffels were shooting a scene.

It seems ironic that the man instead of the animal prodded by a stick.

3: Even death didn’t part the Douglases.

In real life, Eva Gabor and Eddie Albert were close, though platonic friends. They are both buried in the Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery in LA. They are actually only a few feet apart. I don’t believe Eb Dawson is near them.

4: Despite the above picture, the character, Mr. Haney wasn’t based on Ted Cruz.

The character was actually based on Elvis Pressley’s manager, Colonel Tom Parker. However, unlike Tom Parker, Mr. Haney didn’t make any money from the Dougleses after they passed away.

5: There was no ab libbing on the show.

Eddie Albert said it was because there was no time for it, plus the show was so well written. Well, it was a nice enough show, but I can’t imagine it couldn’t have been improved.

6: In a touching story, Arnold is buried with his trainer.

Arnold’s trainer was a man named Frank Inn. Inn trained a lot of animals you saw on TV during the 60s including the dog on Petticoat Junction and Elly May’s critters on The Beverly Hillbillies. Inn grew especially attached to Arnold.

When Arnold died, he was cremated and the urn with his ashes was given to Inn. Inn kept Arnold’s ashes until his death and had Arnold’s ashes buried with him.

I go back to Arnold being cremated. I can’t help but think the crematorium smelt especially good that day.

7: Tom Lester aka Eb Dawson actually grew up on a farm.

After growing up on a farm in rural Mississippi, Tom decided farm living wasn’t the life for him.

8: Hooterville, where the show took place, had a newspaper, the “World Guardian”.

It turns out it’s a small world after all.

9: In the Green Acres storyline, Oliver met Lisa after his plane was shot down during World War II in Hungary.

I wonder which was tougher for Oliver to acclimate to, Hungary or Hooterville?

10: Various pigs played Arnold Ziffel, some of them females.

Fortunately, we haven’t had any transgender issues.

11: County agent, Hank Kimball, played by Alvy Moore, was well-meaning but ineffectual.

Just like most government employees, except for the well-meaning part.

12: Opinion question: Worst cook, Lisa Douglas or Elly Mae Clampett?

I believe I’d have to go with Elly Mae, though Lisa was also terrible. I do believe people were actually able to eat Lisa’s hotcakes.

13: Half of the Monroe Brothers was female.

Alf was the male carpenter and Ralph the female. Actually, Ralph had aspirations to marry Hank Kimball. The Monroe Brothers worked on the Douglas’ bedroom for years. I’m not sure they ever finished.

I had a contractor like that once.

14: While Oliver Douglas wasn’t a particularly good farmer, he was a well-dressed one.

Oliver could be seen doing farm chores while wearing a three-piece suit. No wonder Lisa adapted to Hooterville better than Oliver.

15: The location of Hooterville remains a mystery. References to its location are all over the map, so to speak.

It’s probably better that way. Otherwise, the place would be overrun by tourists.