'Green Acres' 10 little known facts

Green Acres was a sitcom that ran on CBS from September 15, 1965, to April 27, 1971. During its 6 years on the air it was a fan favorite and the characters became endeared to those who tuned in each week. You can currently watch Green Acres in syndication on MeTV and also on the ROKU channel. Let's take a look at 10 interesting facts about the show that may not be well known.

1. The rural purge

At the height of it's popularity, Green Acres was canceled due to what has become to be known as "the rural purge." CBS execs made the ridiculous decision heading into the 1970s to divest itself of all of its programming that was set in the county. Each of these shows was a top 10 hit and this did not make sense to viewers. In addition to Green Acres, the other series that got the boot were the Beverly Hillbillies, The Andy Griffith Show, and Petticoat Junction.

2. The stars sang the theme song

The opening monolog showed the stars, Eddie Albert and Ava Gabor bickering so to speak about the difference between county and city life. in case you did not know, it was Gabor and Albert who were singing the theme song to each other. This was the first time ever that the stars of a series sang their own theme song.

3. Farm living was the life for 3 people related to the show

Tom Lester who portrayed the Douglases farm had Eb actually grew up on a farm in rural Mississippi. Eddie Albert was in full agreement with the premise of the show and said it was believable that someone would desire to leave the rat race of the city and turn to farm life. Jay Sommers the producer of Green Acres had resented having to work on his stepfather's farm but used his experience to create the sitcom.

4. The show had a senior cast

Practically all of the main cast members on Green Acres were over the age of 40 when the show premiered. The only person under the age of 30 was Tom Lester who portrayed Eb Dawson. Edgar Buchannon, (Uncle Joe Carson). Eleanor Audley (Mother Eunice Douglas), Hank Patterson (Fred Ziffel), Sid Melton (Alf Monroe), Mary Grace Canfield (Ralph Monroe), Edde Albert (Oliver Wendell Douglas), Pat Buttram (Mr. Haney), and Frank Cady (Sam Drucker) were all considered to be over the hill. This did not matter to fans who enjoyed Sam Drucker and Edgar Buchannon on Petticoat Junction and also The Beverly Hillbillies.

5. Arnold the pig

Arnold Ziffel was the only cast member of Green Acres to win an award. He won 3 PATSY's (Picture animal top star of the year award). Arnold was also portrayed by a number of pigs so that he would continue to look young. There were more female pigs used because they did not gain weight in the same manner as their male counterparts. Arnold received thousands of letters and he also was responsible for a lot of children deciding not to eat pork chops. There was also a rumor that caused fans to believe that Arnold was barbecued at the end of the series. Tom Lester, (Eb) later admitted that he was the source of this unfounded tale.

6. Ava Gabor was nothing like her character

Lisa Douglas came off as ditsy and a dumb blonde most of the time. I real time she was anything but. In addition to Green Acres the actress lent her voice to Duchess in The Aristocats, and Miss Bianca in The Rescuers and The Rescuers Down Under. She was also the Queen of Time in the Sanrio film Nutcracker Fantasy. Gabor launched a successful fashion line and reunited with Eddie Albert in 1983 for the Broadway play, You Can't Take it With You."

7. All the cast members are now deceased

Tom Lester who portrayed Eb Dawson was the last surviving cast member of Green Acres and he died in 2020.

8. The chemistry between Oliver and Lisa was real

Many fans remarked how strong the chemistry was between Oliver and Lisa Douglas, and there is a good reason for it. Eddie Albert and Ava Gabor were very good friends in real-time. When she passed away in 1975, Albert was said to be heartbroken and went into a state of depression. After he died, his body was buried in the same cemetery and in close proximity to his former co-star.

9. The scripts were brilliant

Years ago, Eddie Albert said that the slapstick comedy in the show was never ad-libbed and the actors never strayed from their dialogue, Every punch line was spoken exactly as it was written in the script.

10. Mr. Haney was based on the manager of Elvis Pressley

Pat Buttram portrayed the slick-talking huckster of a salesman Mr, Haney. He once admitted that he based his character on Colonel Tom Parker, the manager of Elvis Presley. When he spoke, it sounded like a young boy who was experiencing the change of life. This was not an act as Buttram often joked that his distinctive voice never made it through puberty.