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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."

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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