Oliver was born and spent his first few days on a farm in central New York (not at all what his well-off parents intended when they took a trip to the country, but his expectant mother went into labor there), and believes farming is his destiny. Oliver became a WWII fighter pilot; he met Lisa when he parachuted to safety over Hungary (at least that's one version of the story.) The couple married after the war and Oliver went to Harvard law school; then Oliver and Lisa settled in New York, where he became a partner in a reputable law firm. Despite his success, Oliver wasn't satisfied. He yearned to be his own man; to work the soil, rather than pound the pavement, for a living (in his spare time he even grew small crops on the terrace of their penthouse apartment.) When the opportunity to buy "the old Haney Place" presents itself, Oliver simply can't resist the lure of "farm livin'"; he buys the place, sight unseen, and drags Lisa (kicking and screaming) with him to make a new life.

Despite all of Oliver's education, charm, and good health, he can never quite make sense of being a farmer (neither can he seem to finish a sentence.) As for the Hootervillians, they're happy as a "pink possum in a dry-goods store" to have the Douglas couple in town, even though they think "she's ok, but he's a little weird."