One of the numerous comedies with rural settings and cornpone humor that aired in the 1960s, Green Acres reverses the formula of The Beverly Hillbillies, sending a sophisticated couple from Manhattan to the hick farming community of Hooterville. Eddie Albert plays Oliver Wendell Douglas, a New York lawyer who just wants to be a farmer, and Eva Gabor is his Hungarian-born wife Lisa, a Park Avenue creature who reluctantly but loyally follows him to the ramshackle home and wreck of a farm he bought from the town con-man Mr. Haney (Pat Buttram). Their phone is on top of a nearby telephone pole, their home is constantly falling apart, and Lisa never learns to cook anything edible. The colorful cast of country characters include their enthusiastic but dim hired hand Eb (Tom Lester), a confused county agent (Alvy Moore), and a couple raising a pig named Arnold as their son. The series has a zanier streak of humor than its sister shows (such as Petticoat Junction), from the antics of Arnold (who was so popular he developed his own fan club) to running gags where Lisa can see the credits and subtitles appear on the screen, and Oliver and Lisa have a surprisingly passionate marriage for a ‘60s sitcom. It ran for six successful seasons and was still popular when it was cancelled by CBS in its purge of rural comedies in the early ‘70s. Compiling all 170 episodes from 1965-71, extras include a pilot episode audio commentary by pop culture historian Russell Dyball, a retrospective featurette with author Stephen Cox (The Hooterville Handbook), an appearance by Gabor and Albert on The Merv Griffin Show, episodes from the original radio show, and a photo gallery. Recommended. (S. Axmaker)
Green Acres: The Complete Series
Shout! Factory, 24 discs, 4,245 min., not rated, DVD: $139.99 Volume 33, Issue 1
Green Acres: The Complete Series
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