Did You Know?
Jay Sommers adapted "Green Acres" from his radio show, "Granby's Green Acres", which was on the air around 1950.
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Creator Jay Sommers wrote extensively for Petticoat Junction in its second season (1964-65), and these un-syndicated shows feature the first appearances of Doris (then "Ruthie"), Fred, Newt and even Arnold the Pig the year before Acres went on the air.
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Though Eleanor Audley played Eunice Douglas, Oliver's mother, she was actually only one year older then Eddie Albert.
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Took place in the same fictional universe as The Beverly Hillbillies and Petticoat Junction. Characters from the latter series often appeared on this show and vice-versa.
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During the final season, the Douglases got a pet duck named Drobney. He was the son of a duck (also named Drobney) that helped Lisa during World War II.
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During the first season, the Douglas family had a dog named Mignon (as in "filet mignon"). Mignon, was still "present" in Season 2, although not a lot of screen time.
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The name of the towns in the vicinity of Hooterville were Pixley, Crabwell Corners and Stankwell Falls.
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Although the names of the towns in this show are assumed to be made up, there is an area of southern Tulare County, California - a rural community about 175 miles north of Los Angeles - that has several towns whose names are suspiciously similar to those in this series: Porterville ("Hooterville"), Dutch Corners ("Crabwell Corners") and, in fact, there actually is a town in the vicinity called Pixley.
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The name of the state that Hooterville was located in was never mentioned, but in the first episode, Oliver told Lisa he had to fly to Chicago and change planes a few times to get to Hooterville. In another episode he mentions the state capital (Springfield) was only a four hour drive. This could make it somewhere in very rural Illinois.
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The manufacturer of Oliver's lemon of a tractor that Mr. Haney sold him was Hoyt-Clagwell.
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During the final season, Eb got a steady girlfriend in the person of Darlene Wheeler. However, in many of the early episodes it was revealed that he had a crush on Betty Jo Bradley. In several episodes he dated a girl named Lorelei.
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The governor of the state that Hooterville was in was based on then California governor (and future president) Ronald Reagan. He was a former actor that ran film festivals of his films to help generate revenue for the state.
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In the episode Green Acres: The Deputy, Mr. Haney's first name is said to be Charlton. A couple of episodes referred to his first name as Eustace.
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Eddie Albert revealed in a January 1966 "TV Guide" article that as part of his deal he was given a 10 percent interest in Green Acres. He also mentions that he was offered the part after Don Ameche turned it down, and that actresses Marsha Hunt and Janet Blair had screen-tested with him before Paul Henning had the idea to cast Eva Gabor (over CBS's objections that no one would understand her because of her accent).
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Arnold the Pig was the only cast member to win an award for a performance in a sitcom. He won the coveted "Patsy" Award in 1967, given to the best performance by an animal.
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The major sponsors were General Foods (now Kraft Foods) makers of Maxwell House Coffee and Post Cereals.
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Was one of the victims of the infamous rural purge in 1971, along with The Beverly Hillbillies, Mayberry R.F.D., Hee Haw and The Ed Sullivan Show (aka "The Ed Sullivan Show"). At the time, close analysis of demographics came into vogue, and these shows were perceived by CBS executive Fred Silverman to appeal only to those who lived in rural areas and older people, so he decided to cancel them, even though they were all still hugely popular. The oft-told joke that has passed into legend is that "CBS canceled every show with a tree in it".
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Vic Mizzy wrote the famous "Green Acres" theme, and also provided the show's score for all six seasons.
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This was the first television sitcom in which the theme song was sung by stars of the show (beating The Monkees by one year).
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Pat Buttram based his portrayal of Mr. Haney on Tom Parker - aka "Col. Tom Parker", Elvis Presley's manager - whom he met years earlier when Parker was a carnival barker.
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During the first half of the 1967-68 season, Tom Lester had missed several episodes because he had mononucleosis. The producers had decided to do a storyline in which Eb elopes.
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Oliver Douglas almost always wore business attire with a tie and vest, even when working out in the field.
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