This situation comedy debuted on September 15, 1965 and concluded its network run on September 7, 1971. It was the last of a trio of "rural" comedies on CBS that also included "The Beverly Hillbillies" and "Petticoat Junction," all three of which were tremendous favorites with the public but barely noticed by TV critics at the time. Although "Green Acres" made occasional references to "The Beverly Hillbillies" and shared a locale and general store with "Petticoat Junction,"  this inventive series was in a class by itself. Credit must be given to the exceptionally off-the-wall writing by Jay Sommers and Dick Chevillat, who collaborated on virtually every episode.
Much of the show's humor hinges on making uptight New York lawyer, Oliver Wendel Douglas (Eddie Albert), the ultimate straight man in a hick town named Hooterville, whose bizarre residents push rural behavior to surreal limits.
But there is also a lot of playfulness involving the TV medium itself. For example, screen credits occasionally appear on unusual props (like the local newspaper), and characters regularly make references to other TV shows. There is a refreshing self-consciousness about the show's own brand of bizarreness that permeates the plots. Slapstick and shtick also reign in Hooterville.
|