Green Acres

## **Green Acres (1965) Review: A Perfect, Surrealist Masterpiece - 10/10** *Green Acres* isn't just a television show; it's a state of mind. A perfect, surrealist comedy that holds up with breathtaking brilliance to this day, it remains the gold standard for situational absurdity and character-driven chaos. From its iconic, operatic theme song that lays out the entire premise, you know you're in for something special—a sophisticated New York couple, Oliver and Lisa Douglas, trading penthouses for pestilence on a dilapidated farm in Hooterville. The genius of *Green Acres* is its unwavering commitment to its own bizarre internal logic. Oliver Wendell Douglas (the magnificently stoic Eddie Albert) is the ultimate straight man, a lawyer who believes reason and hard work can conquer all, constantly baffled by a world where nothing operates as it should. His wife, Lisa (the incomparable Eva Gabor), is his glamorous, mink-clad foil, who views their new life through a lens of charming incomprehension, famously trying to cook in a wood-burning stove with her high heels and cocktail dresses. The supporting cast is a gallery of comedic legends. **Mr. Haney's** shenanigans, as he cons Oliver with every visit, are a masterclass in sly, countryfied grift. And then there's **Arnold the Pig**, a character of such refined tastes and intelligence (with a clear love of watching television) that you never question his presence at town meetings. The physical comedy is timeless, from the tractor that has a mind of its own to the Douglas's bedroom cupboard door that perpetually slides off and falls to the floor, exposing the backyard at the most inopportune moments. ### The Verdict **10/10 - A Timeless, Unmatched Classic** *Green Acres* is a perfect show. Its humor, derived from the collision of urban rationality with rural surrealism, is as sharp and funny now as it was nearly sixty years ago. It’s a testament to its quality that you can start watching it at ten years old for the slapstick and appreciate its sophisticated satire and flawless performances as an adult. It is, and will always be, a joyful, brilliant, and utterly unique classic.

Green Acres is a bit before its time in modern TV, so it holds up well over time. It's a comedy about a lawyer with an upscale wife who decides he wants to be a farmer. It doesn't exactly go over the "fourth wall", but it climbs to the top of the fourth wall. Much of the comedy involves speaking about the mood music or the music score that is playing during the show. Actor Eddie Albert is the main straight man, although he farms in a suit and tie. Yeah, that's the straight man. Frank Cady as a store clerk, and sometimes Bea Benaderet as the local hotel keeper are about the only other "straight men/women" on the show. The others are "hoots" in Hooterville. The comedy runs from slapstick to sometimes a bit dry, so there is something for everyone.

Thanks to Nick at Nite I still have the theme song and the advertisement for this memorized. And, honestly, there is a reason for it, it was hysterical. The humor and the fish out of water comedy stay with you. It is brilliant and stands the test of time.