Lately there has been a glut of TV shows hitting the DVD market. And as keyed up as I get over some of the better of the new shows that are released, I am especially pleased when an older show gets the DVD treatment. Thanks to the folks at MGM, all 32 episodes of the 1st season of “Green Acres” is about to become readily available at your fingertips. Often when I try to sit down to watch some of today’s sitcoms, I end up turning them off because I get tired of all the sexual innuendos, gay jokes and the overuse of whatever profanity the network censors have decided is ‘ok’ this week. I’m not even close to being a prude, but it takes a lot more imagination and creativity to write a season’s worth of clean jokes than the type of humor readily available on your local TV channel nowadays. I long for the old days when shows that were on during the family hour were really for the family and dysfunctional didn’t necessarily mean angry.

Granted we had our fair share of shows back then that were just plain bad, but more ‘classic’ shows came out of the era from the 60’s through the 70’s than any other time. Most of them depicted a simple life, which is not to mistaken with today’s “Simple Life” which is just plain trash.

“Green Acres”, which ran from 1965 to 1971, is a perfect example. It was created by Paul Henning, who also gave us “The Beverly Hillbillies” and was based on an old radio show called “Granby’s Green Acres.” The premise was fairly simple. Prominent lawyer Oliver Wendell Douglas tires of the rat race of the big city and decides to give it all up so he can escape to the peace and tranquility of small town life. His wife Lisa however, is a socialite who loves the comforts of her ‘penthouse view’ and is dead set against it. The show was created during a time before the Women’s Liberation went into full swing, so Oliver is able to remind her that ‘she is his wife’, and as such leaves her old world behind. (Had this been tried today, picket lines would have been around the block)

Once they are settled in, Oliver finds that life on the farm isn’t as idyllic as he had expected. The noise and aggravation of big city life was replaced by the noise and aggravation of a rundown house, eccentric small town neighbors, a pushy salesman, a pair of bumbling handymen (well, one was actually a woman…) and yes, even a super smart pig named Arnold.

The series might not have been what it was without the exasperated ranting of Eddie Albert as Oliver and Eva Gabor as the seemingly naïve Lisa. These two played off of each other like a latter day Burns and Allen, their timing was so perfect.

I count “Green Acres” amongst my many favorite classic TV shows, and watched it as often as I could as a kid. Fortunately it was popular enough to have run for 6 years and 170 episodes. It spawned a popular spin-off of its own called “Petticoat Junction”, which in turn introduced the world to the lovable pooch who went on to become a movie star, Benji.

As glad as I was to see this show become available on DVD, I’ve become a bit of an extra features junkie, so I was a bit disappointed to see that this 2-disc set was completely devoid of any. Aside from a little booklet insert with episode descriptions, it is a strictly bare-bones set that offers up the episodes pretty much the way they looked and sounded back then. This is a minor nit-pick, though. I’m just happy to have the opportunity to watch the show again, and in order to boot.

Of course, now that I’ve had the chance to sit through a few, I gotta do this. Sing with me:

Green Acres is the place for me.
Farm livin' is the life for me.
Land spreadin' out so far and wide.
Keep Manhattan, just give me that countryside.

New York is where I'd rather stay.
I get allergic smelling hay.
I just adore a penthouse view.
Dah-ling I love you but give me Park Avenue.

...The chores.
...The stores.
...Fresh air.
...Times Square

You are my wife.
Good bye, city life.
Green Acres we are there.

Episodes:
Oliver Buys A Farm
Lisa’s First Day on the Farm
The Decorator
The Best Laid Plans
My Husband, the Rooster Renter
Furniture, Furniture, Who’s Got the Furniture
Neighborliness
Lisa, the Helpmate
You Can’t Plug In a 2 With a 6
Don’t Call Us, We’ll Call You
Parity Begins at Home
Lisa Has a Calf,
The Wedding Anniversary
What Happened in Scranton
How to Enlarge a Bedroom
Give Me Land, Lots of Land
I Didn’t Raise My Husband to be a Fireman
Lisa Bakes a Cake
Sprained Ankle, Country Style
The Price of Apples
What’s in a Name?
The Day of Decision
A Pig in a Poke
The Ballad of Molly Turgiss
The Deputy
Double Drick
Send a Boy to College
Never Look a Gift Horse in the Mouth
Horse? What Horse?
Culture
The Rains Come
Uncle Ollie

Starring: Eddie Albert, Eva Gabor, Pat Butram
Extras: None
Specifications: Full Screen, Mono
Studio: MGM
Release Date: 1/13/2004
Region 1
MPAA Rating: NR
Website

We'll give Green Acres: Season 1 a B.