Customer Reviews

Green Acres: The Complete Second Season

5 star:		(39)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

"Green Acres: Season One" was a little disappointing. Not because of the quality of the DVDs or anything like that. No, it's just that the first season of the sitcom wasn't very funny--or at least not in the sense that later seasons were funny.

The first season was heavily restricted to the sitcom's original premise: a reverse of "The Beverly Hillbillies" (created by Green Acres executive producer Paul Henning and also aired on CBS). The humor was supposed to be generated by the fish-out-of-water city-slicker who lands in Hooterville with delusions about his agricultural aptitude. Comedy was to accrue from the city slickers' attempts to fit into their bucolic setting.

Initially, eccentric Oliver Douglas was supposed to be the comic, and Lisa, his sophisticated wife, the "straight man" reacting to his abberant behavior and farcical farming. Oh, sure, it quickly became evident that she was a terrible cook whose gastronomic repertoir was limited to those horrible "hotscakes." But she had a one-joke routine: she made poor pancakes. (It wasn't until later that she concocted amusing variations on the theme, such as "hotscakes hash").

Gradually, the premise began to change--and the show became a lot funnier. The new humor derived from the surreal goings-on in Hooterville, to which Lisa adopted and Oliver did not, resulting in complete role reversal: Oliver was the straight man, not only for his wife but for the entire psychotic populace of Hooterville. His big stupid grin (seen almost nonstop in the pilot) was replaced by screaming, scowling and sputtering as he struggled with situations that seemed like something right out of the Twilight Zone.

The change evolved through the first season--and was complete by the second season. So the second season DVD set is VERY funny.

Consider the following contents of the Season Two DVD set:

*Lisa nonchalantly observes that one of the chickens is laying cube-shaped eggs--and it's total insanity from that point on as Oliver tries to come to grips with the square-egg phenomenon.

*Arnold the pig is drafted. No one in Hooterville seems to recognize that the porker is ineligible, and no one in the military bureaucracy seems capable of conceiving that the draftee is really a pig. "Noted pig lawyer" Oliver Douglas is the only voice of reason in the sea of ensuing insanity.

So if you were even modestly disappointed by "Green Acres: Season One," you really must own "Green Acres: Season Two."

Hooterville Corn Crop Threatened by the dreaded Bing bug.

Hank Kimble: Quiet. Quiet please, quiet. As you all know, I'm your County Kimble Hank Agent. I believe I am. I'm Hank Kimble, your County Agent. I guess that sounds better. Well not better. As you know, we have a serious problem on our hands; well not on our hands, but on our corn.


Oliver: Could you put crop dusting equipment on that?
Mr. Haney: Certainly.
Oliver: How much would it cost?
Mr. Haney: Mr. Douglas, the farmers of the valley are in trouble ain't they?
Oliver: Yes they are.
Mr. Haney: When my friends are standing there with their hand out askin' for help, I'm there...
Lisa: With your hand out.
Mr. Haney: Ooh that stung, like a cheap aftershave lotion on a nicked chin.

1. Wings Over Hooterville

2. Water, Water Everywhere

3. I didn't Raise my Pig to be a Soldier

4. How to See South America by Bus

5. The Ugly Duckling

6. One of our Assemblymen ios Missing

7. The Good Old Days

8. Eb Discovers the Birds and Bees

9. The Hooterville Image

10. You ought to be in Pictures

11. A Home isn't built in a day

12. A Square is not Round

13. An Old Fashion Christmas

14. Never trust a Little Old Lady

15. School Days

16. His Honor

17. It's So Peaceful in the Country

18. Exodus to Bleedwell

19. It's human to be humane

20. Never take your wife to a convention

21. The Computer Age

22. Never Start Talking Unless your voice comes out

23. The Beverly Hilbillies

24. Lisa's Vegetable Garden

25. The Saucer Season

26. Getting Even With Haney

27. Kimball Gets Fired

28. The Vulgar Ring Story

29. Who's Lisa

30. Music to Milk by

Was around when these episodes of "Green Acres" originally aired on CBS. I liked the show back then with all the wacky characters. But seeing them again, I have enjoyed the writing and editing that you didn't notice or appreciate as a kid. The picture is fine - sharp enough to notice the back-drops where the set ends - which I really didn't notice as much on TV. And the price is reasonable. I have gotten the first and second seasons for under $30 apeice (and that's with shipping). All in all, a fun and affordable watch.

The second season is even funnier than the first. The episodes, "An Old Fashioned Christmas" and "It's Human to Be Humane" are particularily hilarious.

Where else but Green Acres can you find "togetherlessness" in a dishwasher, play a game of Scribble, Cabbage or Monotony, or enjoy a nice plate of raw schpaghetti?

Can't wait for season three. On the downside, MGM's new packaging stinks. Please bring back the Digipak design.

Woo Hoo - at last - funniest show EVER !!!!
THANK YOU TO ALL CONCERNED FOR THIS RELEASE !!!
Season 2 Track listing "should be"

-Wings Over Hooterville
-Water, Water Everywhere
-I Didn't Raise My Pig to be a Soldier
-How to See South America By Bus
-The Ugly Duckling
-One of Our Assemblymen Is Missing
-The Good Old Day
-Eb Discovers the Birds and the Bees
-The Hooterville Image
-You Ought to be in Pictures
-A Home Isn't Built in a Day
-A Square in Not Round
-An Old-Fashioned Christmas
-Never Trust a Little Old Lady
-School Days
-His Honor
-It's So Peaceful in the Country
-Exodus to Bleedwell
-It's Human to be Humane
-Never Take Your Wife to a Convention
-The Computer Age
-Never Start Talking Unless Your Voice Comes Out
-The Beverly Hillbillies
-Lisa's Vegetable Garden
-The Saucer Season
-Getting Even with Haney
-Kimball Gets Fired.
-The Vulgar Ring Story
-Who's Lisa?
-Music to Milk By

- I love the SQUARE EGGS episode !!
- Bring on Season 4 with "Hail to the Countess, Hail to the Countess, Raise your glass of beer....."

Slightly better than season 1,although all these shows were very good.

A number of good episodes on this set. Water, Water Everywhere involves "The Highhanded Law of 1912" and wells going dry everytime a new well is dug up. You Ought to Be in Pictures has a priceless bit in which the citizens of Hooterville think Jimmy Stewart & Melvin Douglas are coming to town & shooting a movie. The Square Eggs episode is good. Other good ones are the Beverly Hillbillies episode(they do a stage version of the Beverly Hillbillies) & the final episode of the season in which Eleanor the cow swallows Eb's radio as Eb is trying to win a "Guess that song" contest. I can't wait for this set.

As TV critics around the country self-righteously reiterated the tired cliche about the average television viewer having the mentality of a 12-year-old, comedy fans were yukking it up over the comedy find of the decade, which--in its second season--really began hitting the heights of classic comedy.

"Green Acres," at this time, solidified its format of the frustrated, supposedly-rational character becoming stark raving mad in a world full of lunatics. Every time Eddie Albert blows his stack, he gets a laugh.....and I'm saying this in the PRESENT tense because that's still how it affects viewers. They're more savvy to its subtlety than ever.

A nice little round of all-time classic episodes grace this volume; "The Ugly Duckling," for instance, begins lady-carpenter Ralph's romance with county agent Hank Kimball (a romance ultimately leading to the altar and culminating in the fifth season's classic "Ralph's Nuptials"); in the present episode, however, Lisa's attempts to doll up Ralph are engaging and endearing.

In "Getting Even With Haney," we have the CLASSIC battle royal between attorney Oliver & local con-man Mr. Haney.....a courtroom showdown in which the Ziffels sue Haney over a rigged-up washing machine. Haney ultimately gets the upper hand (OF COURSE!), but getting to that point in the episode's only 1/100th of the fun.

"It's So Peaceful In The Country" is a grand holiday.....for Oliver, as he more-or-less relinquishes his role as chief fall-guy to his mother, whose delicate (spoiled??) nerves prompt her to make a stay at her son's new farm. Only one thing: coninciding with Mrs. Douglas's visit is a takeover of the farm by a group of....er.....um.....NATIVE AMERICANS. As it turns out, it's one of Mr. Haney's more elaborate scams; ultimately, it's one of Lisa's famous hotcakes which saves the day. This episode's certainly politically-incorrect by today's standars; but a howl, nevertheless.

(Actually, the writers & producers almost manage to make Lisa's hotcakes a scene-stealing character in themselves during this season!!)

Well, now, THIS episode deserves some kind of booby-prize for sheer audacity: "The Beverly Hillbillies." Yeah, it's the name of the EPISODE. In an attempt to boost aesthetics in Hooterville, the town's thespian troupe (Arnold the pig included) present a script unashamedly using the characters (never mind the SETTING!) of the 60's real-life, most-highest-rated program.....yeah, this is a blatant example of self-horn-tooting, self-back-slapping......hey, it's outright CANNIBALISM of its own species! But the episode makes just on the sheer outrageousness of its premise; Lisa attempting the Granny role in itself makes it worth multiple viewings.

And, the second season boasts what (in my book) is the greatest episode ever--"Music To Milk By," in which Eleanor the cow swallows Eb's new portable radio, frustrating his attempts at winning a radio contest. The contest consists of identifying the right title the unnamed song the DJ's spinning.....you (and Oliver) would swear it's the same tune, but uh-uh says Eb: the tune's variously known as "You're My Pizza Mama," "I Oughta Give You A Hole In The Head, For Making Me Live In This Dump," and (ahem....this is the episode's CATCH-PHRASE) "Don't Lose Your Cool When You Drop Out Of School." The episode's one of the few not written by producers Jay Sommers & Dick Chevillat; rather, it's by Elroy Schwartz--yeah, sibling to "Gilligan/Bradys" creator Sherwood Schwartz (WHO SAYS the Schwartes couldn't do quality comedy?!?!?).

.......and we would all be grateful to be blessed with 3-or-so seasons more of soul-satisfying laughs.

Few comedies work on so many levels as Green Acres, from the sight gags to the surprising slap stick, the episodes are a solid comedy treat that makes fun of just about every social level, rich, poor, country hick, or big city lawyer. And one the few comedy series that would go off in weird tangents that would leave even the best fan wondering if the writers were smoking dope that week

Bottom Line:
Every episode is a comedy riot, but with a weird twist. Not many shows can make a door knob coming off when someone is trying to open a door into a "classic gag", but somehow it works, and I laugh may ass off every time.