Return to Green Acres
| Return to Green Acres | |
|---|---|
| Based on | Characters created by Jay Sommers |
| Written by |
Craig Heller Guy Shulman |
| Directed by | William Asher |
| Starring |
Eddie Albert Eva Gabor Tom Lester Lucy Lee Flippin |
| Theme music composer | Vic Mizzy |
| Composer(s) | Dan Foliart |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language(s) | English |
| Production | |
| Producer(s) | Anthony Santa Croce |
| Cinematography | Karen Grossman |
| Editor(s) |
Michael Renaud Gary Griffen |
| Running time | 120 minutes |
| Production company(s) | JayGee Productions |
| Release | |
| Original network | CBS |
| Original release | May 18, 1990 |
| Chronology | |
| Preceded by | Green Acres |
Return to Green Acres is a 1990 American made-for-television comedy film based on the 1965–1971 sitcom Green Acres which premiered on CBS on May 18, 1990. It stars all the then-surviving original cast (Hank Patterson (Fred) and Barbara Pepper (Doris Ziffel) died in 1975 and 1969 respectively). The movie starts with the original opening credit sequence from the series, but in a sepiatone color to tell you that it's been a while since the TV show ended. The sequence turns to color with an added section to the theme song, which is when we see a 20-something year old Arnold the Pig, putting flowers on Doris Ziffel's grave. The Douglas' trusty farmhand Eb (Tom Lester) has married a girl named Flo.
This movie was the final acting performance of character actor Frank Cady, who played Mr. Drucker, the Hooterville general store proprietor, who was featured concurrently on both Green Acres and the sister CBS sitcom from which it was spun off, Petticoat Junction; Cady died in 2012 at the age of 96.
Synopsis
Twenty-five years later, Oliver and Lisa Douglas are unhappy with their farm. Oliver had planted Alfalfa in the "bottom 40 acres", but there was poison ivy in it. Land Developers decide that Hooterville would be a great place to build a huge industrial city, and they hire Mr. Haney (slightly more sinister in this movie as compared to his good-natured demeanor in the series), to swindle the people of Hooterville into giving up their houses for very cheap prices. Oliver and Lisa sell the farm and return to New York City, during which time Mr. Haney tricks the entire town into selling their homes. When everyone learns that Mr. Haney tricked them, they decide to take a trip up to New York to get Mr. Douglas to use his legal knowledge and abilities to get their land back.
Naturally Oliver fails, but fortunately, Daisy Ziffel (the Ziffels' niece) and the land developer's son fall in love. After the evil land developer's son proposes to Ms. Ziffel, he decides to stand up to his father and help the people of Hooterville get their land back. Everyone tricks Haney into thinking that Hooterville is on an earthquake fault and the land developer just gives them all their land back (except of course for the Douglases, who pay Mr. Haney for theirs). The movie ends happily, with Oliver and Lisa realizing they love "Green Acres" and deciding to stay in Hooterville, and Eb's wife having twins! That makes 8 kids for Eb and Flo.
Main characters
- Eddie Albert as Oliver Wendell Douglas
- Eva Gabor as Lisa Douglas
- Tom Lester as Eb Dawson
- Lucy Lee Flippin as Flo Dawson
- Alvy Moore as Hank Kimball
- Sid Melton as Alf Monroe
- Mary Grace Canfield as Ralph Monroe
- Frank Cady as Sam Drucker
- Pat Buttram as Mr. Haney
- Henry Gibson as Mr. Armstrong, the Land Developer
- John Scott Clough as Brad Armstrong
- Mary Tanner Bailey as Daisy Ziffel (credited as Mary Tanner)
References
http://maggiore.net/greenacres/ga171.asp