Tom Lester, best known for his role of Eb Dawson on Green Acres, died Monday from complications related to Parkinson’s disease. He was 81. … “Lester died of complications from Parkinson’s Disease on April 20, 2020 in the Nashville, Tennessee home of his fiancee and long term caregiver, Jackie Peters,” the obit read.
3. CBS canceled the show because it gave them a “bad rep” … CBS was tired of being known as the country network, so they ditched the Jay Sommers-produced show along with their classic sitcom cousin starring Jethro and the rest of The Beverly Hillbillies and every other TV show that had even a slightly rural rep.
Arnold the Piggy, a male pig, was just the first animal actor in the role. The producers and trainer would swap in young piglets in later seasons, to keep Arnold Ziffel forever cute and little. Female pigs came to be primarily used because they grow slower and smaller.
This classic can be seen as an inspiration for two popular 1960s television comedy series, “Green Acres” and “The Beverly Hillbillies.” Enjoy!
In several episodes throughout the series Mr. Haney’s first name is said to be Eustace. However, in Green Acres: The Deputy (1966), his cousin calls him Charlton.
The last to pass away was Tom Lester (Eb Dawson), the youngest cast member, at age 81 in 2020. Pat Buttram (Mr. Haney) passed away at age 78,
(Lisa Douglas) at 76, and Alvy Moore (Hank Kimball) was 75 when he passed.
Admittedly what Marvel Entertainment pulled off with their shared cinematic universe — bringing together characters like Iron Man, Captain America and Spider-Man — was impressive, but let’s give credit where it’s due: the Hooterville Universe was there first, uniting the worlds of Green Acres, Petticoat Junction and The Beverly Hillbillies. OK, that’s not fair. Universal Pictures actually beat all of them with their classic horror characters, epitomized by Abbott & Costello Meet Frankenstein. But we digress.
Having already created The Beverly Hillbillies in 1962 and Petticoat Junction in 1963, producer Paul Henning teamed up with writer/producer Jay Sommers, who is credited with the concept of Green Acres. It’s about New York attorney Oliver Wendell Douglas (Eddie Albert) who has had a lifelong dream of being a farmer. To achieve it, he takes his Hungarian wife, Lisa (Eva Gabor), out of the city to a farm in disrepair located in Hooterville. Both of them are fish out of water in their own way and have to learn to adapt to this new life — and the somewhat bizarre people around them. That challenge kept the show going for six seasons from 1965 to 1971 and 170 episodes (plus the 1990 reunion TV movie, Return to Green Acres).
“I got the idea from my stepfather when I was a kid,” Jay related to the Daily Press of Newport News, Virginia in 1965. “He wanted a farm in the worst way and he finally bought me one. I remember having to hoe potatoes. I hated it. I won’t even do the gardening at our home now, I was so resentful as a child. But, those childhood memories come in handy when you’re trying to dream up the idea for a new television show.”
“The theme of this show is a universal one,” proclaimed Jay. “It’s got a message: let’s get away from it all.”
But we’d prefer if you’d stick around and scroll down to reacquaint yourself with the Green Acres branch of Hooterville.
The actor appeared in popular TV series such as Little House on the Prairie and Knight Rider.
According to Lester’s brother Michael, the actor “became a born-again Christian” in 1948 and “During and after his role as Eb, he became more involved travelling the nation, preaching a message of Christian faith and obedience.”
Michael said that there will be “a graveside service attended by family and close friends” on April 24 at Hickory Grove Cemetery, Laurel, Miss.
Lester’s death was confirmed by his brother Michael who posted an obit to the “Fan of Tom Lester” page on Facebook.
Lester went on to appear in two related series, Petticoat Junction and Beverly Hillbillies, and also had roles in Benji (1974) and Gordy (1994).
Who was Arnold Ziffel owner?
The show is about a fictional lawyer, Oliver Wendell Douglas, and his wife, Lisa – city-dwellers who move to Hooterville, a farming community populated by oddballs. Arnold is a pig of the Chester White breed, but is treated as the son of farmer Fred Ziffel and his wife, Doris, a childless couple.
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