1/17/07: Green Acres “King Oliver I” (1971)24 sets off a nuclear bomb in Los Angeles, and everyone gets upset. At least CAIR is getting a test run at projecting the blame when the real nuke explodes. Meanwhile, history has forgotten one of the great fictitious bombings of all time—which was part of the Hooterville Tax Rebellion of 1971.
There are many classic episodes of
Green Acres, but nothing like “King Oliver I.” A typical episode addressed the turmoil that big-city attorney Oliver Wendell Douglas (as played by Eddie Albert) faced while coping with the cornpone townsfolk of Hooterville. This one’s the rare show where the citizenry actually joins forces with Oliver and his glamorous socialite wife Lisa (not so much played as displayed by the lovely Eva Gabor).
Oliver is inspired to call a town meeting when he learns that the bankrupt state has raised taxes by 52%. The few townspeople who show up listen to Lisa’s tale of her Hungarian father. Turns out that Lisa’s a princess, and her father’s kingdom once seceded from Hungary over high taxes there. Everyone decides that’s a fine strategy. Hooterville will secede from its own home state.
Oliver storms out in disgust, so he doesn’t learn until the next day that he’s been crowned King of Hooterville. This has something to do with him owning a typewriter. Also, his wife certainly dresses like a queen. Oliver even gets a crown once he bites into a piece of toast with margarine. If you get that gag, then you are very old.
(Longtime fans of
Green Acres will wonder why the crown wasn’t offered to Arnold Ziffel. The talented pig is otherwise engaged taking over a paper route for a kid who has the measles.)
The people of Hooterville then mark their independence by blowing up the bridge that goes over a swamp and leads out of town.
Cut to the governor in his office: “That’s state property!”
“Not anymore,” replies his aide.
How great is that? The governor then gets a call from the President. “It’s just a small uprising because I raised the taxes 52%,” he explains. Then the governor tells his aide to go get the bulletproof limousine. He’s going off to Hooterville.
In a typical
Acres distortion, this tax-crazed governor turns out to be an inversion of Ronald Reagan. The nemesis of Hooterville is a former movie star who’d rather watch his old films than run the state. This allows the sitcom to wrap up the situation in the final five minutes. The governor walks through the swamp, meets with a very embarrassed King Oliver, and Lisa comes up with another bright idea.
She explains that the governor could force all the movie houses in the state to screen a film festival featuring his old movies, and then pass a law requiring that every citizen pay to attend. That’ll bring in enough cash to save the day.
Hooterville will be skipping that obligation—perhaps forever. For all we know, Oliver is still the King of Hooterville. This revolutionary romp was the final episode of
Green Acres to ever be filmed. The popular show was promptly canceled by CBS. The network also ditched the pesky rural folk of
Mayberry R.F.D., along with
Hee Haw and
The Beverly Hillbillies. In contrast, there are 20 more hours of
24 to go in this season alone. Let’s hear it for true controversial television!
This has been a Filmways presentation, darling.
Make it your own: The final season of
Green Acres isn’t on DVD. Many seasons of
Green Acres aren’t on DVD. Fortunately, the wholesome
I Network (formerly PAX) keeps the show on the air. The network even aired “King Oliver I” a mere three hours before
24 dropped the bomb. That’s smart programming.
*Today’s headline is swiped from an old copy of CREEM
magazine. 
