Actor Allusion: In one episode, Lisa tells Oliver that he knew full well when he married her that she had no domestic skills, claiming that "all [she] could do was talk Hungarian and do imitations of Zsa Zsa Gabor." Lisa is, of course, played by Eva Gabor, Zsa Zsa's kid sister.
The Character Died with Him: Hank Patterson died in 1975, so in the 1990 TV reunion movie, his character Fred Ziffel has passed away, and his niece is working the farm she inherited. Averted in the case of Doris Ziffel, who had also passed away in the movie, even though Fran Ryan (who played Doris in seasons 4-6) was still alive and working.
Creator Backlash: No one was happy with the script of Return to Green Acres, which had none of the surreal comedy of the original series and forced the characters into a standard TV-movie plot. Eddie Albert hated the script so much that he tried to pull out of the film altogether, and when it was finally released he made no secret of his unhappiness with the project.
Cowboy Be Bop At His Computer: MeTV's description for the episode "The Best Laid Plans" is "A rumor spreads until everyone in Hooterville believes Lisa has left Oliver." While that is a Running Gag throughout the episode, it's not the main plot. The episode was actually more about Lisa going back to New York to get the furniture from the penthouse, while they both make layouts for redesigning the farmhouse.
When the show aired in Malaysia, all the scenes with Arnold the pig were cut due to the country's high Muslim population. This resulted in scenes where the characters have one-sided interactions with a character who doesn't exist.
Current syndicated broadcasts in the US occasionally edit out words that are no longer considered acceptable, but which were commonly used when the show originally aired. This usually leaves the plot intact, while leaving a punchline incomprehensible.
Looping Lines: Eddie Albert lost his voice when they were filming the Christmas episode, and because of that, he had to loop ALL of his own dialogue in post-production.
The Other Darrin: A different actress played Mrs. Ziffel in later episodes. Barbara Pepper played Doris from 1965 to 1968, when heart ailments forced her to resign, and Fran Ryan took over the role until the show's cancellation in 1971.
Recycled Set: It's clear this show only has one painted flat that's used for scenery, no matter what part of Hooterville you're in, let alone what part of the Douglas farm you're on. Pay close attention, you can see the exact same rolling hills and distant mountain in the background almost everywhere.
Self-Adaptation: Green Acres was adapted from a 1950 radio show called Granby's Green Acres, which was also created by Jay Sommers.
Technology Marches On: At the end of "The Saucer Season", the Douglas' stove turns green, and a caption appears on-screen saying "For those with black and white sets, the stove has turned green." Of course, the joke loses some of its impact considering that nobody has black and white sets anymore.
Underage Casting: Oliver's mother was played by Eleanor Audley, who was only a year older than Eddie Albert.
Urban Legends: For years, whenever asked about whatever happened to Arnold Ziffel after the series ended, Tom Lester (Eb) would tell people that the cast and crew got together and had a luau. For the record, Arnold was played by several different pigs over the course of the series' run, and Tom Lester admitted in a TV Land documentary that he was joking about the luau, saying that they had a typical wrap party with finger foods, and they did not eat the pig.
What Could Have Been: Series director Richard L. Bare announced a revival of the show in 2007. Since then, nothing has materialized.
Working Title: The show originally went under the titles Country Cousins and The Eddie Albert Show.
Write Who You Know: Pat Buttram based his performance of Mr. Haney on Colonel Tom Parker, Elvis Presley's manager, who he had met several years before when Parker worked as a carnival barker.
You Look Familiar: Over the years, the series had various different character actors playing different guest roles, but one specific example involves Sid Melton in a guest role as a plumber in one of the first episodes shortly before taking on the role of Alf.
In addition to the shared reality with Petticoat Junction and The Beverly Hillbillies, this show, also shares a reality with Hogan's Heroes. In a flashback to Oliver's war years, both Colonel Hogan and Stalag 13 are mentioned.
This show has no pilot episode. CBS simply offered producer Paul Henning a third timeslot on their network, which ultimately led to the creation of Green Acres.
, and when it was finally released he made no secret of his unhappiness with the project.