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Green Acres

GREEN ACRES
 
 

Green Acres  is an American sitcom starring Eddie Albert and Eva Gabor as a couple who move from New York City to a country farm.  Produced by Filmways as a sister show to Petticoat Junction, the series was first broadcast on CBS, from September 15, 1965, to April 27, 1971.  Receiving solid ratings during its six-year run, Green Acres was cancelled in 1971 as part of the “rural purge” by CBS.  The sitcom has been in syndication and is available in DVD and VHS releases.  In 1997, the two-part episode “A Star Named Arnold is Born” was ranked #59 on TV Guide’s 100 Greatest Episodes of All Time.  (More from Wikipedia)
 
 

Despite the stellar cast, innovative plot lines, and a lead-in from Green Acres, the show was cancelled after only one season.  He & She is now considered to be a ground-breaking series that paved the way for the MTM shows of the 1970’s like The Mary Tyler Moore Show and The Bob Newhart Show; they ran back-to-back for years, and I never missed them.  Those shows basically ruined me for television programs in future years. 

 

(June 2013/2)

 

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The statistics about the Wrecking Crew are staggering, with various members appearing on tens of thousands of recordings.  Hal Blaine is believed to be the most recorded drummer in history, while Tommy Tedesco is said to be the most recorded guitarist.  And their talents were not limited to records; again from Wikipedia:  “Tedesco’s credits include the iconic brand-burning accompaniment theme from television’s Bonanza, The Twilight Zone, Vic Mizzy’s iconic theme from Green Acres, M*A*S*H, Batman, and Elvis Presley’s ’68 Comeback Special.” 

 

(February 2015)

 

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The next outing by the Lazy Cowgirls was a live album; as fine as their studio recordings are, where the band really excelled was on stage (they tell me).  The first album released by the esteemed record label called Sympathy for the Record Industry was Radio Cowgirl (1989), recorded live at a local radio station, KCSB-FM.  Mark Deming writes of this album for Allmusic:  “A promo spot advertising the broadcast that kicks off this album proclaims that the Lazy Cowgirls will play ‘loud, fast, hard rock & roll music’, and it's hard to disagree.  There are a few sloppy moments here and there (be warned:  This is real rock & roll, where not everything is supposed to be perfect), and the sound is a bit thin (like the un-retouched two-track recording it is); but all four Cowgirls are clearly audible and pouring their heart and soul into every moment of the show (even on the joke cover of the theme from Green Acres).  Besides, how many bands can cover the Ramones and the Saints alongside Larry Williams and Jim Reeves and actually do justice to all of ’em?” 
 
(March 2017)