Synopsis
The set-up for Green Acres is that we have a city couple (Eddie Albert and Eva Gabor) whohave forsaken the big city sophistication of New York for the titular verdant acres near the townof Hooterville. So there’s plenty of fish-out-of-water humour (Albert dressing in a suit in thecountry, Gabor a completely incapable housfrau), not to mention numerous slack-jawed yokels.This is pretty standard late-60s sitcom humour, so we’re not talking enormous sophisticationhere, and the…portrayal of Gabor’s character is positively antediluvian. I remember loving thisseries as a wee tyke, but it is very difficult to go home again. Still, I’ll confess that some mildlypostmodern moments can still raise a smile (as when, in the season opener, a flashback to whenAlbert and Gabor met during the war has the characters cracking wise about subtitles).
Audio
The mono soundtrack is much as you would expect for television from 1966-67. It hasn’tbeen dressed up in a new stereo mix, but the sound is decent, and is clean and free of static. Onemight want to raise the volume of the music a bit, but I’m quibbling here.
Video
The opening credits look pretty rough, with plenty of grain and other forms of damage, butthe episodes themselves don’t look bad at all (especially considering their vintage). The image,granted, is a bit soft, and the edges have an unfortunate tendency to blur, but the colours arestrong, and the overall level of grain is very low.
Special Features
None, though the liner does provide an episode guide. The menu’s main screen is animatedand scored.
Closing Thoughts
Pretty dated stuff, but not without a certain wonky charm. The complete lack of extras is a bitdisappointing.
