According to this Green Acres episode, everyone in Hooterville loved watching Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.
Characters from Petticoat Junction said they like Gomer Pyle on Green Acres.
No one could ever accuse the wacky 1960s sitcom Green Acres of being conventional. It loved to break the fourth wall and add meta touches winking at the audience. A running gag made characters in the show aware of the credits at the beginning of certain episodes. The pilot episode was even staged like a mock news program about main character Oliver Wendell Douglas’ life.
In "Parity Begins at Home," Oliver wants to plant wheat on all 160 acres of his newly acquired farm. Unfortunately, the local government committee informs him that he's more than welcome to do so but he can only sell wheat from eight acres — not the full 160.
Furious, Oliver recalls his time as a lawyer and gathers the residents of Hooterville for a protest meeting in Sam Drucker's store. The small crowd includes characters like Newt Kiley and Grandpappy Miller from Petticoat Junction, which took place in the same shared fictional world.
Oliver tries to rally his fellow farmers to his cause but all they want to do is go home and watch Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. (which, like Green Acres, aired on CBS at the time).
In the end, the farmers sign a petition and send it to Washington, D.C. The show slips in one last Gomer Pyle reference when it cuts to two men in Washington looking at the petition from Hooterville, a town they think sounds made up. One of them quips, "Newt Kiley? Sounds like a character on Gomer Pyle."
13 Comments
Sometimes it's curious how the MeTV Staff use images. Personally I like the Quads! But in this case, was there purpose in putting these two side by side.
So for a sitcom that's going to be using 6 hours of MeTV time, instead of swapping timeslots, there are 5 Viewers commenting on Donna Douglas' story. Granted, the holidays, I get it. But DD has always been a draw. Beauty, brains and critters.
I wonder when/how they'll frame a story around Nancy Kulp. She accomplished way more than I imagined, because I'd never researched, probably until this website. There is a rich background to her celebrity career, and beneath a persona she played consistently. Being curious, Wiki fills in a lot of details.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nancy_Kulp
She was another of the classic TV actors we enjoy on MeTV today, who lived through sensitive times regarding public image. There is credit in her desire to be unique and talented.