Pat Buttram was typically modest in a 1981 interview with the Tampa Tribune:

"When people ask me if I consider myself a good actor I say, 'I can play Pat Buttram better than anybody.' That's the only character I play." 

If Buttram was a one-trick pony, he did it with style in Green Acres. He's Hooterville's Mr. Haney, a conniving bumpkin opportunist who wants a slice of the city folks' fortune.

Watch Alfred Hitchcock Presents on MeTV!

Weeknights at 1 AM & 1:30 AM

*available in most MeTV markets

But he had some very famous opposition to his view, as Alfred Hitchcock approached Buttram for a different kind of role. The director had a particularly creepy episode of The Alfred Hitchcock Hour that he thought Buttram would be perfect for. Buttram, though, wasn't so sure.

He told Hitchcock, "You're out of your mind; I can't do this damn thing; I'm a comedian!"

Hitchcock remained steadfast, declaring, "Young man, If I say you can do the part, you can do it." 

The resulting episode, "The Jar", is one of the best-remembered episodes of The Alfred Hitchcock Hour. The script, adapted from an early Ray Bradbury story, saw Buttram as a backwoods swindler obsessed with a hairy "thing" in a jar. The character isn't too far off from Mr. Haney as he makes money off his neighbors, but Buttram's performance is way more chilling. 

"It was a real grabber," said Buttram, "a real weird thing and they never rescheduled it for TV. I don't know if it was too scary or something. But I was nominated for an Emmy just the same."

The episode also starred William Marshall. Svengoolie fans will remember Marshall in the title role in Blacula. He was also Pee-wee's King of Cartoons!