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Eddie Albert preferred performing at county fairs to the nightclub circuit
Albert shared a lot of traits with his character on Green Acres.
While no actor is exactly like the character they play, it's easy to look at a person like Eddie Albert versus a character like Oliver Wendell Douglas of Green Acres and see more similarities between the two than differences.
It was a likeness that even Albert himself acknowledged in various interviews. According to an article from The Columbian, Albert stated, "I have great empathy with this urbanite who wants to live in the country so he can smell fresh air. I understand him. I've been a conservationist all my life."
His love of nature might also be why Albert seemed to actually prefer being outdoors to anything else, even performing when it could be helped.
Albert revealed that when performing outside of television, he tended to favor spaces like county fairs for the atmosphere and audience. He said, "I prefer fairs to nightclubs. I like the people and the kids."
Perhaps it was a love of nature that drew Albert to the role of Oliver Douglas. In an interview with the Journal Herald toward the beginning of Green Acres' run, Albert didn't express any hesitancy over joining the cast of a television series. He stated, "I have no particular qualms about doing a series...this has become the number one form."
Even still, while the premise of the series seemed like a page out of Albert's diary, it was also important to the actor for the show to be, you know, good.
Luckily, Albert had nothing but glowing reviews of Green Acres. He explained, "It's the best comedy writing on the air. Those who have never seen it dismiss it as corny because they've heard it takes place on a farm and has a pig called Arnold. I think it's hip writing and has some of the wildest, freakiest, far-out, funny, modern lines on television."
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