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Eddie Albert wanted television to be educational and accessible for everyone
Albert wanted his fans to know the power of education and he used his TV experience to make it happen.
Eddie Albert was a man of many talents and even more passion. During his time on the hit series Green Acres (1965), he split his time in many ways—working as a conservationist, advocate, singer, and nightclub act, among other roles.
Albert had a hard time settling on one project. In fact, during his time in the role of Oliver Wendell Douglas, he accepted many other roles across TV and film, continuing to build on his already impressive career. He not only added to his resume with these roles, but he also added to his influence and celebrity status by taking on a lot of projects.
According to a 1965 interview with The Sentinel, Albert said keeping busy helped him reach more people. He had a lot to say and a powerful message to spread. More projects meant more eyes and ears, something he considered an important piece of advocacy.
"There are so many things to do besides guesting on a weekly series," Albert said. "Think of the educational possibilities. Of course, the sad thing about our TV is that most of it is used for entertainment and it will continue."
Albert was passionate about educational TV because he believed television should be used to open the minds of kids and adults alike. And although he loved Green Acres, he said he wasn't sure what educational value the series would have over time.
One of his ideas for educational TV was to use Pat Weaver's now-defunct Pay-TV channel for a series of programs on The American Language, a book first published in 1919 about the English language spoken in the United States.
Albert made a good portion of his living working in commercial TV but he also saw television as a worldwide use for education, which is something he was striving for in his time working on Green Acres.
"In its own small way, commercial TV is making waves in an educational vain with its news and documentary reports," Albert said. "My kids are much more sophisticated because of this. Their vocabulary has increased from watching The Defenders which does inform on legal matters, or Slattery's People which is giving knowledge on legislative workings."
Albert wanted his fans to know the power of education and he wanted to use his TV experience to make it happen. He had a hope that TV would inform people in a meaningful way someday.
"You look at the set and you see what a power it could be, but gains are being made," Albert said. "We just want it to move a lot faster in the educational direction."
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