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''Green Acres'' creator Jay Sommers lived a real life version of the show as a child
Creator Jay Sommers had to work on his stepfather's farm in his youth.
Any struggle you might experience throughout life can easily be turned on its head by changing your perspective. Sure, some problems are annoying and grating, but if you form a more optimistic outlook on life, any bad experience can be turned into a good one if you understand what you can learn from the memory.
Now, not all life lessons are created equal, and some lessons take a few hard times to sink in. But sometimes, just sometimes, you strike gold and find that you might look back at one difficult experience and instead remember it as the best thing to ever happen to you.
Jay Sommers was responsible for different entertainment projects. One of these was Green Acres, a series inspired by the radio show Granby's Green Acres, on which Sommers worked as a producer, writer, and director.
In an interview with the El Paso Herald-Post, Sommers revealed that the idea for the series was based on his less-than-fond childhood memories. Sommers stated, "I got the idea from my stepfather when I was a kid. He wanted a farm in the worst way and he finally bought one."
Once his stepfather had finally gotten what he wanted, a young Sommers found himself enlisted as a farmhand. He said, "I found myself having to hoe potatoes. I hated it. I won't even do the gardening at our home now. I was so resentful as a child."
But as an adult, Sommers had learned to see the brighter side of things, especially since his horrible childhood memory had brought him so much success. He explained, "Those childhood memories come in handy when you're trying to dream up the idea for a new television series."
While Sommers clearly wasn't sold on the idea of owning a farm himself, he echoed the sentiment of Oliver Douglas. He said, "It's got a message. Let's get away from it all."
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