7/4 Posted May 27, 2005 Report Posted May 27, 2005 (edited) Article published May 27, 2005 Eddie Albert, star of 'Green Acres,' dead at 99 By BOB THOMAS Associated Press Writer Eddie Albert, whose lighthearted portrayals made him a favorite in movies and television for more than 50 years, has died. He was 99. Albert died of pneumonia Thursday at his home in the Pacific Palisades area, in the presence of his longtime caregivers and son Albert, family friend Dick Guttman said Friday. Albert achieved his greatest fame on television's "Green Acres" as Oliver Douglas, a New York lawyer who settles in a rural town with his glamorous wife, played by Eva Gabor. He was nominated for Academy Awards as supporting actor in "Roman Holiday" (1953) and "The Heartbreak Kid" (1972). The actor moved smoothly from the Broadway stage to movies to television. Besides his 1965-1971 run in "Green Acres," he costarred on TV with Robert Wagner in "Switch" from 1975 to 1978 and was a semi-regular on "Falcon Crest" in 1988. He was a tireless conservationist, crusading for endangered species, healthful food, cleanup of Santa Monica Bay pollution and other causes. He had remained healthy even in old age. "Three days ago he was playing basketball in his wheelchair with his granddaughter," Guttman said. "He stayed very vital." Edited May 27, 2005 by 7/4 Quote
7/4 Posted May 27, 2005 Author Report Posted May 27, 2005 I didn't even realise he was still alive. I love this show, I still tune in. At least he had a long life. Green acres is the place for me. Farm livin' is the life for me. Land spreadin' out so far and wide Keep Manhattan, just give me that countryside. New York is where I'd rather stay. I get allergic smelling hay. I just adore a penthouse view. Dah-ling I love you but give me Park Avenue. ...The chores. ...The stores. ...Fresh air. ...Times Square You are my wife. Good bye, city life. Green Acres we are there. Quote
catesta Posted May 27, 2005 Report Posted May 27, 2005 For some reason I thought he was already dead. : 99! Good for him. RIP Mr. Douglas. Quote
Chuck Nessa Posted May 27, 2005 Report Posted May 27, 2005 I heard he was 97. ← Always behind the times? Quote
JSngry Posted May 27, 2005 Report Posted May 27, 2005 Green Acres remains a high point in TV surrealism. Quote
Dan Gould Posted May 28, 2005 Report Posted May 28, 2005 Guess he couldn't deal with the opening of a remake of The Longest Yard. (Definitely one of his best roles). Quote
Jazzmoose Posted May 28, 2005 Report Posted May 28, 2005 Green Acres remains a high point in TV surrealism. ← Oh yeah. Some of those characters... Quote
JSngry Posted May 28, 2005 Report Posted May 28, 2005 Green Acres was a regular part of the stoner college musician regimen back in the day. This was when the reruns came on little independent UHF staions in mid-afternoon. The number of people I knew who got high, watched Green Acres, and then practiced for the rest of the afternoon easily goes into double digits. Paul Henning was beginning to get trippy w/The Beverly Hilbillies, but w/Green Acres, he went all the way out. Not just with the characters, but with the actual structure, dialog, and visual style of the eprsodes. Very Kovacks-like quite a bit of the time. Quote
BERIGAN Posted May 28, 2005 Report Posted May 28, 2005 I heard he was 97. ← Always behind the times? ← I thought he was a little "youger" as well. A more indepth article explains why, and goes into his military days as well...at least read down to DDT! Green Acres' Star Eddie Albert Dies at 99 'Green Acres' Star Eddie Albert Dies at 99Eddie Albert, Star of Movies and TV's 'Green Acres,' Dies at 99 at His Home in Los Angeles Eddie Albert, whose lighthearted portrayals made him a favorite in movies and television for more than 50 years, has died at the age of 99. Albert, seen here surrounded by corn stalks at his Pacific Palisades home in Los Angeles in a file photo taken in September, 1999, died of pneumonia Thursday, May 26, 2005, at his home ,in the presence of his longtime caregivers and son Albert, family friend Dick Guttman said Friday, May 27. (AP Photo/Palisadian Post, Susan Schell, File) By RYAN PEARSON Associated Press Writer The Associated Press LOS ANGELES May 28, 2005 — Eddie Albert was a versatile actor who moved smoothly from the Broadway stage to movies, but he found stardom as the constantly befuddled city slicker-turned-farmer in television's "Green Acres." Albert died of pneumonia Thursday at his home in the Pacific Palisades area, in the presence of caregivers including his son Edward, who was holding his hand at the time. "He died so beautifully and so gracefully that literally this morning I don't feel grief, I don't feel loss," Edward Albert told The Associated Press. On "Green Acres," Albert played Oliver Douglas, a New York lawyer who settles in a rural town with his glamorous wife, played by Eva Gabor, and finds himself perplexed by the antics of a host of eccentrics, including a pig named Arnold Ziffel. He was nominated for Academy Awards as supporting actor in "Roman Holiday" (1953) and "The Heartbreak Kid" (1972). Besides the 1965-1971 run in "Green Acres," he costarred on TV with Robert Wagner in "Switch" from 1975 to 1978 and was a semi-regular on "Falcon Crest" in 1988. He was a tireless conservationist, crusading for endangered species, healthful food, cleanup of Santa Monica Bay pollution and other causes. Albert's mother was not married when he was born, in 1906. After marrying, she changed his birth certificate to read 1908, the younger Albert said. Rarely the star of films, Albert often portrayed the wisecracking sidekick, fast-talking salesman or sympathetic father. His stardom came in television, especially with "Green Acres," in which, ironically, he played straight man. The show joined "The Beverly Hillbillies," "Petticoat Junction" and other high-rated CBS comedies of the 1960s and '70s. "Some people think that because of the bucolic background `Green Acres' is corny," Albert told an interviewer in 1970. "But we get away with some of the most incredible lines on television." His break in show business came during the '30s in the Broadway hit "Brother Rat," a comedy about life at Virginia Military Institute. Warner Bros. signed him to a contract and cast him in the 1938 film. According to Hollywood gossip, he was caught in a dalliance with the wife of Jack L. Warner and the studio boss removed him from a film and allowed him to languish under contract. The actor left Hollywood and appeared as a clown and trapeze artist in a one-ring Mexican circus. He escaped his studio contract by joining the Navy in World War II and served in combat in the South Pacific. He received a Bronze Star for his heroic rescue of wounded Marines at Tarawa, his son said. Defense Suddenly Rests in Jackson Case Roaring Laughs in 'Madagascar' DeLay Blasts 'Law & Order' Albert managed to rehabilitate his film career after the war, beginning with "Smash-up" with Susan Hayward in 1947. Among his other films: "Carrie," "Oklahoma!" "The Teahouse of the August Moon," "The Sun Also Rises," "The Roots of Heaven," "The Longest Day," "Miracle of the White Stallions," "The Longest Yard" and "Escape to Witch Mountain." Edward Albert Heimberger was born in Rock Island, Ill., grew up in Minneapolis and worked his way through two years at the University of Minnesota. Amateur theater led to singing engagements in nightclubs and on radio. During that time he dropped his last name "because most people mispronounced it as 'Hamburger.'" Moving to New York, Albert acted on radio and appeared in summer stock before he broke into Broadway and the movies. "Green Acres" made Albert a rich man and allowed him to pursue his causes. He established Plaza de la Raza, a foundation in East Los Angeles that teaches arts to poor Hispanics. He helped Dr. Albert Schweitzer combat famine in Africa. He traveled the world for UNICEF. Concerned about seeing fewer pelicans on beaches where he was jogging, he went with ecologists and his son on a trip to Anacapa Island. "We discovered that in every nest all the eggs were crushed, and nobody knew why," the younger Albert said. "They took samples and tested them, and found DDT in all the eggs. … An entire generation of species was being wiped out." Albert began speaking about the harmful effects of the pesticide at universities around the country, and in 1972 the federal government banned DDT. He continued acting into his 80s, often appearing in television movies. "Acting was a tenth of his life. The majority of his life was committed to helping other people," said his son, also an actor. "This guy was, from the absolute depth of his soul, one of the true heroes of our world." Defense Suddenly Rests in Jackson Case Roaring Laughs in 'Madagascar' DeLay Blasts 'Law & Order' Edward Albert, 54, who became a prominent actor in "Butterflies Are Free," "40 Carats" and other films, said he put his career on hold for the past eight years to aid his father, who suffered from Alzheimer's disease. On Friday, he remembered a moment several years ago in which the two sat in a garden together. "I said to him 'You're my hero.' I saw him struggling to put together the words, and he looked at me and said: 'You're your hero's hero.' I'll take that to my … grave." Albert was married to the dancer-actress Margo for 40 years until her death in 1985. In addition to his son, Albert is survived by a daughter, Maria Albert Zucht, and two granddaughters. A private funeral was planned. Associated Press Writer Bob Thomas contributed to this report. http://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/wireStory?id=799217 Quote
Guest Chaney Posted May 28, 2005 Report Posted May 28, 2005 Green Acres remains a high point in TV surrealism. ← Oh yeah. Some of those characters... ← A very disturbing series; has a real nightmare quality about it. Kafka on the farm. Quote
ghost of miles Posted May 28, 2005 Report Posted May 28, 2005 (edited) He was great as the bearded bohemian photographer in Roman Holiday. Edited May 28, 2005 by ghost of miles Quote
7/4 Posted May 28, 2005 Author Report Posted May 28, 2005 Green Acres remains a high point in TV surrealism. ← Oh yeah. Some of those characters... ← A very disturbing series; has a real nightmare quality about it. Kafka on the farm. ← Kafka on the farm! I love it! Quote
Jazzmoose Posted May 28, 2005 Report Posted May 28, 2005 "Starring Arnold Ziffel as the giant cockroach" Quote
7/4 Posted May 28, 2005 Author Report Posted May 28, 2005 "Starring Arnold Ziffel as the giant cockroach" ← Yer killin' me! Quote
7/4 Posted May 28, 2005 Author Report Posted May 28, 2005 Berigan's Favorite TV Theme Song... ← Very cool. Quote
Guest Chaney Posted May 28, 2005 Report Posted May 28, 2005 Anyone else remember and enjoy Albert's Oscar nominated performance as the wealthy and disapproving (of Charles Grodin) father to the Cybill Shepherd character in Elaine May's The Heartbreak Kid. Quote
BERIGAN Posted May 29, 2005 Report Posted May 29, 2005 Berigan's Favorite TV Theme Song... ← sacrebleu! Quote
brownie Posted May 29, 2005 Report Posted May 29, 2005 Berigan's Favorite TV Theme Song... ← sacrebleu! ← Was all that supposed to be French Missed all those TV shows that made Eddie Albert so popular. Probably strictly US fare! Loved his part as a photographer in William Wyler's 'Roman Holiday'! Quote
BruceH Posted June 1, 2005 Report Posted June 1, 2005 (edited) Anyone else remember and enjoy Albert's Oscar nominated performance as the wealthy and disapproving (of Charles Grodin) father to the Cybill Shepherd character in Elaine May's The Heartbreak Kid. ← Yes, I saw that just a couple of years ago, on VHS. Not long ago, TCM played one of his rare starring-role movies, a 1941 flick called, I believe, The Great Mr. Nobody, in which he played a nice guy who always finishes last. Everybody called him "Dreamy" because he dreams of quiting his job and travelling the world, but something always sets him back, mainly him trying to help somebody out. A third-rate movie to be sure, but very depressing. The none-too-subtle message is that you're nobody without money or success, and you aren't going to get those things without getting aggressive and nasty. BTW, in junior high I was a big fan of Switch. I tried to get all my friends to watch it, but then it took a big nosedive in quality from one season to the next. RIP Edited June 1, 2005 by BruceH Quote
JSngry Posted June 1, 2005 Report Posted June 1, 2005 I dug what little bit of Switch that I got to see. It seemed like a 70s version of the episodes of It Takes A Thief (one of my most favoriteist shows of all time, btw) where Fred Astaire played Alexander Monday's old man. Quote
BruceH Posted June 1, 2005 Report Posted June 1, 2005 Exactly! I was a fan of It Takes A Thief, too! (Didn't see the Hitchcock movie until I was a grownup, though.) The first season of Switch had a nice theme song. I'm hearing it in my mind right now. Quote
Free For All Posted June 1, 2005 Report Posted June 1, 2005 I dug what little bit of Switch that I got to see. It seemed like a 70s version of the episodes of It Takes A Thief (one of my most favoriteist shows of all time, btw) where Fred Astaire played Alexander Monday's old man. ← BTW, in junior high I was a big fan of Switch. Eddie Albert, Robert Wagner and Sharon Gless Quote
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