Arnold the pig was the true star of 'Green Acres'

GREEN ACRES ran on CBS from 1965-1971. Eddie Albert and Eva Gabor were Oliver and Lisa Douglas the stars of the series and they had an amazing cast working with them. Frank Cady was Mr. Drucker the no-nsense general store owner, Pat Buttram portrayed Mr. Haney who was always trying to make a buck, and Tom Lester played Ebb Dawson the Douglases handyman. Alvy Moore was Hank Kimble the bumbling fumbling, forgetful, county agent and Sid Melton and Mary Grace Canfield portrayed the Monroe Brothers Ralph and Alf.

Hank Patterson and Barbara Pepper were Fred and Doris Ziffel the parents of Arnold Ziffel the pig. Each of the actors brought their characters to life and have special places in the hearts of the fans. Together they made GREEN ACRES and Hooterville household names but MeTV echoed something that many fans have been saying for decades which is that the true series star was Arno0ld. Frank Inn who trained the dog who was on PETTICOAT JUNCTION and the movie BENJI is the one who gets the credit for training Arnold. When the pig died he was cremated and his remains were buried with Inn after his own death.

In addition to the original pig, there were actually a number of porkers who portrayed Arnold. This was because the show creators wanted to keep the pig youthful looking. Arnold was just like any regular kid and loved to watch television. Whether he was at home or at the Douglas house he would turn on the TV set and the same Western would always be airing. In 1967 Arnold was nominated for the GOLDEN GLOBE for non human peformers. He lost to FLIPPER but later won the award 3 times. He also received three PATSY AWARDS(Picture Animal Top Star of the Year).

GREEN ACRES fans were fascinated by the fact that a pig could be trained so well but loved Arnold for who he was. The entire town of Hooterville, including Lisa Douglas treated the pig as if he were a real boy. they talked to him and he answered back and only Oliver Douglas remained skeptical of Arnold's abilities. The pig went to school, birthday parties, and even fell in love with a dog. Arnold caught the school bus and even had his own desk.

The plots were often silly but pet owners who consider their animals as part of the family understood and this was part of the charm. Arnold even once went to Hollywood to be in a movie. An ugly rumor once surfaced that after GREEN ACRES was canceled that the cast and crew ate the pig who played Arnold. This was later determined to be untrue. You can read 0 amazing facts about Arnold by clicking on the following link.

Arnold Ziffel added to the flavor of GREEN ACRES and let you know that everyone was treated as equal. Some fans may recall that there was even a chicken who could play the piano. Fred and Doris loved Arnold as if he really were their own flesh and blood and the residents of Hooterville respected the pig as one of their own. The pig was so famous that he actually received many letters of fan mail.

Many fans eagerly awaited each week to see if Arnold would be shown. It was always fun to find out what the pig was up to and listen to him squeal when things did not go his way. GREEN ACRES fans can catch Arnold and the rest of the Hooterville gans week nigts at 9:30 PM on MeTV. You can also check streaming services to find out if they have episodes of the popular series and the beloved pig.