Tom Lester Movies

This is the biopic of basketball star Pistol Pete Maravich, here played by Adam Guier. The film is for the most part an exercise in joie de vivre, until it ends as it tragically must, with the sudden and untimely death of Maravich. Writer Darrel Campbell and director Frank Schroeder perform miracles with their tiny budget. Though Pistol is comparatively little known, odds are it won't remain that way much longer. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Gory slasher mayhem from Evil Dead co-writer Scott Spiegel, this claustrophobic thriller is set entirely in a small supermarket, whose owner is preparing to go out of business. This doesn't sit too well with the film's resident maniac, who busily butchers the night crew using the tools of the trade (hooks, axes, knives, power tools and so on). The victims include Spiegel's pal and Evil Dead director Sam Raimi as the butcher-shop buffoon who meets a nasty end on a meathook; even Raimi's favorite lantern-jawed star Bruce Campbell puts in an eyeblink cameo as a brutish cop. Though the film sports some clever, audacious gore effects from KNB FX Group, most of this footage is absent from Paramount's home video print. ~ Cavett Binion, Rovi

An instant family classic, Benji is shot mostly from the a dog's-eye view , adding even more characterization to a title character well-played by canine veteran Higgins. Benji is an intelligent homeless mutt adopted by a loving family; when the kids are kidnapped, it's the little dog to the rescue in the best tradition of bigger doggie heroes like Rin Tin Tin and Lassie. Believe it or not, Higgins really acts; his captivating performance and the simple, straightforward telling of the story makes for all-around family fun. A sequel didn't fare as well, but the original Benji is still a furry favorite. ~ Don Kaye, Rovi

Season five of Green Acres begins as the ramshackle farm of Oliver and Lisa Douglas (Eddie Albert and Eva Gabor) is invaded by Lisa's Hungarian mother (Lilia Skala), a bejeweled countess. As "Mudder" remains on the premises for weeks and weeks, the male citizenry of Hooterville, notably hotelier Uncle Joe Bradley (Edgar Buchanan) and con artist Mr. Haney (Pat Buttram) pay court to the countess, hoping thereby to land a wealthy wife. Elsewhere, Oliver grows a huge beanstalk in his garden, prompting a visit from the "Jolly Green Giant"; a long-undelivered special delivery letter arouses the curiosity of everyone in town; county agent Hank Kimball (Alvy Moore) proposes to carpenter Ralph Monroe (Mary Grace Canfield), whose brother, Alf Monroe (played in previous seasons by Sid Melton), has disappeared without explanation; and Arnold the pig is expelled from school. The season ends with a double birthday party for Oliver...and Arnold. ~ Rovi

Once again, the casts of The Beverly Hillbillies, Petticoat Junction, and Green Acres converge for a "very special" holiday episode. In Hooterville for Christmas, Granny continues to romantically pursue hapless storekeeper Sam Drucker (Frank Cady, while Elly May is courted by Eb Dawson (Tom Lester). And back in Beverly Hills, Jed, Jethro, and Mr. Drysdale babysit Elly's pet bear. Also in the cast are Petticoat Junction co-stars Edgar Buchanan, Linda Kaye (Betty Jo), Meredith MacRae (Billie Jo), Lori Saunders (Bobbie Jo), and Mike Minor (%teve Elliot), who sings "One Day at a Time." "Christmas in Hooterville" was logically telecast on December 25, 1968. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

It's hard to believe that the producers of Green Acres could come up with fourth-season episodes that are even crazier than those seen in the previous three seasons, but that's just what happens as city slickers Oliver and Lisa Douglas (Eddie Albert, Eva Gabor) continue to weather the trials and tribulations of farm life for another year. This season begins as the Douglases, along with the entire town of Hooterville, win an all-expense-paid trip to Hawaii, only to end up staging a luau right back where they started. In later episodes, Oliver and Lisa imagine themselves as their own 19th-century ancestors; the Douglases take a two-part journey to Washington, while con artist Mr. Haney (Pat Buttram) transforms their farm into a "tourist inn" during their absence; Uncle Joe Bradley (Edgar Buchanan), a refugee from Green Acres' "sister" series Petticoat Junction, makes a few memorable appearances; and throughout the season, the opening writing and directing credits continue to pop in clever and surrealistic fashions, with Lisa making constant comments about "those little names" on the screen. Season four of Green Acres ends on a characteristically zany note, as Lisa becomes convinced that Eb has died and been reincarnated as a dog (what will Arnold the pig have to say about sharing the animal-star spotlight?). ~ Rovi

Betty Jo (Linda Kaye) is not entirely flattered by the attentions lavished upon her by a secret admirer. When it becomes obvious that the "mystery man" is unwelcome in the Bradley household, Steve (Mike Minor) offers to "rescue" Betty by posing as her sweetheart. One thing leads to another, and before long the pose stops being a pose--and Petticoat Junction suddenly goes off on a brand-new story arc. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Now that she's in junior college, Bobbie Jo (Lori Saunders) figures that she's old enough to attend an all-night party with her friends. But her mother Kate (Bea Benaderet) doesn't see things this way, and forbids Bobbie to attend the bash. Of course, this results in a series of subterfuges which culminate in a typical Petticoat Junction disaster. Appearing in a minor role is Buck Buchanan, the son of series regular Edgar Buchanan (Uncle Joe). ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

City slickers Oliver and Lisa Douglas (Eddie Albert, Eva Gabor) make the best of another year of "farm livin'" in bucolic Hooterville as Green Acres enters its second season. Still stubbornly determined to make a profit on his rundown farm, Oliver continues to be flustered by such local looneys as con artist Mr. Haney (Pat Buttram), dopey handyman Eb (Tom Lester), and terminally self-contradictory county agent Hank Kimball (Alvy Moore). Meanwhile, the sophisticated, cosmopolitan Lisa Douglas has resigned herself to her rural environs, though she still can be found donning her most glamorous gowns and most valuable jewels to perform such simple chores as milking the cows and raking the leaves. (She still has not learned to cook, however, despite her most valiant efforts!) Gaining prominence throughout season two is Arnold, the pet pig of neighboring farmers Fred and Doris Ziffel (Hank Patterson, Barbara Pepper). Beginning with an episode in which Arnold is mistakenly drafted into the army, the porcine superstar will by the end of the season become the second most popular nonhuman actor on television, losing first place only to Lassie. Conspicuous by their presence during season two are two additional supporting characters: carpenter Alf Monroe (Sid Melton) and his sibling and partner Ralph -- who happens to be a girl (played by Mary Grace Canfield). Of the 30 second-season Green Acres episodes, the most memorable is the one in which Oliver, Lisa, and Hank Kimball appear in a charity-show staging of the TV series The Beverly Hillbillies -- which, like Green Acres, was produced by Paul Henning (what a coincidence!). ~ Rovi

Latter-day Scrooge Homer Bedloe (Charles Lane) shows up in Hooterville at Christmastime with a noticeable lack of good cheer. Bedloe plans to foil a plan formulated by Kate (Bea Benaderet) to use the Hooterville Cannonball to distribute presents and transports Christmas carolers throughout the Valley. This episode is a virtual word-for-word remake of the Season One effort "A Cannonball Christmas", this time filmed in color with several different cast members; curiously, although "A Cannonball Christmas" was repeated in Season Two, "The Santa Claus Special" aired but once on CBS. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

The third of producer Paul Henning's enormously successful "rustic" comedies of the 1960s, Green Acres made its CBS bow on September 15, 1965. Reversing the situation established on Henning's The Beverly Hillbillies, in which a group of yokels was transplanted to luxurious Beverly Hills, Green Acres stars Eddie Albert as prosperous Manhattan attorney Oliver Wendell Douglas, who to fulfill a lifelong dream forsook his sophisticated surroundings to become a farmer in the tiny rural community of Hooterville. Reluctantly going along for the ride was Oliver's sexy Hungarian wife, Lisa (Eva Gabor), who though she eventually resigned herself to farm life still insisted upon wearing expensive clothes and jewelry while milking cows and plowing the North 40. Alas, she never quite learned to cook, and her rock-hard hotcakes would soon become the source of many hearty laughs from the viewers. Unfortunately for Oliver, the farm he purchased was in deplorable condition, and the surrounding 160 acres weren't much better. Our hero had been suckered into this situation by bucolic con artist Mr. Haney (Pat Buttram), who continued to fleece the Douglases by selling them expensive -- and generally useless -- farm implements and creature comforts throughout the series' six-season run.

Mr. Haney was but one of the many eccentric characters who seemed to have been put on earth to make Oliver Douglas' life miserable. Others included county agent Hank Kimball (Alvy Moore), who never made a statement without immediately contradicting himself ("Good morning, Mr. Douglas. Well...it isn't really good because it's gonna rain...and it's after noon, so it's not really morning..." etc., etc., etc.); doltish handyman Ed Dawson (Tom Lester), who looked upon the Douglases as his surrogate parents and constantly prevailed upon them to bail him out of trouble (usually girl trouble); carpenters and twin siblings Alf and Ralph Malone (Sid Melton and Mary Grace Canfield), who never quite managed to finish construction on the Douglases' bedroom; and neighboring farmer Hank Ziffel (Hank Patterson) and his wife, Doris (played first by Barbara Pepper, then by Fran Ryan), owners of a TV-watching pig named Arnold, who regarded himself as a human being -- and who developed into the series' biggest "superstar"!

Inasmuch as Green Acres was the sister series to Paul Henning's Petticoat Junction -- also set in the mythical village of Hooterville -- there were a number of crossover episodes between the two programs. Also, Frank Cady appeared as storekeeper Sam Drucker on both shows, while one of Petticoat Junction's main characters, Uncle Joe Bradley (Edgar Buchanan), dropped in from time to time. One of the series' most endearing trademarks was its strain of surrealistic humor. This manifested itself in many ways, but none quite as memorable as the method in which the opening credit titles were presented. In several installments, a confused Lisa Douglas would comment upon "those little names" that appeared in front of her on the screen; and in at least one instance, the directorial credit showed up on a newly laid egg! Although it is not generally known, Green Acres was based on a radio series titled Granby's Green Acres, which like its TV counterpart was created by Jay Sommers and written by Dick Chevillat. All but one of the TV series' episodes was directed by Richard L. Bare, a past master at depicting comic frustration, as could be seen in his wonderful "Joe McDoakes" theatrical shorts of the 1940s and '50s. Green Acres might well have run forever had CBS not decided during the 1970-1971 season to purge itself of all its "rural" comedies; thus, the series came to an end on September 7, 1971, still as popular and hilarious as ever. ~ Rovi