Hawaiian Honeymoon

This wasn't much of a Green Acres episode. Seemed to be more like a pilot for a spinoff. The last two episodes of the series both seemed like it.

Filmways, once at the top of their game with rural themed sitcoms, had fell victim to what is dubbed the rural purge. Stuff like Green Acres and The Beverly Hillbillies, while great, would no longer fly on the network and Filmways had to get creative, while getting the rest of the last season over with.

This was among one of two backdoor pilots that closed off Green Acres, to some pretty underwhelming reactions, felt to this day, and believe me I understand the problems people had with it, especially as it led to an underwhelming end of the series.

But what we have here is a rough idea for how a potential new series would go, and I imagine this was made up relatively quickly while production on Green Acres was still on, they didn't have a whole lot of time or resources to make a new pilot from scratch.

The new characters needed to be focused on so we have an idea who we're supposed to be rooting for and focusing on, but as this was part of Green Acres there needed to be some kind of connection to justify its presence on the show, even the kind of humor it's going for, like they were straying from the live action cartoon schtick present in Beverly Hillbillies and Green Acres. I feel like they were backed into a corner on this.

I came into vintage sitcoms relatively late, so I'm still learning about what agitated people, otherwise not understanding until I look deeper into it, and seeing this episode in a vacuum, and being aware that this was just a backdoor pilot, I at least get the deal behind it.

Wasn't horrendously bad, knowing the context helped ease me into it. Would Pam had worked as a series? Who knows, but it's hard to judge the quality of a series if all you had to go by was a rough pilot, think people were just mad about how this got jammed into Green Acres and the hurt persisted to this day.

It's not that bad, upper mid at the very least.

I agree with the review by MartinHafer, except that I can only give this episode one star. There really isn't a single laugh. The basic premise of this failed spinoff was that the free spirited, young daughter of the conservative hotel owner would run rings around him breaking all the rules and doing wonderful favors for her wonderful friends. Pamela, the daughter, gives the honeymoon to her two nice but poor buddies who can't afford a tent. The problem is that the Oliver and Lisa have the suite reserved. So, the hip hotel staff has to keep the two couples from running into one another. Don, the hotel owner, is an American while daughter Pamela speaks with an English accent. He explains that "my daughter was raised and educated in England." No explanation as to why, when he was living in Hawaii. This must have been a CBS effort to attract a younger audience with young, hip, attractive kids breaking all the rules and teaching their elders how wonderful is to be a rebel. The problem is that it just isn't funny or interesting. No wonder CBS passed on it.

My title pretty much sums it up. It's not really as much a Green Acres episode (as has been pointed out) as a failed pilot for a proposed new series. The new characters had zero chemistry or likability, and it was agonizing to watch. It was a terrible way to waste one of the last episodes of the show, completely dishonoring to the established cast.

Through the 1960s and into the early 70s, CBS television had several very, very successful TV shows all set in rural settings. "The Beverly Hillbillies", "Petticoat Junction" and "Green Acres" were all produced by the same production company and made CBS a top network as did the network's "Andy Griffith Show". But with changing times came an edict from the network execs that these shows should be canceled...even though they still had excellent ratings. Apparently more gritty and realistic shows like "All in the Family" were the future for CBS. So, with the writing on the wall, the makers of "Green Acres" decided to try their hand at non-rural comedies. This particular episode of "Green Acres" as well as the next (and final) were Filmway's pilots for two new shows...and at least in the case of "Hawaiian Honeymoon" I am thrilled the series was never approved by the network!

This episode of "Green Acres" has no cast from this show other than Oliver (Eddie Albert)) and Lisa (Eva Gabor). They are the tenuous connection between this show and the TV pilot. Out of no where, Lisa announces they're going to Hawaii on a second honeymoon...and soon the location switches to 'Hawaii' (actually it's obviously just made in some sound stage with sloppy rear projection of Hawaiian scenery). It's set in a hotel where the manager (Don Porter) has a 'kooky' (in other words, dopey and annoying) daughter with an inexplicable English accent. What follows is a far from hilarious mix-up where the Douglas family AND the manager's daughter's friends share the same suite...though they don't know it.

So why did I give this one a 2? Well, there are also 2 reasons. First, it's a terrible episode of "Green Acres" and has nothing to do with the great show. Second, there isn't a single laugh within the show...none. No wonder the network passed on this lame pilot...I don't see how they could have green lighted this awful mess of a show!!

By the way, I don't normally review individual episodes of this show but this one is so god-awful I am reviewing it in the hope that I save you the pain of experiencing it!