Eddie Albert (April 22, 1906 - May 26, 2005)

A funny funny man... Eddie Albert began where most of the other folks on this blog did...in films. His first was in 1938 in the film Brother Rat co-starring future lovers Ronald Reagan and Jane Wyman. 75 more films would follow between then and 1994. Some of his more notable performances were in 1950's The Fuller Brush Girl with Lucille Ball and 1974's The Longest Yard with Burt Reynolds. As he entered the 1950's Albert tried his hand at television. He headed up his own situation comedy in 1952 called "Leave it to Larry" where he played the title character and in 1953 he briefly hosted "The Eddie Albert Show." He also appeared as himself in such programs as "The Dinah Shore Chevy Show", "What's My Line?", "Password", "The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour", "Toast of the Town", "The Carol Burnett Show", "The Dick Cavett Show", "The Dean Martin Show" and "Here's Lucy." Albert's appearance on "Here's Lucy" marked the first time he had worked with Lucille Ball since The Fuller Brush Girl 24 years before. In character he appeared on a variety of programs including "Suspsense", "Studio One", "Your Show of Shows", "Front Row Center", "Climax!", "Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse", "Letter to Loretta", "Playhouse 90", "General Electric Theater", "Ben Casey", "The Virginian", "Wagon Train", "Dr. Kildare", "The Outer Limits", "Rawhide", "Burke's Law", "The Man from U.N.C.L.E.", "Columbo", "McCloud", "Kung Fu", "Simon & Simon", "The Love Boat", "Hotel", "Highway to Heaven", "The Twilight Zone", "thirtysomething", "General Hospital" and "Spider-Man" (as the voice of the villianous Vulture). Eddie Albert's most remembered role though will probably always be as Oliver Wendell Douglas from the crazy rural comedy "Green Acres" which ran from 1965 until 1971. "Green Acres" existed in the same universe as "The Beverly Hillbillies" and "Petticoat Junction" and Albert carried his character over to both programs between 1965 and 1968. Albert and his on-screen wife Eva Gabor had wonderful chemistry and they were the perfect foil for each other. Oliver Wendell Douglas was the only "normal" person in the universe he lived in and he was always trying to make sense out of what was happening around him. In 1987, Albert was reunited with his Brother Rat co-star Jane Wyman when he played Carlton Travis in three episodes of "Falcon Crest." Carlton Travis was Angela Channing's (Wyman) long forgotten lover who jilted her shortly after they graduated from high school. Wyman and Albert did a wonderful job at playing the devious parts they were given. Not to be out done though, Angela Channing still came out smelling like a rose even after Travis double crossed her. The following year Albert appeared in an episode of "Murder, She Wrote" entitled "The Body Politic" which originally aired on May 8, 1988. His performance was wonderful except I had a hard time accepting the fact that his character and Shirley Jones' character were husband and wife. I know people get married even when there is a 28-year age difference but they just looked silly. On May 18, 1990 Albert, Gabor and most of the surviving cast reunited for the "Return to Green Acres." In 1993, at age 87, he appeared in one of the last episode of "The Golden Palace" entitled "Say Goodbye, Rose." In the script Albert plays a man named Bill Douglas. He spooks Rose Nylund (Betty White) when she realizes that Mr. Douglas is the spitting image of her beloved late husband Charlie. Eventually Rose says "Good Bye" to Mr. Douglas and is then forced once again to say the same to Charlie. Eddie Albert worked very hard to carve a place in the medium's history during a nearly 60 year career. He will not only be remembered for his contributions to film and television but also to the environment.