A page for tropes that apply to the wacky residents of Hooterville.
Oliver Wendell Douglas
"I came out here to get away from the rat race of the city. Out here where I could breathe the pure air, work the fertile soil. Where a man can plant his seeds and watch 'em shoot upwards toward the sun and the sky, like our forefathers did. The farmer's the backbone of America. It's his gnarled hands, aching back that gives America its great strength."
Played by: Eddie Albert
- Big Town Boredom: "Crowded streets, polluted air, New York is nothing but a rat race and the rats are winning."
- Character Filibuster: Often launches into speeches like the one above.
- Determinator: Despite the constant mishaps getting in his way, he doesn’t give up on his farm.
- Fish out of Water: In the first few episodes.
- Got Volunteered: In several episodes, Oliver gets volunteered to do something that no one else wants to do, often by walking into Drucker's store just as the townsfolk are discussing the fact that no one else wants to do it.
- Ivy League for Everyone: Graduated from Harvard Law School. In the first episode, it's all but stated that he would have rather gone straight to being a farmer when he was younger, but by the time the series takes place he seems to actually enjoy being a lawyer, at one point opening a law office in addition to his farm.
- Multiple-Choice Past: Mostly involving his and Lisa’s relationship (how they met, where they were married, when they were married, etc.)
- Named After Somebody Famous: In-universe. His parents named him after a supreme court judge, Oliver Wendell Holmes (Jr.).
- Only Sane Man: Amongst the Hooterville residents, who all think he is the crazy one.
- Open Mouth, Insert Foot / Digging Yourself Deeper: Despite his background as a successful lawyer, he tends to do this.Lisa: Every time you open your mouth, you put your foot in!
- Simple Country Lawyer: Inverted with Oliver, who was born into a rich family and grew up in New York City, graduating from Harvard. His passion is to move to the countryside and practice farming. He still practices law in the Hooterville-Pixley region every now and then, volunteering to help out the neighbors, sometimes with catastrophic results.
- Strong Family Resemblance: Looks exactly like his father, as seen in a flashback in the first episode, sans mustache.
Lisa Douglas
"Why do you want to irritate your corn?"
Played by: Eva Gabor
- Character Catchphrase: "Hello Dere!"
- City Mouse: She is thoroughly out of place in the country, and longs to return to New York. As the show progresses, she adapts to the craziness of Hooterville, but never really adapts to country life in general.
- Cloud Cuckoolander: Initially, she was a levelheaded realist, in contrast to Oliver's obsessive eccentricity. By the second season, she had embraced the craziness of Hooterville and the townsfolk had embraced her as one of their own.
- Drives Like Crazy: When she attempts to drive in "School Days", she crashes into the girls’ shower room of the high school.
- Fluffy Fashion Feathers: A staple of her wardrobe.
- Fourth-Wall Observer: Frequently comments on subtitles, background music, and the opening credits.
- Friend to All Living Things: She has a kind, tender side towards animals; in "It's Human to Be Humane", she tells Newt Kiley not to take eggs away from chickens and makes the Douglas' home into a shelter for animals.
- Justified: In real life, she was a cat and dog lover.
- Funny Foreigner: Hungarian Immigrant Cloud Cuckoolander.
- Hair of Gold, Heart of Gold: Kind, empathetic, and blonde.
- Identical Grandson: Shares a strong resemblance with her great-great grandmother Lastvogel Gronyitz. Possibly.
- Lethal Chef: Careful of your teeth while eating her cooking.
- Malaproper: Her dialogue is full of these.
- Multiple-Choice Past: Mostly involving her and Oliver’s relationship (how they met, where they were married, when they were married, etc.)
- Pretty in Mink: Another wardrobe staple.
- Socialite: Naturally, given that she's played by Eva Gabor.
- Speaks Fluent Animal: Possibly. She seems to be able to understand various animals that drop by.
- Spoiled Sweet: Enjoys the finer things in life (like extravagant parties and mink coats), but by no means does she look down on anyone less sophisticated, treating everyone in Hooterville with the utmost sweet sincerity.
Eb Dawson
"Gol-ly!"
Played by: Tom Lester
- Bizarre Taste in Food: He actually seems to enjoy what Lisa cooks on occasion. Of the dishes that are actually edible, anyway.
- The Casanova: Has had at least six girlfriends over the course of the series, and nearly got married twice. On the other hand, he doesn't seem to be very good at keeping said girlfriends, possibly due to his immaturity. It's also worth noting that what little we actually see of his romantic endeavors tends to end poorly, making this more of an Informed Attribute.
- Catchphrase: "Gol-ly!"
- Half-Witted Hillbilly: Of the "Country Bumpkin" variety, of course. When the plot demands, he might explain what's wrong with the Douglases' farm, but otherwise, he's a bit slow on the uptake.
- Manchild: Clearly in his twenties, but usually acts like a teenager.
- Nice Guy: As crazy as everyone else in Hooterville, but he's almost always kind, cheerful, and friendly.
Mr. Haney
”Mister Douglas, today is your lucky day!”
Played by: Pat Buttram
- New Job as the Plot Demands: Of a sort. He always remained a salesman, but came up with different services to offer Oliver.
- No Celebrities Were Harmed: Pat Buttram stated that he based his character off of Elvis Presley's manager Colonel Tom Parker.
- Only Shop in Town: Not a shop, per se, and there's always Drucker's, but he tries to have the monopoly on anything Oliver needs.
- Politically Incorrect Villain: Has used "wetback" multiple times. It’s now censored in airings.
- Shady Real Estate Agent: He sold Oliver the farm.
Hank Kimball
"I'm Hank Agent, your county Kimball!"
Played by: Alvy Moore
- Bizarre Taste in Food: According to Eb's bartender cousin Walter, his preferred drink order is scotch and goat's milk.
- Forgetful Jones: He frequently pauses mid-sentence, forgets what he was going to say, rambles a little off-subject, and then recalls what he has to say.
- Half-Witted Hillbilly: Probably the least intelligent person in town, and that’s saying something.
- Kindhearted Simpleton: Friendly and well-meaning, yet stupid.
- Sarcasm-Blind: His response to Oliver's unenthusiasm about the upcoming Spring Festival probably best illustrates this:Oliver: Oh, that stupid festival...
Hank Kimball: No, this is the spring festival. Stupid festival is next month.
Oliver: [sarcastically] Yes, and you're gonna be king.
Hank Kimball: [happily, Comically Missing the Point] I am? Gosh, that makes three years in a row! - Took a Level in Dumbass: In his first appearance, he didn’t act as dumb as he did for the rest of the series.
Mr. Drucker
Played by: Frank Cady
- Character Overlap: The only character who appears regularly on both Petticoat Junction and Green Acres.
- Only Sane Man: Whenever there's a town meeting, he usually tries to maintain order.
- Only Shop in Town: Sam Drucker's general store is about the only grocery store business in Hooterville where residents go to get their supplies.
Alf Monroe
Played by: Sid Melton
- Brother–Sister Team: One half of the Monroe Brothers carpentry team, with Ralph.
- Only Sane Man: He usually remains the calmer of the two siblings, especially when his sister Ralph is having an emotional breakdown.
Ralph Monroe
Played by: Mary Grace Canfield
- Abhorrent Admirer: Her beloved "Hankie" (Hank Kimball) breaks their dates and hides from her. In a few episodes, other men flee when they discover they've been set up with her.
- Boyish Short Hair: She and her brother both have short hair (and usually wear matching work clothes).
- Brother–Sister Team: One half of the Monroe Brothers carpentry team, with Alf.
- Character Catchphrase: "Howdy doody!"
- Gender-Blender Name: In one episode, she was even drafted because the draft board assumed someone named Ralph was a man.
- The Lad-ette: Tends to get grouped in with the men of the town.
Fred Ziffel
Played by: Hank Patterson
- Aw, Look! They Really Do Love Each Other: Constantly bickers with Doris, though he has occasional moments where he'll get lovey-dovey with her.
- Housepet Pig: Although Arnold (the pig) is more like an adopted child than a pet.
- Sudden Sequel Death Syndrome: In the 1990 TV reunion movie, Fred and Doris have passed away, and their niece is working the farm she inherited from them.
Doris Ziffel
Barbara Pepper as Doris Ziffel (seasons 1-3)
Fran Ryan as Doris Ziffel (seasons 4-6)
Played by: Barbara Pepper (seasons 1-3), Fran Ryan (seasons 4-6)
- Aw, Look! They Really Do Love Each Other: Constantly bickers with Fred, though she has occasional moments where she'll get lovey-dovey with him.
- Housepet Pig: Although Arnold (the pig) is more like an adopted child than a pet.
- Sudden Sequel Death Syndrome: In the 1990 TV reunion movie, Fred and Doris have passed away, and their niece is working the farm she inherited from them.
