Tom Lester, the Wide-Eyed Farmhand Eb Dawson on 'Green Acres,' Dies at 81
He was not on the list.
On the way to becoming a doctor, the Mississippi native came
to Hollywood and was hired for the
Tom Lester, the gawky Mississippi native who starred as the
friendly Hooterville farmhand Eb Dawson on the madcap CBS sitcom Green Acres,
has died. He was 81.
Lester died Monday of complications from Parkinson's disease
in the Nashville home of his fiancee and long-term caregiver, Jackie Peters,
his family announced.
Inspired by Andy Griffith Show star Don Knotts — who like
Lester did not come off as your typical leading man — Lester pursued a career
as an actor after earning degrees in chemistry and biology from the University
of Mississippi en route to becoming a doctor.
His friends told him, "'You’re crazy. You’ll never be
able to do that,'" he recalled in an undated interview. "'You're too
tall, too skinny, too ugly. You've got a Southern accent and you'll never make
it in the motion picture business. You don't look like Rock Hudson.'"
Still, he came to Hollywood and met acting teacher Lurene
Tuttle, who put him in plays opposite Linda Kaye, the daughter of Paul Henning,
who had created two CBS rural comedies, The Beverly Hillbillies and Petticoat
Junction, and was looking to cast a spinoff, Green Acres, in 1965. (Kaye also
played Betty Jo on Petticoat Junction.)
"At that time [Henning] was the most powerful comedy
producer in the world," Lester said. "So he'd come to see Linda Kaye
… and he liked me, got to know my little idiosyncrasies and all these things
about me, because we'd have little parties over at his house and drink Cokes
and eat hot dogs and have a good time."
Green Acres, of course, starred Eddie Albert (as Oliver
Wendell Douglas) and Eva Gabor (his wife, Lisa) as a successful Manhattan
lawyer and his ditzy bride who leave the big city and move to a broken-down
farm near Hooterville.
Eb was only going to appear on a handful of episodes, but
producers decided to keep the character around when he proved so funny. Eb
lived on the Douglas farm, was pals with Arnold (played by about 20 different
pigs in real life) and called Lisa and Oliver "Mom" and
"Dad" on the series, which ran for six seasons through 1971 and then
for many, many years in reruns.
Lester showed up as Eb on Petticoat Junction and The Beverly
Hillbillies as well. He is believed to be the last surviving castmember on
Green Acres.
After the show was canceled, Lester appeared in Benji (1974)
and Gordy (1994) — the latter about a talking pig — and on episodes of Marcus
Welby, M.D. and Little House on the Prairie.
Born on Sept. 23, 1938, in Laurel, Mississippi, Lester said
he became a born-again Christian when he was 10. In his later years, he spent
time on his farm in Jasper County, Mississippi, where in 1997 he was a
recipient of the state's "Wildlife Farmer of the Year" award.
Survivors include his brother, Michael; great-nieces Haleigh
and McKenzie; great-great-niece Scarlett; and great-great-nephew Wes.
A graveside service is set for Friday at Hickory Grove
Cemetery in Laurel, with a celebration of life service to be held at a later
date.
Filmography
Year Title Role Notes
1965-71 Green
Acres Eb Dawson/Gus, Jr. Main Cast
150 episodes
1966-67 Petticoat
Junction Eb Dawson 6 episodes
1968 The Beverly
Hillbillies Eb Dawson 3 episodes
1974 Love,
American Style Fleetus (from segment
"Love and the Competitors") 1
episode
1974 Marcus Welby,
M.D. Will MacAllister 1 episode
1974 Benji Riley
1976 Charo and the
Sergeant Sgt. Hank Palmer TV Movie
1981 Little House
on the Prairie Mr. Wilder 1 episode
1982 Knight Rider Ted Moore 1
episode
1987 Santa Barbara
2nd Deputy 1 episode
1989 Intruder Officer Mathews
1990 Return to
Green Acres Eb Dawson TV Movie
1991 The Pistol:
The Birth of a Legend Pete
Maravich (Adult)
1995 Gordy Cousin Jake
2004 Christmas
Child Radio Announcer Voice
2008 Huntin'
Buddies Tom Also served as writer
2009 Beyond the
Forest Mr. Alexander Short
2014 Campin'
Buddies Tom Also served as producer
Final film role
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