What Green Acres Stars Eddie Albert & Eva Gabor's Relationship Was Like In Real Life

Throughout TV history, there've been many sitcom co-stars who couldn't stand each other in real life. Luckily, for "Green Acres" fans, the same couldn't be said for Eva Gabor and Eddie Albert. In fact, Albert was so fond of Eva that he came to her defense on a number of occasions. 

One third of the Gabor sisters, Eva was part of a family often poked fun at for being "famous for being famous." The sisters notably didn't tone down their glamorous personalities, which was a win for self-expression. Unfortunately, it also lead to accusations that they were "frivolous." Enter, Albert, who, tired of hearing Eva being demeaned, clapped back that she was "as frivolous as a Mack Truck" (via Shatner Method). When asked about that in a 1966 joint appearance on "The Merv Griffin Show," Albert doubled down. "What I meant was that many of the people that speak to me about Eva, how she was working, you'd think that she is rather frivolous ... nothing could be further from the truth. She's the most responsible and well-disciplined actress I've ever worked with." Eva surely appreciated it, because many years later, she did an interview which hinted that all the chatter annoyed her. "I don't just sit around taking bubble baths, and I'm not the frivolous playgirl the public expects. I work all the harder at being an actress because this 'Gabor image' is so very difficult to live down. Since my co-workers expect me to be late and temperamental, I always try to get to work earliest and display no hint of temper," she said (via Internet Archive). 

Evidently, Albert picked up on that when they filmed "Green Acres" because as he also shared on "The Merv Griffin Show," "When I come to the studio grumpy in the morning, she cheers me up."

Other than doing her darndest to bring a smile to Eddie Albert's face on early shoot days (Eva Gabor joked on "The Merv Griffin Show" that she wasn't opposed to bringing him a cup of coffee or doing a silly dance), the co-stars were also said to have a very playful dynamic throughout the work day. In fact, fellow "Green Acres" actor Tom Lester was quoted in Peter H Brown's "Such Devoted Sisters: Those Fabulous Gabors" as saying that was probably a main reason for the show's success. "I think that closeness showed up on the TV screen," he mused. 

Of Gabor and Albert's relationship, Lester shared, "They were like kids sometimes." The actor, who played Eb Dawson on the show, added that Albert had a knack for bringing out a very silly side of Gabor, and shared that the two were especially funny while filming anything romantic. However, that's not to say there was anything going on between them. Far from it, Gabor was staunchly against infidelity, once sharing in an interview with Joan Rivers, "Cheating and lying goes against my grain" (via Finding by W.D.F.). What's more, Gabor wasn't just close with Albert, but with his wife and kids, too. As she shared during a 1970 CBC special on her co-star, "I know Eddie since I'm in America, and his wife Margo, and his children, and we are very, very, close, good friends." Sure enough, Albert also joked in the special that Gabor and Margo got on so well that they regularly teamed up against him. "The two of them get together and cut me up," he quipped. Gabor's response? "Oh, and there is plenty to be cut up at," she chimed. 

If you need us, we'll be re-watching all six seasons of "Green Acres."