Vic Mizzy scores with ‘Green Acres’

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Vic Mizzy, a film and television composer who wrote the theme songs for the 1960s TV series ‘Green Acres’ and ‘The Addams Family,’ had to sing his ‘Addams Family’ theme himself when the production company refused to pay for singers.

Not so for ‘Green Acres’: Stars Eddie Albert and Eva Gabor sang the title song.

As noted in Jon Burlingame’s 1996 book ‘TV’s Biggest Hits: The Story of Television Themes From ‘Dragnet’ to ‘Friends’,’ Albert had a background as a musical-comedy star. But, in an interview with Burlingame, Mizzy said Gabor was unable to sing the lyrics properly after several tries.

Finally, Mizzy asked Gabor to ‘talk it. Blase. Park Avenue. Do it in that bored, rich tone that you can do so well’ -- which she pulled off. The only line she had to sing was the last one, ‘Green Acres, we are there,’ in harmony with Albert.

‘That was the biggest luck-out in the history of singing,’ Mizzy told Burlingame, ‘but she hit the right notes.’

Mizzie died Saturday at age 93.

--Dennis McLellan