Remembering Alvy Moore: Hank Kimball from TV’s ‘Green Acres’
The more I learn about Alvy Moore, the more respect I have for this feller. He was a true master of the comedic craft. A few decades ago, one could argue that you didn’t get much funnier than Alvy. The reason for his fame was primarily due to one television show, Green Acres. It was the show that made Jack Alvin Moore a familiar face in American homes. He was never a superstar, but he was a recognizable face.
On Green Acres, Alvy was the scatterbrained county agricultural agent, Hank Kimball. His schtick was simple: Hank would often make a statement only to immediately make a contrary one and then negate that corrected statement until his stream of statements was interrupted by whatever poor soul he was talking to. During his career, Alvy appeared in hundreds of TV shows and movies, including Little House on the Prairie and The Waltons. I also remember appearances on some of my favorite shows like The Munsters, Dennis the Menace and The Andy Griffith Show. They were all mostly one time, guest appearances, but they were all great and truly memorable. The thing about watching Alvy, in whatever role, is it always seemed like he was having fun. And because of that, it was easy to have fun with him.
Everett Collection
One thing Alvy didn’t particularly have fun discussing was his time as a Marine in World War II. Alvy participated in the Battle of Iwo Jima. A few years before he passed away, fellow actor James MacArthur, famous for his role in Hawaii 5-0, wrote an article for Senior World magazine about Alvy. To write the article, MacArthur spent hours visiting with him and was regaled with story after story about his time in Hollywood. That said, when MacArthur asked him about Iwo Jima, Alvy didn’t want to relive that day and quickly moved past the question.
In the article, MacArthur noted that many brave men and women who participated in that conflict, as well as others, absolutely do not revel in the machinations of war. Instead, they typically want to move past it and just think about happier times. Whatever the reason, we should all be grateful for brave people like Alvy Moore, who risked their lives and sacrificed their time to protect the country they loved.
Alvy passed away in 1997. His marker refers to him as “Mr. Wonderful of Hollywood.” In a video published on YouTube, I had commented that I would love to know the story behind that nickname but had been unable to find anything on the web. Luckily, I was fortunate enough to have someone very close to Mr. Moore help me out.
Jeff Kravitz/Nick at Nite/Courtesy Everett Collection
Allison Moore, Alvy’s daughter, left a comment explaining that when her dad would call someone and they would ask who it was, he would reply, “It’s Mr. Wonderful of Hollywood,” in a dry and deadpan tone. She went on to say that she wasn’t sure why or how it started, but it became Alvy’s “thing.” As such, it felt appropriate to include it on his marker so that all might remember him in the same mirthful manner.
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Classic TV Shows of the ’50s & ’60s
September 2020
Test your knowledge, from Bonanza and Gunsmoke to I Love Lucy, I Dream of Jeannie, Star Trek and more fun TV of the 1950s and 1960s.
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