song info/lyr: Shed a Tear for Gertrude

Subject: RE: song info/lyr: Shed a Tear for Gertrude
From: GUEST
Date: 02 Jun 07 - 09:09 PM

the song was definitely written for that episode.

Subject: RE: song info/lyr: Shed a Tear for Gertrude
From: GUEST
Date: 05 Feb 07 - 06:02 PM

I'm watching the episode right now. I was wondering about the song as well, which is why I'm here. I don't know the song. Sorry.

Subject: RE: song info/lyr: Shed a Tear for Gertrude
From: Greg B
Date: 05 Feb 07 - 01:03 PM

Thanks to Peace I actually found the sound file:

http://www.maggiore.net/greenacres/sounds/EbFolkSong.wav

It's from an episode known as 'The Ballad of Molly Turgiss.'

Quite folk-centric.

Subject: RE: song info/lyr: Shed a Tear for Gertrude
From: GUEST
Date: 04 Feb 07 - 03:55 PM

write out the words that you know from the show

Subject: RE: song info/lyr: Shed a Tear for Gertrude
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 03 Feb 07 - 04:59 PM

Maybe you've already seen this: a description of the episode The Ballad of Molly Turgis, but it doesn't mention the song.

I seem to recall, from my days of watching TV sitcoms (going back to "Our Miss Brooks" and "Amos 'n' Andy"), that "Gertrude" was one of those old-fashioned names that was thought to automatically conjure up an image of a stodgy old lady, and was frequently used for that purpose. I'd guess the song was made up for the show—unless they took an existing song and modified it.

Subject: Shed a Tear for Gertrude
From: Greg B
Date: 02 Feb 07 - 12:07 PM

Just watching an old re-run of 'Green Acres.'

In the opening scene, their hired hand is singing a song
called 'Shed a Tear for Gertrude' (at the bottom of the
sea). The verse was about a woman who gets washed overboard.

Then Oliver (Eddie Albert) asks what he's doing, and he says
he's singing an old folk song he learned in his home towns.
Oliver allows that when he was in college he traveled around
collecting and recording folk-songs. "Even wrote some" he
said. The rest of the plot revolves around a local legend in
Hooterville, Molly Turgis, about home Oliver determines to write
a ballad. Molly, it seems, is a bit of a curse...

Anyway, I can find no hint of 'Shed A Tear for Gertrude' as a
real song. Anyone hear of it?

Anybody else remember this episode?