Alvis' Background

Alvis is sort of a modern day Gomer Pyle, but a bit sharper... unpolished perhaps, but a hard worker, who has moved to the big city from his home in Hootin Holler, "located in a state south of here."

Hootin Holler is very small. In fact, it is so small that the Entering Hootin Holler and Leaving Hootin Holler signs are on the same post. The phone directory has a White Page and a Yellow Page, on different sides of the same page. If you sneeze while you are driving through Hootin Holler, you miss it. Hootin Holler is the kind of place where you say as you are driving through, "Hootin Holler is a nice place, wasn't it?"

Alvis moved to the big city after getting a divorce. Now a divorce in Hootin Holler is sort of like a tornado in Florida. Either way you lose the trailer. Alvis's marriage was doomed from the start. He and his wife were mismatched, and sometimes fought like all married couples do. One day they went to her high school reunion, and Alvis met his wife's high school sweetheart. Alvis said afterward that he wanted to punch the guy out for not trying hard enough. Alvis usually says only very polite things about his ex; however, he did mention that one time they were watching the movie, The Wizard of Oz, and afterward he threw some water on her. One day he came home and saw her with a broom. Feeling brave, he asked her if she was cleaning up or getting ready to take a trip. You might say his marriage was doomed from the start.

Alvis is not a redneck; although he has some rednecks for relatives. One of his cousins, Rabe Gogwecker, is the kind of guy who scratches his back with a toilet bowl brush. Rabe goes to family weddings to pick up women. His standard of living improves when he goes camping.