DVD Release Date: May 24, 2005 (Paramount Home Video)
black & white, approx. 13 hours, 2 minutes
MSRP: $38.99
Number of Discs: 5
Number of Episodes: 31
Language and Subtitles: English, closed captioning available
Special Features: Original Sponsor Spots
Introduction:
Spend another lazy, carefree day in Mayberry with a classic, laugh-filled DVD
collection: The Andy Griffith Show - The Complete Second Season. You'll enjoy
all 31 "Season Two" episodes starring Andy Griffith as Sheriff Andy Taylor;
Don Knotts as Deputy Barney Fife; Ronny Howard as Opie and Frances Bavier as
Aunt Bee. Situated in North Carolina, Mayberry may be small and serene, but
make no mistake - there are plenty of comic escapades afoot, revolving around the town's
humble sheriff's department, the community's colorful residents, and the diverse
visitors who are just passing through. The Andy Griffith Show's down-home humor, stellar
ensemble cast and fondly remembered episodes made the series one of the most beloved
situation comedies in the history of television. With this second-season DVD
collection, you'll see why!
Memorable Episodes / Notable Guest Stars:
The show really started to hit its stride in the second season, as the actors
continued to develop their characters and help them come into their own.
The Andy Griffith Show would finish #7 for the second season (1961-1962). Don Knotts
would win his second of five Emmy Awards for 'Outstanding Peformance in a Supporting
Role by an Actor' for his role as the bumbling Barney Fife. Memorable
episodes included "Opie and the Bully," in which Andy must decide whether to intervene
or let the problem work itself out when a bully harasses his son Opie at school.
When a rookie policeman is sent to Mayberry for training, Barney mistakenly believes
the man is his replacement and quits the police force to become a vacuum-cleaner
salesman in "Barney's Replacement." Andy and Barney are horrified when Aunt Bee decides to enter her prized picles - with a taste described as "kerosene cucumbers" - in a country
fair contest, hoping to claim first prize over the competition's perennial winner
in "The Pickle Story." When Barney gets an offer to become the sheriff of
nearby Greendale, Andy decides to let him be the sheriff of Mayberry for a day
to give him a taste of what the top law-enforcement spot entails in "Sheriff Barney." Things hit a sour note when Barney joins the Mayberry choir - and it's quickly determined that his singing voice isn't exactly harmonious to the other members of the group in "Barney and the Choir."
There were a number of guest stars that were would become well-known
from other TV series and movies. Mark Miller (Please Don't Eat the Daisies) appeared
as Bob Rogers in "Barney's Replacement." Jackie Coogan played George Stevens
in "Barney on the Rebound." Buddy Ebsen, who would appear on The Beverly Hillbillies
a year later, guest starred as David Browne in "Opie's Hobo Friend." Edgar Buchanan
appeared as Henry Wheeler in "Aunt Bee's Brief Encounter." Alan Hale, Jr. appeared
as Jeff Pruitt in "The Farmer Takes A Wife." Bill Bixby played Ron Bailey
in "Bailey's Bad Boy." Barbara Eden guest starred as Ellen Brown in "The Manicurist."
Sterling Holloway appeared as Bert Miller in "The Merchant of Mayberry."
Packaging:
All 31 episodes from the second season are included in this 5-disc set. The DVD cover art features a colorized
photo of Andy reading the newspaper with Aunt Bee at his side. The back of the box gives a short summary
of the set with smaller photos of Opie, Andy and Mary Simpson (?), and Barney. There are 3 slim cases that slide
out from the outer box. Black and white photos are featured on the front of each slim case. On
the back of each case, there are several photos of pie and the episode titles are listed under a section
called "Aunt Bee's Apple Pie Recipe." The inside of the cases have a checkered tablecloth background
like the front and back of the cases. Case #1 pictures Andy and Barney and holds the first 2 discs, case #2 has a photo
of Andy and Opie and has discs 3-4, and case #3 has a photo of Mary Simpson (?) and Andy and holds
disc 5. My one complaint about the set is the discs don't seem to stay in place in the holders. They seem
to slip and slide out often. One of my discs became scratched when it became displaced, so I think
they could have used some sturdier holders.
When you lift up the discs from the holders, the episodes are listed with pretty detailed summaries
and original airdates. Some major guest stars are mentioned, but it would have been even better had
they listed all guest stars. The actual discs are designed to look like slices of cherry pie. Just looking
at them makes me hungry for some of Aunt Bee's pie! Disc 1 contains episodes 33-39. Disc 2 has
episodes 40-45. Disc 3 offers episodes 46-51. Disc 4 contains episodes 52-57. Disc 5 wraps up
the second season with episodes 58-63.
Menu Design and Navigation:
The menus, much like Mayberry itself, are very simple. Each menu has a different
colorized photo with the show logo in red. The menus have a green background. The
episode titles are listed vertically on the right hand side of the screen, and there
is a red badge next to your selection which turns yellow when you choose the episode.
There is a Play All button and chapter stops within the episodes but no menus
for scene selections. Disc 1 pictures Aunt Bea and Andy, disc 2 has Andy and Barney,
disc 3 has Andy and one of the guest stars, disc 4 has Andy and Mary Simpson (?)
, and disc 5 pictures Floyd Lawson. There are sub-menus for the original
sponsor spots that feature additional photos of Andy and Barney. When you play disc
1, there are promos for some other Paramount TV DVD releases: The Brady Bunch,
Happy Days, Laverne & Shirley, Mork & Mindy, MacGyver, and Charmed.
Video and Audio Quality:
Once again like the first season set, the video and audio quality is excellent. These
episodes have been remastered and restored to look the best possible condition. There
is a little bit of grain, but I think black and white generally holds up a bit
better than color. The episodes are well spread out with no more than 7 per disc, so
there are no compression problems. The audio is a mono track typical of the 1960's.
Not outstanding, but not any major problems either. All of the episodes appear to be unedited, running around 24-25 minutes and feature
the full opening theme credits. For the closing logo enthusiasts, there is an old
black and white CBS Television Network logo that is shown before a more recent
Paramount logo.
Special Features:
Season 1 lacked any extras, but original sponsor spots are included on this set.
I mentioned in my review of season 1 that it would be great to see these sponsor spots,
and Paramount has included them here. Thanks for listening Paramount! The original sponsor spots were one-minute commercials for the shows sponsors such as Sanka Coffee or Post cereals, in which the cast would work a plug for the sponsors product into the storyline of that
weeks episode. Andy, Barney, Opie, and Aunt Bee along with some guest stars
were featured in these spots. There are 30 original sponsor spots included by my count.
Every episode has one except "The Merchant of Mayberry" on the fourth disc. These were a lot of fun to watch. Andy signs off each spot with "I appreciate it and good night."
You rarely see anything like this these days, as some shows will use product placement
in episodes. Here is a breakdown of sponsor spots by disc:
Disc 1 (7 spots) - Sanka Coffee (1:05), Post Alpha-Bits (1:05), Sanka Coffee (1:05), Post
Oak Flakes (:53), Sanka Coffee (1:09), Sanka Coffee (1:07), Post Toasties Corn Flakes (:54)
Disc 2 (6) - Sanka Coffee (1:02), Post Toasties Corn Flakes (:53), Sanka Coffee (1:03),
Post 40% Bran Flakes (:42), Sanka Coffee (:56), Post 40% Bran Flakes (:47)
Disc 3 (5) - Sanka Coffee (1:04), Post Oak Flakes (:49), Sanka Coffee (1:00),
Post Grape Nuts (:51), Sanka Coffee (:56), Post Toaties Corn Flakes (:55)
Disc 4 (6) - Sanka Coffee (1:02), Post Toaties Corn FLakes (:49), Sanka Coffee (1:05),
Post Toasties Corn Flakes (:53), Sanka Coffee (:53), Post 40% Bran Flakes (:55)
Other Information:
This set includes a rebate offer request form. The offer is that when you buy
The Andy Griffith Show - Season 2 plus any other complete season dvd box set of
The Andy Griffith Show, Frasier, Cheers, or Taxi - you can get $15 US by mail.
You just send the original cash register receipts or original packing slips
and a proof of purchase coupon. U.S. residents will receive $15 while
Canadian residents will receive $20 (CAN) back by mail. Requests must be received
by August 31, 2005. You must make the purchases between May 17, 2005 and July 31,
2005 - the offer is not valid on prior purchases.
Final Comments:
Overall, this is another nice set of the show. The original sponsor spots
were entertaining to watch and added value to this release. It would be
great to see some original commercials promoting the show, cast interviews,
and episode commentaries on future seasons. The packaging has a nice overall presentation,
but the discs don't seem to stay in place in the holders. Perhaps, they could have
used a tray system where the discs would overlap instead of putting them on opposite
sides of the case. Look for season 3, which is considered to be many fans favorite of the
series, to be released sometime in August.
