DVD Release Date: August 29, 2006 (Paramount Home Video)
Color/1966-67
MSRP: $38.99
Number of Discs: 5
Number of Episodes: 30
Running time: approx. 12 hours, 44 minutes
Language and Subtitles: English, closed captioning available
Special Features: None
Introduction:
It was a colorful season seven for The Andy Griffith Show -- 30 more fun-filled
visits to the familiar streets of Mayberry, and to the warm-hearted folks
who brought the town to life.
By all accounts, this was the most successful season yet for the critically
acclaimed family show. It was the top-rated half-hour of the 1966-'67 season and earned
two Emmy Awards for the supporting work of Don Knotts (as fumbling Barney Fife)
and Frances Bavier (as beloved Aunt Bee).
Relive your favorite Mayberry moments and join Andy (Andy Griffith), Opie (Ron Howard),
Floyd (Howard McNear, in his final season) and the rest
of the town for this five-disc odyssey to a time and place when mistakes, misadventures,
and even disagreements eventually would work out just fine.
Memorable Episodes / Notable Guest Stars:
The Andy Griffith Show rebounded in the ratings, finishing in 3rd place with a 27.4
rating for Season 7 (1966-67). This was the second of three times that it was the
highest rated sitcom on television. This was the second season shot and broadcast in color.
The final 3 seasons (90 episodes) were in color.
Don Knotts would win his fourth Emmy for Outstanding Performance By An Actor
in a Supporting Role in a Comedy for the episode "Barney Comes to Mayberry."
Frances Bavier won her first Emmy for Outstanding Performance By An Actress
in a Supporting Role in a Comedy. This season marked the final appearances of Howard
McNear as Floyd Lawson. He had suffered a massive stroke during the third season
of the series. It also marked the final episodes of Otis and The Darlings.
Some fans think this was the best of the color seasons. Memorable episodes included
"The Ball Game," in which Andy serves as the baseball umpire in a game
against Mayberry's archrival, The Mount Pilot Comets. Goober gets hurt in a minor
accident in "Mind Over Matter." Novice fisherman Howard goes along with
Andy and pals to Tucker's Lake, where he catches legendary carp "Old Sam."
Otis stumbles upon the location of two bank robbers and runs for help in "Otis the
Deputy." Goober goes on a three-week camping trip and returns with a beard in "Goober Makes History."
When a stranger comes to town with talk of buried treasure near Mayberry,
the town is all ears in "Don't Miss A Good Bet." With Aunt Bee out of town
and Opie away at scout camp, Andy hopes to settle in for a peaceful
week alone in "Dinner At Eight." Andy's old high school sweetheart, Alice,
comes home to Mayberry and Helen fears he's still holding a torch in "Andy's
Old Girlfriend." Helen writes a children's book, and everyone is happy except
Andy in "Helen, the Authoress."
Notable guest appearances included Hamilton Camp as Jeff Nelson in
"The Barbershop Quartet." Denver Pyle, Maggie Peterson, and Doug Dillard
appeared as the Darlings in "The Darling Fortune." Jack Nicholson (yes, that Jack Nicholson)
played Mr. Garland in "Opie Finds a Baby." Richard Bull guest starred as
Bill Lindsay in "Goober Makes History" and as Mr. Jackson in
"Opie's Piano Lesson." Roger Perry appeared as
George Jones in "Don't Miss a Good Bet." Don Knotts returned as Barney Fife in "A Visit to Barney
Fife" and "Barney Comes to Mayberry." Keye Luke played Charlie Lee in
"Aunt Bee's Restaurant." David Ketchum guest starred as Harry Walker in
"Floyd's Barbershop." Rob Reiner appeared as Joe in "Goober's Contest."
Packaging:
All 30 episodes from the seventh season (1966-67) are included in this 5-disc set.
The DVD cover art features a photo of Andy, Opie, and Aunt Bee. There are trees
on either side of them and clouds in the background. Andy and Goober
are pictured on the back of the box.
There is a synopsis of the set listed, as well as the episodes titles by disc.
The DVD specs are listed on the bottom of the box. Andy is featured on the spine of the box.
There are 3 slim cases that slide out from the main cardboard outer box. They feature
various color photos of the cast. They have a picnic table in the foreground and a farm
house and lots of grass and blue skies can be seen in the background.
Slim case #1 features Goober and Opie. Slim case #2 has a photo of Barney and Andy
talking at the picnic table. Slim case #2 pictures Opie about to fly a kite, with
Andy and Aunt Bee watching him.
On the back of the slim cases,
the episode titles are listed on a sheet of paper that is on top of a picnic
basket. Inside the cases, there are different colored tablecloth backgrounds: red,
blue, and green. There are various photos of the cast and food items (rolls, coffee,
apple, bananas) in the background.
There are detailed summaries and the original airdates listed when
you lift up the discs from the holders. The discs look so good, you'll want to eat them!
They have a different colored tablecloth background and food item on each disc.
The disc number is listed in a red badge. Disc 1 has a salty pretzel and has episodes 190-195.
Disc 2 features a chocolate chip cookie and includes episodes 196-201.
Disc 3 has an orange on it and contains episodes 202-207. Disc 4 has a photo
of a cantaloupe and has episodes 208-213. Disc 5 features a tomato and rounds out the set with
episodes 214-219. Just like
all the previous releases, the discs pop out of the holders and slide around too
easily. There has to be a more secure method to store the discs.
Menu Design and Navigation:
All seasons have had menus that have a simple design and are easy
to navigate. There is just one main menu on each disc. Various photos of the
cast are shown on each disc. The blue sky and clouds background is used
throughout the set. The title logo is in red and white.
The episodes titles are listed vertically on each disc. There is a red sheriff's
badge next to the episode you select that turns gold upon your selection.
A Play All button is available on each disc. When you first play Disc 1,
there is a short preview for I Love Lucy - Season 6 that you can skip.
Disc 1 features a photo/drawing of Andy, Aunt Bee, and Opie. There is a tree
on the far right side of the screen. Disc 2 has a photo of Goober next to a gas
pump. Disc 3 has a shot of Opie and Andy fishing. Disc 4 features a solo
shot of Andy. Disc 5 has a photo of Opie fishing.
There are well-placed chapter stops
within the episodes, but there are no separate menus for scene selections.
Video and Audio Quality:
This was the second season broadcast in color.
Since this was the early days of shooting in color, the colors look somewhat faded
and not as vivid as what you see today. With the episodes being around 40 years old,
they look as good as can be expected. The picture is in its original 1.33:1 ratio
full frame. Since the show was shot on film, there is some grain, dust and debris occasionally.
It's a little more evident and noticeable in color than it was in the black & white
episodes. There are no major problems, and these episodes certainly look cleaner
and have a better picture than what you've seen on cable over the years.
The episodes are spread out well over 5 discs, with no more than 6 episodes on each
one. The audio track, once again, is a Dolby Digital mono track. This was typical
of 1960's sitcoms. The volume is at a good level, and there isn't a lot of hiss or background
noise. These episodes include the original opening theme credits as you would expect.
Closed captioning is available for all of the episodes. I noticed that this set
doesn't have any Paramount closing logo.
The episodes are presented in their original airdate order.
There is nothing on the packaging to indicate that any of the episodes have been
edited. They all run about 24 1/2 to 25 1/2 minutes in length.
Here is a breakdown of the episodes, and their running times and original airdates:
Disc 1
---------
190. Opie's Girlfriend (09/12/66) (25:32)
191. The Lodge (09/19/66) (25:36)
192. The Barbershop Quartet (09/26/66) (25:34)
193. The Ball Game (10/03/66) (25:20)
194. Aunt Bee's Crowning Glory (10/10/66) (25:29)
195. The Darling Fortune (10/17/66) (25:31)
Disc 2
---------
196. Mind Over Matter (10/31/66) (25:34)
197. Politics Begin At Home (11/07/66) (25:38)
198. The Senior Play (11/14/66) (25:31)
199. Opie Finds a Baby (11/21/66) (25:38)
200. Big Fish in a Small Town (11/28/66) (25:38)
201. Only a Rose (12/05/66) (25:41)
Disc 3
---------
202. Otis the Deputy (12/12/66) (24:32)
203. Goober Makes History (12/19/66) (25:38)
204. A New Doctor in Town (12/26/66) (24:40)
205. Don't Miss a Good Bet (01/02/67) (25:39)
206. Dinner at Eight (01/09/67) (25:38)
207. A Visit to Barney Fife (01/16/67) (25:36)
Disc 4
---------
208. Barney Comes to Mayberry (01/23/67) (25:38)
209. Andy's Old Girlfriend (01/30/67) (25:39)
210. Aunt Bee's Restaraunt (02/06/67) (25:41)
211. Floyd's Barbershop (02/13/67) (25:35)
212. The Statue (02/20/67) (25:35)
213. Helen, the Authoress (02/27/67) (25:32)
Disc 5
---------
214. Goodbye, Dolly (03/06/67) (25:32)
215. Opie's Piano Lesson (03/13/67) (24:59)
216. Howard, the Comedian (03/20/67) (25:21)
217. Big Brother (03/27/67) (25:32)
218. Opie's Most Unforgettable Character (04/03/67) (25:33)
219. Goober's Contest (04/10/67) (25:33)
Special Features:
For the fourth consecutive season, there are no special features included.
Seasons 2 and 3 had the original sponsor spots that were a lot of fun to watch. This set
is a good value at less that $1 per episode.
I just hope Paramount isn't planning on releasing all the seasons bundled together
with special features. That wouldn't be fair to all the fans that have bought
them individually.
Final Comments:
Season 7 proved just how durable The Andy Griffith Show was in the ratings.
Regular characters left and new ones were brought in, but people never
really stopped watching the series. Paramount has already announced
that the final eighth season will be released on December 12th. We
will also see the start of the spin-off series, Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C., on that date. It will
be a little over 2 years for all 8 seasons and 250 episodes of The Andy Grififth Show to be
released on DVD. Not bad at all. You will either be able to buy Season 8 separately or bundled together with
the previous seven seasons (without any special packaging).
The Andy Griffith Show was one of 3 shows to out in the ratings at #1. Can you name the others?
Highlight the text below to find out.
