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Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.: The Third Season (TV)
R1 - America - Paramount Home Entertainment Review written by and copyright: Rob Fields (28th December 2007). |
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The Film
 I remember back when people I knew were telling me that I needed to watch a Stanley Kubrick film called "Full Metal Jacket" (1987). The movie started out with a drill sergeant (R. Lee Ermey) getting in his privates' faces, even giving them new names. When he comes to the fat guy (Vincent D'Onofrio), what does he end up naming him? Right! Private Gomer Pyle. This guy was always messing up and getting everybody in trouble. He just couldn't seem to do anything right. Anyway, I remembered hearing that name somewhere. Now I get the third season of a television series by that same name (1964-1969). "Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.: The Third Season", features "The Andy Griffith Show" (1960-1968) character in his own series, according to IMDB, Gomer Pyle (Jim Nabors) first appeared in 23 episodes before getting his own series. Between "Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C." and "Full Metal Jacket", the only thing that the two Private Pyle's have in common is that they're in the United States Marine Corp. In the series in review, Private Gomer Pyle (Nabors) is actually a simple-minded, naïve man from Mayberry, North Carolina. The show is set at Camp Henderson, California. In one episode after another, Private Pyle inadvertently gets under everybody's skin, including his drill sergeant Vince Carter (Frank Sutton). Sgt. Carter is definitely no R. Lee Ermey when you stop to consider everything that Private Pyle puts him through. In truth, people like Private Gomer Pyle would probably NOT be in the Marine Corp for very long. But, this is a sit-com, so that will never be the case here, that and the fact that "Full Metal Jacket" is based on reality. You can tell just by watching the series that Sutton and Nabors had good chemistry with one another, in my opinion that can sometimes make or break a series. I suppose if there was one thing that I could say I didn't like about the series, it would be that Private Pyle is just plain annoying. I think that each episode overplays the jokes. In some cases, they are almost predictable. But, I suppose that could have been the reason the series lasted five seasons. The one thing I liked most of all is that Private Pyle was always true to himself, no matter what was thrown in his direction. How many people in the world can really say that about themselves today? This release includes all 30 season three episodes which include: - "Lies, Lies, Lies" (25:03) - "Crazy Legs Gomer" (25:33) - "Gomer, the Carrier" (25:26) - "Caution: Low Overhead" (25:19) - "Show Me the Way to Go Home" (25:23) - "How to Succeed in Farming Without Really Trying" (25:42) - "Gomer and the Little Men From Outer Space" (25:34) - "The Borrowed Car" (25:45) - "Gomer Pyle, Super Chef" (24:53) - "Marry Me, Marry Me" (25:19) - "Cold Nose, Warm Heart" (25:32) - "Follow That Car" (25:07) - "It Takes Two to Tangle" (24:55) - "Wither the Weather" (24:48) - "Love's Old Sweet Song" (25:19) - "Gomer, the Recruiter" (25:29) - "The Secret Life of Gomer Pyle" (25:34) - "Go Blow Your Horn" (24:49) - "You Bet Your Won Ton" (25:20) - "Sue the Pants Off 'Em" (25:03) - "Gomer, the Card Shark" (25:13) - "To Re-Enlist or Not to Re-Enlist" (24:00) - "Lou-Ann Poovie Sings Again" (23:43) - "Gomer, the Welsh Rarebit Fiend" (25:39) - "Sing a Song of Papa" (25:40) - "Where There's a Will" (25:06) - "Lost, the Colonel's Daughter" (24:57) - "The Crow Ganef" (25:31) - "One of Our Shells Is Missing" (24:39) - "Lou-Ann Poovie Sings No More" (24:26)
Video
> All episodes are presented in their original 1.33:1 full screen televised format. As with many of the other Paramount / CBS DVD releases, I have found yet another piece of fine print: 'Some episodes may be edited from their original network versions.' Having never seen this series, I wouldn't know what episodes were edited. Even though the picture looks great as a result of it being re-mastered, you can still see bits of film grain. Also, when there are scenes in the dark where the lighting isn't the greatest. Even though there are no chapter selection options, each episode has chapter stops.
Audio
Each episode is accompanied by an English Dolby Digital 2.0 mono soundtrack. There are no subtitles available. As with many of the other Paramount / CBS DVD releases, I have also found the piece of fine print that states: 'Music has been changed for this home entertainment version." Having never seen the series, I wouldn't know what music was original and what was exclusive to this DVD release. You can also hear the laugh track in the background. I noticed that the volume drops just a bit at times during the episodes. This wouldn't be the only 60's series that suffers from this, though. Regardless, it shouldn't take away from your enjoyment. If anything, you get the feel of the 60's just by watching this show, audio and all.
Extras
Paramount has released this series with only a single bonus trailer before the main menu on disc 1 for "CBS Comedies" which runs for 1 minute 25 seconds. The remaining discs have no extras.
Packaging
"Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.: Season 3" is a 5-DVD set with all 5 discs packed into to a single clear amaray keep case. The episode titles, summaries and original air dates are printed on the inside of the cover art.
Overall
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