Customer Reviews

The Andy Griffith Show - The Complete Seventh Season

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I like season 7; it was the final TAGS season, in my opinion, which offers stellar episodes. It also offers the final appearances of Otis, the Darlings, and Floyd (Howard McNear would die within a couple years of this season) and, as with season 6, two episodes with Barney Fife. Howard Sprague develops into a key character this season and some of my favorite color season episodes feature him. My favorite episodes include "The Lodge," "Big Fish in a Small Town," "Politics Begin at Home," "Don't Miss a Good Bet," and the very funny "Dinner at Eight." There are only a few episodes here that I really don't care for, one of which is "Opie Finds a Baby," which is just a little odd. Here's what Season 7 has to offer:

"Opie's Girlfriend": Opie hangs out with Helen's niece and gets a black eye in the process.
"The Lodge": My favorite of season 7 and one of my favorite color episodes. Howard wants to join the lodge but, thanks to his piece-of-work mother, one member blackballs him.
"The Barbershop Quartet": Mayberry is the reigning barbershop quartet champions but their title is in jeopardy when their fourth man can't make it. There is a wonderful voice in Mayberry that would make the perfect replacement, but he is behind bars.
"The Ball Game": Andy is the umpire of a championship baseball game between Mayberry and Mt. Pilot and must make a tough call when Opie slides into home plate.
"Aunt Bee's Crowning Glory": Aunt Bee starts wearing a wig and is afraid to admit to it when she starts seeing a visiting pastor.
"The Darling Fortune": The Darlings arrive in Mayberry to find wives for the talkative, fun-loving boys. At first they don't like their prospects until a mountain superstition sets their sites on Helen.
"Mind Over Matter": Goober is involved in a minor car accident and Floyd and Aunt Bee tell him horror stories that makes him believe he has whiplash.

"Politics Begin at Home": There is an opening for town council and Aunt Bee is convinced to run. Unfortunately for Andy, he's already committed to support Howard Sprague. I like that Bee only has rhetoric to say during the debate: "The will of the people," while Howard has practical plans and figures.
"The Senior Play": Helen is head of the school play but, when the principal sees the go-go dancing that they're planning, he tries to force Helen to conduct a more traditional play. Of course, no one forces anything on Helen.
"Opie Finds a Baby": This episode is a little disturbing, actually. Opie and Arnold attempt to raise an infant they find on the courthouse steps. Jack Nicholson appears.
"Big Fish in a Small Town": Howard wants to try his hand at fishing and snags the legendary silver carp that the Mayberry fishermen have been trying to catch for years. Howard has the fish sent to an aquarium but has second thoughts when he discovers how much the fish means to his friends. Nice one.
"Only a Rose": Aunt Bee tries to grow a hybrid rose to beat out Clara at a garden competition (sounds familiar). Unfortunately, the rose gets a little too up close and personal to a football thrown by Opie.
"Otis the Deputy": Andy sets out after bank robbers and is captured and held captive. When Howard and Otis suspect something is amiss, they take off to rescue Andy. Unfortunately, Otis takes a little nip of encouragement before leaving. The scene where Howard throws the cup of water on Andy is classic. Otis's last episode.
"Goober Makes History": Goober grows a beard and thinks he is now an intellectual.

"A New Doctor in Town": A young doctor arrives (played by William Christopher of M*A*S*H) and Andy sticks up for him until Opie needs his tonsils removed.
"Don't Miss a Good Bet": Andy's friends are swayed by a crooked investor who claims he can uncover a legendary treasure. Andy warns them that they are risking their money but ends up investing himself. I like this one because, for once, level-headed Andy is swept away in enthusiasm. There is also a slight blooper to watch out for when the investor stumbles over the words "cookie crumbles."
"Dinner at Eight": This is one of the funniest and best color episodes. Goober confuses messages and Andy ends up having three spaghetti dinners in one night. Hilarious!
"A Visit to Barney Fife": In season 6, Barney came to Mayberry for a visit. In season 7, Andy goes to Raleigh and is suspicious of the family with whom Barney lives, especially when there is a string of unsolved grocery store burglaries going on.
"Barney Comes to Mayberry": Barney arrives just when Teena Andrews (Mayberry native who is now a big movie star) returns for a publicity visit. Barney used to date Teena in high school (now, she looks too young to have gone to high school with Barney, but whatever) and thinks the spark is still there.
"Andy's Old Girlfriend": Andy, Helen, Howard, and Andy's high school sweetheart go to a cabin for a weekend getaway. Helen gets jealous when Andy and his old flame get lost in the woods.
"Aunt Bee's Restaurant": Aunt Bee goes into partnership on a Chinese restaurant and then starts freaking out over the financial risk and a cookie of misfortune. A bit too many stereotypes.
"Floyd's Barbershop": Howard buys the barbershop and gets on Floyd's bad side when he raises the rent.

"The Statue": Mayberry commissions a monument for Seth Taylor and then find out he was a crook.
"Helen, The Authoress": Helen is hired by a publishing company to put out a book on children and Andy soon grows jealous.
"Goodbye Dolly": A milkman's horse is replaced by a truck and Opie is concerned that the horse no longer wants to eat.
"Opie's Piano Lesson": Opie is torn between piano lessons and football practice (oh, to be young again).
"Howard, the Comedian": Howard is so funny he goes on television, but his jokes prove a little too close to home for some of the folks of Mayberry.
"Big Brother": Howard helps a student with his studies but becomes more interested in the kid's older sister.
"Opie's Most Unforgettable Character": Opie want to write a paper on his father but finds it is more difficult than he anticipated.
"Goober's Contest": Goober holds a contest at the filling station but a printing error has Floyd believing he's won more money than the station can afford. This episode was Floyd's last.

While season six (the first color season) of TAGS was obviously a transition period (the addition of color, the loss of Don Knotts), the show regains a bit of stride with season seven.

Some of my personal favorites include:

'The Ball Game' - Andy agrees to umpire a local youth baseball game and lives to regret it...


'Goober Makes History' - Goob forgets his razor while on a hunting trip and returns to town with a freshly grown beard and a colossal ego....(Favorite scene: When Andy 'sprints' from the courthouse to avoid another of 'Professor' Goober's long-winded speeches, all the while throwing poor Howard to the wolves!)

'Mind Over Matter' - Goober once again; this time afflicted with a 'psychosomatic illness' after a minor traffic accident...

'Otis the Deputy' - Otis and Howard form a pretty pathetic posse when tasked to save Andy from a pair of ruthless criminals. This was Hal Smith's final appearance as Otis...

'Don't Miss a Good Bet' - A swindler comes to town in attempt to sell 'shares' in a long-lost treasure....of course, everyone falls for his spiel except for good ol' level-headed Andy, right? Wrong!

'Dinner at Eight' - My all-time favorite color episode...just watch Andy slow burn just before he's forced to eat his third spaghetti dinner of the night!

'A Visit To Barney Fife' - Andy pays 'Big Barn' a visit, and in the meantime saves both his old friend's pride and job...

'Howard The Comedian' - Who knew the mild-mannered county clerk of Mayberry had a little 'Robin Williams' in him?

I rate season seven as the best of the color years, as season eight seemed to run dry of ideas during the transition to 'Mayberry RFD'. I still say a 'bad' episode of TAGS beats most anything offered on TV today.

Bring on Season Eight and then 'Return to Mayberry'!!!

Got my season 7 yesterday (way to go Amazon) and am thrilled with it so far. Seeing these episodes uncut and restored is amazing - most of my old color episodes were taped from cable 20+ years ago and the clarity of the picture is amazing.

Example - In the episode "A visit to Raleigh" when Andy and Barney are staking out a grocery store, you can clearly see the products (even their labels) on the shelves. It's a beautiful thing. Also, in this episode the opening shows a busy downtown picture of Raleigh that was surely cut for syndication many years ago

So many good episodes - The Ball Game (written by Opie's real life Dad Rance Howard), The Lodge (where Howard tries to join the The Regal Order of the Door to Good Fellowship), Dinner at 8 (where Andy must eat 3 spaghetti dinners in 1 night), Big Fish in a Small Town (where Howard catches Old Sam, the legendary silver carp from Myers Lake), it's all good

Yes, there is no Barney, except for the 2 guest starring episode he was in (Andy visits Raleigh and Barney Comes to Mayberry), but all in all a must have for Mayberry fans

No extras - bummer

Bottom line - Go buy this set - probably the best of the color seasons

Following are the thirty episodes in season three, along with a few notes and opinions.
1/190 Opie's Girlfriend
2/191 The Barbershop Quartet
3/192 The Lodge - Howard begins to come into his own and
his domineering mother is thwarted.
4/193 The Darling Fortune - The "Omen of the Owl".
5/194 Aunt Bee's Crowning Glory
6/195 The Ball Game
7/196 Goober Makes History
8/197 The Senior Play - Helen and students show the old fogey Principal up.
9/198 Big Fish In A Small Town
10/199 Mind Over Matter
11/200 Politics Begins At Home
12/201 A New Doctor In Town
13/202 Opie Finds A Baby
14/203 Only A Rose - One of those "good feeling" episodes that
I love.
15/204 Otis The Deputy
16/205 Don't Miss A Good Bet
17/206 Dinner At Eight - One of the few color episodes that I believe could be in the top ten.
18/207 Andy's Old Girlfriend
19/208 The Statue
20/209 Aunt Bee's Restaurant
21/210 Floyd's Barber Shop
22/211 A visit To Barney Fife - Barney's back, okay not really,Andy goes to visit and stops a string of grocery burglaries.
23/212 Barney Comes To Mayberry - Okay, now Barney's Back with typicaly Barney-like results.
24/213 Helen The Authoress
25/214 Goodbye Dolly
26/215 Opie's Piano Lesson - The first and only Black Character in the series. There have been numerous black extras throughout but no credited actors until now.
27/216 Howard The Comedian - Another of my favorite color episodes.
28/217 Big Brother
29/218 Opie's Most Unforgetable Character
30/219 Goober's Contest

I love the first five (black & white) seasons, and like the last three in color, but there are, regardless of my preference, some fine episodes in season seven.

Hello Folks!

I want to start out by saying: I love The Andy Griffith show & I have the first 6 seasons. However, I'am disapointed with the Seventh season. There were some problems with my set & I had to return it for a replacment. First, the sound quality on the second DVD is really bad! The senior play is the worst. The people sound like they are under water. The second problem is that every time I put one of the DVD'S in and it started loading, I Kept getting a error message that said: No Playback feature on this DVD. There is nothing wrong with my DVD player. The other six Seasons are great & I have had no problems. I'm waiting for my replacment. When I get it I will either retract what I said here or I will add to this review. I just want people to be aware of a problem with this new set. I hope this was just a fluke.

RETRACTION:
Well, I got my second set of TAGS & What I said before has changed a little. The problem with senior play is still the same. The sound is very bad. Other than that, everything else seems to be ok. I have had no problems loading these discs & they play good. There was a problem with my first set. Amazon was very good about exchanging it.

I'm so glad these DVD box sets exist, because they gave a twenty-something such as myself the opportunity to become acquainted with one of America's finest television programs...

The story is set in the fictitious little town of Mayberry, North Carolina during the early 1960s. Sheriff Andy Taylor (played by Andy Griffith) is a widower with a small son. He asks his Aunt Bee (Frances Bavier) to move in with him and Opie (Ron Howard) as housekeeper and surrogate mother.

Many of the storylines center upon Opie's childhood dilemmas and coming-of-age situations. While Andy is quick to discipline his son, he is also understanding of the gray areas a child might encounter, and no matter the outcome of a situation, he strives to enforce in Opie the need for kindness and truth.

Other storylines focus upon Barney Fife (played by Don Knotts) as Andy's cousin and the town's deputy sheriff. Thanks to Barney's false pride and need to appear all-knowing, Andy spends much of his time trying to straighten out various situations that might otherwise have never occurred. Still, it's apparent that Barney has a good heart, and his sense of humor more than make up for the trouble he often stirs up.

Mayberry also includes a number of unique residents, such as Floyd, the kindhearted but vague barber; Otis, the town drunk who is trusted to let himself into his cell as needed; rock-throwing hlllbilly Ernest T. Bass; Barney's ever-patient girlfriend, Thelma Lou; the goofy and childlike mechanic Goober; and Opie's teacher Helen Crump, who is also Andy's girlfriend.

My pet peeve with this point in the series is the disappearance of Barney in Season 5. Although Don Knotts chose not to renew his contract, there was no reason for the deputy to leave...and the writers gave none. One episode, Barney is alongside Andy, as he has been for years; the next, he is simply gone, with no explanation. In the next season, he returns as a guest star, and it is then said that Barney left town to take a better job. Still, it's almost an insult to faithful viewers; that explanation should've been given immediately!

If you haven't ever seen an episode of "The Andy Griffith Show," give this box set a try! You'll soon be searching for further seasons.

This season was good just like all the others. A little disappointing that some of the cast is gone..But I love Andy!

I love the Andy griffith show. I have all the seasons and love them all, although the seventh shows signs of complacency. The script is lacking the quality the previous episodes displayed. The acting is off, Andy appears to be tired, several episodes looks like he had just woke up. It is rather disappointing, but then again it is the seventh season, Barney is gone and no other character has been able to fill the shoes. The two were a team and this season really shows the void.
I cherish the fact that I have the season although disappointed in the quality of content. Even the Darling's seem to be off their prime. Don't let this review discourage you, if you love the show you will find some refreshing moments.

I'll buy this set when available for the following four episodes: "Dinner at Eight", "A Visit to Barney Fife", "Barney Comes to Mayberry" and "Andy's Old Girlfriend". "Dinner at Eight" is one of my all-time favorite "non-Barney", color episodes. The rest of the episodes from Season 7 except those four are strictly run-of-the-mill in my own opinion and really serve to prove just how much Barney Fife meant to the show and how sorely he was missed.

The quality of the plots of the in color episodes continues to improve in season 7, and we see a maturing in the development of the characters of each of the actors, providing some of the most enjoyable episodes of the series. We are only one season away the the finest season the the Andy Griffith Show- Season 8!!!