Customer Reviews

Andy Griffith Show (Paramount): The Complete 5th Season (Checkpoint)

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Thank you Paramount for continuing to release The Andy Griffith Show on DVD. This release of season five will conclude "The Barney Years", as Don Knotts as Deputy Barney Fife, left the series after season five as a regular cast member, in order to do films. I personally feel that these first five years were far-and-away the best the show had to offer. I know that many other people feel much the same way, too. I still plan to buy the final three seasons (six-eight), as-and-when they are released anyway just to make my collection complete, as Don Knotts also made several guest starring appearances on the show during the final three seasons as Barney Fife. There were also several other worthwhile episodes during seasons six-eight. Another thing that changed after season five was that the series was then filmed in color. Thank you again for making these DVD collections available and please continue to release the most complete and unedited episodes possible.

Here are the episodes in Season 5

21 Sep 64 Opie Loves Helen
28 Sep 64 Barney's Physical
5 Oct 64 Family Visit
12 Oct 64 The Education of Ernest T. Bass
19 Oct 64 Aunt Bee's Romance
26 Oct 64 Barney's Bloodhound
2 Nov 64 Man in the Middle
9 Nov 64 Barney's Uniform
16 Nov 64 Opie's Fortune
23 Nov 64 Goodbye, Sheriff Taylor
30 Nov 64 The Pageant
7 Dec 64 The Darling Baby
14 Dec 64 Andy and Helen Have Their Day
21 Dec 64 Three Wishes for Opie
28 Dec 64 Otis Sues the County
4 Jan 65 Barney Fife, Realtor
11 Jan 65 Goober Takes a Car Apart
18 Jan 65 The Rehabilitation of Otis
25 Jan 65 The Lucky Letter
1 Feb 65 Goober and the Art of Love
8 Feb 65 Barney Runs for Sheriff
15 Feb 65 If I Had a Quarter-Million
1 Mar 65 TV or Not TV
8 Mar 65 Guest in the House
15 Mar 65 The Case of the Punch in the Nose
22 Mar 65 Opie's Newspaper
29 Mar 65 Aunt Bee's Invisible Beau
5 Apr 65 The Arrest of the Fun Girls
12 Apr 65 The Luck of Newton Monroe
19 Apr 65 Opie Flunks Arithmetic
26 Apr 65 Opie and the Carnival
3 May 65 Banjo-Playing Deputy

Season five is truly the zenith for (my opinion) the best television show ever created. Though I still admire, and enjoy many of the color episodes (usually when Goober or Howard are featured)of seasons six through eight, the void left by Don Knotts was an impossible one to fill. The character of Barney Fife is (again, my opinion) simply the greatest fictional role ever written. Helen is featured more predominately this season as well, providing a romantic tension never before seen in the show. As for the episodes contained in season five, here are my personal favorites:

'FAMILY VISIT' - Minus Barney, Andy's relatives drive him nuts.
"Why, I'm the man who taught the sheriff everything he knows," - Uncle Ollie.

'BARNEY'S PHYSICAL' - To remain 'Fearless Fife', Barney is forced to 'bulk and grow up'. As is normally the case, good ol' Ange comes to the rescue with good, old-fashioned common sense.
"He is too. He is too hanging himself," Opie.

'THE EDUCATION OF ERNEST T. BASS' - That country 'nut' is back in town, this time in quest of an education program that will produce a diploma in a matter of days, courtesy his 'mother figure', Helen Crump.
"You're not no-count...you're just...ignorant," Andy.
"Yore just bein' nice," Ernest T.

'ANDY AND HELEN HAVE THEIR DAY' - Feeling Andy and Helen's romantic interludes are lacking in quantity due to workload, good ol' Barn decides to 'give them a day' to themselves. Think 'Tight-lips' Barn then proceeds to make a grade-A pest of himself? Correc-ta-mundo!
"I can't do William Holden...he talks like everybody else," Goober.

'OTIS SUES THE COUNTY' - Otis trips coming out of maximum security cell number two, and proceeds to sue for damages, egged on by a crooked lawyer.
"There's nothing more painful than a torn calcium," Barney (a little gassed)

'THREE WISHES FOR OPIE' - Barn evokes the magical powers of Count Iz Van Tileckie, with hilarious results.
"He sure is lively tonight," Goober.

'GOOBER AND THE ART OF LOVE' - Once Goober establishes himself as a romantic interloper, Andy and Barney take him under their wing to teach the art of romance. First on the Goob 'Love Connection' wishlist: none other than that 'albatross' herself, Lidia Crosswathe.
"Goober, you were on a date..you weren't taking medicine," Barney.

'OPIES NEWSPAPER' - Opie and Howie start their own Mayberry 'gossip rag' when their school paper lags in sales, with Andy, Barney and Aunt Bee serving as their main 'sources' of material.
"Her Chicken a'la King tasted like Wallpaper paste," Aunt Bee.

Not a turkey episode in the lot, season five is the pinnacle of excellence for this one of a kind entertainment series.

We can only hope the 'laugh track' blunder of season four has been avoided.

NOTE: to the person who mentioned the 'spagetti episode'...this is also one of my favorite color shows.

I would also like to thank Paramount for finally bringing the Andy Griffith Show (seasons) to us on DVD. I have read many reviews and agree with most of them. Once Barney left the show there was a void that could never be filled by Warren (Barney's replacement), However seasons 6-8 I mostly can not wait for. There are so many great episodes in these seasons. I spent three years of my life recording these shows on late night TBS and other stations. I finally got all 249 episodes in that time and have waited YEARS for these DVD's. One of my all time favorites is "Dinner at Eight" where Goober messes up phone directions and causes Andy to have to eat 3 spaghetti dinners.(Goobers, Howards and Helens). Everytime I see it. I just have to have spaghetti. I can go on and on naming great episode after episode, but I will spare you all. So I say if you aren't a fan of the "Color" years...just give them a chance. You will be!

Season 5 was bittersweet to fans of the show. It would be Don Knotts last season(sadly he wasnt even in the last show aired this season and i've often wondered why)Also when Knotts left the show he took Betty Lynn(Thelma Lou) with him. Even though she wasnt a main character i always thought her and Knotts worked well together. At least they would be together in one more episode in season 6. It was also the last season we would see Otis(Hal Smith) more than once. He would only do two more episodes during the next two seasons. This season is still filled with plenty of laughs and i'll be first in line to get it the day it is released

I cannot wait for this release, and only hope that Paramonut has heard some of the criticism, particularly of Seasons 3 and 4, and will remedy the problems. Does anyone have a complete list of Season 5 episodes they could post on here? Some of my personal faves have already been mentioned, but I wanted to add two more great ones. There's the epsiode where Andy and Barney think Aunt Bee is having an illicit affair with the married butter-and-egg man. And then there's the episode where Opie develops a major crush on his teacher, Helen Crump, much to Andy's consternation. I'll never forget the look on Andy's face when he discovers Opie's gift to Miss Crump is a sexy pair of silk stockings!! Kind of risque subject matter there, but as always with TAGS, it's tastefully done and very funny.

I noticed that someone else referred to the laugh tract blunder in earlier seasons. I thought it was just my set. I haven't watched all the episodes. I hope there's no other episodes with missing tracks.

I love the "Count" episode in season 5. Another classic "spooky" episode is in an earlier season--the haunted house. No matter how many times I see it, when Gomer tells Barney, "I guess that makes you Sheriff now" I hit the floor laughing. Classic.

This is the greatest show ever, seasons 1 thru 5 anyway. Don Knotts and Andy Griffith together were the best. Barney Fife is no doubt the greatest fictional character ever created--with the possible exception being the character of Andy Taylor. Barney hits us with the laughs, but Andy hits you in the heart. He is the larger than life boss, Dad, neighbor, and friend that we all aspire to be.

An Awesome Collector's Item. How do you rate greatness like the first five years of The Andy Griffith Show? There are no words.

Not much to say that most do not already know. This was the last season with Don Knots (Barney Fife) as a show regular. It is B&W. I will not buy seasons 6, 7 and 8 since Barney was no longer a regular for those seasons.

I agee with Big Mike...thx paramount...I've been waiting a long time for Andy Griffith on DVD...previous 4 seasons great...quality production along with additional commercial footage...I had forgotten about them...this is last season in black/white and with Barney as regular...I can truly recommend first 5 seasons...
DVD Quality...Great
Nothing left out of episodes (song, commercials, ending credits)
Attractive Covers

If you are Andy Griffith fan, don't hesitate...no disappointment at this house..