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50 of 51 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
"Gosh would I like to see Goober and Floyd and Andy and everybody again"---Howard Sprague quoting Ol' Sam, June 14, 2006
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.
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15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Easily the Best of the 'Color' Seasons...., July 13, 2006
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'!!!
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Season 7 - great picture, excellent packaging - no extras, August 30, 2006
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
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