Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.: The Complete Series

Surprise, surprise, surprise: Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. holds up surprisingly well. For this, we salute Jim Nabors, who first earned his stripes as bumpkin Gomer on The Andy Griffith Show, and Frank Sutton as Sgt. “I can't hear you” Carter, who spent five seasons trying to turn “good old happy Private Pyle” into a Marine. Gomer is an iconic character who is, admittedly, a "lunkhead," "yo-yo," "knucklehead," and "meatball." But his heart is always in the right place and he possesses an indefatigable spirit, can-do attitude, and boundless optimism, making this a series treasured by Baby Boomers. Attention should also be paid to the supporting cast members, who include Ronnie Schell and a pre-That Girl Ted Bessel as Gomer's Marine buddies. Making some welcome visits from Mayberry during the series run are little Ron Howard as a runaway Opie, Frances Bavier as Aunt Bea, and George Lindsay as cousin Goober. Carol Burnett costars in an episode from season four, which also includes a series benchmark—a Frank Capra-esque four-episode arc that packs Gomer and Sgt. Carter off to our nation's capitol for a concert to be attended by the President of the United States. And my mother always loved the episode that guest-starred Jewish theatre treasure Molly Picon as a lonely woman whom Gomer befriends. If this boxed set earns any demerits, it's for jettisoning all the bonus features that were included on the individual season sets. Compiling all 150 episodes from the 1964-69 five-season run, this is recommended. (D. Liebenson)