This may turn out to be a very short read for some of you, so let's get the controversy out of the way straight off. On the back of the DVD case for the five-disc, 30 episode Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.: The Second Season, CBS/Paramount has prominently printed a disclaimer box, stating, "Music has been changed for this home entertainment version. Some episodes may be edited from their original network versions." There it is. I'm a big fan of Jim Nabors' and Frank Sutton's comedic double act in this still-funny, entertaining sitcom (please click here to read my rather lengthy defense of the show's aesthetics in Season One). But I'm by no means an expert on the individual episodes, as far as remembering critical scenes that may or may not be missing from this DVD release. I'm sure there are plenty of Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. fans out there that will be able to spot any shenanigans going on with episode and music content, right out of the box. It's important to remember, though, that the disclaimer reads, some episodes "may" be edited (it seems pretty clear that music has definitely been changed, though). I don't know if that's a legal cover for possible lawsuits (everything printed on a DVD cover from a major studio is vetted through their legal departments), or just a heads-up to potential buyers whom Paramount doesn't want tying up their phone lines with complaints. But I do know this: on a case-by-case basis, we all have to make a decision about what we do when a program we like has been edited for DVD release.
 
I take this kind of tampering very seriously. I really care about vintage TV, and studios either capriciously screwing around with episodes, or worse, just being too lazy to get the proper, complete original material out to the fans, sets me off. But there have been cases where I've understood that the studio involved with the DVD release was faced with licensing and legal challenges that honestly prevented them from presenting complete episodes. So, I try and temper my resistence to recommending edited TV DVDs with the knowledge that these altered episodes may (and I emphasize may) be the best shot fans have at seeing a particular series. I have no idea why CBS/Paramount may have edited Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.: The Second Season. Was there a questionable scene or piece of dialogue that the studio thought might cause offense in today's hair-trigger, touchy society? I don't know. Was there a piece of incidental music that they couldn't secure the rights for? Again; I don't know. If you know, please email me, and I'll add it to the review. All I can do is make a judgment call, after watching the episodes, on whether or not you should purchase or rent (or even skip) this DVD box set.

Watching each episode, and keeping track of their running times, the only episodes I found that deviated slightly from the usual 25 minute running time for a network half-hour show from the 1960s, were Gomer Untrains a Dog, Gomer Pyle, Civilian, Little Girl Blue, Duke Slater, Night Club Comic, and Gomer, The Would-Be Hero. All of these episodes run roughly a minute short of the 25 minute standard, with Gomer Untrains a Dog running almost two minutes short. Particularly with that short running time, that episode would seem to be the most likely candidate for post-broadcast tampering. Now, whether that tampering occurred during syndication (and the original materials are now lost, or the studio didn't look for them), or whether the studio cut out something specifically because of this DVD release, I have no idea. If you do, let me know.

Okay. Setting all that aside, how is Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.: The Second Season? Well, it's just fine, thank you. A massive, massive hit with viewers, Gomer Pyle never received the critical attention it deserved (it never won a major Emmy), becoming something of a joke with media pundits who liked to sneer at its down-home, easy humor, pointing to its success as some kind of validation of their opinion that 1960s network television was a cultural wasteland of science-fiction, fantasy, and hillbilly junk (I don't think TV historians really realize the shadow that ratings behemoth The Beverly Hillbillies cast over the entire decade). During Gomer Pyle's first season, it skyrocketed to third in the Nielsen's for the entire year, a feat it bested this second season, coming in second for the year by the end of the 1965-1966 season.

Playing on a fantastic night for families to watch TV together (back when families by the tens of millions used to watch network TV together - not on separate sets all over the house), Friday nights were owned by CBS in the 1965-1966 season. Parents and kids looking to start their weekends off with some laughs tuned into CBS Friday night hits The Wild, Wild West, Hogan's Heroes, Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C., and soon-to-be-a-hit The Smothers Brothers Show. Only 10:00PM occupant Slattery's People, starring Richard Crenna, failed to catch on that year. It's also important to remember that Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. was pulling in an average 27.6 share each week, meaning of all the homes with TVs, over 27 percent were watching Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. on any given Friday night. When you factor that against the knowledge that tens and tens of millions more viewers watched network TV back in the 1960s than they do today, the ratings for any given Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. episode transferred to today's ratings would make American Idol look like The Farm Report on Sunday mornings in comparison.

Watching Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.: The Second Season, you have to hand it again to Jim Nabors and Frank Sutton. Essentially playing the exact same comedic situation over and over again - bumbling, naive, good-natured hayseed Gomer screws up, and hypertensive, harassed, harried, slightly psychotic Sergeant Carter chews him out - the pair still manage to get big laughs with their funny line-readings and their expert timing. I'm always impressed when a show can make me laugh out loud when watching it by myself (think about it; how often do you really do that, watching a show alone?). There's a scene in Home on the Range, where Sergeant Carter tells the platoon that reporters are coming to cover one of their field exercises. While he explains, Gomer nudges Private Duke Slater (Ronnie Schell), and asks him if he needs a haircut "right back there," pulling his collar open in the back, and making a typical "Gomer" face. I can't accurately describe why that particular scene cracked me up (humor is so subjective), but it paralyzed me. There is just something so naturally funny about Jim Nabors' brilliant turn as the sweet, totally confused Gomer, that he really doesn't have to do much to get laughs. The fact that he never was even nominated for an Emmy shows how much the series was misunderstood.

Of course, Sutton matches him mug for mug. A supreme reactor, with a near-perfect slow burn technique, it's rather amazing watching Sutton in his scenes. He's so totally committed to the part that it never feels like a "performance," per se; he really seems like he's going out of his mind because of Gomer's total ineptitude. As it was apparent in the first season, Gomer and Carter's relationship has moved now closer towards an uneasy friendship, rather than strictly a D.I. and his recruit. Gomer of course considers Carter his true friend; that dynamic never wavers, and provides plenty of the comedy (and pathos) whenever Carter balls out Gomer. But you can see in Sutton's layered performance that Carter's beginning to understand that he has to deal with Gomer, regardless of how he feels about him, and a grudging, growing kind of tolerance (or at least acceptance) for Gomer's screw-ups, is settling in with the screaming, pressurized Sergeant. Sure, there's a tendency in some of these second season shows for Gomer to be more overtly sentimentalized (enough with the cats and dogs he befriends), losing just a bit of the edge between his and Sergeant Carter's confrontations. And the switch to color this season may be a bit of a jar for those who find these kinds of shows "funnier" in black and white (just ask an Andy Griffith fan what I mean). Still, funny is funny, and it's a testament to the sharp, observant writing and the perfected timing of Sutton and Nabors that Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.: The Second Season still gets big, solid laughs over forty years later.

The DVD:

The Video:
The full screen transfers for Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.: The Second Season looks amazingly good. Colors are richly hued, and values are for the most part consistent. There's some grain, but that's to be expected from the original materials. Originally shot on 35mm with feature-film quality lighting and lensing, these episodes look better than most stuff out on TV today.

The Audio:
The Dolby Digital English mono mix accurately reflects the original broadcast presentation. Close-captioning is available.

The Extras:
In what looks to be an increasingly standard marketing ploy, first season DVD sets of established TV series get a nice bucket of extras, hooking the buyer, while subsequent seasons get zip -- as is the case with Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.: The Second Season. No extras.

Final Thoughts:
Okay, do I recommend Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.: The Second Season or not, considering that there has probably been some tampering with a few episodes? Yes, in this case, I do. The series is so strong, and such a welcome change from the usual junk out there, that I would be lying if I said I wouldn't want the set to own, even after knowing some episodes aren't complete. I'm a purist when it comes to vintage TV, and a big part of me is screaming, "Skip it!" because Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.: The Second Season may not be whole. But I don't know the realities of what, if anything, is missing, nor the circumstances for their omission, so I'm going to err on the side of the show. Jim Nabors and Frank Sutton are one of the most accomplished, funniest comic duos in TV history, and several episodes this season, including the hilarious A Visit From Cousin Goober (with the equally accomplished George Lindsey), and the sweet Opie Joins the Marines (with guest stars Andy Griffith and Ron Howard), rank among the series' very best -- it would be a shame to miss them. In its sophomore season, Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.: The Second Season still manages to get solid laughs, and that's worth a buy. I highly recommend Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.: The Second Season.

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