Paramount and CBS Video have released Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.: The Third Season, a five disc, 30-episode collection of the 1966-1967 season of this immensely popular 1960s sitcom. For fans who have collected the series from the first season, there's some potentially good news as far as edited episodes go, but unfortunately, bonus material apparently will be limited to the first season release only - there's nothing extra here for Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.: The Third Season.

I've written extensively about the aesthetics of Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. (please click here to read my defense of the series, as well as here for the second season review), so I won't go into a lot of background on the series itself. Not that it's particularly necessary for this or many sitcoms from the golden age of 1960s network television. "Sameness" was the objective for The Big Three's offerings - or perhaps better put, "continuity." If a series was a success, the primary goal of the network was to mint that ratings accomplishment by keeping the show as close to the series' initial broadcast as possible (certainly, a series like Hogan's Heroes would be a prime example of this process).

And the same applies to Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.. Fans of the series will get the exact same aesthetic experience this third season, as they will for the first and the last. Now some TV critics (there's a vile term) detest such rigidity, seeing it as artistic non-growth. But that view doesn't take into account the honing of the performances that occurs when actors, particularly in a sitcom, have the chance to perfect their timing and delivery over a period of time, within a stable framework. Such is the case with Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C., certainly one of the more rigidly constructed sitcoms from this era. Essentially a service comedy, Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. utilizes the same four or five basic sets (the men's barracks, Sgt. Carter's barracks, the small area outside the barracks, and then pick-up shots in various anonymous bars, lobbies, stores and other buildings - all from the famous "Forty Acres" lot), to create a visual continuity that varies very little from episode to episode. Camerawork is restricted to the same master shot, two-shot, over-the-shoulder P.O.V., and close-up technique that marks most televised shows from this era, and background mise-en-scene is limited to the barest essentials.

What we have, then, is a visual field created strictly to showcase the actor delivering the screenwriter's dialogue. Performance and script are obviously key. And with Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C., the scripts, while at times perhaps too "sitcom-y" for modern tastes (Gomer and the thieving crow; Gomer and the bank robber; Gomer and the smugglers; Gomer the chef; Gomer and the "space aliens"), deliver solid, dependable laughs time and time again, due largely to the expert mugging of Jim Nabors and Frank Sutton. With the series under the steady guidance of creators Aaron Rubin and Sheldon Leonard, it deviates little from its locked-down premise; week after week, Sutton and Nabors are able to cruise along with these silly little 25-minute farces with supreme ease, finding endless variations on line deliveries and facial expressions that never cease to get a laugh.

I've written before that I think Nabors and Sutton are one of TV's most memorable comedy teams, and nothing in Season Three here changes that opinion. Nabors has the sweet, fallible (but rock-steady underneath) Gomer down to a T. While the producers have allowed Gomer to become more competent in his actual Marine Corps duties this season (there's far less examples of Gomer actually screwing up one of Carter's simple orders), Gomer nonetheless continues to drive Sgt. Carter insane by Gomer's over-eagerness to please, as well as Gomer's slightly skewed logic. It's a tough character to make interesting, but luckily, Nabors is gifted enough to have Gomer make a fundamental connection with the audience, guaranteeing we'll stay with the character no matter how silly the plots become. Sutton, who has the showier role, yet again finds comedy gold in simply reacting to Gomer's frequently nonsensical (to Carter at least) reasoning. All Sutton has to do is bug out his eyes, and tense up his entire body (just prior to screaming), to get a laugh, but he's a little more subtle this season, showing a continual, gradual evolution of the character that started out as Gomer's nemesis, only to become his friend and booster. With two more seasons to go on Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C., there's wasn't a whole lot of room to expand either the characters or the situations (again, this was by network design), but it's clear by this third season that Nabors and Sutton had absolutely no problem keeping Pyle and Carter viable and funny comedic leads.

Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C., which debuted in 1964 to number three in the year-end Nielsen's, following up with second for the 1965-1966 season, would have in all likelihood maintained that ascent, capturing the coveted number one spot, had CBS not made the potentially disastrous decision this season to move the series from its comfortable Friday night time period. Moving this season to Wednesday nights, Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. faced stiffer competition against Peyton Place on ABC (which at this point, although not the ratings bonanza it used to be, was still pulling in a sizeable female audience), and the one-two punch of The Virginian (tied for #10 at the end of the year) and Bob Hope Presents The Chrysler Theatre (which delivered a healthy 26th in the Nielsen's that year). Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. went from 2nd all the way down to 10th (still a more than respectable rating), and it was clear that CBS had made a bad move in switching its time slot. For its last two seasons, CBS wisely put Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. back on Friday nights, where it immediately climbed back into the 3rd and 2nd spots, respectively. Clearly, audiences knew something about Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. that the disapproving critics of the day didn't: it was funny.

Now, for some potentially good news. As fans of the series know (as well as other buyers of Paramount/CBS DVD know, almost all of their vintage TV releases have an accompanying disclaimer on the back DVD cover, warning the buyer that music and content may have been edited out of these transfers. Clearly, in season two, there were a few episodes that ran a few minutes shy of the normal 25-minute (give or take a minute on one or two episodes) run time for an average network half-hour show. No such warning for content appears on Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.: The Third Season, and all the episodes run above or close to the 25-minute mark (I've included run times for all the episodes; only one goes under 24 minutes). The music disclaimer still appears, though, so be forewarned that music cues you may remember from previous viewings, may not appear on these transfers (and which may account for the one or two episodes with shorter-than-normal run times).

The DVD:

The Video:
As with previous seasons, the full screen transfers for Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.: The Third Season look 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:
Unfortunately, there are no extras for Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.: The Third Season.

Final Thoughts:
Consistency is the name of the game with 1960s "Big Three" network comedy, and Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.: The Third Season is a particularly good example of that rationale. Rigidly constructed to maximize performances, Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.: The Third Season may not differ visually from episode to episode, but the performances by Jim Nabors and Frank Sutton continue to improve, with each team member honing their particular strengths to achieve near-perfect team timing. And most importantly, the show is still quite funny. I highly recommend Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.: The Third Season.

Season 3 Episodes:

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