CBS DVD and Paramount are back with Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.: The Fourth Season, a funny continuation of one of the most popular shows on television during the later half of the 1960s (back on Friday nights and climbing strongly in the ratings this year - 3rd in the Nielsen's - after dipping all the way down to 10th in the third season). Fans of the series looking to continue their collection will no doubt want to snap this season up, because the expertly-crafted laughs (as well as the surprisingly effective emotional moments) are here in abundance.

Writing about mainstream network offerings from the 1960s - particularly sitcoms - can at times be surprisingly difficult because "sameness" was the rule of thumb with most offerings of that time. Keep it simple. Keep it light. Keep it general. And keep doing what works. That was the motto of network executives back in the 1960s for the vast majority of offerings on "The Big Three," and that uniformity is more than evident in Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.. When faced with reviewing a series like Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C., subsequent seasons can look remarkably the same, making it difficult for the reviewer to come up with something "new" to say about the show.

I've written extensively about the aesthetics of Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C., so I won't go into a lot of background on the series itself. However, loyal fans of the show might notice a slight shift in the series' focus this season, with an increasing emphasis on Gomer's (Jim Nabors) and Sgt. Carter's (Frank Sutton) love lives with girlfriends Lou-Ann Poovie (Elizabeth MacRae) and Bunny Wilson (Barbara Stuart), respectively. The hijinks centered around the barracks and "peacetime" military life on a Marine base (at least it was peacetime according to CBS) are still here, but certainly this fourth season moves along more traditional sitcom romance plot lines. Sergeant Carter has the overtly "funny" relationship with the experienced Bunny. Ever fearful of total commitment, Carter's misadventures with his long-term girlfriend are usually predicated on his stretching the truth, or ignoring her feelings outright, until he comes around and realizes he has it pretty good with the understanding Bunny. A near marriage (represented in a funny dream sequence where Pyle is every guest - and the reverend - at the wedding) almost paralyzes Carter, but he escapes, keeping the door open for more misunderstandings with his girlfriend.

Gomer's love life (now there's something to ponder) seems to be moving ahead rather quickly, with Gomer finally stating in one episode that he loves Lou-Ann (The Better Man). Numerous misunderstandings this season further complicate his relationship, as well, but it's clear that Gomer appears to be in a steady, solid relationship. What, exactly, the nature of that relationship is, though, is anybody's guess. "Chaste" wouldn't even begin to describe Nabors' pursuit of MacRae - in fact, "pursuit" is too strong a word, as well. The screenwriters have the unenviable task of maturing Gomer through the series (he's not as much of a screw-up on the base; in fact, he's doing rather well), while still trying to keep him an innocent from Mayberry, going blithely through the world. So how do you have a character be a Marine (not exactly a sexually reticent occupation, according to decades of stereotypes in movies and TV), with a steady, gorgeous girlfriend, and evidently a fistful of nightly passes (he does seem to go off base quite a bit), and yet still keep him a virgin? Or is he a virgin? Gomer's sexuality is necessarily vague because the minute the audience sees Gomer as a sexually active man - a Marine, for god's sake - his innocence, and the show's, is lost. So dinners at the cafe, and movies, and snuggling on the couch are about the only action we're going to see here between Gomer and Lou-Ann. When Gomer finds himself going to a drive-in movie (commonly referred to as "passion pits" back in the 50s and 60s for the connotation of customers engaging in easy, hidden sex) with guest star Carol Burnett in Corporal Carol, he's oblivious to Carol's expectations that he "perform." Looking at a nearby couple making out, Gomer wonderingly says, "They're missing the best part of the cartoon." That's sweet, innocent, naive Gomer, through and through.

And of course, the simple, "country" ethics of the show (brought over from The Andy Griffith Show) are still on display, with the same message hammered home episode after episode: good-natured, good-humored, thoroughly honest Gomer will win out every time over someone (usually Sergeant Carter) who is dishonest in either their actions or, more importantly, their true feelings. A big source of the comedy in Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. is watching Carter expend a terrific amount of energy trying to suppress Gomer's goodness (telling him he's naive, trying to get him to be less conscientious because he goes overboard), only to admit defeat and admit that in the end, Gomer was right. It was better to be honest and truthful. And good. In a review I wrote over a year ago about The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet, I proposed that Seinfeld's brand of "non-story" humor was far from original (a notion I see other reviewers are picking up on now). Watching several episodes of Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.: The Fourth Season, as well as numerous other network sitcoms from this earlier era, I see more and more instances of this pre-Seinfeld influence, with some real beauts this go-around. And each one's premise is predicated on Gomer trying to do the right thing, and Sergeant Carter trying to suppress that good impulse. In The Prize Boat, Gomer wins a boat that he doesn't seem to really want, but it's Vince who gets stung financially, when he pretends to be Gomer's buddy - so he can use the boat. In Gomer, the Good Samaritan, Gomer has a long, drawn-out assignment to ferry a General around by car (with numerous amusing blind alleys subplots), with Carter assuming the worst about Gomer (when in fact, the General comes to admire Gomer's pluck and kind spirit). And one of the best episode this season (and certainly one that Seinfeld could have easily adopted), The Carriage Waits, has Gomer getting a baby carriage delivered by mistake to his base, with Sergeant Carter telling him to just keep it and forget about it. But Gomer is having none of that, and tries unsuccessfully, time and again, to return it to the store that first doesn't believe him, and then can't understand why he doesn't just keep it. It's an expertly crafted episode, building perfectly through the story arc, and it illustrates the series' central them perfectly: Gomer's ideals may be old-fashioned, but they're still the best way to live one's life.

Some minor changes do crop up this season, including the unexplained absence of Corporal Duke Slater (Ronnie Schell, who took a year off from the role to star in his own failed sitcom, the well-regarded Good Morning, World); Slater's role wasn't essential to the series' well-being, but he was a good foil/instigator/friend to Pyle, and he's missed here this season. As well, the changing times of the American social scene just barely begin to creep into some of the humor of this fourth season, with the season opener featuring what I believe to be the series' first drug joke (when Carter is forced to be nice to Pyle, a soldier observes incredulously, "I think he's on some kind of drug!"). It's nice to see the folks of Mayberry continuing to pop up occasionally here. The opening episode, A Visit from Aunt Bee, says it all; in a marvelous showcase for actress Frances Bavier, Aunt Bee shows up to see Gomer, and is appalled that a big, tough Marine has to do "women's work" - cleaning windows and floors, sweeping up, mopping. So she decides to help, with predictably humorous results. And in the best episode of the season, Gomer Goes Home, Gomer returns to Mayberry for the last time in the series, only to find that everyone is gone, off doing other things. As Gomer walks the streets of Mayberry, searching in vain for a familiar face, a vague sense of melancholy comes over the viewer. The streets seem to look more like sets than they normally do in the Griffith show; a deserted Mayberry is a cheerless sight. But in a brilliant twist at the very end of the episode, just as Gomer is dejectedly leaving town on the bus, he spots Andy (Andy Griffith), Opie (Ron Howard), and Aunt Bee returning from their day out, unloading the family wagon in front of the sheriff's office. Gomer yells and yells from behind the bus' window to get their attention, but they silently go about their business, totally oblivious to Gomer's departure. It's at once hilarious, and quite poignant; it's almost as if we're suddenly Gomer, too, looking in on the mythical Mayberry - only from the outside.

The DVD:

The Video:
As with previous seasons, the full screen transfers for Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.: The Fourth 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. And yes, there is a disclaimer mentioning that some of these episodes might be edited for content and/or music.

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 Fourth Season.

Final Thoughts:
Gomer and Sergeant Carter move off the base more often to be with their girls, but the barracks hijinks still continue in this funny fourth season for the smash Nielsen hit. You may have trouble telling one season from the next, but that was the goal of 1960s network sitcoms, and funny stays funny, no matter how many times it's reworked, as long as the scripts are clever and the actors are on target. Which they both are for Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.: The Fourth Season - which comes highly recommended.

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