I saw this as a child in the theater. Turns out I'm lucky I did. I was never a sucker for 'Family films', and as a kid my radar for idiot sentimentality was very twitchy. So when I say that I was completely satisfied with this it's high praise indeed.
Andy Griffith has been painted as some kind of icon for all that's good about the American character, but thinking of his work as wholesomeness served up like apple pie ala mode, completely misses what he has accomplished here, and in most of his work.
From 'Andy' to 'Matlock', he portrays a humble, good, man placed in a position to referee self absorbed, vain, power hungry, evil, and weak people as they spread chaos through their universe. And he always portrays honestly, and holds an honest respect for, the loser among us.
Thus, far from being a Norman Rockwell postcard of human endeavor, his body of work reflects society, warts and all, while offering solutions based on tolerance, humor, and dignity.
So it goes here. I remember being extremely happy to see Jerry Van Dyke, one of my favorite underdogs of the entertainment world as a kid, as the useless lush in this. I wish that I could go into more detail about what grabbed and held my hyperactive self glued to the screen, but as I haven't seen it since then, I can't trust my memory.
So...count me in on pleading for this to be released on DVD.
My God, the industry acts like they just laid a diamond every time they finally put out a "DIGITALLY ENHANCED" product.
Get a grip. put out the back catalog for a low price and rake in the bucks. You can keep the 'EXTRAS'.
