Don Knotts 4 Movie Reluctant Hero Pack (The Ghost And Mr. Chicken / The Reluctant Astronaut / The Shakiest Gun In The West / The Love God?)

Description

He's one of the most popular and admired funnymen of all time, a master of comic timing and physical humor. Now four of the classic films starring the delightful Don Knotts are available on DVD for the first time in this fun-filled collector's set.

After catapulting to national fame as the often impossible but ever lovable Deputy Barney Fife on TV's The Andy Griffith Show, Knotts set out to conquer the silver screen in a series of unforgettable feature films. Now four of these hilarious farces are brought together in this amazing collection that keeps the laughs coming.

Customer Reviews:

Don Knotts 4 Movie Reluctant Hero Pack (The Ghost And Mr. Chicken / The Reluctant Astronaut / The Shakiest Gun In The West / The.......2007-09-03

A memorable film for all the ages, has a lasting impact. Don Knotts has a way of making one feel like a kid again. Making laughter a must in life.

"Best gift ever".......2007-08-27

I gave this to a family as a gift to take on vacation. The dad said it was "the best gift ever!" Nice and wholsome, brought together 3 generations of the family.

Fun.......2007-07-29

I used to watch these movies as a kid and after Mr. Knotts passed away decided to look for them on DVD. This is a nice pack and I still found them all very funny and fun to watch with or without the kids. I could have lived without The Love God, but the others are priceless in my opinion.

Rare buys.......2007-07-18

The Don Knotts 4Movie pk is a great buy. I have enjoyed viewing movies that I had not seen since childhood. The movies arrived right on time.

The Reluctant Reviewer.......2007-07-17

The product is in excellent shape, great quality! Better than watching them when they first came out. Don Knotts is always a superb choice when looking for family entertainment although "The Love God" not your typical Don Knotts fair, is also very enjoyable. Lots of wonderful lessons in his movies. You can't go wrong with this package and extremely affordable.

Average customer rating:

Quality Review
5, 4, 3, 2, 1, blastoff to hilarity
Classic Don Knotts
Pingo Loves Cake
Lighthearted space program fun, typical of the era.

The Reluctant Astronaut
Starring: Don Knotts , Leslie Nielsen , Joan Freeman , Jesse White , and Jeanette Nolan
Director: Edward Montagne
Manufacturer: Universal Studios
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Comedy | Genres | DVD | Video

Classic Comedies | Comedy | Genres | DVD | Video

Classic Sci-Fi | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Genres | DVD | Video

DVDs Under $9.99 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

( R ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
Similar Items:

ASIN: B00009VU0F
Release Date: 2003-09-02

Customer Reviews:

Quality Review.......2007-08-30

I only do reviews on the quality and content of DVD's. There is plenty of
information about the plot, stars and directors etc. in the Product Description and other reviews.

Viewed on high quality DVD player and 86cm Plasma screen.

Packaging plain and simple with no inserts. Menu system is simple, static and has no music or sound. Bonus materials are just the trailer and other recommendations, which are pics only. The trailer looks pretty good though. I can remember seeing this trailer on the big screen, when I was a kid, on a Saturday afternoon at the movies.

When the movie finishes, the menu goes to the Bonus Materials screen. Obviously to try and sell you more stuff.

Sound is brilliant with perfect synchronization.

DVD transfer is excellent. Film quality is absolutely superb.
The picture sharpness is one of the best I've seen on DVD.

A great Saturday afternoon matinee family movie.

Do yourself a favour. You won't be sorry.

5, 4, 3, 2, 1, blastoff to hilarity.......2004-11-28

The Reluctant Astronaut is one of the truly classic Don Knotts films, consistently hilarious while also sporting some touching scenes between a father and his son. Roy Fleming (Knotts) is just about the last person you would want to shoot into space: I seriously doubt he could pass NASA's physical requirements, for one thing; he knows next to nothing about the requisite technology; and he is so terrified by heights that he can't even stand in a chair by himself. Fleming is just a below-average regular guy simulating space flights for kids at a carnival, trying to win the heart of the hot dog girl, and still living with his parents at the age of 35. His father has what you might call a dominating personality, and poor Roy proves unable to convince him that he does not want to be an astronaut. His father submitted the application for him, though, and he has already spread the word all over town that his son has been accepted. With great trepidation, Roy leaves for Houston (which is a funny bit all by itself), meets up with famous astronaut Fred Gifford (Leslie Nielsen), and is more than a little surprised to find out that he is actually going to be an assistant janitor. He tries to tell his father the truth, but the old man is so proud of his astronaut son that Roy begins living a lie. Of course, the truth will out in the end, and it looks like there will be no happy ending in sight. Then, in the depths of failure, a light of opportunity suddenly shines on Roy, and he gets the chance to make things right- if he has the courage to do what is asked of him.

This was a role seemingly tailor-made for Don Knotts. He's thoroughly convincing as the small-time loser pretending to be something he is not. While the film itself is openly silly, Knotts plays the scattered serious moments in a wonderfully sympathetic way and transforms his character into a hero of sorts even before he sets foot in the space capsule. It goes without saying that he is a comic genius, as well, so you can imagine just how funny his outer space scenes are. I wish I could catalogue every funny moment in the film, but that would deny viewers the pleasure of experiencing them all for themselves. Suffice it to say that The Reluctant Astronaut features one of history's funniest actors in one of his funniest movies - and it's good, wholesome entertainment, to boot.

Classic Don Knotts.......2004-06-27

Great movie. This is for all fans of Barney Fife and Don's previous films like Ghost and Mr. Chicken. My favorite part is when Don comes back home after some training at NASA and he is at home with friends and family who are congratulating him. A little kid is the only one in the room who isn't buying Don's astronaut exploits. He grills Don about certain specifics and the rest is classic. PHONY!

Pingo Loves Cake.......2003-12-18

The Reluctant Astronaut is as worthy of repeated viewings as The Ghost and Mr. Chicken. I watched both of these films thanks to a summer movie program offered in my town during my childhood. Both films were written by people who wrote the classic Andy Griffith Show episodes. Classic character actors from the Andy Griffith Show appear throughout both films as well. You should own these two finest of Don Knotts' movies.
My favorite moment from The Reluctant Astronaut (as a child AND as an adult) is the absolutely surreal scene where Royal Fleming (Knotts) has a welcoming home party, and Pingo the dog jumps in the cake and starts eating it. Everyone at the party is shocked except the lady who owns the dog. She seems delighted. When I saw this scene again for the first time in 25 years, I laughed so hard I cried! This is great writing, a great cast, and CLASSIC Don Knotts!

Lighthearted space program fun, typical of the era........2003-09-14

One of the all-time classic Don Knotts films from his heyday in the mid-to-late 60s, "The Reluctant Astronaut" is reliable family fare on a Sunday afternoon.

Knotts plays Roy Fleming, a lovable loser who suffers from vertigo, but ironically runs a moonshot kiddie ride at the town park. When his ex-military and hyper-controlling father submits an application for his son to become a real astronaut, havoc ensues when Roy is accepted! But not is all as it seems when the newly-minted town hero finds that he is not actually an astronaut trainee, but a custodial trainee! Naturally, the kindly Roy is under pressure not to hurt his father and the whole hometown crowd by revealing the truth.

The plot and it's solutions are hardly a surprise to anyone by the time the picture ends. In fact, the only standardized element missing here concerns Roy Fleming's girlfriend. She starts out by ignoring the hapless Roy because he's a nobody, but when he becomes an astronaut, she's all attention. Pretty shallow, but so far so good. What's missing is the alternate/new girlfriend, who likes Roy for himself, not for his fame. That's usually the way romantic entanglements work out in this kind of picture, and it's kind of disappointing that Roy winds up with the "fair weather" gal.

But while the movie is fairly standard, the "space fever" and intense interest in the space program the characters display at every turn clearly reflects just how Americans felt about the program and its astronauts at the time (unlike today!). The movie will be a fun ride for those who recall those heady days as America's pride was in full force, and we good guys were battling Russia for control of space.

One think I liked here was the interesting and relatively rare NASA footage that pops up from time to time. The rocket sled sequence is especially notable for space program afficianados, as we get a good pilot's eye view of what it looked like to run down the sled track. We also get to see a few early rocket booster launches in real time, as opposed to the super-slow motion shots we're more familiar with.

If anyone threatens to steal the picture, it would have to be Arthur O'Connell as Roy's dad, Buck Fleming. Gruff, boisterous, and ultimately poignant, O'Connell gives the character just the right amount of stature and sympathy to compliment the awkwardness and desperation of Knott's Roy Fleming.

Jesse White (probably most famous for his role in "Harvey"), plays Fleming's gruff boss, and "Wagon Train" alum Frank McGrath is on hand as one of Buck Fleming's pals. Jeanette Nolan plays a relatively small and understated role as Roy's mother.

Fans of Leslie Neilson will get a kick out of his presence in the picture as the good-natured pilot and astronaut, Major Fred Gifford. In a way, his inclusion in the cast seems like a friendly wink to his landmark space role in "Forbidden Planet".

I have to ding the DVD one star for the lack of extras. We get the trailer, and while fun (and containing original material shot for the promo), that's about it. Some production notes on the crew's NASA interactions while filming would have been a huge win, but it's missing here.

Customer Reviews:

Quality Review.......2007-08-30

5, 4, 3, 2, 1, blastoff to hilarity.......2004-11-28

Classic Don Knotts.......2004-06-27

Pingo Loves Cake.......2003-12-18

Lighthearted space program fun, typical of the era........2003-09-14

One of the all-time classic Don Knotts films from his heyday in the mid-to-late 60s, "The Reluctant Astronaut" is reliable family fare on a Sunday afternoon.

While the film is typical of light space program comedies from the time, "The Reluctant Astronaut" is probably the best of the bunch, and certainly better than most.

DVD:

DVD

DVD