The Real McCoys became one of the biggest hits on TV, paving the way for other rural comedy shows including Gomer Pyle, Beverly Hillbillies, Petticoat Junction and Green Acres. The premise was simple: a happy-go-lucky West Virginia mountain family moves to a ranch in California's San Fernando Valley. The focal point of the action, and undisputed star of the series, was Grampa Amos McCoy, a porch-rockin', gol-darnin', consarnin' old codger with a wheezy voice who loved to meddle in other people's affairs neighbors and kin alike. Three-time Academy Award winner Walter Brennan played the role to perfection. His kin included his grandson Luke (Richard Crenna) and Luke's new bride Kate (Kathy Nolan), Luke's teenage sister 'Aunt' Hassie (Lydia Reed), and 11-year-old brother Little Luke (Michael Winkleman). Rounding out the cast was the musically inclined farm hand Pepino (Tony Martinez) and George MacMichael (Andy Clyde), their argumentative neighbor. George's spinster sister Flora (Madge Blake) had eyes for Grampa but alas, it was not meant to be. The Real McCoys enjoyed a 6-year network run debuting October 3, 1957 and lasting until September 22, 1963. Product Description
 |  | The Real McCoys - first, best, most realistic and believable of the rural shows |  |
I first saw The Real McCoys as a very small child during the original network airings in the early 1960's and then in weekday morning network repeats. Many years passed before I saw it again. I am now hooked and don't know why the show has been so seldom seen for many years. Maybe the airings on The Nashville Network created enough interest in releasing the show on DVD to make it happen. With the first three seasons already out and the other three promised this is just great. Even if the shows are missing some original material, I would much rather have them than not see the show at all. The legendary Walter Brennan still holds the record for most Best Supporting Actor Oscars won - three. Apparently, when asked to be in The Real McCoys he was reported to have said "But, I'm no comic!!". Another reviewer compared Redd Foxx and Don Knotts to Walter Brennan. While they are entitled to their opinion, as much as I truly loved Don Knotts, especially as Barney Fife, he nor Redd Foxx (does anyone really remember anything he did other than play Fred Sanford?), nor the other actor this reviewer mentioned, whose name I did not recognize, can even be remotely rated alongside an actor of Walter Brennan's stature and magnitude. He is widely rated by many noted film critics as possibly the greatest character actor of all time!! He was also a quite remarkable man in real life. I would love to read a complete biography of his life if one is ever written. I recommend that anyone interested should read up on him on the Net. I was amazed at his life story. Richard Crenna was very good as Luke and had a long and distinguished career after The Real McCoys. But my personal favorite was the lovely and talented Kathleen ("Kathy") Nolan as Kate. She was really the heart, soul and conscience of the show. It was such a pity that she left the series after the fifth season and was written out altogether for the ill-conceived and advised sixth and final season. Although she would make many guest appearances on many other shows in the years to follow, she would never create or make a character so completely her own again, as she did Kate McCoy. Certainly for this reason, they were very wise not to simply cast another actress as Kate, as Bewitched foolishly and poorly did several years later on with the character of Darrin Stephens. Lydia Reed was good as Hassie and Michael Winkelman was good as Little Luke. Tony Martinez was also excellent as the farmhand who became a member of the family, Pepino. The supporting cast, especially Andy Clyde and Madge Blake were also excellent. It was usually Kate and Pepino who tempered the schemes and shenanigans of Grandpa and Luke and brought them to their senses, steering them the right way. It would be fantastic to have complete episodes, but I just hope they do release at least seasons four and five. Season six to me is like The Andy Griffith Show without Barney Fife. I really don't even want to see it. It was just not the same show at all without Kate. Actually more sad without Kate and I also believe both Hassie and Little Luke were also dropped before the show ended. I also read that even Walter Brennan did not appear in the last thirteen episodes of the last season. Apparently those episodes featured Luke and Pepino. The predominate theme of the sixth season was Grandpa trying to play matchmaker for the newly widowed Luke. Not for me thank you very much, actually quite depressing more than anything else. But I definitely want seasons four and five to go along with the first three, which I already have. The Real McCoys was the first of the "rural" shows. But to me it had something that maybe only The Andy Griffith Show had from time-to-time and that is that it touched on more believability and realism than other shows of the day. I think The Real McCoys was more than just a run-of-the-mill rural sitcom. The more episodes of the series I see convinces me even more of that. The show also had warmth, values and a heart. Something you sadly certainly cannot say about any of the modern shows.
October 4, 2008| | | Great series with lots of lessons | |
I've watched the first 3 seasons of the Real McCoys that I purchased here on Amazon. I'm extremely pleased with the quality of the discs. ..and its a great value given the 39 or so episodes you get (compared to the 20 or so today). I'm old enough to remember seeing them when I was young, but don't remember the details of any of them, so it's like seeing them again for the first time.
Walter Brennan, of course, was great, but my favorite was Kathy Noland as Kate. Most of the episodes have Grandpa and Luke making stupid, often racial or sexually prejudiced decisions on everyday issues with Kate providing the sense of morality, and the acceptable behavior for them to follow in the end. In my view the program was really a fore-runner for women's rights (with a few episodes as exceptions). It showed a woman willing to do her "traditional" role as a woman but never forgetting to remind the men in her life of the fairness of the concept of the equality of women (and with her own decisions often far surpassing the intelligence or moral fortitude displayed by Grandpa and Luke).
There was always a morality lesson in most episodes but always with great comedic results and a familiar feeling that you've learned these same lessons some time far in the past and can relate to each lesson. I never felt like I was being lectured to about the moral story being presented.
Kate's beautiful smile and great disposition (most of the time) makes it a pleasant series to watch, independent of any morality lesson offered.
Although a lot of it is dated, the scripts are still funny and the situations are very real. I especially recommend this to the people that never saw it the first time. You'll be surprised at how good it is. In my opinion, none of the follow-on "rural series" matches its quality and comedy (Bev. Hillbillies, Green Acres, etc.)
Enjoy these series and hope that they keep coming out with more for us to watch. Bring on all 6 seasons, please.
October 2, 2008| | | Please Release the Rest of the Series | |
Like most of the other reviewers, I have purchased all three seasons of the Real McCoys and look forward to buying the rest of the seasons of this series as soon as they are released. I was very young when this was on the air, but I do remember it well. Walter Brennan played a great role as Grandpa, and the rest of the cast were very good. Even more important, this is a TV show that you can watch with your family and not have to worry about inappropriate material.
July 24, 2008I love this series and own all of the series on DVD. Bring on season 4.
July 23, 2008It's a true treat to have available a classic television comedy that's actually funny. Legendary character actor (and Academy Award winner) Walter Brennan is right up there with Don Knotts, Redd Foxx and Michael Richards as one of the most unforgettable comic performers of all time. While the quality of the video and audio is fine, it's too bad Infinity wasn't able to acquire the full-length (25+ minutes) episodes rather than these prints, the majority of which are missing the "tags", the brief final act before the closing credits. On rare occasions (here and the previous two "McCoy" volumes), the tags are included, but with some footage earlier in the episodes cut out to make room for more commercials when released in syndication. Infinity plans to release all 224 episodes, which is certainly preferable to having none at all.
July 10, 2008More reviews at Amazon.com ...
