This is a simple but cute episode which includes a small-amount of time-filler. I don't see the "hippie"-premise as dating the entry in any negative-sense. It's fun for someone of my generation, a late-50s baby-boomer to be reminded of those long-ago, socially-tumultuous days in the late 60's. The filler to which I referred is a scene where the 3 hippies and Gomer sing a popular folk-song of the era, Bob Dylan's "Blowin' in the Wind", providing a low-key chance for Jim Nabors to sing. Although he clearly had a good, strong voice, it's always a little-jarring to see and hear him sing in these episodes. Luckily, though, "Wind" was a soft, pleasant song and the interlude is, in fairness, rather-nice. "Flower Power" has the usual, satisfying, twist-ending, wrapping things up in tidy, smile-inducing fashion. There's some unreality in that the keys to the mobile-command truck would've been left in the ignition for the hippies to drive it off to another location while Pyle was away but, on the other hand, as the Marine wasn't expecting anybody else to be present, why wouldn't he have left the keys there? A fun, near-to-the-end episode no matter how you look at it!
4 Reviews
Silly episode of a silly show...
ronnybee21123 December 2020
Warning: Spoilers
I would say that this is one of the weakest GP episodes I've seen yet. Our man Gomer
is assigned to the task of painting a military truck with a camouflage pattern.
A group of 3 "hippies" wander up while Gomer is working on the paint job,and volunteer to "help". They paint the truck to look like a hippy van,and after Gomer leaves,they manage to move it about a mile away from where it was to begin with. Naturally all this causes problems with Gomers' bosses.
Silly,lighthearted episode.
The bottom of the barrel
pmike-1131222 July 2021
Jim Nabors knew the show had run it's course (and the writers had run out of ideas), and chose to end the series after 5 seasons. This inane episode proves he was correct. Just plain silly and boring, it may be the worst of the series.
Dated Doesn't Begin To Describe It
richard.fuller117 May 2015
Warning: Spoilers
Gomer has to paint the communications van to camouflage it. Three hippies (one of them being Rob Reiner) show up and paint daisies on one side. They then move the van without telling Gomer, getting him in trouble with Sgt. Carter.
When it is all over and the van is returned, the conclusion is the hippie getups were a disguise, preventing the red team in the war games from finding them and it worked! Along the way, we get Gomer singing Blowing In The Wind with the hippies.
Dated doesn't begin to describe this. The inconsiderate behavior the hippies had toward their 'new friend' by moving property he was entrusted with shows why hippie behavior didn't last and was nothing but a meaningless fad.
It's also rather obvious why this episode signals this show was truly on its way out.
While I was only 3 in '69, I doubt I recall this episode airing in primetime. My memory may have been sharper when it re-aired, but I'm certain I recall it in an early '70s rerun during the day.
When it is all over and the van is returned, the conclusion is the hippie getups were a disguise, preventing the red team in the war games from finding them and it worked! Along the way, we get Gomer singing Blowing In The Wind with the hippies.
Dated doesn't begin to describe this. The inconsiderate behavior the hippies had toward their 'new friend' by moving property he was entrusted with shows why hippie behavior didn't last and was nothing but a meaningless fad.
It's also rather obvious why this episode signals this show was truly on its way out.
While I was only 3 in '69, I doubt I recall this episode airing in primetime. My memory may have been sharper when it re-aired, but I'm certain I recall it in an early '70s rerun during the day.
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