What was the first Odyssey USA album called? No, not The Adventure Begins. It was called The Early Classics. This is quite an accurate title, considering nearly all the episodes in Album 1 are certified classics. (There are a few exceptions.) But Album 1 isn't the only Album that has 'early classics'. In fact, I've noticed that there are many 'early classics' in Albums 1 -5. Let's take a look at some of those examples...
Whit's Flop - Who doesn't love this one? Well, actually, me. This is not an especially superb episode, but it was a great beginning. There's a Davey in all of us, the side that considers ourselves total failures. And it was also a great introduction to Whit's End.
Connie Comes to Town - This is probably the classicest Odyssey episode of all time. (Bizarre superlative, right?) Connie comes, Bible Bowls are key to the plot, (The only other time an actual Bible Bowl was shown was in The Case of the Candid Camera.) and Dave Griffin, for the first (And not the last, hear Coming of Age) time, had a crush on Connie!
Gifts For Madge and Guy - This marks many milestones for AIO. It's their first sstorytelling episode, their first comedy, and their first holiday episode. Will Ryan and Chris Anthony were great as Madge and Guy. A Christmas classic.
Family Vacation - This is one of those, as The Official Guide put it, 'fly-on-the-wall' episodes, meaning that people like it because it's so relate-able. But a lot of people like it because it has... The Barcalys! Who can't love them?
Kid's Radio - This deserves a spot in 'The Early Classics' list because it has Donald Long and Joseph Cammaroto, who are quite a colorful pair, together, and, of course, Kid's Radio! (Wow, five commas is one sentence!)
The Case of the Secret Room - If you didn't put this episode in your 'Early Classics' list, we wouldn't get along very well. This is AIO's first creepy episode (unless you count Nothing To Fear, which I don't) and it has the famous 'Whittaker whisper'.
The Shepard and the Giant - This marks the first episode that is devoted entirely to one of Whit's famous inventions, in this case The Environment Enhancer. This was an early model of The Imagination Station, and the way they told the story of David and Goliath was just classic.
Connie - This episode is classic because, not only does it have Connie, it has Eugene! I think the episode should have been called Eugene and Connie instead of Connie. To me, Eugene is what makes the episode a true classic. But that last scene with Whit and Connie was great.
By Faith, Noah - This silly Bible story was criticized by parents, but I enjoy it. It's not necessarily the best storytelling episode, but Walker Edminston's portrayal of Noah was classic. Jack and Lucy are becoming quite the pair at this time too.
The Imagination Station - This episode proves that Whit really is a whiz with the kids. Digger Digwillow is one of my favorite characters, and Dave Arnold was born to play Jesus. Also, it introduces Whit's greatest invention.
The Nemesis - The last classic has to be a Blackguaard episode. This episode introduces Blackguaard, the Lucy and Richard Maxwell storyline, the Tom Riley's grudge storyline, and it resolves minor things like Connie getting fired from Whit's End.
Everyone has their favorite AIO moment. Whit's flop being turned into a pizza oven, Whit telling Christmas stories over hot chocolate, the Barcalys climbing in the car to go on vacation, a skeleton jumping out at Whit and Tom, Eugene barging into Whit's End and remarking that the bell that Whit has is not sufficient, or Tom's barn getting burned down. All of these moments are classic Odyssey, and all of them are on this list. Even when you're listening to Novacom or The Green Ring Conspiracy, take some time to listen to the early classics. They're the ones that started it all.
Did you enjoy the article? Once again, comment! Be sure to read Thursday's article. I'll be reviewing Twists and Turns and The Unofficial AIO Blog in an extra-long article. Thanks for reading!
This post really clicked with me, great job! The only thing I don't agree with is The Shepherd and the Giant. Tho it was a great episode, I don't see it as a classic. ( just my opinion) Great post altogether.
ReplyDeleteThanks. The Shepard and the Giant is a classic in that it is the first episode that really explores Whit's inventions, and it has Connie grow a little spiritually. I'm not saying it's a fabulous episode, but for those reasons, it's a classic. But in a way, I do agree with you. It's not as classic as the other ones on the list. I'll still probably keep it on though, for the reasons listed above. Thanks for commenting!
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