'Hee Haw' returns with pickin' and grinnin' on home video

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) _ Saaa-lute! The straw hats and braying cartoon donkey of ``Hee Haw'' are back. <br/><br/>Time-Life is releasing full ``Hee Haw'' shows for the first time on VHS and

Monday, May 17th 2004, 3:15 pm

By: News On 6

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) _ Saaa-lute! The straw hats and braying cartoon donkey of ``Hee Haw'' are back.

Time-Life is releasing full ``Hee Haw'' shows for the first time on VHS and DVD on Tuesday, the 35th anniversary of the show's first season.

With its pickin', grinnin' and hayseed humor, ``Hee Haw'' was an American TV institution, on the air almost continuously from 1969 to 1997. The hourlong program started on CBS for two years, then went into syndication until 1993 and finally wound up on cable's old Nashville Network.

``'Hee Haw' won't go away,'' said Roy Clark, host or co-host of the show for its entire run. ``It brings a smile to too many faces.''

The format was folksy comic skits interspersed with performances by country music stars like Vince Gill, Garth Brooks, Willie Nelson and Alan Jackson. There were no serious issues debated, no cliffhangers, no drama and no wardrobe malfunctions _ just down-home silliness accompanied by grins and guitars.

``Everywhere I go, people talk about it,'' Clark said.

The show's most memorable prop was the cornfield where guests and the show's regulars told jokes.

Example:

Grandpa Jones to Junior Samples: ``I saw you riding on a mule and your wife was walking behind you. Why was that?''

Samples: ``My wife ain't GOT no mule.''

There were 24 years' worth of original ``Hee Haw'' shows _ 14 years more than ``Friends'' and 15 more than ``Seinfeld.'' All the shows were taped in Nashville, home of country music and the Grand Ole Opry.

Critics mostly hated the show because of its Dogpatch look, simple humor and twangy country music. And sometimes the show still gets criticized for perpetuating stereotypes.

There was a bevy of curvy Southern belles such as Barbi Benton, Gunilla Hutton (who played Nurse Good Body) and Misty Rowe. The men were most often harmless rubes in straw hats and overalls.

But TV viewers embraced it, and even non-country stars such as Sammy Davis Jr. and Regis Philbin were among the celebrities eager to appear on the show.

``They just wanted to be part of the fun,'' Clark said.

Clark, who played the hapless clerk at the show's Empty Arms Hotel, was joined by singer Buck Owens as co-host for 17 seasons. There were about 600 original episodes.

The show even had an impact on the national lexicon. The phrase ``pickin' and grinnin''' became popular after a segment with Clark and Owens playing guitar while smiling and telling jokes.

A video based on the show has been on the home market for 10 years, but it featured just parts of the program and no music. The new product, costing $14.95, has full ``Hee Haw'' shows including music performances. There will be at least four one-hour programs.

``The viewers were sort of part-owners of the show,'' Clark said. ``They identified with these clowns, and we had good music.