The Andy Griffith Show is a classic for a reason—it’s funny with wholesome, delightful characters that live in the wonderful little town of Mayberry, North Carolina. The laughs are plenty in this entertaining classic with stories that still ring true today. The four episodes in this review are titled Mr. McBeeve, Andy’s Rich Girlfriend, The Loaded Goat and Class Reunion.p> In the first one, Opie (the young Ron Howard) comes across the telephone line repairman, Mr. McBeeve. Mr. McBeeve calls his tools on his belt his other “hands,” and he does a trick with cigarette smoke—he can make it look like it comes out of his ear. Opie had been play-acting that he had a horse named “Blackie” so when he begins telling his dad, Sheriff Andy Taylor, and Andy’s deputy, Barney (Don Knotts), about his friend Mr. McBeeve who “walks in the trees” and has five hands, not to mention the smoke that comes from his ear, Andy is sure his son is not being honest. He believes he will have to correct little Opie, but Opie’s sincerity makes him wonder what to do. Rest assured things work out in the end and when Barney, a total disbeliever in Mr.McBeeve, receives a call from him at the end of the episode, the laughter will echo in your home!
In the second episode, Andy and Barney double date with Peggy and Thelma Lou. Andy likes Peggy but is concerned when he learns her father sent her a brand new—and expensive—car. She happens to be rich, and after a visit to a restaurant in which Peggy orders escargot and a fancy drink, Andy is sure he isn’t the right one for her. He begins to avoid Peggy, who is hurt at first, but then begins to pick up on the reason Andy is hedging about moving forward in the relationship. The episode gets some well-earned laughter when Barney decides to “play the field” and calls up another girl to invite her, instead of Thelma Lou, on a date. When Andy looks out of the office window and declares thatThelma Lou is about to come in, Barney’s reaction shouldn’t be missed!
In The Loaded Goat, the laughter reaches a high peak. A friend of Andy’s, Hudge, short for Mr. Hudgins, brings his goat into town to the barber shop, thinking no one will mind. Andy lets him know he needs to tie “Jimmy” (the goat) up and does so outside. Jimmy gnaws the rope knot loose and winds up in a shed where dynamite is stored. When he eats a bunch of it for lunch–and it’s discovered–the plot focuses on keeping Jimmy from exploding, and it is hilarious. When Otis the town drunk comes in and goes straight to the cell where they have placed Jimmy, Andy comes in and says, “Otis, one loaded goat at a time is about all we can handle!”
In Class Reunion, Andy comes across his old high school yearbook while moving some of Barney’s things in the garage.. Andy and Barney reminisce about those good old high school days, and Andy comes up with the idea to stage a class reunion. Andy winds up seeing his old high school flame, Sharon. They went their separate ways after high school, and she now lives in Chicago. Barney can’t wait to see his old sweetheart, Ramona, although he hears she has a jealous husband. Both Barney and Andy learn that sometimes things end the way they are supposed to, and that you can’t go back.
These four episodes, and indeed the entire series, easily earns our Dove-Approved for All Ages Seal.
The entire series features similar episodes, always with a good moral and Andy’s fatherly examples to Opie. In addition, it features Barney’s well-meaning intentions which usually result in his fumbling a situation. The residents of Mayberry look out for one another, and their examples hold up well in today’s contemporary society. Every episode is sure to delight!
The Dove Take
This is a wholesome, funny, delightful series which teaches morals in a homespun, good old-fashioned way. This series is not to be missed!
