Andy Griffith Show Rankings – Season 3

I’ve just finished ranking the season 3 episodes of the Andy Griffith Show, and it looks like this might be a long post, as there are a lot of things I’d like to discuss about this season.

While looking over the episode list for season 3, it struck me that this was a very strong season for the show. Several of the episodes that I consider all-time classics were part of this season. I think “Man in a Hurry” is widely considered by many fans to be the best episode of the show, but I have both “Mountain Wedding” and “The Loaded Goat” ranked above it.

This season is notable because many of the most popular characters to appear on the show all made their debuts during season 3. The first appearances of Helen Crump, Gomer Pyle, Ernest T. Bass, the Darling family, Mayor Stoner, Patty McMillan, Malcolm Merriweather, and The Fun Girls (Skippy and Daphne) all occurred during this season. I love most of these characters, but I have to say, I never cared for The Fun Girls.

An interesting note about Helen Crump that I recently learned is that the producers of the show originally only planned to have her appear in one episode, which is why they gave her an unpleasant sounding name. However, Andy Griffith and Aneta Corsaut (who played Helen) had such great chemistry together that they decided to make her a regular on the show.

Now, there’s something I always wondered about this season – what ever happened to Peggy? She was introduced as Andy’s new girlfriend in the second episode of the season, and she was also featured in episodes 4, 6, and 10 of season 3. After that, she was never seen again, and as far as I recall, no explanation was ever given as to what happened to her. I think Peggy was Andy’s all-around best girlfriend (although Mary #2 from season 2 was the most attractive), and I think Andy would have been better off marrying Peg instead of Helen.

Well, that’s all I can think of for now. It seems like I thought of about a half dozen other things I wanted to mention while I was ranking the episodes earlier, so it’s probably good for you that I forgot what those topics were, or else you’d probably be reading this for another hour. Below is the complete list of my rankings for season 3.

Rank	Ep. #	Episode Name	Synopsis
1	3.31	Mountain Wedding	Ernest T. Bass wreaks havoc with Charlene and Dud’s wedding plans
2	3.18	The Loaded Goat	Jimmy the goat eats himself full of dynamite
3	3.16	Man in a Hurry	Malcolm Tucker has trouble getting his broken-down car repaired
4	3.11	Convicts-at-large	Barney and Floyd are taken hostage by 3 escaped female convicts
5	3.27	Barney’s First Car	Barney is tricked into buying a lemon from a car thief
6	3.32	The Big House	The Mayberry jail plays host to 2 criminals while Andy and the state police search for their partners
7	3.25	The Darlings are Coming	The Darling family comes to town to greet Charlene’s fiance Dud who is coming back from the Army
8	3.15	Barney and the Governer	Barney unknowingly tickets the Governer’s car
9	3.24	Aunt Bee’s Medicine Man	Colonel Harvey’s “elixer” is actually mostly alocohol
10	3.13	The Bank Job	Barney accidentally gets locked in the safe while trying to prove that the Mayberry bank is an easy mark
11	3.26	Andy’s English Valet	Malcolm Merriweather goes to work for Andy to pay off a debt
12	3.20	Rafe Hollister Sings	Rafe wins a contest to sing at the musicale, but the mayor objects
13	3.28	The Rivals	Opie is too shy to ask Karen to the movies – so Thelma Lou tries to build up his confidence
14	3.5	The Cow Thief	A man steals cows by putting shoes on them
15	3.3	Andy and The New Mayor	Mayor Stoner objects when Andy grants a prisoner a temporary release so he can harvest his crops
16	3.17	High Noon in Mayerry	Barney assumes the worst when an ex-con comes to visit Andy
17	3.8	The Mayberry Band	The mayor refuses to let the horible town band play in the state capital
18	3.7	Lawman Barney	Barney has problems with a couple of farmers who are illegal selling produce on the street
19	3.4	Andy and Opie – Bachelors	Floyd convinces Andy that Peg has ulterior motives when she helps around the house while Bee is away
20	3.3	Dogs, Dogs, Dogs	The corthouse is invaded by 11 stray dogs right before the state investigator is set to arrive
21	3.29	A Wife for Andy	Barney tries to set up Andy with Helen, but after it works, Barney decided Helen isn’t the girl for Andy
22	3.10	Opie’s Rival	Opie is jealous of Peggy and the time Andy spends with her
23	3.23	Andy Discovers America	Andy has a run-in with Opie’s new teacher when he gives Opie the impression history isn’t important
24	3.22	Great Filling Station Robbery	Jimmy (not the goat) is suspected of robbing Wally’s Filling Station
25	3.2	Andy’s Rich Girlfriend	Barney convinces Andy that his relationship with Peggy won’t work
26	3.1	Mr. McBeevee	Opie befriends Mr. McBeevee, who Andy believes is an imaginary friend
27	3.21	Opie and The Spoiled Kid	Opie’s new friend Arnold is spoiled
28	3.6	Mends a Broken Heart	Barney tries to find Andy another girl after he has an argument with Peggy
29	3.19	Class Reunion	Andy reunites with an old flame at the High School Reunion
30	3.12	The Bed Jacket	Andy has to make a deal with the mayor in order to get the bed jacket Bee waned for her birthday
31	3.9	The Gay Deceiver	Floyd is in a bind when a penpal he’s been lying to decides to come for a visit
32	3.14	One-Punch Opie	Opie stands up to a troublemaker who is getting him and his friends in trouble

Dollywood Part 2 – History

In this post, I wanted to take a brief look at the history of the park now known as Dollywood. I’m going to give Lawson co-writing credit, because the comment he posted in response to my first Dollywood post contained pretty much the same information that I had planned to include in Part 2 of my Dollywood series.

I’d also like to give a special thanks to whoever wrote the Wikipedia article about Dollywood, which filled in some gaps in my own knowledge about Dollywood, and to Dollywood.com, which contains some more detailed information about the park’s past that I didn’t know before.

The park was founded in 1961 by The Robbins Brothers as Rebel Railroad. It was a small attraction that included a steam train named “Klondike Katie”, general store, blacksmith shop, and saloon.

In 1970, the park was purchased by Art Modell (who owned the Cleveland Browns at the time) and renamed Goldrush Junction. It was touted as “Tennessee’s Million Dollar Fun Attraction”.  A number of additions were made to the park during this time, one of which was the log flume, which I just learned was relocated to the park from the New York World’s Fair. The Robert F. Thomas Church was also built during this time. It is still in the park and weekly services are held there.

In 1977, the park was bought by Jack and Pete Herschend, owners of Silver Dollar City in Branson, Mo. The Tennessee park was renamed to Silver Dollar City as well, and began experiencing significant growth that continues today. By 1985, Craftsman’s Valley and many rides had been added to Silver Dollar City.

In 1986, Dolly Parton entered into a partnership with the Herschend brothers and became part-owner of the park. It was renamed as Dollywood at that time, and the park has continued to experience major growth and expansion. Attendance between 1985 and 1986 increased by 75%, and the park now hosts around 2 million visitors per year.

In the next installment in my series, I’ll begin taking a look at the park’s rides.

Dollywood Part 1 – Introduction

This is my first post in what promises to be a long series about Dollywood. I love amusement parks – Dollywood in particular. I’m partial to Dollywood because of my childhood memories of the park, the theme and atmosphere, and also because it’s the closest major amusement park to where I live.

My parents and grandparents began taking me to the park as a child when it was known as Silver Dollar City. I have fond memories of those trips, and I’ve been in love with the park ever since.

To me, the theme and atmosphere of Dollywood set it apart from other more generic parks. The entire park has a Smoky Mountains theme, featuring entertainment, crafts, and food common to the area. The atmosphere of the park allows visitors to experience what life was like in the Smokies in the general time period of the late 1800s to early 1900s.

Stay tuned for additional installments in my Dollywood series, where I’ll discuss the history of the park, the rides, and much more.

Andy Griffith Show Rankings – Season 2

Below is the list that shows my rankings for the Season 2 episodes of The Andy Griffith Show.

My top episode of the season is one of the all-time classics, The Pickle Story. Aunt Bee makes eight jars of her pickles, which unfortunately for Andy, Opie, and Barney, are terrible. The guys replace Aunt Bee’s pickles with store-bought pickles since they know Aunt Bee expects them to eat them. However, when Aunt Bee decides to enter her pickles in the county fair, the guys realize they’ll have to eat all of the store-bought pickles and force Aunt Bee to make another batch of hers so the contest will be fair. This time, Aunt Bee makes 16 quarts of pickles and the guys realize they’ll have to learn to love them. I’m pretty sure Don Knotts named this as his favorite episode.

Season 2 also featured several guest stars that would go on to become well-known stars – Bill Bixby (David Banner on The Incredible Hulk), Alan Hale Jr. (The Skipper on Gilligan’s Island), Barbara Eden (Jeannie on I Dream of Jeannie), and Buddy Ebson (Jed Clampett on The Beverly Hillbillies).

I think imdb.com helped me solve a minor mystery that I’ve always wondered about. A nurse named Mary appeared in two episodes as a love interest of Andy, but Mary was played by a different actress in each episode. I always wondered if it was supposed to be the same character in both episodes, and apparently it was, as imdb.com lists Mary’s last name as being the same in both episodes.

Rank	Ep. #	Episode Name	Synopsis
1	2.11	The Pickle Story	Aunt Bee’s pickles taste like kerosene cucumbers
2	2.12	Sheriff Barney	When Andy considers taking a new job, Barney takes over as sheriff for a day
3	2.10	The Clubmen	Andy and Barney are considered for membership in The Esquire Club
4	2.22	The Merchant of Mayberry	Andy helps a struggling saleman set up a roadside stand while antagonizing Ben Weaver
5	2.23	Aunt Bee the Warden	Andy has to make Otis serve his sentence at the Taylor home because the jail is full
6	2.27	Three’s a Crowd	Barney keeps interfering in Andy’s budding relationship with Mary
7	2.24	The County Nurse	Andy and Barney try to help Nurse Mary convince Rafe Hollister to take a tetanus shot
8	2.29	Andy on Trail	Andy is accused of misconduct by a newspaper publisher he arrested
9	2.30	Cousin Virgil	Barney’s awkward cousin comes to visit
10	2.20	Barney and the Choir	Barney is asked to join the choir before the director realizes Barney can’t sing
11	2.17	The Jinx	The townsfolk are convinced that Henry Bennett is a jinx
12	2.15	Bailey’s Bad Boy	A spoiled, rich young man sideswipes a farmer’s truck
13	2.16	The Manucurist	The townsfolk don’t know how to react when a manucurist sets up shop in Floyd’s Barber Shop
14	2.7	Crime-Free Mayberry	Mayberry is recognized as having the lowest crime rate in the country
15	2.4	Mayberry Goes Bankrupt	Frank Meyers finds an old bond and learns that Mayberry owes him over $349,000.
16	2.14	The Keeper of the Flame	Opie is accused of starting a fire that burns down Jubal Foster’s barn
17	2.3	The Woman Speeder	A woman uses her charms on Barney, Floyd, and Opie to help her get out of a speeding ticket
18	2.2	Barney’s Replacement	Barney fears that a new temporary deputy has actually come to replace him
19	2.1	Opie and the Bully	A bully forces Opie to give him his milk money
20	2.25	The Big City	Andy and Barney help capture a jewel theif in Raleigh
21	2.28	The Bookie Barber	Floyd hires a second barber who turns out to be a bookie
22	2.18	Jailbreak	Andy and Barney help the state police catch Frank Malloy and his partner
23	2.19	A Medal for Opie	Opie wants to win a medal in the school race
24	2.8	The Perfect Female	Barney and Thelma Lou set Andy up on a blind date with Thelma Lou’s cousin Karen
25	2.5	Barney on the Rebound	A con man and his wife file a breach of promise suit against Barney
26	2.13	The Farmer Takes a Wife	Jeff Pruitt decides he wants Thelma Lou to be his wife
27	2.6	Opie’s Hobo Friend	Opie befriends a hobo named Dave Brown
28	2.21	Guest of Honor	Mayberry accidentally picks a thief to be their guest of honor on Founder’s Day
29	2.31	Deputy Otis	Otis is made a temporary deputy so he can try to impress his visiting brother
30	2.9	Aunt Bee’s Brief Encounter	Aunt Bee hits it off with Mr. Wheeler the handyman
31	2.26	Wedding Bells for Aunt Bee	Aunt Bee almost marries Mr. Goss when Clara convinces her she should get married

Brent the SingStar?

Recently, my friends got me into playing the SingStar karaoke games on the PS2. The interesting thing about that is that up until a few weeks ago, it had literally been around 20 years since I had attempted to sing. The last time I remember singing before I tried SingStar was with the youth in Church when I was in middle school. Needless to say, being 20 years out of practice means I’m pretty rusty when it comes to singing, especially considering that I never was much of a singer to begin with. However, the SingStar games are so much fun that they helped me overcome my fear of singing within earshot of other people.

I also got the chance to try Rock Band on the Xbox 360 last night. I’d never played Rock Star or any of the Guitar Hero games before, and it surprised me how much fun it was. I only tried the bass guitar part on easy and medium skill level, but I really enjoyed it.

I’d like to get Rock Star for myself, but the only console I have is a PS2, and I’ve read in reviews that the PS2 version of the game is very stripped-down. So, I’d have to invest in an Xbox 360 or PS3, the Rock Band game and instruments, plus an additional guitar controller, since Rock Band only comes with one. I don’t think I can justify spending the several hundred dollars that would require.

Andy Griffith Show Rankings – Season 1

I’ve finished ranking the season 1 episodes of the Andy Griffith Show in order from my most favorite to least favorite. It’s hard to compile a list like this, especially when you really like almost every episode that you are ranking.

The only episodes in this season that I really didn’t care for very much were the final three on the list. “The Gentleman Crook” was kind of dull and didn’t have a lot of comedy. “The Guitar Player Returns” was one of the most serious of the black and white episodes and aside from a couple of moments, it had almost no comedy at all, which is very strange for the show. “The Runaway Kid” was one of those episodes that was more about Andy helping teach Opie a life lesson than it was about comedy, but it didn’t deliver as well as some other episodes of that type.

After I finished the list and looked back over it, probably the biggest surprise I spotted was that “The Manhunt” fell all the way to 15th on my list. Before I started, I thought I would rank it higher.

As those of you who are fans of the show know, Eleanor Donahue, who played Ellie Walker, only appeared in the first season of the show. As I looked over the episode list, I only counted 12 episodes that I remember Ellie appearing in. That’s barely more than 1/3 of the episodes. I knew she wasn’t in all of the episodes that season, but it surprised me that the total was that low. I wonder if that contributed to her decision to leave the show.

Below is my complete list of rankings.

Rank	Ep. #	Episode Name	Synopsis
1	1.12	Stranger in Town	A stranger claims Mayberry is his home town, even though he’s never been there before
2	1.26	The Inspector	A state inspector causes trouble for Andy and Barney
3	1.11	A Christmas Story	Ben Weaver finds the Christmas spirit
4	1.8	Opie’s Charity	Andy is upset when Opie donates 3 cents to the needy children’s fund drive
5	1.28	Andy Forecloses	Ben Weaver forces Andy to serve the Scobey family with a foreclosure notice
6	1.23	Housekeepers	The Taylor house quickly becomes a pig sty while Aunt Bee is out of town
7	1.2	Barney’s Morale	Barney jails half the townsfolk while acting as sheriff while Andy is out of town
8	1.4	Ellie Comes to Town	Emma Brand takes sick after Ellie refused to give her pills w/o a prescription
9	1.9	A Fued Is a Fued	Andy settles a fued between the Wakefields and the Carters
10	1.3	Barney Gets His Man	Barney captures escaped convict Eddie Brooke twice
11	1.24	The New Doctor	Andy is afraid the new doctor is trying to steal Ellie away from him
12	1.22	Cyrano Andy	Thelma Lou uses Andy to try to make Barney jealous
13	1.15	Those Gossipin’ Men	The men in town mistake a traveling shoe salesman for a Hollywood talent scout
14	1.7	Andy the Matchmaker	Andy stages a robbery at the drug store to help Barney gain the confidence to ask Rosemary for a date
15	1.2	The Manhunt	After being disrespected by the State Police, Andy helps capture a criminal
16	1.1	The New Housekeeper	The introduction of Andy, Opie, and Aunt Bee
17	1.29	Quiet Sam	Barney is suspicious of reclusive Sam Becker
18	1.19	Mayberry on Record	Mr. Maxwell decides to make a folk album featuring local talent from Mayberry
19	1.17	Alcohol and Old Lace	The Morrison sisters run a still in their flower shop
20	1.18	The Marriage Counselor	Fred and Jenny Boone won’t stop fighting with each other
21	1.14	The Horse Trader	Andy and Barney try to sell an old cannon
22	1.10	Ellie for Council	The town divides into two camps when Ellie decides to become the first woman to run for town council
23	1.16	The Beauty Contest	Andy is selected to judge a beauty contest
24	1.25	Plaque for Mayberry	Otis Campbell is honored for being the direct descendand of a Revolutionary War hero
25	1.3	The Guitar Player	Local guitarist Jim Lindsey joins a traveling band
26	1.13	Mayberry Goes Hollywood	A movie producer wants to make a picture in Mayberry
27	1.5	Irresistible Andy	Andy becomes suspicious that Ellie is plotting to marry him
28	1.32	Bringing Up Opie	Aunt Bee decides the jail is a bad influence on Opie and that he should stop spending time there
29	1.27	Ellie Saves a Female	Ellie helps transform Frankie Flint from a farmgirl into a proper young lady
30	1.21	The Gentleman Crook	Gentleman Dan Caldwell tricks everyone but Andy into trusting him as he plans his escape
31	1.31	The Guitar Player Returns	Jim Lindsey is down on his luck after quitting Bobby Fleet’s band
32	1.6	Runaway Kid	Opie befriends a runaway boy named “Tex”

Ranking Andy Griffith Show Episodes

I think I’ve decided to finally tackle a project that I’ve been thinking about for a long time – ranking every episode of the Andy Griffith Show in order from my favorite to least favorite. I discovered today that imdb.com has a complete listing of all of the episodes, along with a good summary of each one. As big a fan as I am of the show, one thing I never learned is the actual names of the episodes, so I need the summaries to help me identify each episode by name. Now I think I have the information I need to compile my list. I know you all can’t wait to see it!

Quick Notes on Comments

I just wanted to make sure everyone noticed that you can post comments on any of my posts.  In the template I’m using, the comments link uses such a small font that I wasn’t sure if everyone noticed it.  I’ve also got my blog set up so that comments won’t show up until I approve them, so that is why your comments might not be displayed on the site right away.  I did that to make sure I don’t get any spam comments.