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 |
I’m sad Opie and the Spoiled Kid got ranked so far down.
Looks like you’re not a big fan of the Opie episodes..
Poor Opie..
Here’s to hoping after you rank each season individually that you’ll rank them all at once! I’d like to see which is your favorite episode and which is your least favorite…of the black-and-white ones, of course..
Hi Justin, I’m glad you stopped by the site! I do plan to rank all of the episodes in one huge list after I finish ranking the individual seasons. Two of the main things I was interested in finding out when I started this project was to see which was my least favorite black and white episode, and also to see how many color episodes I would rank above black and white episodes.
I read somewhere on the internet that the producers thought Peggy (Joanna Moore) was to glamorous and that’s why they let her go. I loved that duet Down in the Valley she and Andy sing in season 3, episode 4. Have been trying to find it on VHS but all I can find is DVD with the whole seaon which I don’t want. Can you help? Also, why did Andy think that Frances Bavier didn’t like him? I also read that on internet.
Joanna Moore really was a knockout. In fact she reminds me a lot of my girlfriend Rachel. Also, one episode in particular from this season that really makes me laugh is “The Bank Job”, where Barney keeps trying to prove how easy the Mayberry bank would be to rob. He keeps asking everybody what their “countermeasures would be in the event of a 412″ and they keep telling him he sounds like Glenn Ford in “G-Men”…..LOL. Of course Barney keeps getting madder and madder.
Isn’t that funny what they consider “chemistry”? I thought that Joanna Moore was absolutely perfect as Andy’s girlfriend and should have been his wife – her southern accent was just right and I thought her and Andy Griffith were wonderful together!
I was never crazy about “Miss Crump” and I don’t think Andy had particular chemistry with her.