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The Best Episodes of The Andy Griffith Show Season 4

Every episode of The Andy Griffith Show Season 4 ranked from best to worst. Discover the Best Episodes of The Andy Griffith Show Season 4!

The Andy Griffith Show is an American sitcom first televised on CBS between October 3, 1960 and April 1, 1968. Andy Griffith portrays the widowed...
Genres:ComedyFamily
Network:CBS

Season 4 Ratings Summary

"Opie the Birdman" is the best rated episode of "The Andy Griffith Show" season 4. It scored 8.9/10 based on 551 votes. Directed by Richard Crenna and written by Harvey Bullock, it aired on 9/30/1963. This episode is rated 0.2 points higher than the second-best, "The Haunted House".

  • Opie the Birdman
    8.9/10551 votes

    #1 - Opie the Birdman

    Season 4 Episode 1 - Aired 9/30/1963

    Opie decides to raise a nest of baby birds after accidentally killing their mother with his new slingshot and ends up learning one of the hardest lessons of motherhood in the process.

    Director: Richard Crenna

    Writer: Harvey Bullock

  • The Haunted House
    9.1/10634 votes

    #2 - The Haunted House

    Season 4 Episode 2 - Aired 10/7/1963

    Barney is sent into a reputed "haunted" house to retrieve Opie's baseball and sees things that make even the skeptical Andy wonder if there really are ghosts, until Andy discovers who's really doing the haunting.

    Director: Earl Bellamy

    Writer: Harvey Bullock

  • Ernest T. Bass Joins the Army
    7.9/10373 votes

    #3 - Ernest T. Bass Joins the Army

    Season 4 Episode 3 - Aired 10/14/1963

    When Ernest T. Bass is denied from joining the army, he blames Andy and threatens to break every window in Mayberry. When Andy learns the real reason for Ernest's denial, he finds a solution that benefits everyone...except Barney.

    Director: Richard Crenna

    Writer: James Fritzell, Everett Greenbaum

  • The Sermon for Today
    7.6/10353 votes

    #4 - The Sermon for Today

    Season 4 Episode 4 - Aired 10/21/1963

    A visiting minister preaches the importance of relaxation and inspires Aunt Bee, Andy, and Barney to throw a Sunday afternoon band concert. When it ends up being more work than they imagined, it leaves them wondering if they'll ever have time to relax again.

    Director: Richard Crenna

    Writer: John Whedon

  • Briscoe Declares for Aunt Bee
    7.7/10361 votes

    #5 - Briscoe Declares for Aunt Bee

    Season 4 Episode 5 - Aired 10/28/1963

    While having dinner at the Taylor household, mountain man Briscoe Darling (Denver Pyle) mistakes Aunt Bee's usual hospitality for affection and whisks her away to his cabin to marry her, quite against her wishes. But when Aunt Bee takes it upon herself to "civilize" him, he wonders if hospitality is all it's cracked up to be.

    Director: Earl Bellamy

    Writer: James Fritzell, Everett Greenbaum

  • Gomer the House Guest
    8.0/10347 votes

    #6 - Gomer the House Guest

    Season 4 Episode 6 - Aired 11/4/1963

    Andy lets Gomer move in after he loses his job at the gas station and instantly regrets it after Gomer's night habits prove to be more than the Taylors can take. Now Andy must find a way to get Gomer's job back, or never sleep again.

    Director: Earl Bellamy

    Writer: James Fritzell, Everett Greenbaum

  • A Black Day for Mayberry
    8.2/10374 votes

    #7 - A Black Day for Mayberry

    Season 4 Episode 7 - Aired 11/11/1963

    All of Mayberry turns out to welcome a truck carrying gold to Fort Knox as it passes through town. When Barney sneaks a closer look at the loot, he sees that there may not be as much to celebrate as everyone thought.

    Director: Jeffrey Hayden

    Writer: John Whedon

  • Opie's Ill-Gotten Gain
    8.0/10320 votes

    #8 - Opie's Ill-Gotten Gain

    Season 4 Episode 8 - Aired 11/18/1963

    Opie finally gets a good grade in math, and Andy is so proud he tells everyone in town. But when Opie's teacher tells him she made a mistake and his grade is actually an F, he goes home to tell Andy the bad news, only to find Andy has bought him a shiny new bicycle.

    Director: Jeffrey Hayden

    Writer: John Whedon

  • A Date for Gomer
    8.5/10391 votes

    #9 - A Date for Gomer

    Season 4 Episode 9 - Aired 11/25/1963

    Thelma Lou's bachelorette cousin is coming to Mayberry for the town dance, and Barney decides to set her up with Gomer. On the big night, they all meet up at Thelma Lou's and everything seems to be going great, until Gomer suddenly disappears.

    Director: Richard Crenna

    Writer: James Fritzell, Everett Greenbaum

  • Up in Barney's Room
    8.5/10429 votes

    #10 - Up in Barney's Room

    Season 4 Episode 10 - Aired 12/2/1963

    Barney has an argument with his landlady Mrs. Mendelbright and gets evicted. After moving into the courthouse and having no luck finding a new place, he decides to mend fences with Mrs. Mendelbright, only to find she has decided to sell the house and run away to get married.

    Director: Jeffrey Hayden

    Writer: James Fritzell, Everett Greenbaum

  • Citizen's Arrest
    8.9/10483 votes

    #11 - Citizen's Arrest

    Season 4 Episode 11 - Aired 12/16/1963

    A minor argument between Barney and Gomer over a traffic ticket erupts into an all-out feud that leads to reckless driving, staged burglaries, and eventually Barney's resignation from the force. Can Andy get the two friends to make up before things really get out of hand?

    Director: Richard Crenna

    Writer: James Fritzell, Everett Greenbaum

  • Opie and His Merry Men
    7.6/10343 votes

    #12 - Opie and His Merry Men

    Season 4 Episode 12 - Aired 12/30/1963

    Opie and his friends decide to play Robin Hood to a friendly hobo they meet in the local woods and take food from their own cupboards to give to him. Andy decides to meet the man and ends up teaching them all a lesson in who the rich and poor really are.

    Director: Richard Crenna

    Writer: John Whedon

  • Barney and the Cave Rescue
    8.3/10383 votes

    #13 - Barney and the Cave Rescue

    Season 4 Episode 13 - Aired 1/6/1964

    The day of the town picnic, Barney watches as Andy and Helen go wandering into a cave just before the entrance collapses. He quickly rallies the town to their rescue, not realizing Andy and Helen have already found a way out.

    Director: Richard Crenna

    Writer: Harvey Bullock

  • Andy and Opie's Pal
    7.4/10311 votes

    #14 - Andy and Opie's Pal

    Season 4 Episode 14 - Aired 1/13/1964

    After becoming jealous of the attention Andy give to the new boy in town, Opie comes to Andy wrapped in bandages and tells him he and the new boy got into a vicious fight. One peek under Opie's bandages, however, tells Andy the fight may not have been as bloody, or as real, as Opie says.

    Director: Richard Crenna

    Writer: Harvey Bullock

  • Aunt Bee the Crusader
    7.6/10316 votes

    #15 - Aunt Bee the Crusader

    Season 4 Episode 15 - Aired 1/20/1964

    Aunt Bee's friend Mr. Frisby tells her his house is about to be demolished to make way for a new highway. She decides to help her friend and campaigns to halt the county's plans, despite the fact that Andy is the one who must serve the eviction.

    Director: N/A

    Writer: John Whedon

  • Barney's Sidecar
    8.6/10441 votes

    #16 - Barney's Sidecar

    Season 4 Episode 16 - Aired 1/27/1964

    Barney buys an antique motorcycle in order to set a speed trap for speeding truckers on Highway 6. After Barney makes a complete nuisance of himself to all of Mayberry, Andy realizes that the answer may be to make the motorcycle more valuable to the town than to Barney.

    Director: N/A

    Writer: James Fritzell, Everett Greenbaum

  • My Fair Ernest T. Bass
    8.4/10435 votes

    #17 - My Fair Ernest T. Bass

    Season 4 Episode 17 - Aired 2/3/1964

    Andy is called to arrest Ernest T. Bass once again for disturbing one of Mrs. Wiley's socials. Sympathizing with his search for true love, Andy and Barney teach him how to act like a gentleman and bring him to Mrs. Wiley's next social. But when Ernest falls for Mrs. Wiley's niece, his true colors shine through.

    Director: Earl Bellamy

    Writer: James Fritzell, Everett Greenbaum

  • Prisoner of Love
    8.1/10439 votes

    #18 - Prisoner of Love

    Season 4 Episode 18 - Aired 2/10/1964

    While guarding a gorgeous jewel thief one night, Andy nearly falls for her seductive charms. He decides to go home and leaves Barney to guard her for the night. But when it suddenly occurs to Andy what the thief's real plans are, he realizes he may not be able to warn Barney in time.

    Director: Earl Bellamy

    Writer: Harvey Bullock

  • Hot Rod Otis
    8.2/10344 votes

    #19 - Hot Rod Otis

    Season 4 Episode 19 - Aired 2/17/1964

    Andy and Barney are horrified to learn that Otis, the town drunk, has just bought a new car. After he passes out one night after a party, Andy and Barney put him in his usual jail cell and pretend that he is dead to teach him a lesson. Little do they know Otis may have already learned it.

    Director: Earl Bellamy

    Writer: Harvey Bullock

  • The Song Festers
    8.4/10359 votes

    #20 - The Song Festers

    Season 4 Episode 20 - Aired 2/24/1964

    When Gomer replaces Barney in the Mayberry choir, Barney is heartbroken. Gomer hears about this and feigns illness so that Barney can sing on the night of the recital. But when Barney's pride gets in the way, the big performance threatens to become a big disaster.

    Director: Earl Bellamy

    Writer: James Fritzell, Everett Greenbaum

  • The Shoplifters
    8.6/10423 votes

    #21 - The Shoplifters

    Season 4 Episode 21 - Aired 3/2/1964

    Andy and Barney must find a shoplifter that's been hitting Ben Weaver's store, so Barney volunteers to dress up as a mannequin. He ends up accusing a little old lady and is ridiculed for another one of his famous blunders by everyone except Andy, who believes he might be onto something.

    Director: N/A

    Writer: N/A

  • Andy's Vacation
    8.3/10327 votes

    #22 - Andy's Vacation

    Season 4 Episode 22 - Aired 3/9/1964

    Andy decides to take a vacation in the mountains and leaves Barney to guard a prisoner the state police have brought in. Inevitably, the prisoner escapes Barney's grasp and flees into the mountains -- the very same mountains Andy is vacationing in.

    Director: Jeffrey Hayden

    Writer: James Fritzell, Everett Greenbaum

  • Andy Saves Gomer
    7.6/10308 votes

    #23 - Andy Saves Gomer

    Season 4 Episode 23 - Aired 3/16/1964

    After Andy extinguishes a small fire that started at the filling station while Gomer was napping, Gomer believes Andy saved his life and makes a pest of himself trying to repay the debt. Andy decides to stage an accident and let Gomer "rescue" him, but it's Gomer that ends up needing the rescuing.

    Director: Jeffrey Hayden

    Writer: Harvey Bullock

  • Bargain Day
    7.7/10332 votes

    #24 - Bargain Day

    Season 4 Episode 24 - Aired 3/23/1964

    Aunt Bee decides to buy 150 pounds of beef at a discount from a new butcher in town. She stores in in her "discount" freezer, which immediately breaks down. With her beef about to go bad, she learns that the only one in town with a freezer bug enough to save her beef is her original butcher.

    Director: Jeffrey Hayden

    Writer: John Whedon

  • Divorce, Mountain Style
    7.5/10347 votes

    #25 - Divorce, Mountain Style

    Season 4 Episode 25 - Aired 3/30/1964

    Charlene Darling returns to Mayberry and announces that she has divorced her husband and now, according to folklore, must marry Andy. Desperate for a way out, Andy reads up on mountain folklore and finds a peculiar ritual that will void the marriage, if only he can get Barney to ride the horse.

    Director: Jeffrey Hayden

    Writer: James Fritzell, Everett Greenbaum