The Best Episodes Written By James Fritzell

Episode Rankings

1. #1 Fan Favorite
   

   9.7/10(3 votes)

   #1 - Barney's First Car

   S3:E274/1/1963

   Barney learns that the car he's spent his life savings on is a lemon, and the little old lady he bought it from may have put one over on him. When Barney and Andy set out to return the car and arrest her, however, they find the hardest part may be just getting there.

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   Writer:James Fritzell

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2. 

   9.5/10(2 votes)

   #2 - Citizen's Arrest

   S4:E1112/16/1963

   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?

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   Writer:James Fritzell

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3. 

   9.5/10(2 votes)

   #3 - The Mayberry Band

   S3:E811/19/1962

   When Mayor Stoner decides not to cover the expense of sending the Mayberry Marching Band to their annual competition in Raleigh because he thinks they're terrible, Andy helps out by having a few of his friends from "Freddy Fleet And His Band With A Beat" step in.

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   Writer:James Fritzell

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4. 

   9.5/10(2 votes)

   #4 - The Bank Job

   S3:E1312/24/1962

   Barney becomes convinced the Mayberry bank is ripe for a robbery and tries to prove his point by staging a fake one. When he discovers a weak spot in the security system, he unknowing relays this information to a couple of actual robbers.

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   Writer:James Fritzell

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5. 

   9.5/10(2 votes)

   #5 - Man in a Hurry

   S3:E161/14/1963

   Malcolm Tucker, a business tycoon from Charlotte, has the unfortunate luck of having his car break down in Mayberry on a Sunday. Now he's willing to do just about anything to be on his way, including stealing Gomer's truck. Andy invites the man over for Sunday dinner to try and teach him the importance of relaxation before he does something he'll really regret.

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   Writer:James Fritzell

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6. 

   9.5/10(2 votes)

   #6 - High Noon in Mayberry

   S3:E171/21/1963

   Andy gets a letter from a criminal he had wounded years before and learns the man is coming to Mayberry to see him. Barney becomes convinced the man wants revenge and enlists Gomer and Otis to secretly protect Andy, which ends up wreaking more havoc than any criminal ever could.

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   Writer:James Fritzell

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7. 

   9.5/10(2 votes)

   #7 - Opie and the Spoiled Kid

   S3:E212/18/1963

   Opie's new friend Arnold is a spoiled brat used to getting his own way. He convinces Opie to try and get a raise in his allowance by throwing a temper tantrum, showing Andy that he must teach Arnold's father the importance of discipline before Opie picks up any more of Arnold's spoiled habits.

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   Writer:James Fritzell

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8. 

   9.3/10(3 votes)

   #8 - Barney's Sidecar

   S4:E161/27/1964

   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.

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   Writer:James Fritzell

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9. 

   9.1/10(8 votes)

   #9 - Abyssinia, Henry

   S3:E243/18/1975

   Everyone is happy when Henry finds out that he is being discharged and sent home, and Hawkeye and Trapper decide to literally send him off in style...

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   Writer:James Fritzell

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10. 

    9.0/10(2 votes)

    #10 - Quiet Sam

    S1:E295/1/1961

    Barney is convinced that the new, mysterious farmer in town warrants further investigation. Andy finally agrees to pay a visit to the man's farm -- and finds himself drawn into a predicament he never imagined he'd find himself in.

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    Writer:James Fritzell

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11. 

    9.0/10(2 votes)

    #11 - Ernest T. Bass Joins the Army

    S4:E310/14/1963

    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.

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    Writer:James Fritzell

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12. 

    9.0/10(2 votes)

    #12 - Gomer the House Guest

    S4:E611/4/1963

    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.

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    Writer:James Fritzell

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13. 

    9.0/10(2 votes)

    #13 - A Date for Gomer

    S4:E911/25/1963

    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.

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    Writer:James Fritzell

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14. 

    9.0/10(2 votes)

    #14 - Up in Barney's Room

    S4:E1012/2/1963

    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.

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    Writer:James Fritzell

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15. 

    9.0/10(3 votes)

    #15 - The Song Festers

    S4:E202/24/1964

    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.

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    Writer:James Fritzell

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16. 

    9.0/10(3 votes)

    #16 - Convicts-at-Large

    S3:E1112/10/1962

    Barney and Floyd stumble upon a cabin in the woods where three dangerous female convicts are hiding out. They are taken prisoner and it's Andy to the rescue when he manages to capture two of them. But it's up to Barney to get the third using all the charm he can muster, along with his best Rudolph Valentino impression.

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    Writer:James Fritzell

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17. 

    9.0/10(2 votes)

    #17 - The Darlings Are Coming

    S3:E253/18/1963

    A family of musicians who live in the mountains descend on Mayberry to await the arrival of their daughter Charlene's fiancee. When Andy tries to help by putting them up in the courthouse, he gets more than he bargained for when Charlene suddenly sets her sights on him.

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    Writer:James Fritzell

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18. 

    9.0/10(2 votes)

    #18 - Dogs, Dogs, Dogs

    S3:E304/22/1963

    A pack of stray hunting dogs descends upon Mayberry at the same time that a state investigator has come to review Andy's request for more funds for the jail. Barney and Opie decide to bring the dogs to the courthouse to shelter them from a storm, not realizing that Mr. Somerset is already there.

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    Writer:James Fritzell

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19. 

    9.0/10(2 votes)

    #19 - Mountain Wedding

    S3:E314/29/1963

    The Darling clan is back and this time need Andy's help to wed their daughter Charlene to Dud Walsh before crazy old Ernest T. Bass makes good on his threats to kidnap her and take her for his own. Andy sets Barney up as a decoy bride while the real wedding takes place elsewhere. The plan works, until Ernest kidnaps Barney and decides he's just as good a bride as Charlene.

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    Writer:James Fritzell

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20. 

    9.0/10(3 votes)

    #20 - The Education of Ernest T. Bass

    S5:E410/12/1964

    Ernest T. Bass returns to Mayberry to get an education so his girlfriend will marry him. But when he meets his new teacher Helen, he falls in love with her. Now Andy has to help Helen give Ernest all the facts he needs, including the one about the true object of his affection.

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    Writer:James Fritzell

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21. 

    8.7/10(3 votes)

    #21 - My Fair Ernest T. Bass

    S4:E172/3/1964

    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.

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    Writer:James Fritzell

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22. 

    8.7/10(3 votes)

    #22 - Andy's Vacation

    S4:E223/9/1964

    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.

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    Writer:James Fritzell

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23. 

    8.5/10(2 votes)

    #23 - Briscoe Declares for Aunt Bee

    S4:E510/28/1963

    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.

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    Writer:James Fritzell

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24. 

    8.5/10(2 votes)

    #24 - Andy's Rich Girlfriend

    S3:E210/8/1962

    Andy discovers Peggy comes from a wealthy family and starts to feel like he is unable to provide the kind of sophisticated company she is used to. He decides to stop seeing her and abruptly breaks it off, but without getting Peggy's Side of the story.

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    Writer:James Fritzell

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25. 

    8.5/10(2 votes)

    #25 - Andy and Opie, Bachelors

    S3:E410/22/1962

    Given Andy's habit of burning meals, Aunt Bee asks Peggy to look in on Andy and Opie while she's away visiting her aunt. When word gets around town, however, Andy is told Peggy's cooking may be her way of buttering him up to the idea of marriage.

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    Writer:James Fritzell

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