Steven Helmer Publications

I needed a bit of background noise while working on something in my office today, so I booted up my spare laptop and, because it was readily available, put on the very first episode of The Andy Griffith Show , "The New Housekeeper." As I watched this episode, which introduced Andy ( Andy Griffith ), his son Opie ( Ron Howard ) and Aunt Bee ( Frances Bavier ), something hit me - Andy grew up in Mayberry (evidence of which is provided in later episodes). So why does he seem to have zero relatives who live there? OK, so obviously, there is Bee. However, based on the first episode, she didn't live in Mayberry prior to the start of the series and instead relocated there to help Andy out. She was also his first choice, despite the distance, after his housekeeper got married, presumably because he had no other family around who were willing to help. The only other potential relative is Barney ( Don Knotts ), who is described as his cousin in early episodes. By the time we reach ...

Synopsis: In 1888 London, Helen Harley agrees to rent her attic to Mr. Slade, a research pathologist who comes to her door unannounced. Slade is a reliable renter and seems to be developing a romantic interest in Helen's niece, Lily. However, he has some eccentric traits that make Helen suspect Mr. Slade might actually be the notorious serial killer, Jack the Ripper. Who's in it? The movie stars Jack Palance , Constance Smith , Frances Bavier , Byron Palmer and Rhys Williams. Review: I came across Man in the Attic on Amazon Prime Video last night and since was a movie I had been wanting to watch, I quickly added it to my list. I wound up watching it this morning before heading into the office and it turned out to be an entertaining film. Helen (Bavier) was a character that reminded me a lot of Aunt Bee from The Andy Griffith Show , and not just because she was played by the same actress. She had a quirky way about her, which made it hard to take her premonitions and deducti...

Synopsis: Always on the lookout for a good bargain, Aunt Bee ( Frances Bavier ) can't pass up an opportunity to purchase 150 pounds of beef from a discount butcher. Unfortunately for her, the meat turns out to be tough and their freezer, which she purchased at an auction, starts to malfunction. My Thoughts -  Andy ( Andy Griffith ) sure gave Bee a hard time about saving money. OK, maybe the meat purchase and the freezer purchase turned out to be bad ideas but what was wrong about her buying sugar in bulk? He's trying to feed three mouths on one income and, since we all know he's honest, he's probably not making enough where they can just throw money away.  Plus, it's not like he doesn't try to save money. He won't even buy his own car; he just takes the sheriff's car everywhere. And he seemed awfully shocked about having roast beef when they didn't have company over. Of course, both of those things being said, when is the last time Andy even shop...

Synopsis: Andy ( Andy Griffith ) scores an invite to visit the exclusive Esquire Club and an excited Barney ( Don Knotts ) tags along with him with the hopes they both will be accepted as members. However, the overzealous deputy does not make a great first impression with the club's members. My Thoughts: I loved this episode's opening sequence, with Barney trying to hide the fact he was sleeping on the job and Andy doing his best to hide the fact he knew. Later in the episode, his reaction to Aunt Bee ( Frances Bavier ) tying up the phone was equally funny. Stuff like that is why this show just wasn't as good after Don Knotts left. There Andy goes neglecting his duties again. Even Floyd ( Howard McNear ) questioned who would be running the sheriff's office with both Andy and Barney out of town. I get it, Mayberry doesn't have a lot of crime, other than maybe the local town drunk needing a place to sleep things off, but that doesn't mean there couldn't be ...

Synopsis: When Andy ( Andy Griffith ) pulls over a woman driver ( Jean Hagan ) for doing 70 m.p.h. in a 45-m.p.h. zone, she challenges the $10 fine and his role as justice of the peace. Andy agrees to let her appeal to Mayor Pike ( Dick Elliott ) despite the jail not being equipped to house a female prisoner overnight. However, his case against her begins to fall apart as she charms his three witnesses, Barney ( Don Knotts ), Floyd ( Howard McNear ) and Opie ( Ron Howard ) into testifying on her behalf. My Thoughts: I wonder if Andy should have been investigated for misappropriation of county property . I really find it hard to believe the taxpayers are perfectly fine with him using the county's only patrol car to go fishing, especially since he had his son, his deputy, and the local barber with him. This, of course, raises another question - what would have happened if had been an emergency? All of Mayberry's law enforcement was out fishing and, at least from appearances, he...

Synopsis: Overwhelmed by the number of customers in his barber shop, Floyd ( Howard McNear ) lets a second barber ( Herb Vigran ) set up a second chair and is thrilled by the extra business his new partner is bringing in. However, the new barber is actually using Floyd's shop as a front for his gambling business. My Thoughts: I kind of have to agree with Opie ( Ron Howard ) , he didn't look like he needed a haircut to me. Either Aunt Bee ( Frances Bavier ) was just trying to get rid of him for a couple hours or the show was just trying to find an excuse for Andy ( Andy Griffith ) to be in the barbershop when the new guy arrived. Andy can be kind of pushy. I'm not sure Floyd really wanted a second chair but, even if he didn't, Andy sure made sure he didn't have much say in it. I mean, really, it's not like he owns any stake in that barbershop. What gives him the right to negotiate a deal for Floyd? Seriously, what an ass. And he seriously didn't think to ch...

Synopsis: The Mayberry jail is picked to temporarily house famous con man 'Gentleman' Dan Caldwell ( Dan Tobin ). His personality manages to charm everyone he talks to from his cell, especially Opie ( Ron Howard ). However, Andy ( Andy Griffith ) is suspicious of Dan's motives. My Thoughts: How long does Opie get for a school lunch? Apparently, it is long enough for him to come all the way over to the courthouse, have a picnic lunch with his dad and aunt, and walk back to the school. That seems like an awfully long time, even by 1960s standards, especially since, as far as I can tell, the school isn't across the street. Andy is lucky not to have been shot. Yeah, I get the comedy aspect of Barney ( Don Knotts ) accidentally shooting the floor while practicing his quick draw skills. I'm just saying, with him waiving that gun around as much as he was, it's very fortunate a stray bullet didn't catch the sheriff right between the eyes. I feel like maybe he needs ...

Synopsis: With the jail already full of moonshiners, Andy ( Andy Griffith ) decides to have a drunk Otis ( Hal Smith ) serve his sentence at his house. Aunt Bee ( Frances Bavier ) is opposed to the idea, but ultimately ends up putting Otis to work as part of his sentence. My Thoughts:  This episode shows just how inefficient the Mayberry jail is. Andy likes to keep the cells decorated to make his prisoners comfortable but that decision also means just one bed per cell. How does he not get in trouble when he has two prisoners per cell and is keeping them overnight? Where does the second prisoner sleep? And just how did he get all four moonshiners to the jail? The obvious answer is he put them in the car. However, there were four moonshiners and only three would fit in the back seat. Did he seriously let one ride next to him in the front? Keep in mind, they put up enough of a fight to injure his arm and he even felt the need to lead them into the jail carrying a shotgun. Him being a...

Synopsis: A new doctor ( George Nader ) comes to Mayberry and, because he is spending so much time with Ellie ( Elinor Donahue ), Barney ( Don Knotts ) and Aunt Bee ( Frances Bavier ) manage to convince Andy ( Andy Griffith ) he is in danger of losing her to another man. Review: After 15 years of marriage, my wife and I have an unspoken rule - don't air our dirty laundry. This is because we know there will be plenty of people who will try to give us unwanted advice and the loudest of that advice will likely come from people who are single. That rule came to mind when watching this episode at lunch yesterday. For everything there is to like about Sheriff Andy Taylor, there are plenty of negative things that offset that. And, one of those things is he tends to take bad advice from people who really aren't qualified to give it in the first place. In this case, it was both Barney and Aunt Bee, both of them single and both making things out to be much, much worse than they...

Synopsis: Aunt Bee ( Frances Bavier ) leaves town for a few days and, since Andy ( Andy Griffith ) and Opie ( Ron Howard ) are slobs, is convinced the house will be a disaster when she returns. Andy disagrees with her but Aunt Bee's prediction proves to be correct. Will he and Opie be able to get the house clean before she returns? Review: When I first came across this episode while home at lunch yesterday, I almost skipped it. This is because, if I had a nickel for every television sitcom that "proved" men weren't as good at keeping the house running as women, I probably would have a lot of nickels. However, I realized I'm not a television historian and, for all I knew, this could be the first show to use that plot. So, I wound up watching it anyway and was pleasantly surprised. The thing that really stood out for me when it came to this episode is it wasn't anywhere near as predictable as I thought it was going to be. Sure, Andy and Opie proved to ...