Episode cast overview: | |||
Andy Griffith | ... | ||
Ron Howard | ... |
Opie Taylor
(as Ronny Howard)
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Frances Bavier | ... | ||
Hal Smith | ... | ||
Hope Summers | ... | ||
Fred Sherman | ... |
H. Fred Goss
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With Barney away, Andy has been working double shifts so he decides to forgo the dance that night. Aunt Bee's friend Clara suggests to Bee that her presence may be preventing Andy from finding himself a wife. With that in mind she decides to invite the local dry cleaner, Fred Goss, for dinner. Goss has been flirting with her of late so he gladly accepts her invitation. Andy now thinks that perhaps he has been preventing his Aunt Bee from developing a relationship because of her dedication to him and Opie, so he encourages the match. Aunt Bee is actually quite unhappy but will make any sacrifice for the boys but Andy finally realizes they are working at cross-purposes. Written by garykmcd
While I love "The Andy Griffith Show", the program did have a few characters that I disliked. Late in the series (after Barney left), it was easy to hate dull characters like Howard, Emmett and especially Warren--they just made you appreciate how great a loss the series suffered with Don Knotts' absence. However, there were a couple characters who were in the show since before Barney's departure who annoyed me. The worst was Ernest T. Bass--and I think there's little reason to go into why he was so detestable--it's THAT obvious. The other was Clara Edwards. Although she started off on the show well (with good appearances when she took care of Andy and Opie during Bee's trip as well as the pickle episode), after a while she just seemed like an annoying old biddy--someone you really had a hard time liking. "Wedding Bells for Aunt Bee" is the first show where you start to see the real wretched character of Clara! The meddlesome Clara decides, out of the blue, that Andy will never get remarried as long as Bee is living in the home. After all, what new wife would want to have someone there who takes her place as mistress of the house?! As a result, Bee decides she must find a husband for herself--and is willing to settle for a pretty awful choice in order to help Andy. When Andy discovers the ruse he doesn't punch Clara in the mouth (too bad) and convinces Bee she is always welcome.
It made for a nice heartwarming show and did a lot to further solidify the love between the characters. Too bad it was a turning point for evil Clara! From here on, she became a bit of a nuisance.