TV: The Andy Griffith Show, episode 1, The New Housekeeper

The Andy Taylor show is available on DVD, or it can be watched on computer via Netflix.

3 October, 1960

Andy Griffith - Sheriff Andy Taylor
Ron Howard - Opie Taylor
Don Knotts - Deputy Barney Fife
Frances Bavier - Aunt Bee Taylor
Frank Ferguson -Wilbur Pine
Cheerio Meredith - Emma Brand
Mary Treen - Rose

Inside the office of the Mayberry sheriff and justice of the peace, Andy Taylor is performing a wedding ceremony. When he gets to the part about "If anyone has anything to say to stop this marriage, speak now or forever hold your peace," Opie says he has something to say. Through the dialog it is revealed that Rose has been Sheriff Andy Taylor's housekeeper, and has raised the now 6-year old Opie Taylor for many years. Now she's getting married and will, of course, no longer be working for the Taylors.

Aunt Bee - who raised Andy Taylor when he was a boy - comes to be their new housekeeper. But Opie is stubborn and wants Rose back.

In other scenes, we meet Barney Fife for the first time. He is gung-ho because he wants to prove to the townspeople that he was given the job as deputy because he was best man for the job, not because he was Andy's cousin.

So gung ho is Barney that he actually arrests Emma Brand (Cheerio Watson) for jaywalking. She's an elderly lady who walks with a stick (although it will be revealed in future episodes that she exaggerates her ill-health.)

Opie continues to be distant toward Aunt Bee. Rose could play baseball and fish. Andy gets the idea of teaching Aunt Bee how to play baseball and fish, but both experiments are disasters.

The final straw is when Aunt Bee accidently lets Opie's pet bird out of his cage.

Aunt Bee decides she must leave, as Opie will never accept her. She goes in to Opie's room early in the morning to kiss him goodbye. Then she takes her luggage down to the truck where Andy will drive her to the bus station.

Opie, who'd only been pretending to be asleep, runs down and tells her not to go. If she leaves, what will happen to her? She can't do anyhing! She must stay so that they can take care of her.

So Aunt Bee stays, and the episode ends with Andy on the porch playing his guitar and Aunt Bee knitting.