Summary[]
Plot[]
Aunt Bee receives a telegram from her eccentric cousin, Bradford J. Taylor stating the he will be traveling through Mayberry en route to another business venture. Bradford is described as being a successful entrepreneur with a track record of astute choices in his enterprises. Aunt Bee decides to throw a gala for Bradford at the Taylor home, and sends out extravagant invitations to the family's closest Mayberry friends.
Andy is shown patrolling the train yard looking for vagrants, and witnesses a sharply dressed, well-groomed man exiting a train car with a suitcase and umbrella. After speaking with the gentleman Andy is visibly disappointed as he realizes that the man who had bummed a ride on the car is actually Bradford Taylor. Before going home, Andy suggests he and Bradford go by the courthouse to discuss things. After talking with Bradford, Andy becomes very aware that Bradford's successes have all been a fabrication and that all of his choices in business have failed. Rather than crush Aunt Bee with this troubling news, Andy tells Bradford that his party will go on, but demands he leave Mayberry in a couple of days.
At the party Clara becomes suspicious of Bradford and is even more skeptical when he encourages the partygoers to join his new enterprise of marketing Aunt Bee's ice cream. The next day, when Andy is in Mount Pilot for a meeting, Bradford schedules a meeting that evening with the partygoers to discuss their investment. Andy returns and hears of this scheme and is forced to tell Aunt Bee and Opie of Bradford's misfortunes. Andy and Aunt Bee decide to carry on with the meeting, where they'll tell the investors of Bradford's lies. Bradford is asked to leave by Andy and as he exits, runs in to Clara on the streets of Mayberry, heading to the train station. It is suggested that Bradford is coming clean with Clara as the scene cuts back to the Taylor living room where the investors are gathered.
As Aunt Bee and Andy begin to explain things to their friends, Clara barges in and asks if she can tell the news Bradford just told her. Clara states that the ice cream investment opportunity is no longer going to happen because Bradford was called away by the state department to help with the trade issues in the Far East. Aunt Bee and Andy decide to let this news slide without revealing Bradford's deceitfulness since the friends are amazed by Bradford's selfless loyalty and generosity to his country.
Tag: Aunt Bee receives a letter from Bradford. He is now in Minnesota working on a plan to crossbreed rabbits with minks, hoping to "capture the entire mink-dyed rabbit market".
Notes/Trivia[]
- This is one of the rare instances where they show the ceiling of a set, in this case, the Taylor kitchen.