Summary[]
Colonel Harvey, a traveling medicine man comes to Mayberry and captivates Aunt Bee.
Plot[]
Aunt Bee Under a Spell
A distraught Aunt Bee comes to the courthouse, interrupting Barney's attempts to make himself look like Rock Hudson, and asks to sit down for a while. When Andy asks what's wrong, Aunt Bee explains that her acquaintance Augusta Finch - who happened to be Aunt Bee's exact age - passed away, and it has given her a shock. Andy suggests she see the doctor, but Aunt Bee angrily declines and storms out of the courthouse, as Doc Andrews always tells her she's "no spring chicken anymore.”
Opie draws Aunt Bee's attention to Colonel Harvey, a fascinating but dubious traveling salesman claiming to sell an "Indian elixir" to purge the body and cleanse the spirit, making one feel young again. Aunt Bee is charmed by his impeccable manners and buys two bottles, inviting the Colonel for supper. Later, Andy and Barney arrive at the house to find Aunt Bee unsteady, smiling, giggling, and playing the piano for Opie and herself to sing. After she goes into the kitchen, Barney and Andy discuss the obvious fact that Bee is completely drunk, though neither can imagine her deliberately drinking liquor. Barney discovers the bottles of elixir in the closet and takes one to Doc Andrews for analysis.
Colonel Harvey comes for dinner, and Andy tries to elicit the truth from him but to no avail, as he has charmed his way into Aunt Bee and Opie's hearts. Harvey announces his intention to move on to a new town, but Aunt Bee invites Harvey to speak the next day at the Ladies' Sunday School Committee meeting at the Taylor house next morning before he goes.
The next day, Barney returns with the analytical proof that the elixir is nothing more than repackaged booze. Andy is afraid Aunt Bee will be angry and not believe him, if he arrests her new "beau,” until Barney reminds him that the Ladies will all be at the house and likely are now all drunk. Andy goes to the house while Barney sets off to arrest Harvey. Andy finds all the ladies giddily singing along to Aunt Bee's piano playing and "raids" the house, bringing them all to the jail. Once the women have sobered up, he explains to them why they all have hangovers, while Barney brings Harvey in and locks him in the other cell. The ladies angrily storm out, giving Harvey a tongue-lashing in passing.
Bee apologizes to Andy, and the next day goes to see Doc Andrews, who gives her a clean bill of health although he still insults her by calling her "no longer a spring chicken.” After she leaves, Barney makes fun of her hypochondria, only for Andy to trick him into revealing he also is a hypochondriac, even worse than Aunt Bee.
Notes/Trivia[]
- When Aunt Bee enters the courthouse, she is distraught over the death of Mayberrian Augusta Finch. Aunt Bee states that Augusta died at 10:30 that morning. At the time of her death, Augusta was exactly the age of Aunt Bee. Although that age is never given, Frances Bavier was born December 14, 1902, and this episode aired March 11, 1963, so it can be assumed Aunt Bee and Augusta Finch were both 60.
- Andy states that Augusta Finch had bad health for as long as he can remember.
- Colonel Harvey charges $1 per bottle for his elixir.
- After dinner, when Col. Harvey starts to light up a cigar, Opie asks him if he can make smoke come out of his ears. This is a reference to the Mr. McBeevee episode. In that show, Mr. McBeevee does a trick of making smoke come out of his ears, which is one of the things that Opie tells Andy and Barney that make them doubt Mr. McBeevee's existence.
- The Taylor's Home was given as 332 Maple Road. In this episode Aunt Bee tells Colonel Harvey their address is 332 Maple Road. In season 2, episode 18 "Jailbreak" Barney tells Mr. Horton that Andy's address is 24 Elm Street. In season 4, episode 16 "Barney's Sidecar" Opie starts to burn their address on the house starting with a "3." In season 7, episode 15 "A New Doctor In Town" Andy tells Dr. Thomas Petersen his address is 14 Maple.
- Barney takes a sample of Colonel Harvey's Indian Elixir to Doc Andrews. The elixir is shown to be 85% alcohol.
Goofs[]
In the final scene of the episode, where Andy and Barney are playing checkers, Andy moves a piece before AND after Barney says “Why didja ask that?,” without Barney moving a piece in his turn. hence, Andy has taken two turns in a row!
Music[]
- When Andy and Barney arrive at the Taylor house they find Aunt Bee (who has consumed Colonel Harvey's elixir) and Opie singing "Toot Toot Tootsie"
- When Andy arrives to arrest Aunt Bee and the Ladies Aid Church Committee, they are all drunk off of Colonel Harvey's elixir and singing "Chinatown, my Chinatown.”
Quotes[]
Barney: Where there's smoke, there's firewater.
Andy: Sure looks like she took the adult dose!
Andy: That stuff of the Colonel's that's supposed to purge the body and lift the spirit… actually what it does is give you a buzz. The Colonel calls it "elixir.” Other names are "hooch"
,” "booze,” "happy water,” "old red-eye.” In other words, ladies, you got "gassed.”
Gallery[]
