Mayberry Goes Hollywood

Season 1 > • < Episode 13 >

Air Date

January 2, 1961

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Summary

Lights! Camera! Chaos! A Hollywood producer chooses idyllic Mayberry as the backdrop for his next movie, and the entire town goes into a frenzy as they gear up for the anticipated glamor, fame, and fortune.

Quote

"Ain't we a picking our peaches fore they're fuzzed up good?"
- Andy

Sequential Episode

13

Summary[]

Lights! Camera! Chaos! A Hollywood producer chooses idyllic Mayberry as the backdrop for his next movie, and the entire town goes into a frenzy as they gear up for the anticipated glamor, fame, and fortune.

Plot[]

When a Hollywood producer wants to make his latest movie in Mayberry, the Town Council is suspicious of his motives, concerned that he may just want to make fun of the town and its people.

S1E13 - Scoping Mayberry for Hollywood — Scoping Mayberry for Hollywood

Andy takes the producer, Mr. Harmon, on a tour of Mayberry, sizing him up at the same time. Once he realizes that Harmon means no harm, Andy manages to convince the council and they agree to have the picture made.
As soon as the producer heads back to California, however, the Mayberry Gazette prints the story under a banner headline, and Hollywood fever strikes Mayberry like lightening - town loafers sport three-piece suits and stores offer everything thing from Carey Grant haircuts to Hollywood funerals. It seems that everyone except Andy - even Barney, Aunt Bee, and Opie - catches the film bug. The Mayor, the Town Council, and the entire town become convinced that they must fundamentally alter themselves in order to live up to Hollywood's expectations.

S1E13 - Floyd's Hollywood Makeover — Floyd's Hollywood Makeover

When Mr. Harmon returns with his crew he is astounded to find that the simple, pure Mayberry he wanted to film has morphed into some sort of hayseed Babylon. Exasperated, he explains that he wanted to film Mayberry in its natural state, not all gussied up and phony looking - and scolds the town just before it destroys part of its heritage by cutting down a landmark tree. A bit embarrassed, as if a spell had been broken, the mayor and townsfolk come to their senses - returning Mayberry to normal.

Notes/Trivia[]

While cleaning inside one of the jail cells (which we later find out Barney has accidentally locked them in while the key is in another cell door) Barney describes in great detail how someone from Mayberry named Gordon Bellfield went to Hollywood. While there, he took one of those guided tours past the stars' houses, and got off the bus and the woman that was sitting next to them on the bus picked up Gary Cooper's newspaper and got told by Cooper's maid to get off the grass. This is the exact same event that occurred in season 6's "The Taylors in Hollywood". The only difference is in season 6's episode, it was Andy, Opie, and Bee, and the house belonged to Cesar Romero.
This episode marked the first appearance of Floyd Lawson (Howard McNear) as Floyd the barber. However, his last name is Colby, not Lawson. (Floyd's "Hollywood" name for his shop is Colby's Tonsorial Parlor)
As a youngster, Floyd practiced barbering on alley cats.
Actors Gary Cooper, George "Gabby" Hayes and Rock Hudson are all mentioned in this episode.