The Andy Griffith Show returned with their fourth season on September 30, 1963.
Season Overview[]
Goober fans, rejoice--the arrival of George Lindsey's popular character is just one of the homespun joys of The Andy Griffith Show's fourth season. Lindsey as Goober Pyle (cousin to Jim Nabors's Gomer) makes his debut in one of the season's funniest episodes, "The Fun Girls," which is also the only time Gomer and Goober appeared together on screen. By season's end, Gomer would depart for his own series (season 4's final episode, "Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.," would serve as the pilot for that program), but before then, he enjoyed some fine episodes, including "Andy Saves Gomer" from a fire at the filling station and "Citizen's Arrest" (a knockout showcase for Nabors and Don Knotts, who is topnotch, as always, as Barney Fife). Other supporting characters get a spotlight or two in season 4, including Howard Morris's Ernest T. Bass ("Ernest T. Bass Joins the Army") and Denver Pyle as Briscoe Darling, patriarch of the Darling clan, and Maggie Peterson as Charlene Darling, but of course, the crux of the show remains Andy and son Opie (Ron Howard), who do stand-out work in the well-loved "Opie the Birdman," which addresses serious topics--death and responsibility--in the series's typically warm and humane manner.
Major Characters[]
Episodes[]
# | Image | Title | Airdate | |
---|---|---|---|---|
01 | Opie the Birdman | September 30, 1963 | ||
Opie hand-raises three orphaned baby birds, after accidentally killing the mother bird. | ||||
02 | The Haunted House | October 7, 1963 | ||
Barney and Gomer try to retrieve a baseball from a supposedly haunted house and find some strange goings on inside. | ||||
03 | Ernest T. Bass Joins the Army | October 14, 1963 | ||
Ernest T. Bass wants to join the Army | ||||
04 | The Sermon for Today | October 21, 1963 | ||
A visiting minister advises the people of Mayberry to relax. | ||||
05 | Briscoe Declares for Aunt Bee | October 28, 1963 | ||
Briscoe Darling woos Aunt Bee and carries her off to his mountain cabin. | ||||
06 | Gomer the House Guest | November 4, 1963 | ||
Gomer moves into the Taylor House after losing his job at Wally's Filling Station. | ||||
07 | A Black Day for Mayberry | November 11, 1963 | ||
A shipment of gold passes through Mayberry on its way to Fort Knox. | ||||
08 | Opie's Ill-Gotten Gain | November 18, 1963 | ||
Opie gets a new bicycle as a reward for his good report card. | ||||
09 | A Date for Gomer | November 25, 1963 | ||
Gomer has a date with Thelma Lou's cousin Mary Grace. | ||||
10 | Up in Barney's Room | December 2, 1963 | ||
Barney gets thrown out of his apartment. | ||||
11 | Citizen's Arrest | December 16, 1963 | ||
When Barney tickets Gomer, Gomer decides turnabout is fair play. | ||||
12 | Opie and His Merry Men | December 30, 1963 | ||
A hobo gets Opie and his friends to provide him with food. | ||||
13 | Barney and the Cave Rescue | January 6, 1964 | ||
After a landslide traps Andy and Helen in a cave, all Mayberry sets off to the rescue. | ||||
14 | Andy and Opie's Pal | January 13, 1964 | ||
Opie is jealous of the attention his father pays to a friend. | ||||
15 | Aunt Bee the Crusader | January 20, 1964 | ||
Aunt Bee stages a protest when a farmer is threatened with eminent domain. | ||||
16 | Barney's Sidecar | January 27, 1964 | ||
Barney invests into a motorcycle, which quickly becomes a town nuisance. | ||||
17 | My Fair Ernest T. Bass | February 3, 1964 | ||
Andy tries to pass off Ernest T. as a sophisticate at a swanky party. | ||||
18 | Prisoner of Love | February 10, 1964 | ||
A female prisoner tries to work her magic on Andy and Barney. | ||||
19 | Hot Rod Otis | February 17, 1964 | ||
Otis surprises everyone when he purchases a car. | ||||
20 | The Song Festers | February 24, 1964 | ||
Barney is the only tenor in the choir. When a tenor solo part is required and the choir director is desperate to find someone else to sing the part. Gomer becomes the replacement. Note: Ronny Howard does not appear in this episode. | ||||
21 | The Shoplifters | March 2, 1964 | ||
Ben Weaver complains to the Mayberry sheriff's office that merchandise has been disappearing from his department store. While Andy investigates, Barney decides to go undercover to catch the crook(s). | ||||
22 | Andy's Vacation | March 9, 1964 | ||
Barney continuously interrupts Andy's vacation plans. | ||||
23 | Andy Saves Gomer | March 16, 1964 | ||
Gomer believes Andy has saved his life, so he continuously tries to repay him. | ||||
24 | Bargain Day | March 23, 1964 | ||
Aunt Bee stores a side of beef in a faulty freezer. | ||||
25 | Divorce, Mountain Style | March 30, 1964 | ||
Charlene Darling uses a mountain ritual to divorce Dud Wash and marry Andy. | ||||
26 | A Deal Is a Deal | April 6, 1964 | ||
Opie and his friends get involved in a scheme selling a worthless product called 'Miracle Salve'. | ||||
27 | The Fun Girls (episode) | April 13, 1964 | ||
Helen and Thelma Lou catch Andy and Barney with The Fun Girls. | ||||
28 | The Return of Malcolm Merriweather | April 20, 1964 | ||
Aunt Bee feels unneeded when Malcom Merriweather pays a visit. | ||||
29 | The Rumor | April 27, 1964 | ||
Barney, Aunt Bee, and Thelma Lou believe Andy and Helen are engaged. | ||||
30 | Barney and Thelma Lou - Phfftt | May 4, 1964 | ||
Thelma Lou uses Gomer to make Barney jealous. | ||||
31 | Back to Nature | May 11, 1964 | ||
Andy and Barney take Opie and his friends on a camping trip. | ||||
32 | Gomer Pyle U.S.M.C. (episode) | May 18, 1964 | ||
Gomer leaves Mayberry to join the United States Marine Corps. |
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Season 3 The Andy Griffith Show | Season 5 The Andy Griffith Show |