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Summary[]

The Mayberry town band is the worst in the entire state and Mayor Roy Stoner refuses to allow them to go to the state capital to perform.

Plot[]

The Mayberry Band is in Floyd's Barbershop entertaining Floyd and Andy, as he gets a hair cut. Jubal walks in wanting a haircut, but Floyd explains he is too busy getting the band ready for a festival in Raleigh. Disenchanted, he says that his hat is getting tight, but doesn't know what to do, so Andy suggests that he simply take off his hat, & Jubal agrees.

S3E8 - Fleet is Back in Town

Fleet is Back in Town

Barney comes in next, eagerly wanting to show Andy something. While leaving Floyd's Barbershop, Andy and Barney are walking to the Courthouse they spot Freddy's Bus back in town. Bobby informs them that they are on their way to Raleigh, for a late-night show. Phil Sunkel, who is the new Trumpet player for the band, informs Freddy "That they are about to make the food scene, & wants to know if he's going to fall in with them.” Before going into the restaurant, Bobby asks if his bus will be alright parked outside for an hour, no doubt because the last time it was parked in the same spot, he was arrested.

S3E8 - Andre Kostelanetz Cymbals

Andre Kostelanetz Cymbals

Meanwhile, Back in the courthouse, Barney shows Andy his newest investment, a large set of Andre Kostelanetz Cymbals, that he got from Chicago at Cymbal City. Stunned, Andy says that they must have cost a dollar or two. Barney says that it was actually $18.50 & that he could have paid $14.50, but representing Mayberry he wanted the best. He tells Andy he wants to join the band, and go on their trip. When asked if he could get his money back, Barney tells him that he has played numerous songs on them, including; " Under The Double Eagle ,” "Pomp and Circumstance,” and “Mayberry my Mayberry.” After an impromptu audition, playing "The Washington Post March" Andy tells Barney he can join them as a Stand by Cymbalist.

S3E8 - Andy Pleads With the Mayor

Andy Pleads With the Mayor

In the town hall meeting, Andy needs Mayor Roy Stoner to sign The City Treasurer's Voucher for the band to make the trip, but the Mayor won't budge. He tells him that not only is the band the worst in the entire state but that they are actually a disgrace to the whole town. Andy admits to this, & tells the Mayor the reason that they usually send the band to the capital. It is for playing at the Town Parades, city festivals, and Fourth of July. Andy tells him that Barney has spent good money on Andre Kostelanetz Marchers, & thinking that they were shoes, The Mayor tells him that he can wear them to work. After Andy finally has him agree to at least listen to the band before making a final judgment, he gets the band together for some much-needed rehearsals. The Mayor drops by rehearsals and just as he thought, the band is awful. They try unsuccessfully, to play Stars & Stripes Forever not only does he tell them they can't go, but that they are the most disgusting band he has ever heard. He then tells them in no certain terms, that they can not go, and it hurts the boy's feelings.

S3E8 - Seeing the Band Off

Seeing the Band Off

As the boys are moping and complaining in the barbershop, Andy gets an idea. He goes to see Freddy Fleet and asks if his band would play with the Mayberry Band. Freddy tells him that he would love to help him, but that they have to leave if they're going to make their gig. In order to get them to play along, Andy has to threaten him with a promise to search his entire bus, & all its contents. All Andy wants, is for them to play along, just long enough to help the Mayberry Band sound better. Having finally agreed, Freddy's band & the Mayberry band, start exchanging uniforms. Andy has convinced The Mayor, that he and the band sound better as a marching band, & that he should give them one more shot. They once again perform for a very reluctant Mayor Stoner and this time with a great mixture of Freddy Fleet, and The Mayberry Band, he says the band can go to their festival. In the end though, as the band is riding away on their bus, they begin to play. Mayor Stoner realizes Andy has fooled him.

Notes/Trivia[]

  • The Freddy Fleet band's car is the same extended 1947 Cadillac that Bobby Fleet's band had in season one's The Guitar Player.
  • The Mayberry band must have disbanded sometime after this episode, seeing as how Andy had to get them back together in The Sermon for Today.
  • Freddy Fleet's band would later return in Goober and the Art of Love.
  • This is the last time a Mayberry council meeting is seen on the show, and one of the few times Floyd does not attend although it is possible that he was not re-elected.
  • Andy plays The Tuba.
  • Barney's cymbals are claimed to be "Andre Kostelanetz Marchers" (from Cymbal City in Chicago) and cost him $18.50 brand new. The $18.50 is the same as $143.00 with modern price inflation. 
  • One of the many show's writers; Everett Greenbaum commented that there were no such cymbals of that name. Andre was a big conductor of concert music and he chose to give the cymbals that name in the episode because it sounded comical.
  • Everett Greenbaum also explains that the mistake of using the name Freddy Fleet instead of Bobby Fleet was simply an honest mistake. He explained that back in the day they were just trying to make a living and had no idea people would still be watching and analyzing the show years later-- otherwise, they would have referred to old scripts once in a while for continuity issues.
  • Aneta Corsaut (Helen Crump) was responsible for naming the character of "Phil Sunkel". Aneta had a musician friend in New York in real life and thought he would "get a kick out of it" if she could get his name used in the script for this episode. So "Fleet's new horn" was named "Phil Sunkel". After the episode aired, the real Phil Sunkel sued for $20,000 which devastated Aneta. It was only after her repeated phone calls to the real Phil that the show was able to get him to settle out of court for only $5,000.
  • Floyd was one of the founders of the Mayberry band.
  • Although it is nice to have the band play as they leave, it was then that Mayor Stoner knows he has been tricked and will most likely not allow them to go in the following years.
  • Andy tells Carl to Andy Gump his chin, which was a comic strip that ran for 42 years, in the Chicago Tribune
  • One of the few, if only, times that Mayor Stoner doesn't care about a voter.

Quotes[]

Andy: "Phil, I know them furbelows is hard to do and I admire your ability to run them off like that but we better play it straight. The mayor's liable to get suspicious.
Phil Sunkel: "Oh, man, I'm sorry. Like, I thought I was playing it straight, constable. Matter of fact, I thought I was playing it kind of quaint."
Andy: "Well, quainten it up just a shade more and get your hat down there. Maybe hold your chin down as far as you can. Maybe your goatee will look like a hairy necktie."

Andy: "Barney has spent good money on a pair of Andre Kostelanetz Marchers."
Mayor Stoner: "All right, he can wear 'em for work."
Andy: "They're not shoes, they're cymbals!"

Gallery[]

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