Back to Nature (11 May 1964)

Andy, Barney, and Gomer take Opie and his friends camping. Barney, who said he was a great woodsman, manages to get lost in the woods with Gomer.

Director:

Coby Ruskin

Writer:

Harvey Bullock

Stars:

Andy Griffith, Ron Howard, Don Knotts

Cast

Episode cast overview:
Andy Griffith	...	Sheriff Andy Taylor
Ron Howard	...	Opie Taylor (as Ronny Howard)
Don Knotts	...	Deputy Barney Fife
Jim Nabors	...	Gomer Pyle
Howard McNear	...	Floyd Lawson
Willis Bouchey	...	Fletcher 'Fletch' Roberts
David Alan Bailey	...	Trey Bowden (as David A. Bailey)
Richard Keith	...	Johnny Paul Jason
Dennis Rush	...	Howie Pruitt

Storyline

Andy, Barney and Gomer take Opie and his friends on a weekend campaign trip in woods. Andy wants the boys to have fun but Barney keeps talking about the importance of getting back to land and so on. He also constantly brags about his own outdoor skills from catching his own food, to starting fires by rubbing two sticks together. When Opie wanders off on his own the next morning, Barney and Gomer go off looking for him - against Andy's advice to just wait a bit to see if the boy returns - and they promptly get lost. Barney's sense of direction is non-existent and it takes both Andy and Gomer's help to get him back to camp.

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Genres:

Comedy | Family

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

11 May 1964 (USA)

Filming Locations:

Desilu Studios - 9336 W. Washington Blvd., Culver City, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Mayberry Enterprises

Technical Specs

Runtime:

30 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The ghost story "The Golden Arm" that Andy tells around the campfire is adapted, and its conclusion lifted directly, from Mark Twain's essay "How to Tell a Story".

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Goofs

When Barney and Gomer start following the "Lake Loon" back to camp, they are empty handed. When they arrive at camp, Gomer is carrying Barney's handmade trap.

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