Christmas Story (19 Dec. 1960)

Mean old Ben Weaver catches Sam Muggins moonshining and insists Andy lock him up, even though it's Christmas eve. In order to keep Ben off his back and still have the party they had planned... See full summary »

Director:

Bob Sweeney

Writer:

Frank Tarloff

Stars:

Andy Griffith, Ron Howard, Don Knotts

Cast

Episode credited cast:
Andy Griffith	...	Sheriff Andy Taylor
Ron Howard	...	Opie Taylor (as Ronnie Howard)
Don Knotts	...	Deputy Barney Fife / Barney as Santa Claus
Frances Bavier	...	Aunt Bee Taylor
Elinor Donahue	...	Ellie Walker
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Sam Edwards	...	Sam Muggins
Joy Ellison	...	Effie Muggins
Margaret Kerry	...	Bess Muggins
Will Wright	...	Ben Weaver

Storyline

Mean old Ben Weaver catches Sam Muggins moonshining and insists Andy lock him up, even though it's Christmas eve. In order to keep Ben off his back and still have the party they had planned, Andy arrests Sam's wife and children as "accessories before, during, and after the fact", and deputizes Ellie, Opie, and Aunt Bee to help watch the prisoners. Everyone is having a good time except Ben, who spies on them and tries to get himself arrested because he's too ornery to admit he wants to participate. Andy finally arrests him after he figures it out, but lets Ben stop by his store to pick up a few things he might need - presents for the others.

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Plot Keywords:

christmas

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Genres:

Comedy | Family

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

19 December 1960 (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 only show of the entire series that portrayed Christmas.

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Goofs

When the camera pans to Ben Weaver outside the courthouse looking in, as Andy and Ellie are singing 'Away in A Manger', a calendar hanging in the cell shows Christmas falling on Wednesday. Christmas in 1960 fell on a Sunday. The most recent year on which Christmas fell on a Wednesday was 1957.

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Soundtracks

"Deck the Halls"
(uncredited)
(traditional carol)
Sung by Andy Griffith & Cast

User Reviews

Will Wright makes this one terrific...

You probably won't recognize his name, but Will Wright made a career out of playing grouchy old men. I assume he always looked grouchy and old--as that's the only way I recall him in films--even when they were made years before this episode! And, he was great in roles like this one--and makes this "Andy Griffith" episode one of the best.

The show begins with a nasty old man (Wright) storming into Andy's office and demanding that he throw a debtor into jail--even though it's practically Christmas! Andy is aghast--especially when the hard-hearted Wright keeps insisting. So, ultimately, Andy has the idea to also incarcerate the man's family and make it a holiday celebration. But, Wright is furious--insisting that this isn't fair and is clearly a way to subvert the law. However, soon Andy realizes that Wright, despite his blustering and nasty demeanor, is a lonely old guy and truly wants to be liked--he just can't let himself show it. I'd love to say more but can't. Suffice to say it leads to a very funny yet heart-warming finale--one that also manages not to step over the border into schmaltz. Well worth seeing and a Christmas classic--well written and acted throughout.