Oh, this was the tragic, terrible episode, the worst episode of all the Andy Griffith shows.
Barney Fife returned.
No, that wasn't what was horrible.
What was horrible was watching this show in reruns in the 1970s, Barney would call up Juanita at the diner and sing to her, here would come the fun girls from Rally ("Hello, Doll!") and Thelma Lou and Helen Crump would storm out mad in a huff.
Goober and Gomer would tangled up in a hilarious change-partners dance.
Episode after episode of Barney and Thelma Lou, double-dating, triple-dating with Gomer and Thelma Lou's cousin (played by Mary Grace Canfield, who alongside Betty Lynn and Aneta Courseaut, Canfield shows she had no problem getting a man for real. This lady is full figured!), endless fights and making up.
Then Don Knotts left the show.
Without Knotts, there was no need for Betty Lynn to remain either, so she disappeared.
Then Knotts returned here, in a color episode (that alone should have been a bad omen, but we had a black and white TV then).
Andy and Barney attend a high school reunion.
Barney makes plans to meet up again with Thelma Lou.
And there she is! How about that! With her husband, Gerald Whitfield.
I screamed "NO!" How could this happen? The tragic episode tried to wrap things up with Barney getting another girl, but I was crushed.
It would be years later before we would get "Return to Mayberry" with virtually all of the surviving cast returning intact (minus Floyd, who had passed away, and Aunt Bea, who was too ill, tho she did a voice-over.) Andy would spy Thelma Lou at the cemetery (Tho Frances Bavier was still alive, but in bad health, the character of Aunt Bea was killed off.) Thelma Lou.
Was a widow.
And Fife knew!! The movie would set straight what this horrible, horrible episode of the TV show had done.
Thank goodness.
I saw this episode last week on TVland for the dedication to Don Knotts.
It still hurts.
But he did get her back.
Thank goodness.
Barney Fife returned.
No, that wasn't what was horrible.
What was horrible was watching this show in reruns in the 1970s, Barney would call up Juanita at the diner and sing to her, here would come the fun girls from Rally ("Hello, Doll!") and Thelma Lou and Helen Crump would storm out mad in a huff.
Goober and Gomer would tangled up in a hilarious change-partners dance.
Episode after episode of Barney and Thelma Lou, double-dating, triple-dating with Gomer and Thelma Lou's cousin (played by Mary Grace Canfield, who alongside Betty Lynn and Aneta Courseaut, Canfield shows she had no problem getting a man for real. This lady is full figured!), endless fights and making up.
Then Don Knotts left the show.
Without Knotts, there was no need for Betty Lynn to remain either, so she disappeared.
Then Knotts returned here, in a color episode (that alone should have been a bad omen, but we had a black and white TV then).
Andy and Barney attend a high school reunion.
Barney makes plans to meet up again with Thelma Lou.
And there she is! How about that! With her husband, Gerald Whitfield.
I screamed "NO!" How could this happen? The tragic episode tried to wrap things up with Barney getting another girl, but I was crushed.
It would be years later before we would get "Return to Mayberry" with virtually all of the surviving cast returning intact (minus Floyd, who had passed away, and Aunt Bea, who was too ill, tho she did a voice-over.) Andy would spy Thelma Lou at the cemetery (Tho Frances Bavier was still alive, but in bad health, the character of Aunt Bea was killed off.) Thelma Lou.
Was a widow.
And Fife knew!! The movie would set straight what this horrible, horrible episode of the TV show had done.
Thank goodness.
I saw this episode last week on TVland for the dedication to Don Knotts.
It still hurts.
But he did get her back.
Thank goodness.