Mayberry on Record (TAGS Episode)

Episode Info

Mayberry on Record

• (S1.E19)
• Filmed: 19
• Aired: 19
• Original Air Date: 1961/02/13
• Writer(s): Benedict Freeman and Jack Fenton Murray
• Director: Gene Reynolds

Plot Summary

Mr. Maxwell, an independent record producer, passes through Mayberry and records some of the local talent. After Barney, Floyd, and several other locals invest some money with Maxwell, Andy becomes suspicious. Having convinced the town they've been conned, Andy has to eat his words when Maxwell returns with the syndicate's first dividend check.

Plot

Barney and the townsfolk convince Mr. Maxwell, a visiting record producer, to let them invest in his upcoming album. Andy, however, suspects a scam. Despite his warnings, Barney and the others invest. When Mr. Maxwell disappears with their money, Andy seems vindicated. But Ellie assures them that Maxwell's actions are normal.

Just as they're about to pursue Maxwell, he returns with unexpected news: the album sold exceptionally well, and he's turned a profit. He credits Andy's skepticism for highlighting Mayberry's musical talent, which ultimately led to the album's success.

Odd Facts Known by Few

• This is the first episode in which we see Barney smoke. He is seen smoking a cigar in the epilogue.

• Actor Hugh Marlowe, who played Mr. Maxwell,appeared the next year as "Roy Comstock" in the classic movie "The Birdman Of Alcatraz". He also voiced the part of Ellery Queen in the CBS radio series "The Adventures of Ellery Queen" in 1940.

• Hugh Marlowe's most memorable role was that of Mr. Stevens in the sci-fi classic, "The Day The Earth Stood Still". Ironically, he was one of the tenants (along w/ Michael Rennie as Klaatu) in a boarding house run by Frances Bavier. Billy Gray, Elinore Donahue's brother in "Father Knows Best", also has a prominent role in the sci-fi classic.

• Mr. Maxwell had Andy and the band signed to a record label named National Records. National Records was an actual label that was created in 1945 in New York City by Albert Green. The label signed primarily R&B and doo-wop groups and was sold to Mercury in 1951.

• It appears that Andy finally received the magnetic map he requested from Captain Barker in #2 “The Manhunt”. He is seen using a similar map in this episode.

• The album seen at the end of the episode is titled Music From Mayberry and features Andy on the cover. The cover is, in reality, Andy Griffith Shouts The Blues & Old Timey Songs, from 1959.

• The band playing in the barber shop is "The Country Boys" who were Roland White, Eric White, Clarence White, Billy Ray Latham, and LeRoy Mack. They soon evolved into the famous bluegrass group The Kentucky Colonels.

Clarence White was an American bluegrass and country guitarist and singer who, in addition to playing in the Kentucky Colonels, was a member of the rock band the Byrds. He is also remembered for being a pioneer of the musical genre of country rock during the late 1960s.

• The song Andy and the boys played for Mr. Maxwell in the barbershop was a bluegrass song named "Flop Eared Mule.” When the group listens to the playback ,it is revealed Andy and the band also recorded the often played Construction-era song on the show, "Crawdad Hole.”

• As Ellie stands at the soda fountain, a poster for Diced Cream can be seen on the wall behind her. Diced Cream was a cubed, single-serving ice cream product that became popular starting in the late 1940s.

• Inside Walker's Drug Store, the TV Guide with Lucille Ball on the cover (which appears several times in the series) is seen when Opie enters the store. The Andy Griffith Show was filmed at Lucille Ball and Desi Arnez's studio, Desilu.

• The whipped cream on Andy's sundae gets larger and completely covers the ice cream by the time he gives the dish to Opie.

More Information

• Two Chairs No Waiting 278: Mayberry on Record Reversed - Podcast episode dealing with the Mayberry on Record episode of TAGS.

Character List

• Andy Griffith - Andy Taylor
• Ronny Howard - Opie Taylor
• Don Knotts - Barney Fife
• Howard McNear - Floyd Lawson
• Elinor Donahue - Ellie Walker
• The Country Boys - the band
• William Erwin - investor in hat
• Hugh Marlowe - Mr. Maxwell
• George Dunn - Pete
• LeRoy "Mack" McNees - Guitar Player (The Country Boys)
• Clarence White - Guitar Player (The Country Boys)
• Roland White - Mandolin Player (The Country Boys)
• Eric White - Bass Player (The Country Boys)
• Billy Ray Latham - Banjo Player (The Country Boys)