1, How long have you been watching TAGS? How often do you watch episodes?

Don't remember when I started, but one day my brother told me about Barney's 1,2,C gassed bit, and I knew I had to see it for myself. I watch at least an episode a day. And my brother still recounts that scene all these years later on the rare occasion.

2, Do you have the DVD collection? If so, do you also watch TAGS on cable or local TV.

Local station shows two-a-day, weekdays, and I have various vhs collections when I'm in the mood to watch a favorite episode. But I prefer to be surprised.

3, Do you prefer the B&W or the color episodes best? What are some of your favorite episodes?

B&W. Man In A Hurry is #1. And generally my other favorites involve story-lines concerning the pursuit of criminals, with just a few involving love and relationships.

4, Who are some of you favorite regular characters? Your favorite reoccurring characters?

Ange, Barn, Thelmer Lou, Helen, Gome, Otis, young Opie, early Floyd.
'Oh, and Mr. Schwump.'  Rafe Hollister, Emma Watson, Ben Weaver, and both mayors were great reoccurring characters.

5, Who are your favorite one-time characters? Who would you like to have seen as a regular cast member?

Bert Miller, David Browne, Malcolm Tucker, Henry Wheeler, Neil Bentley, Gentleman Dan, and Sam Becker. All these actors would've been welcome cast members.

6, Who were some of the unseen characters you feel should have been seen?

Al Becker, in one scene sitting next to Mr Schwump complaining his toupee off about a certain collie.

7, Who is your favorite of Andy’s girlfriends? Should have Barney & Thelma Lou gotten married?

Mary Simpson was an absolute doll. With or without her slides. Barney and Thelma Lou should have dated well into their 80's since their flame never extinguished.

8, Which of the 3 Ben Weavers did you like best? Which Mayor was your favorite?

The first Weaver and Mayor Stoner were perfect adversaries for Andy. But the fat little Mayor was the best real life caricature of a politician.

9, Which replacement Deputy was your favorite. And least favorite?

Gomer, sharp enough to pick out the right suit for a plain clothes operation. He was the least qualified but truly the most hilarious. My least favorite was #1. Or was it #3? The one that should've caught the tomato to hand to famished Judd.

10, If Aunt Bee would have gotten married, who would you have liked to have seen her marry?

Uncle Henry. She seemed never more happier with him, truly endearing, and more shaken after his departure. She'd have reformed his sorry ways.

11, If you could write yourself into TAGS, what would your character be like?

Just a guy glad to be in Mayberry sitting on a porch with a dog waving at cars. People would stop and ask how I taught the dog to wave. There's an episode right there!
But I would probably own the Mayberry bike shop and do repairs like truing wheels and selling Arnold's used bike.

12, Which character who left, other than Barney, do you wish had continued their role?

Gomer Pyle should've been around for the fifth and final season. There are no bad Gomer episodes.

13, If you’d like to tell us anything personal about yourself, do so now or tick a lock.

Can I pick a lock instead and go to jail and have chickin' and dumplins and sweet tater pie? I'd take a pad and write, and a few books to read to be by myself, just like real life. A life that has been enriched by the State of Mind known as Mayberry, and some of the fine folks I first met on the old Miss Crumps, a few still scattered here and there, that have genuinely saved my life.

Al Becker wrote on May 28^th, 2011 at 11:40am:

saved my life

Amen brother!

Moniker suggestions when you become a member at Miss Crump's...

• Dr. Merle Osmond
  
• Boys in the Lab
  
• Chuck O'Malley
  
• Blue Steel Baby
  
• Mayberry Minuteman
  

8-)

Them's excellent monikers.

How about adding:

• Half A Boy
  
• There's Nobody Here !
  
• Fifi The Upstairs Maid
  
• What Boys In What Lab ?
  

 

  Them are good, Phil.
   I officially verify'em!

A few more...

• Mercury Control
  
• Charlotte Tucker('s Husband)
  
• House Detective
  
• B. Fife, M.D.
  
• MacAllister
  
• Mrs. Magruder's Cousin
  
• Ice House Watchman
  
• Over & Out
  
• Mr. Cookie Bar
  
• Blackie
  
• Undercover Mannequin
  
• Louie('s Bustin' Out)
  
• The Milo Boys
  
• College Kid
  
• Buzz Fluhart
  
• Bobby Dazzler
  
• Ellen Brown
  
• Shep
  
• Sylvia
  
• Dead Giraffe
  
• Mr. Independent Wheels
  
• Flying Lead!
  
• Golf Ball
  
• Petulla Abondola
  

ok, more than a few... 8-)

One-man Dragnet

He pulled the cruiser up around the dead end at Post Road rolling to a stop off the gravel onto an unmarked pasture lane and shut off the lights. Only the dim red light of the police radio threw a glowing beacon upon the vinyl front seat as two-way conversations from the State Police Post and patrol cars in the vicinity crackled across.
He understood most of it. The ten-fours especially. He imagined being part of that conversation. Taking the written description of the notorious escapee out of his uniform pocket, scribbled on a gravy-stained napkin from Morelli's, he reached into the glow of the red light to refresh in his mind the vital statistics: Neil Hubacher. Six feet. Dark hair. Scar on chin. Prison blue work shirt. Murder. Possibly armed. Nobody he'd see at the ice cream social, that's for sure, ten-four. He smiled.

Andy was a family man. No need to bother him this late, although now he was a bit more nervous and took out his handkerchief to dry his hands. A dog barked in the distance. He squinted out into the night trying see - trying to survey the open field down to the main road. A small fire burned up a ways on an incline. Puzzled at first, he suspected rather than a camp fire of an escapee, it was probably a flame from Rafe Hollister's still. The barking ceased.

He saw something move. Or did he? The radio was silent. He starred at the little red light, then surveyed the field once more. Yes, something or somebody was out there. His holster creaked against the vinyl as he removed the gun with his right hand, then switching to his left as he searched his shirt pocket for his bullet. His bullet - the one he just cleaned two nights ago as he was reading the most recent True Detective magazine whilst reclining in his room under a forty-watt bulb, one hour after kissing Thelma Lou goodnight. He eased it expertly into the cylinder and clicked it shut. He fumbled for the headlight switch on the dashboard.

He heard the raspy out-of-breath coughing first, he would tell Andy later around 2AM. And how it all seemed like a picture show after that. He didn't even call for backup even though the little red light would've guided him right to the microphone. Seconds turned into slow motion days in the spotlights of the white light high-beams. The surprised man froze in the beams for a moment. He looked ten feet tall. And he kept coming even though the Deputy, dry-throated, somehow finding himself standing next to the black and white, tried twice to yell halt. He remembered his blazing red eyes as he told Andy, trying to forget. And how all was silent after the shot, the echo heard for miles as a clarion call to the brave wearing a badge, fell the man. One shot in the middle of the chest. He could not speak into the microphone.

Rafe answered the knock on his front door, and guided the pale, fainting, lawman into a kitchen chair. Rafe was apologetic waking Sarah but he said he had to make a mighty important call.

Excellent.

So many more episodes that should have been !

You mean to tell me Barney DIDN'T shot himself in the foot?

Phil Sunkel wrote on Aug 3^rd, 2011 at 7:14pm:

Excellent. So many more episodes that should have been !

thanks, Life-Saver-Man
:)

The WWW is 20 today.

Invented by Tim Berners-Lee,
here's how it looked at the beginning:

The Project

Amazing, huh? :)

Al Becker wrote on Aug 6^th, 2011 at 3:46pm:

The WWW is 20 today. Invented by Tim Berners-Lee,

And here I thought it was Al Gore all this time. ;)

Sounds Around Town

If you're vewy, vewy qwiet (as my old friend Elmer Fudd used to say)
and you're sitting on Andy's front porch after sunset,
you can actually hear in the distance:


Asa snoring in Weaver's backroom

Gomer in back of Wally's, gargling

Screams at the Grand from folks watching The Beast That Ate Minnesota

Barney murdering Now is the Month of May at Eleanor Poultices'

Bee's pickles shattering jars over in the next county

Rafe humming Those Endearing Young Charms from Cell #2

Floyd and Goober arguing over checkers

Andy rendering The Legend of Sleepy Hollow to Opie upstairs

giraffes out herding stray dogs just outside town
(they're not selfish after all!!)

Emma Watson laughing after winning a hand at poker (!)

Briscoe Darling "....a one ana two....."

Otis staggering towards town singing "a dipsy-doodle....."

I suppose if Andy had rotten luck fishing he'd of named his pole Umpire-Eyed Annie. ;D

"Funiculì, funiculà, funiculì, funiculà!
Let's go to the top, Funiculì, funiculà!"

Just for fun....tomorrow...any question that anyone asks of you, just widened your eye sockets, and with a total delightful and a good natured look answer,
"My Cousin Goober!"

Let me know how it goes.

 

One day, after Spanish class, I was walking down the hall with Barney to our next class, History if I remember right, when Jack Egbert stepped out in front, fists clinched, and wouldn't let Barney pass. I dropped my books and swung once with a hard left right across Egbert's square jaw and busted my knuckles. He never found his front teeth. Barney was shaking pretty bad, but he sniffed once and went on to class, and I was kicked out of school. Years later someone told me Barney didn't remember me, but I think he knows.