All of a sudden, I realized he's gone, when the episodes went color.

Anyone?

Otis quit drinking and started sleeping at home?

I found the answer out myself. First of all, that kind of behaviour became socially unacceptable/politically incorrect.

2ndlyh, I see Otis reappears in Season 7, drunk as a skunk again.

Old post, but it’s mentioned after his last appearance that Otis now does his drinking in Mount Pilot. He’s only in two color episodes.

All of a sudden, I realized he's gone, when the episodes went color.

Anyone?

The story seems to be that as TAGS become popular some of the show's sponsors were not very happy with the Otis character being an alcoholic, so Otis' appearances were kept at a minimum to satisfy the sponsors.

And he was shown in 1986 to be a sober ice cream man.

There is an obvious explanation as to why the character of Otis was no longer seen. With Warren leaving the show, the jailhouse based episodes basically disappeared. I don't think that there are any more than 10 episodes over the final two seasons that actually involved Andy doing "lawman's" work. We might see him at the jailhouse but the episode would have nothing to do with him being sheriff (for example when Howard bought the storefront the barber shop was located in).

One poster made the point that drunken behavior became unacceptable, another that the sponsors were unhappy with the character, I don't think any of that was a factor. To begin with being drunk was constantly used a comedic tool in that era, Dean Martin, Ed McMahon jokes, hell Foster Brooks made a living playing a drunk in the 60's and 70's.

There is an obvious explanation as to why the character of Otis was no longer seen. With Warren leaving the show, the jailhouse based episodes basically disappeared. I don't think that there are any more than 10 episodes over the final two seasons that actually involved Andy doing "lawman's" work. We might see him at the jailhouse but the episode would have nothing to do with him being sheriff (for example when Howard bought the storefront the barber shop was located in).

One poster made the point that drunken behavior became unacceptable, another that the sponsors were unhappy with the character, I don't think any of that was a factor. To begin with being drunk was constantly used a comedic tool in that era, Dean Martin, Ed McMahon jokes, hell Foster Brooks made a living playing a drunk in the 60's and 70's.

Hal Smith's last color episodes were very good. When he takes up art as a stress release valve, and when Andy is held hostage in a cabin. Good point that the 60s seem early for pc to pull his character when drunks were all over tv.

All of a sudden, I realized he's gone, when the episodes went color.

Anyone?

He's playing a Nazi on Me TV's "Hogans Heroes" episode tonight.

:)