The question that's been on my mind for years about this episode.... HOW did Mr Darling make off with Aunt Bee? How did he get her out of the house and into his car? Gunpoint? Did he get "the boys" to physically carrying her?

However he did it, it seems it would have made quite a commotion for the neighbors

Did he get "the boys" to physically carrying her?

I think that this is it, maybe with a blanket or some sort of sack over her.

It's somewhat plausible, because I don't think Bea would scream. She'd just keep going on about how Briscoe was making a mountain of trouble for himself.

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I tend to agree it falls short of a great episode, but it's one of Denver Pyle's most interesting ones. I like how Briscoe is "declarin'" for Bee. I have a fondness for the Darlings episodes, so I'd likely rate it higher than other viewers might.

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A few years ago i did a thread on if the Darlings were a two episode wonder and this is what I meant with it because it seems like after Season 3 the laughs got sparse and the frustration mounted. While The Darlings are a-Coming are a decent episode and Mountain Wedding is arguably the Comedic Highlight of Season 3 it seems like in Season 4 that Jim Fritzell and Everette Greenbaum (who created and wrote all the Darling and Ernest T Bass appearances in Seasons 3-5. in fact their final episode as a writing partnership for the show was Season 5's "The Darling Baby" which is more of a musical episode than comedic one as it's were Charlene sings "There is a time" and The Darlings sing "Ebo Walker") couldn't find ways to work with the Darlings without it being very frustrating for the viewer. While Ernest T Bass's two episodes in Season 4 (Ernest T Bass joins the Army and My Fair Ernest T Bass) are both hilarious, the laughs in Briscoe Declares for Aunt Bea and Divorce, Mountain Style are both rather sparse and the stuff that is brought up is not funny or makes one wonder why Andy didn't put his foot down like he did with the bickering couple in Andy's vacation.

I have two opinions why this didn't work. The first was that that the characters/Actors who made the Darling Appearances work in Season 3 didn't return or were recast. John Masters and Ernest T. Bass didn't show up for anymore appearances and Hoke Howell was recast in "Divorce, Mountain Style" because CBS wanted Bob Denver to be known to audiences due to Gilligan's Island. The other thing was how cartoonish the show started to get in Season 4 and Season 5. When i think of The Andy Griffith Show, a mountain superstition that results in Barney Fife riding around town on a horse sneezing his head off is not the first thing to come to mind. That's something I'd expect Mr. Drysdale on The Beverly Hillbillies to do (in fact i've often wondered if "Divorce Mountain Style" was a rejected Beverly Hillbillies script considering how it wouldn't take much to retool it with Ms Jean and Mr. Drysdale in the role of Andy and Barney and the Clampetts in the role of The Darlings) The fact this episode went through given how Andy rejected scripts that were like this in the past, makes me wonder what happened in 1963 (when filming began) to make him change his views

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That's what I was wondering, how the idea of Bee being kidnapped was like almost overlooked. I know Andy likes to appease the Darlings to keep the peace, but I'd think with something like this, that would have landed Mr. Darling in jail.

The fact this episode went through given how Andy rejected scripts that were like this in the past, makes me wonder what happened in 1963 (when filming began) to make him change his views

I suspect Andy wanted to feature music on the show as often as possible, so perhaps that is why the Dillards (as the Darlings) appeared as frequently as they did, even though the scripts were lacking. The Country Boys appeared in "Mayberry on Record" and guitar player Jim Lindsey appeared twice. And of course Andy himself performed on several occasions.

The question that's been on my mind for years about this episode.... HOW did Mr Darling make off with Aunt Bee? How did he get her out of the house and into his car? Gunpoint? Did he get "the boys" to physically carrying her?


The feeling that I always got about the Darlings was a dark, implied threat of violence from the boys, if Briscoe did not get his way.

Sort of a "you can deal with me, or deal with them" sort of a trade-off.

So, under such an arrangement, Bee walks along on her own volition, pursuing a lesser apparent threat.

Bare in mind, that Briscoe likely had a rep as a person of honor, so it wouldn't feel to Bee as though it was John Dillinger tugging at her arm.

Does Briscoe ever say anything about there being even stranger people deeper in the woods?

Does Briscoe ever say anything about there being even stranger people deeper in the woods?

In the Darling Baby (Season 5) it's mentioned that there are Witches who live near the Darlings and go to church with them and while not directly related to the Darlings in Season 6's Malcolm at the Crossroads Ernest T. Bass mentions friends giving Ramona a shower (by which I mean less of a traditional bridal shower and more something that would be more suitable for Cinemax at 3am than TAGS at 9pm).

In the Darling Baby (Season 5) it's mentioned that there are Witches who live near the Darlings and go to church with them and while not directly related to the Darlings in Season 6's Malcolm at the Crossroads Ernest T. Bass mentions friends giving Ramona a shower (by which I mean less of a traditional bridal shower and more something that would be more suitable for Cinemax at 3am than TAGS at 9pm).

Thank you!