Season 3: Trying to attract viewers who never would watch

[rusty spike]

Overall, I like most of the episodes. Yes, there's a few clunkers along the way.

There must have been an emergency meeting or two midway through the third season where it was mandated that the show attract a younger audience or prepare to be cancelled.

I didn't fancy the Howard the Swinger episode. I usually like Jack Dodson playing his role as Howard, but I felt nothing but pity. It just was sad and I didn't care for their depiction of Mt Pilot. They should have had every swinger wearing Disneyland T-shirts because every outdoor scene screamed LA. I swear that I have seen the same apartment complex in both CHiPs and Charlie's Angels.

This episode had very little Mayberry in it.

The subsequent episodes (Alice and the Professor and Mike's Car) are not very good either.

[stevea]

That Howard the Swinger episode was a reworked script from The Andy Griffith Show. It's a problem when they reuse a script that itself wasn't very good.

[vitoscotti]

LITB & The Munsters Bob Moshers' writing in MRFD was really bad in quite a few of his episodes. He did have a couple decent ones too. His involvement viewing his episodes was one of the aspects of the series I enjoyed. Some of the series worst episodes are his. I found it odd he'd be involved in some of the thinly veiled TAGS recycled scripts. He was only in his late 50s (died in '72) so he was still in his prime. Be interesting reading one day if there's anything out there why he'd work with recycled scripts.

[stevea]

One of my favorite episodes from that season is a Bob Mosher script, "Howard the Dream Spinner." I also think another one, "Community Spirit," was really funny.

Then another one, "Howard's Nephew" (probably another TAGS-recycled script), was a real clunker. Ditto "All for Charity."

Opinions, only. To each, their own!

[vitoscotti]

IMDb credits Bob Mosher with 15 MRFD writing credits. I'll assume it's accurate (or other writers?). My ratings out of 10.

3 - S1 E2 The Harvest Ball
1 - S2 E9 The New Farmhand
8 - S2 E15 Emmett Takes a Fall
6 - S2 E19 The Mayberry Road
7 - S2 E21The Sculptor
10 - S2 E22 The Health Fund (a favorite)
6 - S3 E5 All for Charity
10 - S3 E7 Millie, the Best-Dressed Woman
2 - S3 E8 Howard's Nephew (creepy actor)
2 - S3 E9 Goober, the Housekeeper
7 - S3 E11 Community Spirit
10 - S3 E15 Howard, the Dream Spinner
4 - S3 E21 Alice and the Professor
9 - S3 E24 Goober, the Hero
7 - S3 E25 The City Planner

That was fun! 6.13 average is better than I thought. Throw out the clunkers an 8. I tended to be lenient in my ratings with the George Lindsey, Paul Hartman, Jack Dodson, and Arlene Golonka TAGS carryover good vibe that overshadowed weak writing.

[biffbronson]

Originally Posted by vitoscotti

IMDb credits Bob Mosher with 15 MRFD writing credits. I'll assume it's accurate (or other writers?). My ratings out of 10.

10 - S3 E7 Millie, the Best-Dressed Woman

Oh my. For a "Golonka Fan" like me, absolutely "must-see TV."
What a pleasure to upload a few images from that episode.

Arlene is amply endowed, so to speak, and more apparent in
outfits aside from the bakery uniform. And look at the length
of her hair, very becoming:


Beautiful face, so pretty:


Arlene Forever!


As I've mentioned before, on the old IMDb forum for TAGS I faced some heat for ranking Arlene above several of the other Mayberry hotties. But taking into account how great she looked in Season 3 of RFD, I am standing my ground...!