The Andy Griffith Show Season 3 poster

The Andy Griffith Show — Season 3

Nip it in the bud!

196232 episodes7.8/10 (38 votes)

About this season

The Andy Griffith Show is an American sitcom first televised on CBS between October 3, 1960 and April 1, 1968. Andy Griffith portrays the widowed sheriff of the fictional small community of Mayberry, North Carolina. His life is complicated by an inept, but well-meaning deputy, Barney Fife, a spinster aunt and housekeeper, Aunt Bee, and a precocious young son, Opie. Local ne'er-do-wells, bumbling pals, and temperamental girlfriends further complicate his life. Andy Griffith stated in a Today Show interview, with respect to the time period of the show: "Well, though we never said it, and though it was shot in the '60s, it had a feeling of the '30s. It was when we were doing it, of a time gone by." The series never placed lower than seventh in the Nielsen ratings and ended its final season at number one. It has been ranked by TV Guide as the 9th-best show in American television history. Though neither Griffith nor the show won awards during its eight-season run, series co-stars Knotts and Bavier accumulated a combined total of six Emmy Awards. The show, a semi-spin-off from an episode of The Danny Thomas Show titled "Danny Meets Andy Griffith", spawned its own spin-off series, Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C., a sequel series, Mayberry R.F.D., and a reunion telemovie, Return to Mayberry. The show's enduring popularity has generated a good deal of show-related merchandise. Reruns currently air on TV Land, and the complete series is available on DVD. All eight seasons are also now available by streaming video services such as Netflix.

Episodes (32)

Mr. McBeevee
E1

1. Mr. McBeevee

9.0

Aired 1 October 1962 • 25 min

Opie tells Andy about his new friend Mr. McBeevee, who Andy believes to be a figment of Opie's imagination. But when Andy begins to suspect Opie is using his new-found friend as an excuse to lie, he decides to set the record straight and prove Mr. McBeevee doesn't really exist. Or does he?

Andy's Rich Girlfriend
E2

2. Andy's Rich Girlfriend

7.0

Aired 8 October 1962 • 25 min

Andy discovers Peggy comes from a wealthy family and starts to feel like he is unable to provide the kind of sophisticated company she is used to. He decides to stop seeing her and abruptly breaks it off, but without getting Peggy's Side of the story.

Andy and the New Mayor
E3

3. Andy and the New Mayor

8.0

Aired 15 October 1962 • 25 min

There is a new mayor in town who is immediately put off by Andy's laid back management style. When Andy lets a prisoner out of jail for a few days so he can harvest crops, he finds his job is suddenly on the line, especially when the prisoner doesn't return.

Andy and Opie, Bachelors
E4

4. Andy and Opie, Bachelors

7.0

Aired 22 October 1962 • 25 min

Given Andy's habit of burning meals, Aunt Bee asks Peggy to look in on Andy and Opie while she's away visiting her aunt. When word gets around town, however, Andy is told Peggy's cooking may be her way of buttering him up to the idea of marriage.

The Cow Thief
E5

5. The Cow Thief

8.0

Aired 29 October 1962 • 25 min

Two cows suddenly go missing in Mayberry and Mayor Stoner has decided to bring in a professional investigator to solve the crime. The investigator's conclusion goes along with what the rest of the town already suspects, but Andy has his own idea of what happened, an idea just crazy enough to be true.

Barney Mends a Broken Heart
E6

6. Barney Mends a Broken Heart

7.0

Aired 5 November 1962 • 25 min

When Andy and Peggy must break a date, Barney mistakenly sees this as the end of their relationship. He decides to play matchmaker to help Andy mend his broken heart, with disastrous results.

Lawman Barney
E7

7. Lawman Barney

9.0

Aired 12 November 1962 • 25 min

Barney loses his self-confidence when two unlawful bullies laugh off his attempt to run them out of town. Andy tells them Barney is actually a trigger-happy lawman out for vengeance, but the bullies quickly see through the ruse and Barney now must find the courage within himself to stand up to them.

The Mayberry Band
E8

8. The Mayberry Band

9.0

Aired 19 November 1962 • 25 min

When Mayor Stoner decides not to cover the expense of sending the Mayberry Marching Band to their annual competition in Raleigh because he thinks they're terrible, Andy helps out by having a few of his friends from "Freddy Fleet And His Band With A Beat" step in.

Floyd the Gay Deceiver
E9

9. Floyd the Gay Deceiver

7.0

Aired 26 November 1962 • 25 min

Floyd comes to Andy for help after telling his pen pal Ms. Grayson that he is wealthy and finding out she is coming for a visit. Andy helps Floyd keep up the appearance of wealth while she's in town and in the process learns just how deceiving appearances can be.

Opie's Rival
E10

10. Opie's Rival

4.8

Aired 3 December 1962 • 25 min

When Andy starts seeing Peggy MacMillan, Opie feels like she's become more important to Andy than he is. He decides to sabotage Andy's dates and break them up and nearly succeeds, until Andy finds out.

Convicts-at-Large
E11

11. Convicts-at-Large

8.5

Aired 10 December 1962 • 25 min

Barney and Floyd stumble upon a cabin in the woods where three dangerous female convicts are hiding out. They are taken prisoner and it's Andy to the rescue when he manages to capture two of them. But it's up to Barney to get the third using all the charm he can muster, along with his best Rudolph Valentino impression.

The Bed Jacket
E12

12. The Bed Jacket

7.0

Aired 17 December 1962 • 25 min

With Aunt Bee's birthday fast approaching, she begins dropping hints about the pale blue bed jacket she's been eyeing in the store window. When Andy doesn't catch on and buys the jacket for Mayor Stoner's wife instead, she is crushed. Now the only way Andy can get the jacket back is to trade it for his most prized possession: Ol' Eagle-Eyed Annie, his beloved fishing rod.

The Bank Job
E13

13. The Bank Job

9.0

Aired 24 December 1962 • 25 min

Barney becomes convinced the Mayberry bank is ripe for a robbery and tries to prove his point by staging a fake one. When he discovers a weak spot in the security system, he unknowing relays this information to a couple of actual robbers.

One-Punch Opie
E14

14. One-Punch Opie

8.0

Aired 31 December 1962 • 25 min

A new boy named Quincy moves into town and starts getting Opie and his friends into trouble. When Opie is dared to break a streetlight, he refuses and is teased mercilessly. Andy tries to help by telling the boy's parents, but Opie sees that it's up to him to stand up to Quincy once and for all.

Barney and the Governor
E15

15. Barney and the Governor

8.0

Aired 7 January 1963 • 25 min

Barney believes his job is on the line when he accidentally gives the governor's car a parking ticket. When he learns the governor is coming to town to see him about it, his nervousness causes him to drink cup after cup of water from the water cooler, the very same cooler Otis has spiked with alcohol.

Man in a Hurry
E16

16. Man in a Hurry

9.0

Aired 14 January 1963 • 25 min

Malcolm Tucker, a business tycoon from Charlotte, has the unfortunate luck of having his car break down in Mayberry on a Sunday. Now he's willing to do just about anything to be on his way, including stealing Gomer's truck. Andy invites the man over for Sunday dinner to try and teach him the importance of relaxation before he does something he'll really regret.

High Noon in Mayberry
E17

17. High Noon in Mayberry

9.0

Aired 21 January 1963 • 25 min

Andy gets a letter from a criminal he had wounded years before and learns the man is coming to Mayberry to see him. Barney becomes convinced the man wants revenge and enlists Gomer and Otis to secretly protect Andy, which ends up wreaking more havoc than any criminal ever could.

The Loaded Goat
E18

18. The Loaded Goat

9.0

Aired 28 January 1963 • 25 min

Cy Hudgins has a pet goat with a taste for dynamite and Andy and Barney are forced to put it in a padded cell until the danger "passes." But when Otis unknowingly lets their new prisoner out, it's up to Barney and his harmonica to safely lead the goat out of town.

Class Reunion
E19

19. Class Reunion

7.0

Aired 4 February 1963 • 25 min

Andy and Barney reminisce about old flames and decide to throw a class reunion. When the big night finally comes, they both find they have a lot to learn about how much things have -- and have not -- changed.

Rafe Hollister Sings
E20

20. Rafe Hollister Sings

7.0

Aired 11 February 1963 • 25 min

Rafe Hollister stops by the auditions for the Ladies League Musicale and shocks everyone with his beautiful voice. But Mayor Stoner and Mrs. Jeffries are aghast at his shabby appearance so Andy and Barney decide to give him a makeover, despite Rafe's objections.

Opie and the Spoiled Kid
E21

21. Opie and the Spoiled Kid

9.0

Aired 18 February 1963 • 25 min

Opie's new friend Arnold is a spoiled brat used to getting his own way. He convinces Opie to try and get a raise in his allowance by throwing a temper tantrum, showing Andy that he must teach Arnold's father the importance of discipline before Opie picks up any more of Arnold's spoiled habits.

The Great Filling Station Robbery
E22

22. The Great Filling Station Robbery

9.0

Aired 25 February 1963 • 25 min

Andy suggests to Gomer that he hire a troubled young man named Jimmy to help out at Wally's gas station. But everyone soon suspects Jimmy of being a thief after valuable items start disappearing from the station. Andy believes Jimmy is innocent but must prove it, even when all the evidence is against him.

Andy Discovers America
E23

23. Andy Discovers America

8.0

Aired 4 March 1963 • 25 min

Opie complains to Andy about how his new history teacher Ms. Crump is a mean old woman who likes to assign extra homework. Andy tells Opie it's not important if he doesn't know every answer, which leaves Opie believing history isn't important. Now Andy has to show Opie, and his class, how much history matters before Ms. Crump decides to quit.

Aunt Bee's Medicine Man
E24

24. Aunt Bee's Medicine Man

7.0

Aired 11 March 1963 • 25 min

Aunt Bee becomes depressed about her age and falls for the charms of Colonel Harvey, a traveling medicine man selling a magic elixir to restore her youth. By the time Andy and Barney discover the secret behind the elixir, they find he has gotten the entire Ladies Aid Church Committee under his spell!

The Darlings Are Coming
E25

25. The Darlings Are Coming

8.0

Aired 18 March 1963 • 25 min

A family of musicians who live in the mountains descend on Mayberry to await the arrival of their daughter Charlene's fiancee. When Andy tries to help by putting them up in the courthouse, he gets more than he bargained for when Charlene suddenly sets her sights on him.

Andy's English Valet
E26

26. Andy's English Valet

8.0

Aired 25 March 1963 • 25 min

A tourist from England causes a traffic accident and finds himself unable to pay the damages, so Andy decides to let the man pay it off by being his valet. But it's not long before Andy finds his laid-back small-town lifestyle clashing with the man's strict, English ways.

Barney's First Car
E27

27. Barney's First Car

9.5

Aired 1 April 1963 • 25 min

Barney learns that the car he's spent his life savings on is a lemon, and the little old lady he bought it from may have put one over on him. When Barney and Andy set out to return the car and arrest her, however, they find the hardest part may be just getting there.

The Rivals
E28

28. The Rivals

8.0

Aired 8 April 1963 • 25 min

Opie develops a case of puppy love for a girl in his class, but is crushed to find she isn't interested. Barney tries to lift his spirits by letting Opie hang out with him and Thelma Lou awhile. It works great, until Opie forgets his crush and sets his sights on Thelma Lou.

A Wife for Andy
E29

29. A Wife for Andy

7.0

Aired 15 April 1963 • 25 min

Barney believes it's time for Andy to get married and sets Andy up with Opie's teacher, Ms. Crump. When Barney decides she's not right for him, he tries to set up a party for Andy to meet all the other eligible ladies of Mayberry. But Andy has other plans, and they all involve Ms. Crump.

Dogs, Dogs, Dogs
E30

30. Dogs, Dogs, Dogs

8.0

Aired 22 April 1963 • 25 min

A pack of stray hunting dogs descends upon Mayberry at the same time that a state investigator has come to review Andy's request for more funds for the jail. Barney and Opie decide to bring the dogs to the courthouse to shelter them from a storm, not realizing that Mr. Somerset is already there.

Mountain Wedding
E31

31. Mountain Wedding

8.0

Aired 29 April 1963 • 25 min

The Darling clan is back and this time need Andy's help to wed their daughter Charlene to Dud Walsh before crazy old Ernest T. Bass makes good on his threats to kidnap her and take her for his own. Andy sets Barney up as a decoy bride while the real wedding takes place elsewhere. The plan works, until Ernest kidnaps Barney and decides he's just as good a bride as Charlene.

The Big House
E32

32. The Big House

8.0

Aired 6 May 1963 • 25 min

Andy is told to keep two big-time bandits in his jail until detectives from Tennessee come to get them. Knowing that the bandit's friends will try to break them out, Barney spots two suspicious men outside the jail and promptly arrests them. As it turns out, they are the detectives from Tennessee, giving the bandit's real friends the opportunity they've been waiting for.

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