The Andy Griffith Show: Season 2/ Episode 15: Bailey’s Bad Boy: January 15, 1962: 4 1/2 STARS OUT OF 5 STARS:

A young man in a convertible runs a farmer named Fletch off the road- spilling everything out of the back of his truck onto the country road. After Andy and Barney come along and talk to him they go down the road looking for this fast and careless driver. They find Ron Bailey pulled over checking out his tires. Bailey- played by a young Bill Bixby is a sassy rich kid- who thinks he can bribe his way out of things. He drops his father’s name- a big man in the state named John Judson Bailey. Andy acknowledges he knows who is father is but it doesn’t matter- he arrests Ron Bailey.

Bailey is in jail- and Barney is busy- so when Andy comes in with Opie- he’s taking Opie fishing he tells Bailey he is coming with them. So they go fishing and Bailey is enjoying himself- when he catches a fish right away he gets excited. When Andy acts excited for him- Bailey’s mood turns. He thinks Andy is just buttering him up so he will have his father’s people go easy on him- and Bailey goes and pouts.

Back at the jail- the night Barney’s turn to stay over with the prisoner. Bailey is playing loud music on the radio and Barney has to come out and tell him to cut it out. No sooner than Barney gets back to bed- in comes a drunk Otis. Otis sees someone in his cell and calls for Barney. Since Otis can only sleep in ‘his’ cell they have to move Bailey into the other cell. Then when Otis can’t sleep Barney has to go into the cell and sing him to sleep.

The next morning Barney in his salt-and pepper suit picks up the Sunday paper- and is reading the comics when Andy comes in dressed up. It’s Sunday dinner and he can’t leave Bailey so he’s taking him home for dinner. Otis of course wants to keep sleeping his drunk off so he ‘s left behind. After dinner they are all out on the porch. Bailey is having a smoke- and seems like he’s enjoyed the experience. When Opie tells Andy that he broke a neighbors window- Andy says that will come out of his allowance until it’s payed for. Opie leaves and Bailey asks Andy- isn’t that being kind of hard on the kid- why doesn’t he just bail him out. Andy explains- Opie needs to learn to stand on his own two feet and if he bails him out today for a window- next it will be something bigger etc. This seems to get Bailey thinking.

Back at the jail a big limo pulls up- it’s Bailey’s father’s lawyer. He comes in thinking Andy will just let Ron Bailey go. When Andy doesn’t – the lawyer brings in old Fletch- and Fletch admits it was all his fault. Andy knows what is going on- and mentions that he hopes Fletch enjoys the new truck he will be getting and gets up to release Bailey from jail. Bailey then speaks up- admitting it was all his fault. The lawyer can’t understand it- then Andy says ‘maybe he busted a window and wants to stand on his own two feet’- they then cut to a smiling Ron Bailey.

In the final segment Barney is talking to Andy about how these young people are all concerned with money etc. He talks about how wrong that is- and starts to brag about him and the girls- that all he’d have to do is call up Juanita- and he wouldn’t have to spend anything to get her to make time with him. When he calls Juanita- and goes over his plans for the evening- a regular Barney Fife cheap night out- she hangs up on him. Barney claims the call was cut off- so Andy gets back on the phone and calls her- when he started to talk and mentions Barney- she hangs up. Andy tells Barney ‘money matters to Juanita.

The car Ron Bailey is driving is a 1961 Ford Thunderbird

Bill Bixby was playing a 19 year old in the episode- in reality he was 27.

Cast-

Andy Griffith- Sheriff Andy Taylor

Don Knotts- Deputy Barney Fife

Bill Bixby- Ron Bailey

Ronny Howard- Opie Taylor

Frances Bavier- Aunt Bee Taylor

Hal Smith- Otis Campbell

Jon Lormer- Fletch Dilbeck

John Graham- Arthur Harrington

Directed by Bob Sweeney

Written by Ben Gershman and Leo Solomon