The Andy Griffith Show: Season 2/Episode 18: Jailbreak: February 5, 1962. 4 1/2 STARS OUT OF 5 STARS.

Another episode with Barney featured- and Barney screwing things up. The State Police is in town looking for a payroll robber. Horton is the officer [Horton played by Ken Lynch- who appears in four shows in the series-as four different characters]-and is looking for Clarence ‘Doc’ Malloy- [ played by Allan Melvin- who you may know best as Sgt. Hacker on Gomer Pyle USMC- Melvin appears in eight Andy episodes- as eight different characters- always plays them well.] When Horton comes in Andy is at home and he doesn’t want to deal with Barney. Barney does his best to get Horton’s attention- but Horton isn’t interested in his help. When he does tell Barney he can use his help- Barney gets excited- but all Horton wanted was Andy’s home address.

Horton tells Andy the situation and Andy is as always cooperative- even when Horton tells him he wants no help from the locals. But Andy is insulted when Horton puts him down- telling him just to stick to catching the ‘chicken thieves.’

There is a little scene where Barney is out on the sidewalk with Floyd’s uncooperative dog Sam- he can’t handle Sam- but when Opie comes along- Opie has no problem at all.

Horton catches Malloy and brings him in and places him in a jail cell. Horton goes looking for Malloy’s partner- and Andy leaves Barney alone at the jail- with the warning to do nothing- stay as far away as possible from Malloy. Barney wants to work undercover- Andy isn’t going along with it. Of course when Andy is gone- while Malloy is asleep Barney slips into civilian clothes and slips into the cell. Waking up Malloy – Barney tries to get his confidence- by acting like a wise guy- unsuccessfully. Malloy sees the framed clipping on the wall of Barney. Malloy plays along and Barney unlocks the cell door with a toothpick. When Barney turns his back Malloy gets Barney’s gun- and locks and ties Barney up in the cell and splits.

When Horton finds out about Malloy’s escape he unloads on Andy- calling him a rube sheriff. Barney is all down on himself. When Andy and Barney are at the tailors- Barney’s suit was covered with Sam the dogs hair- he hears the tailor say that is the second suit covered in hair to be brought in today. Andy immediately makes a connection. Turns out Malloy’s partner is a woman. They see the woman’s car parked out on the street. It has a hitch on the back. That night Andy and Barney go out to the campground to look for Malloy. There is a funny scene where Barney peeks in the window of a camper at a newlywed couple making out.

While Barney screwed things up earlier- he is the hero here. He finds Malloy’s trailer and sees that they have Horton. Barney ends up driving the car- pulling the camper into Mayberry- with Andy following them. Barney is all over the road and when he stops in the downtown area. He opens up the camper door and takes Malloy into custody- while Andy unties Horton.

The final scene has Opie playing with a detective kit that Horton had left him. When the newlywed couple that Barney peeked in on comes in to file a complaint- Barney’s back is turned to them- and he grabs the fake mustache and glasses that Opie was playing with and rushes out of the building with Opie.

CAST

Andy Griffith- Sheriff Andy Taylor

Don Knotts- Deputy Barney Fife

Ronny Howard- Opie Taylor

Allan Melvin- Clarence Malloy

Horton- Ken Lynch

Fred Sherman- Fred Goss

Frank Warren- Art Crowley

Rita Kenaston- Malloy’s girlfriend

Bob McQuain- Newlywed Man

Sally Mills- Newlywed Woman

Directed by Bob Sweeney

Written by Harvey Bullock