Guest written by our friend Hipolito Hickman
I never get tired of watching old Andy Griffith episodes. Every character is irresistibly quirky and funny, and the story lines are as entertaining today as they were when the show first aired in the 1960s. My favorite episodes are the ones where Sheriff Andy Taylor tries to teach young Opie a lesson, and the best by far is one where Andy learns a lesson too.
In “The Horse Trader,” Sheriff Taylor tries to sell the town's old cannon by exaggerating the historical value of the rusty relic to an antique dealer. The dealer agrees to buy the cannon for $175 after hearing Andy's tall tale about how much it is worth. Little Opie is a witness to Andy's lapse in good behavior.
Meanwhile, Opie is upset to discover that he got the bad end of the deal when he traded his cap pistol for some “licorice seeds.” The little boy tries to make his own devious deal by attempting to swap the licorice seeds for roller skates. Always the good father, Andy scolds his son for not following the Golden Rule, and is quickly reminded that he had been dishonest himself in the sale of the cannon.
That classic episode first ran in 1961, but my children and I still watch the show's reruns on DIRECT.TV today. Lessons about the Golden Rule never grow old, and neither do these wonderful characters.
