The Andy Griffith Show

Starring Andy Griffith...

With Ronny Howard...

Also starring Don knotts.

Children, I want you to remember that all these dances we do

are part of learning about the people who came before us.

The community dance was a very important part of pioneer life.

On Saturday night when they'd finish working,

they'd gather at the meeting hall,

and this was their form of entertainment,

whether it was a waltz, square dance, or whatever.

All right, dance groups,

shall we see how well we can do with the waltz?

Oh, what is it, Opie?

Sharon isn't here today.

Oh, that's right.

Her brace got loose, and she bit on it.

Oh, I see.

Well, I'll tell you what, Opie... you dance with me.

All right, everybody take their positions.

Fine, children.

That was fine, class... Just fine.

Oh, you always complain!

All right, class, you have your homework assignments.

Class dismissed.

Oh, yes, Opie?

Want me to scrub your blackboard for you?

Oh, no, thank you, Opie. It doesn't need it today.

Well, I could sharpen your pencils.

Well, thank you for offering, Opie,

but I haven't even used them.

You want me to wait in case you do use 'em?

Oh, I'm going now myself, Opie.

Oh.

Well, thank you.

Well, thank you, Opie.

Boy, if that ain't a picture.

What's that?

Your son and heir walking along

with Helen crump hand in hand.

Oh, yeah. Must be coming home from school.

Yeah.

That's sweet.

Boy, things sure were different

when you and I went to school.

Remember?

Teachers and kids were natural enemies then.

Yeah.

Hey, remember Mrs. Von roeder?

Oh, the beast of the fourth floor?

Beast of the fourth floor.

Remember when we put ink in her thermos bottle?

Remember the tack on her chair?

Then we put that garter snake in her desk drawer.

Yeah.

Boy, she sure was mean.

Well, anyway, it looks like things have changed.

There's an entirely different teacher/pupil relationship,

and I think it's very encouraging.

I do, too.

It's a step in the right direction,

I'll tell you that.

You know, that'd make it real nice for you, too, ange.

What do you mean?

Helen and Opie walking along together like that.

Oh.

Well, I mean, in case you and Helen

ever decide to take that big step.

Now, don't start that again.

Any plans? No, not yet.

Well, you must've talked about it.

Not really. Come on, open up.

Barn, there's nothing to say.

You can tell a friend.

There's nothing to tell.

When are you two getting married?

Barney! It just seems to me

that after you've been going with a girl

for over two years...

What about you and Thelma Lou?

What about me and Thelma Lou?

You've been going with her for two years.

When you gonna get married?

What are you talking about?

Come on, open up. There's nothing to open up about.

You can tell a friend. When you gonna get married?

Is that all you can talk about?

Paw, can a boy go with a girl who's older than he is?

Do they allow that?

Opie, why do you always save stuff like that

for early in the morning?

Well, can he?

Well, there's no law against it.

Why, Sharon older than you are?

I'm not talking about Sharon.

You've got a new girl?

I'm not sure yet.

Hmm.

Well, I wouldn't say age is real important.

If she likes you and you like her, that's the main thing.

I think she likes me. She smiles at me a lot.

Hmm. Well, she likes you.

Eat.

What about her being older than I am?

Well, I wouldn't let that bother me.

I remember when I was about your age,

I was trying to court a little girl

named Barbara Edwards.

She was in the upper fifth grade, and I was in the lower.

Now, I will admit there was some talk,

but I didn't let it bother me.

What if she's older than that?

How much older?

I don't know.

With girls, it's hard to tell how old they are.

Eat.

I don't reckon you'd wanna tell me who it is.

Well, it's a secret.

Oh.

Paw? Hmm?

How do I tell her I like her?

How did you tell Sharon you liked her?

I didn't have to. She knew it.

Oh.

Last term when she told the teacher

the boys were the ones

that were making all the noise on the playground,

I was the only boy that didn't hit her.

And besides, I give her my brand-new eraser.

Mm. Well, why don't you give this girl an eraser?

Nah, I think I wanna get her something real good. Huh.

I have 62 cents saved up,

not counting 6 pop bottles aunt bee said I could take back.

That's a pile of money to spend on a girl, ain't it?

Please, paw.

Well, go ahead if you want to.

The women will get it anyway, I reckon.

Gee, thanks, paw.

74 cents? Yeah.

Boy, 74 cents...

That's a lot of money for a kid to spend on a present.

Did you tell him it was okay? Yeah.

I guess he's really got it bad this time, huh?

Yeah.

Well, I suppose kids are no different than grown-ups.

I remember I went overboard

with Thelma Lou on her last birthday.

Did you get her something nice?

Nicest present I ever gave her.

Know what I did?

Hmm.

Took her out to dinner.

Took her out to dinner?

Well, yeah, you know we usually go Dutch.

Took her to morelli's.

Oh, morelli's. Yeah.

Huh? Yeah.

Now, there's a place to take a girl.

Out on the highway like that, nice and secluded.

Red-checkered tablecloths.

Oh, yeah, fancy. Fancy. Fancy.

You know, they'll let you take a bottle in there.

You didn't, did you? No.

What did you have to eat?

Had their deluxe special.

You know, you can hold it down to $1.85 out there

if you don't have the shrimp cocktail.

Did you have shrimp cocktail?

Well, no.

I told Thelma Lou, I said, "let's not fill up."

The minestrone was delicious, though. Phew!

Yeah, when that's made right, that's really something.

And for the main dish, pounded steak a la morelli.

Oh?

It's really pounded, too.

No question about it.

They got one of these open kitchens,

and you can look right in there

and watch 'em pound it right with your own eyes.

Oh, yeah... kind of see what you're getting.

Yeah.

I tell you, Andy, when that meal was finished,

I did something I rarely do. What?

I sent my compliments back to the chef.

I appreciate them things.

He kind of looked up from his pounding and waved at me.

I'm gonna have to take Helen over there one of these days.

Oh, she'd love it... love it.

It's not only the food, either. It's the atmosphere.

You know, they got the candles on the tables and the music.

They got a gypsy violinist out there.

He must've played six or eight songs standing over our table.

Of course, you got to slip him a quarter.

Yeah, those fellas work on tips.

One thing about gypsies, though... they're moody.

But the point I'm trying to make is,

if our kids wanna splurge on their girlfriends,

what do you expect?

They get it from us.

Thank you very much, and do come back again, won't you?

Well, hello, Opie. Hi.