"Those Gossipin' Men" is a wonderful introduction to the town of Mayberry, first aired about halfway through the first season of "The Andy Griffith Show." It shows us a small, peaceful town in which not all of the characters have yet settled into their stereotypical roles: Andy is just as given to jumping to false conclusions as Barney, and Aunt Bee proves her point that men are just as given to jumping to conclusions as women. In some ways, it predates the shows of the 1970s, in which the women have at least--if not more--common sense than the men.
Specifically, a traveling shoe salesman from New York, who doesn't have a very good track record and who is just about to throw in the towel, arrives in town to give his career one more shot. Then, when he asks the local hotel whether he can get a TV in his room (because TV is "very important" to him), Andy and the other fellows come to the conclusion that he is really a talent scout from the Big Apple who's come to Mayberry looking for the next new entertainment sensation. Pretty soon, such characters as Floyd the Barber and his dubiously talented saxophone-playing son are auditioning for him in his hotel room--and that's just the beginning of what snowballs into the salesman setting a record for shoe sales in his company.
This is a great introduction to that wacky fictional town from the past that so many of us in the 21st century would like to emigrate to!
Specifically, a traveling shoe salesman from New York, who doesn't have a very good track record and who is just about to throw in the towel, arrives in town to give his career one more shot. Then, when he asks the local hotel whether he can get a TV in his room (because TV is "very important" to him), Andy and the other fellows come to the conclusion that he is really a talent scout from the Big Apple who's come to Mayberry looking for the next new entertainment sensation. Pretty soon, such characters as Floyd the Barber and his dubiously talented saxophone-playing son are auditioning for him in his hotel room--and that's just the beginning of what snowballs into the salesman setting a record for shoe sales in his company.
This is a great introduction to that wacky fictional town from the past that so many of us in the 21st century would like to emigrate to!
