User Reviews

I love this episode. It give Otis and Aunt Bee a great chance to work together in one of the most memorable shows of the series. You've gotta see this one...

The episode begins with a group of moonshiners being caught and jailed by Barney and Andy. When Otis gets drunk and is about to lock himself up in the cell to sleep it off like usual, something very unusual happens. The moonshining brothers assume Otis told Andy about their still and try to beat him up--and force Andy to come up with some other option for Otis. Aunt Bee volunteers to take charge of Otis and at first Otis likes the idea--after all, he can sleep on a nice bed and have some home cooking. However, early the next day, Otis is awakened early by his new 'warden'--a tough and determined Bee. Her attitude is that work can reform Otis and she makes him do 1001 tough chores around the house. Otis is miserable and has learned his lesson....at least for now.

This is a brilliant episode because of its great writing and the wonderful acting and body language of Bee (Frances Bavier) and Otis (Hal Smith)--they both did a great job. You must see this one!

Andy captures four moonshiners and brings them to the jail. Otis can't serve his time there so Andy takes him home where aunt Bee is decorating cakes with the other women for the church social. Despite Andy's best efforts Otis makes a spectacle of himself in front of the women.

Barney meanwhile decides to rehabilitate the prisoners with some kits that make various things ( including Mr Potato head!) not a bad or unusual method of rehabilitation but it comes back to haunt Barney.

Aunt Bee takes a different approach and puts Otis to work. Mowing the lawn, washing windows , scrubbing floors, washing dishes, chopping wood, ect .he's frustrated and exhausted! Tries and fails to escape. It works though and he's not so eager to drink right away! On the other hand one of the prisoners makes a pass key with the metal craft set Barney gave him and they all escape. Andy and Barney recapture them and bring them to The Rock ( Otis's name for Aunt Bee's jail. They are terrified!

One of the best and funniest episodes.

There are actually a number of episodes Opie doesn't appear in. I think they didn't use him here because Otis is there. Aunt Bee doesn't want to look after Otis , resents it really probably fueling her approach and it wares Otis out and down! Barney's rehabilitation is funny too. Both good methods but Barney might want to avoid giving a prisoner a metal craft set in the future. The escaped moonshiners also ends up at Aunt Bee's for the duration! They are scared of The Rock! I really think this is the best episode for Aunt Bee . We see how she spends her days and how as Andy told her she missed her calling. Imagine Aunt Bee as the warden of the three women in Convicts At Large?!