Aunt Bee's birthday is coming up, and although she urges Andy and Opie not to make a fuss over her, she secretly longs for the beautiful blue bed jacket displayed in Mrs. Luckens' store window. This is out of character for Bee, who is usually a very practical woman. Aware of this practical side of his aunt, Andy dutifully purchases a set of preserve jars as her birthday gift. But then harried Mayor Stoner comes on the scene. It seems he has no time to buy a going-away present to his wife and enlists Andy to buy the bed jacket for him to give to her. It looks as if Aunt Bee is bound for disappointment when the time comes to open her presents on her birthday.
Without revealing any more of the plot, suffice it to say that this is TAGS at its sweet and sentimental best. Andy engineers a solution which makes Aunt Bee glowingly happy while teaching Opie a lesson about the unexpected joys of self-sacrifice. The last scene will make you tear up.
Earle Hagan's musical score plays a prominent role in the episode, with a magical series of chords underlining Bee's wonder at beholding the bed jacket. Bee's friend Clara also plays a key part, coming off in a more sympathetic light than usual. Of the episodes that highlighted Bee Taylor, this is one of the most memorable.
Without revealing any more of the plot, suffice it to say that this is TAGS at its sweet and sentimental best. Andy engineers a solution which makes Aunt Bee glowingly happy while teaching Opie a lesson about the unexpected joys of self-sacrifice. The last scene will make you tear up.
Earle Hagan's musical score plays a prominent role in the episode, with a magical series of chords underlining Bee's wonder at beholding the bed jacket. Bee's friend Clara also plays a key part, coming off in a more sympathetic light than usual. Of the episodes that highlighted Bee Taylor, this is one of the most memorable.
