Class Reunion

Perhaps the most romantic episode of the series. A very touching story written by Greenbaum and Fritzell. Andy and Barney are not caricatures by this point of the series (and especially with these two writers) but believable characters with real lives. From the third season, which along with season four, are the peak of the series. The writing is the best in these two seasons. Andy is very good here as is Peggy McCay in the role of Sharon DeSpain. The relationship, emotions,the sense of loss are all believable. What might have been.

The final scene with Andy and Barney is brilliant. Two life long friends who have both had their share of pain.

I love this episode, especially the dialog between Andy and Barney at the end of the program. "The tears on my pillow bespeak the pain that is in my heart" This is 1963, Season 3, episode 82. While Andy and Barney are at the reunion, just before Andy and his high school sweetheart are to see each other again, there is a song playing in the background. The song that is playing in the background runs from approximately minute 14:40 through 15:40 and has been haunting me forever. The credits at the end of the show don't credit who preforms the song, nor the title. Although in the program, "Sharon" refers to the band as "The original Carl Benson Wildcats" Does anyone out there know what the name (title) of that song is and from what year?

This episode has everything that makes the Griffith show so enjoyable to watch starting with an event that brings the towns people together. Barney and Andy start reminiscing when they find Barney's old high school yearbook, and wonder what happened to all their schoolmates. This leads to a plan to have a high school reunion, so those that are still in town send out invitations to those that have moved on and the anticipation begins.

Of course, one of those who left town after high school is Andy's original high school sweetheart who now lives in the big city. By the time of the reunion, no one has heard from her so Andy's feeling a little disappointed, but the celebration goes on anyway with live music and dancing.

Andy and Barney are manning the punch bowl and refreshments table trying to recognize everyone based on memory and usually goofing up their names thanks to Barney misreading the photos in the yearbook. There is also a funny side story about a girl that wrote a loving verse in Barney's yearbook who is now married with children and has no recollection of him whatsoever. Eventually, Andy's high school sweetheart arrives at the entrance to the party, and he spies her from across the room. The two dance and talk before going outside to the garden to reminisce. It doesn't take long for the old flame to rekindle, and eventually we learn Andy's philosophy of happiness. And then ,of course we also learn that everyone's interpretation of happiness is different.

A very good episode with an insightful message and as usual lots of funny scenes and funny asides.

Why put us thru an episode like this? What does it prove?

This one episode contains much of what made The Andy Griffith show great even though it doesn't have appearances by Opie or Aunt Bee. How? Because it has perfect examples of the show's humor (Barney's landlady growing mushrooms in her basement 'for fun and profit') but also more serious moments, such as when Andy meets his old high school flame at their class reunion. They wonder why they ever broke up, but as they discuss old times and current days, they remember that they split up over having different goals and dreams for the future. Meanwhile, Barney was anticipating seeing his old heart throb and hoping she won't make a fool of herself when she sees him. Quite the contrary, she doesn't recognize him, in fact she doesn't even remember him.

The episode ends with Andy and Barney cleaning up after the reunion, and sort of re-capping the evening. Barney says it makes him kind of sad, seeing the people they went to school with, and how they're all getting older. Repeating a phrase that had been written in one of their high school yearbooks, Andy asks Barney, "Do the tears on your pillow bespeak the pain that's in your heart?" Barney kind of chuckles, but wistfully says "Yeah..." and Andy says "Me too." After a moment's pause to reflect, they get back to their clean-up. That's the ending of the episode, and probably one of the finest ones that ever aired.