- When the Mayberry jail is called upon to lodge two hold-up men captured by the state police, Barney finds himself with more than he can handle - especially when "assisted" by ad-hoc deputy Gomer.
- When State police arrest two of four bank robbers, they decide to keep them in the Mayberry jail. As Andy is to join the search for the remaining two criminals, he agrees to Barney's suggestion of deputizing a third man to work for them, but without consulting him, Barney hires Gomer. Andy isn't convinced he can do the job but gives in to Barney's assurances that all will be okay. The two experienced criminals have Barney right where they want him, and it's only thanks to Andy that they're kept from escaping - twice. When State policemen set a trap for the two remaining criminals, Barney puts his foot in it again when he arrests the policemen.—garykmcd
- A manhunt is underway for four hold-up men. Andy arrives at the courthouse to find Gomer, Opie and Barney glued to a radio announcement that says two of them have been caught and will be held in temporary custody at the Mayberry jail. Gomer heads out to tell Wally at the filling station and Andy sends Opie away as things will get busy soon.
Barney is immediately puffed up over this and aims to impress the hoodlums with how they run the Mayberry jail, which makes Andy wary of what Barney has in mind. First of all, Barney wants to remove the homey touches in their cells. Andy figures it is about time they washed the doilies. Secondly, Barney wants to hire an extra deputy. He doesn't have anyone in mind but will look around for someone sharp and assures Andy he need not worry over it.
Later on, Andy returns to the courthouse to find Barney looking like the proverbial cat that swallowed the canary. He's hired his new deputy - Gomer. Called out front and center, Gomer emerges from the back room in an ill-fitting uniform - shirt too small, tie tied incorrectly, and gun belt sagging way too low from the hips. Andy pulls Barney aside to express his doubt about Gomer around the courthouse, but Barney wants to show what he's taught Gomer so far - to carry a whistle, ticket book and pencil. Andy is not impressed but responds by saying "Nice, Barney, very nice," which Barney relays to Gomer.
A lieutenant arrives to deliver the two "customers" and let Andy know that plainclothesmen coming from Memphis will pick them up either this afternoon or in the morning. At a signal, another state trooper brings in the criminals, hard-looking men handcuffed to each other. Gomer greets them brightly and Barney quickly admonishes him against fraternizing with prisoners. The handcuffs are removed, Andy locks them in the far right cell, and the troopers leave. That would be that, except Barney would now like to exert his authority. Andy wearily looks on as Barney, now cock of the walk, addresses the captives, letting them know that "at The Rock" they will adhere to the two basic rules: obey all rules and don't write on the walls. Andy looks to Gomer who is completely mesmerized by Barney's posturing.
Andy pulls Barney aside to say he's got to head out to look for the other two who are still loose. He wants Barney's promise to stay away from the prisoners. Barney assures him there's nothing to worry about. Andy turns and finds himself facing Gomer. He turns back to have Barney promise that Gomer will stay away from the prisoners, too. Barney promises the jail will be as secure as "the big house itself." Though not reassured by this, Andy leaves.
Andy returns to the courthouse later on. Everything seems fine on the surface, but Andy's just in time to see Barney's latest accomplishment: meantime formation. At a blow from his whistle, the prisoners stand at attention. Barney unlocks their cell door and blows his whistle again. The prisoners stand in line. Barney blows a third time and the prisoners march single file into the next cell where Barney has laid out a table for their lunch. Barney blows for a fourth time and the men sit rigidly. Barney locks the cell door, blows one last time and the men eat. Barney turns to Andy with a smirk. When Andy asks about Gomer, Barney leads him outside through the back door.
Outside, Barney stands smugly as Andy looks about but can't find Gomer. That's because Barney stationed him on the roof, "manning the blockhouse lookout." They gaze upward and spot Gomer's feet protruding over the edge of the roof, supposedly asleep. Barney shouts up to Gomer, who immediately pulls back his feet and knocks his shotgun over the edge to land flat on the pavement before Barney and Andy. Gomer leans over the roof edge and greets them brightly. Barney marches angrily around the building as Andy picks up the gun.
On the roof, Andy tells Gomer he needs to be careful with his gun. Dropping it off the roof could hurt someone. Looking about, he notices a lot of leftover Christmas mess that Barney once promised to clean up. Barney promises he will but right now there're more important matters. He shouts at Gomer, who's supposed to be watching. Gomer has been and reports on the interesting things he's seen - Pete Dooley's truck splashing mud on Miss Fletcher, Viola McConcker sneaking out for a dip of snuff, Sula Solly and her little boy... Andy interrupts to assign Gomer a new task: clean up the Christmas junk, particularly the basket of connected light bulbs that can be reused - and to take the gun out of his mouth, which Gomer leans his head on while listening to Andy.
Back in the cell finishing lunch, Tiny asks Doc why he's going along with the hick deputy. Playin' it smart, says Doc. Soon that big shot wanna-be will be their free pass to freedom.
Later on, Andy gets a call to Carter French's place where two men have been spotted. He worries that Barney's behavior will get the better of him, but Barney says not to worry. Andy does worry but has to go.
Andy exits, and Doc spots his chance. Speaking as if to Tiny with Barney's back to them, Doc loudly acknowledges that the jail is run even tighter than the state pen, except for one thing - the periodic shakedowns to turn up concealed weapons, which one really can't expect out in the sticks. SHAKEDOWN!, shouts Barney. He clears the prisoners from the cell and rummages their cot for hidden weapons, only to find himself alone in the courthouse when he's through.
Panicked, Barney runs out the back and shouts for Gomer. Gomer's protruding feet pull back once again, and once again his shotgun falls over the edge to land on the ground, this time shattering into its constituent parts.
Barney rushes back inside. As he tries to get Sarah the operator on the phone, shouting "Mayday! Mayday!," the courthouse door opens. Tiny and Doc, with hands raised, return followed by Andy with his rifle, who locks them back in their cell. Sarah finally responds to Barney, and Barney, sadly standing with the phone still to his ear, says he did not say anything about "payday" and hangs up. Glowering at Barney, Andy asks how they got loose. Barney calls it a clear case of disobedience during their shakedown, which ought to go right on their record. "We can't have THIS," says Andy, simply but seriously.
Andy leaves. Barney turns to the prisoners and declares there'll be no more Mr. Nice Guy. He leaves the main room, hanging the key on the hook near the cells. Doc smiles, retrieves the key and lets himself and Tiny out. Before they get to the courthouse door, Andy opens it, sees them, raises his rifle, and leads them back to their cell. Barney returns, so stunned by this sight that he spills his coffee while asking, "What's going on?" then yells at the "smart aleck" prisoners for touching the authorized-personnel-only key.
Disappointed, Andy hands Gomer's broken gun to Barney and says he won't have time to find the other two criminals if he keeps having to recapture the first two.
Later in front of the courthouse, Andy speaks with the two arrived plainclothesmen from Memphis. Their plan for using Mayberry to lock up half the gang is to tempt the other half, mistakenly thinking the Mayberry jail an easy touch to spring their buddies loose. These outlaws operate as a team and have demonstrated this pattern twice before.
Inside the courthouse, Doc and Tiny rest while Barney, armed with a shotgun, paces back and forth, always keeping his eyes on them. Andy enters and, with lowered confidence in Barney (and to put Barney out of harm's way), sends his deputy to the roof where he can guide green deputy Gomer better.
In the alley, the Memphis men take cover while Andy leaves to station himself across the street. Their trap is now set.
Out front, the other two criminals appear. Though the jail with its two "rubes" looks easy, they decide to wait and case the joint before springing their cronies.
On the roof, Gomer finishes unscrewing the last of the light bulbs and adds it to a nearby basket. Barney declares he can smell that something's going on. Gomer says its the diner, with corned beef and cabbage served on Tuesdays. A noise draws Barney to the other side of the roof. He duck-walks over. Gomer duck-walks after him. Over the edge, they spot the plainclothesmen, believing them to be the missing crooks. Gomer thinks they should call the police; Barney reminds him they ARE the police, loads his lone bullet into his gun, and heads down to capture them.
As the plainclothesmen decide to spread out a little more, Barney jumps out from behind a crate and gets the drop on them. Each mistakes the other for the criminals they seek (helped along by Barney insisting they not turn around). He marches his prisoners to the courthouse.
Behind the courthouse, the real sought-after criminals make their approach.
Inside, the plainclothesmen ask Barney to contact the sheriff, but Barney forces them at gunpoint to enter the other cell where he locks them up. Watching this development, Doc is delighted, and spotting his real cronies coming in from the back door, compliments Barney's capture so his buds can get the drop on Barney. The four felons back out the back door, having locked Barney in with the plainclothesmen, who hope the deputy realizes he's lost all four rather than captured two more. Barney sadly lowers his raised hands.
Outside, the gang heads for their car. Andy rounds the corner and shouts for them to hold it right there. The shouting startles Gomer, who again draws his feet back and loses his gun over the edge, which knocks the gun from Andy's hands. The criminals, realizing their luck, start to make a run for it, but Gomer bumps the basket, sending the light bulbs over the edge. The pops as they break make the criminals think the Mayberry police have a machine gun. They surrender. Andy quickly picks up his guns and gives a hold your fire and come on down order to Gomer.
Inside, Andy marches the gang into the empty cell, followed by an open-mouthed Gomer carrying their handguns and his dropped shotgun. Andy frees Barney and the plainclothesmen (all taken aback), and congratulates Barney for his scheme that worked - without a shot being fired. As Andy and the plainclothesmen walk off to call off the manhunt, Barney, slow to catch on, musters up his former bravado to give a speech to the four felons that he hopes they have learned their lesson. Music swells as he launches again into another "here at The Roc"k speech, music that eventually drowns him out as Gomer looks on, mesmerized.
Later, Barney shows Gomer how quickly he can draw his gun. Andy enters, and Barney asks Gomer to show him what he taught him. Gomer makes to draw his gun quickly, which flies from his hand and into the glass front of a display case, breaking it. Andy is displeased. Barney reprimands Gomer, drawing out his own gun to say if he doesn't know how to handle one then he has no business carrying one. He holsters his gun, which fires into the floor. Andy, with disappointment etched across his face, walks towards Barney and holds out his hand. Humiliated, Barney hands over his gun.
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