Response from the Fix-It Shop:
Andy's getting his pants cuff caught in his boot is something that just naturally happened. Andy and the rest of the crew noticed it and, instead of changing it, realized that it was natural and real and just let it go whenever it occurred. It's amazing how many people have noticed that little touch of realism and have said things like, "I remember my Daddy's pants legs doing that very same thing on his boots when I was growing up." TAGSRWC probably averages a half a dozen letters per year about Andy's pants cuffs!

ANDY'S BOOTLEGGING-- You know fans are really paying attention when they notice how often Andy's pants cuffs get caught in his boots. (For some reason, the left pants leg gets askew more often than the right one -- or sew it seams.) But note in this scene from "Plaque for Mayberry" (Episode #25), the right pants leg is also uncharacteristically tucked into its boot.

Dear Fix-It Shop:
In "Barney Gets His Man" (Episode #30), Barney says, "Bread and butter," which gets a big laugh on the laugh track. My question is, is that line supposed to stand alone, or did they edit out some previous dialogue for which Barney's remark was the punch line?
Doug Smith
Conway, S.C.

Response from the Fix-It Shop:
That scene is intact. Barney's "bread and butter" line was written as a free-standing line -- though one that's dripping with the irony that Barney is actually quite scared about encountering escaped criminal Eddie Brooke. Barney's obviously trying to convince himself that it's just a routine situation, or "bread and butter." (Here's Another Answer to this question.)

Dear Fix-It Shop:
I can think of three instances where "The Sheriff Without a Gun" fired a gun (not a shotgun): "A Feud is a Feud," "Andy and the Gentleman Crook" and "Aunt Bee Takes a Job." Are there any others?
David Burch
Fort Worth, Tex.

Response from the Fix-It Shop:
No, those are the only three Instances we can think of:(continued)

Dear Fix-It Shop:
When did Floyd the Barber pass away? He is such a great character! What else can you tell me about the actor who played him?
Alex Tooey
Denver, Colo.

Response from the Fix-It Shop:
Howard McNear, who played Floyd the Barber (except in the first episode with Floyd, "Stranger in Town," Episode #10), passed away on January 3, 1969. You can read more about Howard McNear in the in-depth profile about him in Volume 7, Issue 3 of The Bullet. You'll also find a good bit of discussion about Howard McNear in Richard Kelly's book, The Andy Griffith Show, and there's a nice biographical sketch of him in the new Definitive Andy Griffith Show Reference. He was beloved by all who knew him.

Dear Fix-It Shop:
Please settle for me once and for all where exactly the lake used on TAGS is located. Is it in California or North Carolina, or where?
J.R. Snively
New York, N. Y.

Response from the Fix-It Shop:
Why, it is in Mayberry, of course! No, the lake used is actually in California. In fact, it's in the heart of Los Angeles in the Franklin Canyon area just North of Beverly Hills (you head south on Franklin Canyon Drive at Mulholland Drive). A sign leading to the lake says that the road ends in 800 feet, but it doesn't. Just follow the road to what is now a quiet, little-used park/nature area You'll be able to recognize several landmarks, such as a road and railing next to the lake, but the lake itself appears to be a bit smaller than it was 30 years ago. The accumulation of sediment and the encroachment of vegetation have changed its shoreline and size somewhat over the years. (And, no doubt, Mayberry fans have contributed a few thousand small rocks to the lake bottom during that time as they imitate Opie's familiar tossing of the rock into the lake in the opening credits.)

EVERYBODY ADMIRES LAKE Franklin Reservoir in Los Angeles still looks as though it belongs in Mayberry three decades after TAGS filming.