User Reviews

Here's another episode in which country and city ways clash. County nurse Mary Simpson (Julie Adams) is making the rounds giving people tetanus shots per county ordinances, but stubborn and stoical farmer Rafe Hollister (Jack Prince) refuses to take his shot. The wariness of the country folk towards doctors is stressed. Meanwhile, Andy has become quite infatuated with Mary and wants to court her. There is real chemistry between Griffith and Adams, and she should have been a regular on the show. Andy must now use his wiles - and singing and storytelling ability - to shock Rafe into taking his shot. Andy sings a sad song - "Build my grave with a silver spade" - and envisions Rafe's funeral if he dies from tetanus. This scene is clearly a nod to the "Pore Judd is Dead" scene from the musical OKLAHOMA. This is not to suggest that the writers of TAGS lacked original ideas, merely that they were firmly plugged into American culture and occasionally borrowed from other media for story ideas. This particular borrowing is inventive and enthralling, and Andy's performance predictably jolts Rafe into his senses.

Andy as we know plays many roles for the people of Mayberry . Here he convinces Rafe Hollister to get a much needed Tetanus shot ( which insures all of the farmers will as Rafe is a leader among them) . It's funny to watch as Andy plays a folk song as a tribute to Rafe as his stubbornness leads to his death and the rest of the farmers don't want to follow. Rafe decides he would rather take the shot and live.

The other funny thing is after his shot ( which he ends up not minding) Barney acts superior like Rafe shouldn't have made a fuss and the nurse realizes Barney hasn't had his ! Rafe looks on happily as Barney puts up a fuss of his own.

I think this eposode has a lot of funny lines in it.In the beginning when Andy gets all smitten with the nurse and Barney says to andy "that kiss on the jaw felt pretty good didn't it?", and Andy says "better then a mules nose yeah"(ha ha!).Then the next scene with Andy in the car with the nurse being a smooth operator with her.Then when andy and the nurse confront Rafe Hollister about getting the tetanus shot and Andy says to Rafe "go ahead and try the stethoscope you can hear your heart beating, and Rafe replies "I don't need that to know if my hearts beating, I'm alive ain't I? Then my hearts beating" (So funny!!).Then at the end when Rafe says"I don't want to be a dead hero I want to be an alive me".

Reading some of the earlier reviews I gained 1) a new appreciation of Julie Adams (sweet Southerner Joanna Moore may slip to #2 in Andy's bevy of beauties); and 2) proof of my belief that the stories told are timeless. This episode captures our current struggle between those waiting to take covid vaccinations and those who refuse to be vaccinated while friends and relatives perish from the disease. I liked the reviewer's characterization of Rafe Hollister as "old school". If only it were that simple today. Overall this is a very entertaining episode, with Barney standing up to help Mary administer the vaccine to Rafe, but being outsized as usual. Ending is "old school" and familiar, but a lot of fun and a great way to end this outing.