MovieChat Forums > The Andy Griffith Show (1960) Discussion > Why did Opie have to get fired/lie?

Why did Opie have to get fired/lie?

posted 8 years ago by rob-2423
7 replies | jump to latest

In the episode where he was competing with Billy for a job at the grocery store, Opie tells Mr. Doaks that he wanted to go to a baseball game. Why did Opie not just tell Mr. Doaks that he wanted to resign and hand the job over to Billy, who needed it more? That would have been the easy thing to do, he would not have had to lie, and it would have cleared the entire thing up.

I am surfing the Aunt Bee chatroom... I have officially hit rock bottom.

[–] hifijohn 8 years ago

a bad decision by someone who is young, just telling mr. doaks he rather let billy have the job would have made more sense and would have made opie to be pretty honorable.

[–] eloiseockertt 8 years ago

Becaus, obviously he didn't want to hurt Billy's pride.Mr. Doaks had already stated Opie was the better worker. Mr. Doaks would have asked Opie why putting Opie in the spot. Of course Opie could have just stated "Something came up to interfere with the work schedule." still a lie but without a specific...he was covering Billy's pride. My opinion anyway.

[–] rob-2423 8 years ago

I would think that Mr. Doaks would have been tactful with the offer to Billy. Still, it was not up to Opie how Billy would be offered the job. I think Opie probably just made a bad call, instead of being honest.

I am surfing the Aunt Bee chatroom... I have officially hit rock bottom.

[–] xdayton 8 years ago

Because the script writers needed an excuse to make Andy eat crow. If Opie had just resigned, Andy wouldn't have had a reason to scold him and then need to apologize.

This episode was just a very bad rewrite of the classic B&W episode when Opie wouldn't give to charity because he was saving money to buy his poor girlfriend a new winter coat.

[–] eloiseockertt 8 years ago

I thought of that also...always felt Andy went overboard with Opie...like.in Aunt Bee & The Lecturer when Opie was asked if he had anything to ask the professor and after the 2 spoke Andy says "We learn something new every day!," it was like he underminded Opie's ? What was with that attitude?

[–] b_schlechter200 8 years ago

He was pretty much being a jerk when he talked down to Opie.

[–] Tristan_Booth (405) 8 years ago

he didn't want to hurt Billy's pride

Exactly. He was concerned that giving up the job out of pity would feel like charity to Billy. This is why, at the end, Andy tells Opie, "You're a man." I'm always moved by that ending.