MovieChat Forums > The Andy Griffith Show (1960) Discussion > Barney- No House, No Car

Barney- No House, No Car

posted 8 years ago by [email protected] (6247)
18 replies | jump to latest

Just watched a few Barney-centric episodes. And boy, did he live on a shoestring. In "Up in Barney's Room", he gets kicked out for breaking the rules and cooking in his room at the boardinghouse.

It's a sweet episode in that Barney misses his landlady and wants her to take him back. But his rent was $6.00 a week! Helen and Thelma Lou both had HOUSES! Perhaps they were just renting, but hard to believe they made a lot more money than Barney.

The episode when Barney buys his first car is so funny. Mrs. Lesh was such a crook. She had him fooled! But, really, Barney was about 35 and he was buying his FIRST car? He took $300, his life savings, out of the bank to buy the car.

That was all the money Barney had saved over the years? He had hardly any expenses. $24 a month for rent, eating at the diner, ordering the "special" every chance he got, owning one suit.

I often wondered where Barney's money went. He sure didn't spend it on" wine, women and song." ha! There's an episode when he breaks up with Thelma Lou because she says he never takes her anywhere and basically calls him cheap. He is upset and enumerates to Andy ALL the places he takes her, i.e., they go to church together, they get the Thursday night special at the diner, Thelma Lou joins him for coffee in the courthouse when he works late, etc.

Where was Barney's money? He was very frugal. But what was he doing with his money? lol Just wondering

[–] [email protected] (38) 8 years ago

I worked for a small town police department many, many years ago and the pay was hardly enough to live on. The pay was so low that I ended up taking a job in the 'Big House' for the next twenty plus years. "SHAKE DOWN!!!"

In one episode, Helen mentions that she is renting the house that she lives in. Not sure about Thelma Lou, but I would imagine the same for her, unless she inherited the home.

Love the episode 'Up in Barney's Room' - it's the only time that we actually see where and how he lives. Interesting fact: The owner of the boarding house where Barney lives is a Mrs. Mendelbrite, played by Enid Markey. Markey was in the first Tarzan film (1918) and played Jane to Elmo Lincoln's Tarzan. I saw a short of her in a silent film where she was riding bareback and twirling two six shooters - she was a very attractive young lady.

[–] godewey (16472) 8 years ago

Did you make sure they obeyed rule number one?
Obey all rules.
Not to mention rule number 2.

[–] [email protected] (38) 8 years ago

My main concern was that there be no writing on the walls and the keys were to stay in the drawer.... in other words, Maximum Security!

[–] godewey (16472) 8 years ago

LOL! You obviously know how difficult it is to get writing off of the walls.
Nicely done.

[–] PlatinumScreen (221) 8 years ago

I remember an episode where Barney tells Andy he bought a septic tank for his parents' wedding anniversary. I don't know the going rate for septic tanks back then, but I imagine they weren't that cheap. The point is it runs counter to the way he is usually presented concerning his finances. He does seem to take pride in being a skinflint.

Maybe he spends all of his money on Juanita. haha :)

[–] [email protected] (6247) 8 years ago

Yes, I remember that septic tank! It seems to be the only big ticket item Barney ever purchased! ha

I'm sure that a deputy didn't make much. Andy surely made more than Barney. But he had a house and was supporting two people.

It's just that Barney seemed to live like he was on the edge of poverty! Like I said, Helen and Thelma Lou lived in houses. Yes they were probably rentals, but I bet the rent was more than $5 a week. And the women would have had other bills like electricity, phone bill, etc.
Barney's rent at the boardinghouse was miniscule. He obviously never bought any furniture. He had no TV or phone in his room. He never had a car, so he didn't have the usual expenses of buying gas, insurance, registration, inspection, etc.

He didn't need a wardrobe for work. I'm sure his uniform and dry cleaning were tax deductible expenses. His idea of a big night out was the "blue plate special" at the diner.

He did seem to pride himself on being a skinflint. lol In one scene they return to the courthouse after lunch. Barney comments that "you don't mind leaving a quarter tip" after such a good meal. Andy informs him that he ALSO left a quarter. Barney was going to return to the diner and take back one of the quarters!

Andy chastised him and said that the waitress, Olive, was a widow with children (five or six I think). He said that she could use it. So a widow was able to support a bunch of kids on a waitress salary in Mayberry. I guess Barney was just cheap!

[–] godewey (16472) 8 years ago

That was a great scene. Barney asked if he should throw his hat on the table to get one of the quarters back.
Andy then told him what you said above. Barney thought about then told Andy "why don't we just let her keep it"
Andy got a slight smile on his face and told Barney something along the lines of him being all heart.
Barney did his little snort thing and said "well". Just as proud as he could be.

Don't forget Barney liked to go down to the filling station for a bottle of pop. Maybe they were gouging people on the price.

Did we ever know what Thelma Lou's job was or even if she had one? She seemed like she was always home.

[–] [email protected] (38) 8 years ago

It's true, Barney was portrayed as a skinflint... he penny pinched his way through his relationship and rented a really cheap apartment, but in the end he was only able to save $300 dollars. So, unless Barney had a gambling or substance abuse problem that we don't know about, he really was paid very poorly as a deputy.

The septic tank gag was great. They reused it in a first season Gomer Pyle USMC episode where Gomer explains that it took he and his daddy six years to save up for a septic tank for his mothers birthday.

[–] db20db (17741) 8 years ago

I saw an episode recently where Barney claimed that in all the years that he and Thelma Lou had dated, they had gone Dutch treat. The subject arose when he became seriously concerned because Thelma Lou had bought Gomer lunch.

[–] [email protected] (38) 8 years ago

Considering all the pans of cashew fudge that Thelma Lou made for Barney on Tuesday nights when they watched 'that doctor show' together, you would think he'd spring for lunch at least once in a while. :) Guess he figured he had her in his hip pocket anyway, so it really wasn't a concern.

[–] db20db (17741) 8 years ago

Yup! The claim of having her " in his hip pocket " was what created the conflict in the first place in that episode and it ended with him smugly reaffirming it.

It was such a dichotomy to an episode I saw a couple of days ago where Barney and Thelma Lou apparently were in the early stages of " hooking-up. " They were on a double date with Andy and Ellie when a power failure occurred. When the lights came back on, Barney was sitting next to Andy, leaving Thelma Lou by herself. Andy dryly quipped, " Way to go, Casanova. "

[–] [email protected] (6247) 8 years ago

godewey- I remember someone writing that Thelma Lou was a secretary.

I was just watching an episode the other day where she says, "I have to get back to the office."

Back then if a woman worked in an office, especially in a little town like Mayberry, she was usually the secretary.

[–] godewey (16472) 8 years ago

If that is the case it just goes to prove your point even more.
She was a secretary and lived in a house. Barney was a deputy and lived in a room that didn't allow
you to have a hot plate. Where DID his money go ?

[–] db20db (17741) 8 years ago

[deleted]

[–] godewey (16472) 8 years ago

That was another great scene. I think Andy told him (after getting a classic look on his face) that
he was a good son and Barney said something like "well, I try"

[–] jason88cubs (2486) 8 years ago

you know barney was hitting up tm pilot and getting some strippers and coke

why you think he snorted so much

[–] godewey (16472) 8 years ago

LOL.
He definitely had something going on. I can almost picture him doing a Wolf of Wall Street thing.

[–] GreenGoblinsOck8 (7983) 7 years ago

I remember that episode Barney's car. It does seem silly he'd never have had a car but he does live in a small town where you might not even necessarily need one. There is that episode though from the first season where he is upset about how little money he makes and asks for a raise from the country board. Then at the end he gets a response about how they aren't giving him a raise and he gets all angry and says he is going to go to the country board and punch them all in the face for not giving him the raise he asked for.