MAKE ROOM FOR DADDY was a highly successful television series in the 1950s and 1960s starring Danny Thomas, detailing his career and family problems. It became so successful that it made Thomas a successful television producer (as it did for his show's director - producer Sheldon Leonard).
One of the reasons for the success of Thomas' series was he was able to get some really good surprise guests stars. In one episode, he had Lucille Ball as her television persona "Lucy Ricardo". But in 1960, he actually did something a little unusual. He and Sheldon Lewis were about to do a new series, starring Andy Griffith, about a sheriff in a small North Carolina town. It would eventually be called THE ANDY GRIFFITH SHOW, but before it appeared in the fall 1960 line-up, there was this episode of MAKE ROOM FOR DADDY.
While it is pointed out in the other review on this thread that the episodes makes fun of speed traps, in reality it was the so-called city slicker Thomas who was the butt of the jokes here. Thomas is taking his family back north from a vacation by car. Marjorie Lord, Angela Cartwright, and Rusty Hamer are with him. He has been speeding, but he is too arrogant in the episode to do the simple thing and pay the speeding ticket. Instead, he keeps thinking he can overawe Griffith and force him to drop the whole matter. Instead, every attempt to show his contempt or his superiority to the "hick" Sheriff is met by Griffith at his friendliest and most devastatingly charming - and legally correct - reaction. From being able to pay a $50.00 fine, Thomas manages to boost himself into a prison cell by his conduct. I think the episode ended with a general apology to Griffith, and a reduction of the charges to time served and the fine, but the tail end of the story involved another disaster to Thomas' car that caused him to be stuck in Mayberry for some more time.
On of the running jokes in the episode is that various public officials might be of assistance to Danny in overcoming the initial ticket. Unfortunately, Andy happens to be all these public officials (like the local justice of the peace). Interestingly this aspect of his work as Sheriff of Mayberry was not kept in the series.
It was an amusing pilot, and I believe it was the first pilot for a spin-off series that ever appeared as an episode of the mother series on television.
One of the reasons for the success of Thomas' series was he was able to get some really good surprise guests stars. In one episode, he had Lucille Ball as her television persona "Lucy Ricardo". But in 1960, he actually did something a little unusual. He and Sheldon Lewis were about to do a new series, starring Andy Griffith, about a sheriff in a small North Carolina town. It would eventually be called THE ANDY GRIFFITH SHOW, but before it appeared in the fall 1960 line-up, there was this episode of MAKE ROOM FOR DADDY.
While it is pointed out in the other review on this thread that the episodes makes fun of speed traps, in reality it was the so-called city slicker Thomas who was the butt of the jokes here. Thomas is taking his family back north from a vacation by car. Marjorie Lord, Angela Cartwright, and Rusty Hamer are with him. He has been speeding, but he is too arrogant in the episode to do the simple thing and pay the speeding ticket. Instead, he keeps thinking he can overawe Griffith and force him to drop the whole matter. Instead, every attempt to show his contempt or his superiority to the "hick" Sheriff is met by Griffith at his friendliest and most devastatingly charming - and legally correct - reaction. From being able to pay a $50.00 fine, Thomas manages to boost himself into a prison cell by his conduct. I think the episode ended with a general apology to Griffith, and a reduction of the charges to time served and the fine, but the tail end of the story involved another disaster to Thomas' car that caused him to be stuck in Mayberry for some more time.
On of the running jokes in the episode is that various public officials might be of assistance to Danny in overcoming the initial ticket. Unfortunately, Andy happens to be all these public officials (like the local justice of the peace). Interestingly this aspect of his work as Sheriff of Mayberry was not kept in the series.
It was an amusing pilot, and I believe it was the first pilot for a spin-off series that ever appeared as an episode of the mother series on television.
