A Medal for Opie (TAGS Episode)
Contents
Episode Info
A Medal for Opie
- S2.E19
- Filmed: 51
- Aired: 51
- Original Air Date: 1962/02/12
- Writer(s): David Adler
- Director: Bob Sweeney
Plot Summary
Opie has his heart set on winning a medal in the annual Sheriff's Boys' Day race. Under the tutelage of legendary fifty-yard-dash winner Barney Fife, Opie enters the race confident of a win. When the day is done, however, Opie comes up empty. Andy finds Opie sulking at home, and the two have a heart-to-heart about the value of good sportsmanship.
Summary
In Mayberry, preparations are underway for the annual **Boys’ Day track meet**, a community event sponsored by the sheriff’s office. At the courthouse, Andy Taylor and Barney Fife discuss the upcoming races and the excitement they generate among the town’s boys. Barney proudly volunteers to serve as the race starter and becomes enthusiastic about the athletic competition.
When Opie Taylor learns about the event—especially the 50-yard dash—he becomes determined to win the winner’s medal. Barney fuels Opie’s enthusiasm by telling stories about his own youthful athletic achievements, claiming he once won a medal in a race. Confident in his supposed expertise, Barney offers to personally train Opie so he can become the race champion.
Barney’s training regimen quickly becomes a series of humorous and exaggerated exercises. He has Opie perform running drills, jumping exercises, and other conditioning activities meant to build speed and endurance. One of the more memorable training moments occurs on the Taylor front porch when Barney demonstrates a strength exercise by lying on his back and attempting to lift Andy with his legs—an effort that proves far more difficult than Barney anticipated. Despite the comic nature of the training, Opie takes the preparations very seriously and becomes convinced that he is destined to win the medal.
As race day approaches, Opie’s expectations grow. Andy notices that Opie has become overly focused on the idea of winning and worries that the boy may not react well if he loses. Andy gently tries to remind Opie that the important thing about competition is doing one’s best, but Barney continues encouraging Opie with confident predictions of victory.
The day of the Boys’ Day races finally arrives. The boys line up for the 50-yard dash while Barney prepares to start the race. With a burst of excitement, the runners take off—but Opie struggles to keep up and ultimately finishes **last**. The medal is awarded to another boy who clearly outruns the rest of the field.
Opie is deeply disappointed and reacts poorly to the outcome. Rather than congratulating the winner, he becomes resentful and insists that the medal should have been his. He complains that the other boy “took” the medal away from him. Andy realizes that Opie has misunderstood the nature of competition and now needs to learn an important lesson about sportsmanship.
Back at home, Andy calmly explains that losing is a natural part of life and that winning does not belong to someone simply because they want it. The boy who won the race earned the medal by running faster. Andy emphasizes that a person’s character is shown by how they behave after losing. Opie, however, continues to sulk and refuses to accept the explanation.
Hoping to help illustrate the lesson, Barney suggests staging a demonstration. Barney has been waiting to hear whether his request for a raise has been approved. The plan is for Barney to pretend that his request was denied and then act like a sore loser so Opie can see how childish that kind of behavior appears.
When Barney receives the letter from the state office, he begins to act upset and indignant, loudly complaining about the decision. The situation takes a humorous turn when it becomes clear that Barney’s raise actually **was** denied, meaning his angry reaction is no longer entirely pretend. His exaggerated frustration helps highlight exactly the kind of poor sportsmanship Andy has been trying to warn Opie about.
Watching Barney’s reaction and hearing Andy’s explanation finally helps Opie understand. He realizes that the other boy did not unfairly take the medal and that the winner deserved the prize. Opie begins to see that being upset about losing only makes things worse and that showing respect for the winner is the right thing to do.
By the end of the episode, Opie accepts the lesson about sportsmanship and disappointment. Andy’s patient guidance helps him recognize that doing one’s best and behaving graciously matter more than simply winning a prize. Barney attempts to lift everyone’s spirits by suggesting they celebrate with a trip to Mount Pilot for dinner, bringing the story to a lighthearted close.
Odd Facts Known by Few
- This episode marks the only time in the entire series where Barney Fife has two pistol misfires in the same episode. One is the classic accidental shot into the courthouse ceiling during his enthusiastic "start" of a pretend race demonstration for Andy and second while explaining to the kids how the start of the race will be conducted.
- The Mayor's office is said to be upstairs in the courthouse (Mayor Stoner says it in "The Loaded Goat") so it's not good when Barney misfires his pistol into the ceiling.
- Barney was known as "Barney the Rabbit" for his track speed.
- There's a noticeable continuity issue with Barney's whistle during a coaching scene. Right before the race we see Barney standing in the center of the group of contestants with a whistle in his mouth. The shot then cuts to a closeup of Barney winking with no whistle in his mouth. In the next group shot Barney has the whistle in his mouth once again.
- When the boys sign up at the beginning, Fred Stevens signs up for the 50 yard dash, but when the race is run he is not announced as a finisher while Freddie Pruitt is.
- This is the only episode of The Andy Griffith Show with an extended dream sequence. The sequence is of Opie day dreams of winning his metal.
- There is an about a 2 minute dream sequence in Howard's New Life (TAGS Episode) when Howard dreams that Andy and Aunt be come to the island to look for him and they find him just living basically like a bum.
- There is a brief dream sequence in Sam for Town Council (TAGS Episode) where Emmett has more of a daydream kind of picturing himself being elected for the Town Council.
- There are flashbacks in Andy Saves Barney's Morale (TAGS Episode) when Hilda Mae is telling Andy how she messed up Barneys hair and laughed at him, hurting his feelings.
- There is an audio flashback in Barney Gets His Man (TAGS Episode) when Barney hears, in his head, Eddie Brooks saying. "Ill get you for this Deputy."
- Episode 257 of the Two Chairs No Waiting podcast, Kenneth Junkin details the fact that the boys in the race with Opie can also be seen in the stands watching the race with the parents as the camera moves from the race to the observers.
- In the epilogue, Barney tells Sarah to get him "2-4-2" to call Juanita so that he can ask her to go to Mount Pilot for Chinese.
- Interestingly, Opie's pajamas have a similar pattern to the wallpaper in his bedroom.
- Actress Joan Carey was a stand-in on the tv show "Cheers".
Quotes
- Barney Fife: My mother, your mother, lived across the way. Every night they have a fight and this is what they say: Ickabacka-soda cracker, ickabacka-foo. Ickabacka-sode cracker, out goes you.
More Information
Trivia
Character List
- Andy Griffith - Andy Taylor
- Don Knotts - Barney Fife
- Ronny Howard - Opie Taylor
- Frances Bavier - Aunt Bee Taylor
- Bob McQuain - Joe Waters
- Pat Coghlan - Fred Stevens
- Ralph Leabow - undetermined
- Joan Carey - undetermined
