Don/Barney gave this absolutely wonderful soliloqoy to Opie, as he tried to convince Opie (and himself) that the littlest dog of a bunch of dogs that were lost in the thundering rain was being watched out for by the other dogs... it went like this, paraphrased from memory:
"Dogs are given coats that keep them cool in the summer, and warm and dry in the winter! And you don't have to worry about them gettin' hit by lightning...cause dogs are built low to the ground so lightning can't strike 'em. And they watch out for the other dogs...especially the little, trembly ones... Now giraffes, giraffes are so tall! They'd be out running around in the rain by themselves, gettin' hit by lightning, not caring about the others, always looking out for number one...boy giraffes are selfish!"
I love that scene, and it epitomizes the tremendous writing and acting by all the writers, producers, and cast of that show...and Don/BArney is just my favorite comedic actor o that time period...
He had this ability to bring a great subtleness to even the most broad, slapstick humor. And he could milk awkward moments like no other comedian. His speech before the Chamber of Commerce in Mr. Chicken is a classic example!
"That electrician must be a democrat..."
That's so funny. I remember that scene now that you mentioned it. So many of those early shows of Andy Griffith were just classics. I laughed, of course, but there were many a time that I got really choked up as well.