A Feud Is a Feud

"A Feud Is a Feud" is without a doubt one of the worst episodes of "The Andy Griffith Show." It is poorly written, acted, and seems to last much longer than a normal episode. The retelling of Romeo and Juliet by Andy Taylor is ridiculous and cringe inducing, and would make anyone who has read and/or seen Shakespeare's play be astonished. The whole premise that feuding would still exist in 1960's America is hard to believe which makes the show more than a fantasy; it is unreal.

The majority of reviewers think this episode is wonderful. One praises it, writing "overall, this is an exceptionally written show from start to finish. Heartwarming, funny and extremely clever--you can't help but like this one!" Nothing could be further from the truth.

I'm not a big fan of Andy Griffith's heavy sothern accent clown act in season one. But, it fits in perfectly here with a southern themed episode. Superbly written episode. One of TAGS wittiest The Wakefields and Carters were well cast. The whole thing clicked from begining to end. Andy's rendition of Romeo and Juliet was one of his TAGS best stories told. Bizarre Aunt Bee would want Andy to risk getting shot mad he backed down when rifles were pointed at him.

Interesting the mix-up rumor that Hannah Carter (Tammy Windsor) was played by Karen Kupcinet who many claim are one and the same. Tammy Windsor's IMDb page has Karen kupcinet's information on it. The two don't look anything alike.

Between the Taylors all getting up in the middle of the night for a wedding, to the most non-violent feud in history, this episode was hilarious.

The best scene, though, was Andy's recreating his comedy album country-style telling of Romeo & Juliet. Here we saw Opie on the edge of his seat listening closely to Andy's version of the classic story.

I do have a correction to another reviewer's claim that in one scene while wearing his old-style night shirt and long floppy hat, Andy said "Claire I better get out of this outfit..."

The sound on my DVD didn't make it perfectly clear, but what he said was, "I declare I better get out of this outfit. I am beginning to feel like Dopey the Dwarf." He wasn't truly addressing Aunt Bee, just saying his intention.

I taught Romeo and Juliet for about fifteen years. It would have been fun to let my students hear Andy Taylor's retelling of the story. Meanwhile, a couple of stereotypical hillbillies who have been feuding for nearly ninety years, come armed to put a stop to a marriage between members of the two families. It's all a lot of fun with some neat twists and turns.