David Quinn's post about where Opie might have gone to look for 8 jobs prompted me to put a bucket on my head and take a think. I also ran this by the boys at the lab. Here's what we concluded:
Opie could not have applied at Emmett's Fix-It Shop (still two seasons away), or Aunt Bee's Chinese Restaurant (she had not taken that plunge yet), or the TV Repair shop (it was next door to Floyd's and his job hunting took him in the opposite direction, since he also did not see the sign in the window at the grocery store two doors down from Floyd's). So here are 8 possibilities: 1. Wally's - no job, but at least Goober did offer some valuable skills on the right way to apply for a job 2. Floyd's Barbershop - "anyone would hire a boy like that," but not Floyd 3. Mayberry Gazette - delivering newspapers was a common job for boys then, and Opie already had previous experience with his own paper. 4. Mayberry Pets - don't know if there was such a store, but he did have that experience raising those three baby birds. He would use this experience for employment taking care of Dolly, the horse, two seasons later 5. Weaver's - they could have revived their free bubblegum promotion, and he would be perfect to either demonstrate it or hand it out 6. The Drug Store - perhaps they misplaced his application but found it two seasons later when he ended up working there 7. Silo Rentals & Storage - since he said "hello" to Mr. Dobson on his way to the grocery store, he had probably already applied there, but since Mr. Dobson was doing his own sweeping, he probably had no need for additional help 8. New & Used Furniture - another business in the immediate area, but they probably turned Opie down, since he was not yet strong enough to move furniture, or old enough to drive a delivery truck The boys at the lab also wondered why Andy did not hire him at the courthouse to start with, since he ended up doing just this in the epilogue. Conclusion: the county relaxed its anti-nepotism policy at some point during the week this episode occurred. And whatever happened to Mr. Doaks, who managed the grocery store? He was probably fired for discimination practices for his "Boy Wanted" sign in the window, and replaced with Mr. Foley. _______________________________________________ WBMUTBB mailing list [email protected] http://www.mayberry.com/tagsrwc/wbmutbb/
