"How do you do, Mrs. Wi-ley?"
The most hilarious and memorable of the episodes featuring eccentric backwoodsman Ernest T. Bass, played brilliantly by Howard Morris. In this one Ernest T. is longing for the love of a woman - any woman - but first he has to be accepted in society. So, in a parallel to the famous story of "Pygmalion" and "My Fair Lady" (the movie of which came out the year this episode was made) Andy tries to make a gentleman out of this rough rustic and pass him off at a fancy party. This re-education program leads to some very funny bits between Andy, Barney and Ernest T.
Howard Morris' layered, funny and touching characterization of Ernest T. Bass makes this episode special. Watch out too for character actress Doris Packer (you may remember her as school principal Mrs. Cornelia Rayburn on LEAVE IT TO BEAVER) as society matron Mrs. Wiley. The TAGS writers exploited this situation one more time for the episode "The Education of Ernest T. Bass."
The most hilarious and memorable of the episodes featuring eccentric backwoodsman Ernest T. Bass, played brilliantly by Howard Morris. In this one Ernest T. is longing for the love of a woman - any woman - but first he has to be accepted in society. So, in a parallel to the famous story of "Pygmalion" and "My Fair Lady" (the movie of which came out the year this episode was made) Andy tries to make a gentleman out of this rough rustic and pass him off at a fancy party. This re-education program leads to some very funny bits between Andy, Barney and Ernest T.
Howard Morris' layered, funny and touching characterization of Ernest T. Bass makes this episode special. Watch out too for character actress Doris Packer (you may remember her as school principal Mrs. Cornelia Rayburn on LEAVE IT TO BEAVER) as society matron Mrs. Wiley. The TAGS writers exploited this situation one more time for the episode "The Education of Ernest T. Bass."