Five Times Barney Fife Was Right on the Andy Griffith Show

Memorable television sitcoms make full use of their comic relief characters. In the case of The Andy Griffith Show, there wasn't anyone more comical than Barney Fife, a character that the show struggled and ultimately failed to replace when actor Don Knotts left the series following the fifth season.

While most Barney episodes featured the sheriff, Andy Taylor (Andy Griffith), trying to overcome Barney's bumbling, there were times when the deputy proved to be the smarter of the pair. Here are five that stand out:

1. He saw right through David Browne's likeable personality. When Opie (Ron Howard) befriended the hobo (played by Buddy Ebsen) in season 2's Opie's Hobo Friend, Barney was the one person who didn't think Andy should trust him. As it turned out, Browne was a bad influence on Opie, encouraging him to steal gumballs, skip school and put off doing chores.

2. He saw the importance of having two police vehicles. While he was ridiculed in season 4's Barney's Sidecar for purchasing a motorcycle and ultimately caved in and got rid of it, I do think he had a legitimate point. The sheriff's office only had one car, and that car was often used by Andy for personal business. The motorcycle arguably wasn't the best choice for a secondary vehicle, but it was still a solution to a very real problem the sheriff was making no effort to fix.

3. Security at Mayberry Bank wasn't all that great. Most of season 3's The Bank Job was Barney going through his usual antics and failing to prove the bank's security was lacking. However, by the end of the episode, it was clear he was right and, had he not been so insistent, perhaps the real bank robbery would have been successful.

4. He's the one who caught Ben Weaver's (Tol Avery) shoplifter. Yes, dressing like a mannequin in season 4's The Shoplifters certainly didn't help Barney's credibility, but he caught the woman trying to smuggle goods out of the department store under her dress just the same. Andy might have made the official arrest, but it wouldn't have been without Barney's surveillance.

5. He had the right idea about the town drunk. Otis (Hal Smith) might have been a loveable character, but alcoholism is a real problem, and Barney was the only one to see that in season 5's The Rehabilitation of Otis. Yes, he was underqualified and ultimately failed but he at least tried to do something other than just let his friend sleep it off all the time.