An old Andy Griffith episode...
Illustration
An old Andy Griffith episode has a young family renting a house from an elderly, rich landlord. The family falls behind in their rent and the owner wants them evicted. He comes to Andy because it's the sheriff's job to do that. Andy keeps trying to avoid it. He pleads the case for the family. Give them more time, Andy says. The father is out of work but is known to be a hard worker, etc. The landlord will have none of it. He's right, by law, and he wants them out.
Then Andy uses loopholes in the law to buy the family time. The contract has to be read and somehow the father's eyeglasses are missing (Andy took them). But the landlord reads the contract to the family.
Finally Andy runs out of excuses. He knows that it's wrong, but he's bound by the law to evict this family. So he tells the landlord he's going to evict them today, and he brings the landlord along.
Andy treats the family rudely and harshly, yelling, "Come on you lazy good for nothings! Get out of here!" Completely out of character for Andy, and even the landlord is taken aback at the cruelty and ends up intervening on the family's side!
Which is of course what Andy wanted -- for the landlord to see how harsh he was being.
Then Andy uses loopholes in the law to buy the family time. The contract has to be read and somehow the father's eyeglasses are missing (Andy took them). But the landlord reads the contract to the family.
Finally Andy runs out of excuses. He knows that it's wrong, but he's bound by the law to evict this family. So he tells the landlord he's going to evict them today, and he brings the landlord along.
Andy treats the family rudely and harshly, yelling, "Come on you lazy good for nothings! Get out of here!" Completely out of character for Andy, and even the landlord is taken aback at the cruelty and ends up intervening on the family's side!
Which is of course what Andy wanted -- for the landlord to see how harsh he was being.
