”The Andy Griffith Show,” Season 1, Episode 11, “The Christmas Story.” Starring Andy Griffith, Don Knotts Ron Howard, Frances Bavier and Elinor Donahue. Guest starring Sam Edwards, Margaret Kerry and Joy Ellison as Sam, Bess and Effie Muggins, Will Wright as Ben Weaver. 

Most successful TV situation comedies tend to have a Christmas episode and for some reason they are often produced in the first season: think “Mary Tyler Moore Show,” “The Odd Couple” and “Happy Days.” TAGS was no exception producing its Christmas-themed show in the 11th episode. It’s a well-paced, funny, heartwarming tale that features Ben Weaver, Mayberry’s most prominent merchant, a cranky, stooped-shouldered somewhat Dickensian figure with a well-hidden heart of gold tucked behind his gruff exterior.

The plot involves Weaver (Will Wright) dragging in moonshiner Sam Edwards to the courthouse on Christmas Eve and demanding that Edwards be locked up. A big Christmas party is being planned and Andy asks Ben if he’ll let Edwards have a furlough through Christmas. True to form Weaver refuses. It looks like the Christmas Party is off, until Andy invites Edwards wife, Bess, (Kerry), and daughter, Effie, (Ellison), to stay in the jail with dad. In a funny scene, Andy overrides Ben’s objections by cross-examining Sam’s smiling kin, who admit they knew about the moonshining!

Other amusing parts are Andy teasing Barney for being called “Barney Parney Poo” by his sweetheart, Hilda May, in a card, and a skinny Barney, with a bad white beard, playing Santa Claus.

The funny plot seamlessly turns serious as a lonely Weaver, his Grinch-like plans foiled, tries to get himself arrested. Writer Frank Tarloff — who penned 9 TAGS episodes — deserves a tip of the hat for his funny, ironic script. Ben’s plans to get busted are foiled when party-goers, including Ellie, either pay his fines or donate “stolen property” to him. Finally, in a scene that can bring tears, we see a lonely Ben Weaver, standing in an alley, peeking through the jail window bars, softly singing along with a Christmas Carol sung in the courthouse.

I won’t give away the end for the very few who might still have missed the show, but it should be noted that perhaps the reason TAGS never again attempted a Christmas episode is that it could never have topped this. Wright as Ben Weaver is simply magnificent. His page on IMDB.com says he looks as “if he was born old.” The grizzled, stooped ex-Western actor actually died at the relatively young age of 68. He played Ben Weaver in three TAGS episodes, the last before his death of cancer. Several other actors played Weaver in later episodes, but only one, Tol Avery, captured even a smidgen of the cranky magic Wright gave the role.

He was, and remains, Mayberry merchant Ben Weaver to TAGS fans. In his three episodes, Weaver created a happy Christmas, saved a family from homelessness and gave a tired traveling merchant a job.