THE ANDY GRIFFITH SHOW ... 'Miracle Sweep' vacuum cleaner

[paul]

Originally airing on October 9, 1961, the second episode of the second season of THE ANDY GRIFFITH SHOW (USA TV series, 1960 to 1968) titled "Barney's Replacement" is about Barney Fife resigning his sheriff deputy position and taking a job selling 'Miracle Sweep' vacuum cleaners after developing a complex toward a lawman sent by the State Attorney's Office to gain hands-on experience in Mayberry.

The 'Miracle Sweep' is actually a Hoover Convertible⁠—likely a Model 66 or 67. It is probably the same prop stored in the Taylors' kitchen behind the back door and used from time to time in other series episodes.

Unfortunately, Barney's lack of salesmanship fails to allow him to even demo the cleaner, so the tools are never shown nor is the cleaner used.

Here are some photos of the episode. Note the rear end of a '59 Chevy Impala in the first. Could be a Ford Falcon ahead of it; not sure about the one parked on the left.

 

[electrolux137]

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I remember this episode. Another one was when Aunt Bee went on a game show and won a s#!tload of prizes including a Hoover Convertible. She couldn't afford to pay all the taxes so she had to sell all the prizes except a garbage disposer and something else. Don't remember what it was.

 

[oreck_xl]

The car parked on the left in the first photo is a '59 or '60 Studebaker Lark.

 

[crazykirbydude]

Love the Hoover AND the Impala! The 1960 Impala is my dream car!

 

[jo]

I remember the I Love Lucy episode where Lucy buys a “Handy Dandy Vacuum cleaner”. It was a bullet type machine similar to an Electrolux but I don’t believe it was an Electrolux. It was funny though because the guy demonstrating threw dirt on the carpet and while the machine actually did seem to come on as a vacuum cleaner noise was heard, it may actually have been a vacuum behind stage for the noise because the guy had to push the dirt with some force to scatter it away from the area as if the machine actually sucked it up but it didn’t suck it up. Maybe the studio set didn’t have actual working outlets, though at first the machine didn’t appear to come on so Lucy had to flip the wall switch (a switch controlled outlet) and then the sound was heard of the machine starting up and running. So maybe it did turn on, but it sure didn’t pick up much of anything whatever that machine was!

 

[suckolux]

Dollars to donuts that Studebaker Lark belongs to Aunt Bea,in real life!

 

[paul]

The AGS episode about Aunt Bee winning the Hoover Convertible among other prizes is from Season 6, Episode 10 "Aunt Bee on TV" (original air date: November 15, 1965). I found one online photo of it below in which I think I can make out the handle and part of the base.

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Here's an awesome link which mentions the I LOVE LUCY episode with the 'Handy Dandy' and even includes photos. The tank cleaner was a Westinghouse Dyna-Matic according to its author.

https://www.50slucy.com/lucys-handy-dandy-westinghouse-vacuum-cleaner.html

 

[vacuumlad1650]

Aunt Bea also had a Connstellation in the episode "Barney hosts a Summit Meeting" it can be seen being out away by andy and Aunt Bea as the diplomats arrive