FROM MAYBERRY RFD TO THE FBI?

While looking for members of Clan Franklin to suggest a Theory of "Relateeveety" with PJ and Andy of 'My Boys', I stumbled across something interesting. Tod Andrews played a Mr. Franklin in a 1968 episode of 'The Andy Griffith Show' dealing with a computerized dating service. A year later, he appeared in 'The FBI' as Ed Franklin in the fifth season premiere "Target Of Interest", which also dealt with dating in a way:

"Erskine poses as a lovelorn diplomat to provide fresh bait for an extortion ring suspected of having blackmailed a diplomat to suicide. Diane Baker looking beautiful as a double agent working for the US is brought out of retirement for "one more" for the country. The good inspector goes undercover as Miss Baker's lover and is blackmailed by the bad guys."
[from TV.com]

In the very last episode of 'The Andy Griffith Show' ("A Girl For Goober"), Goober's truthful yet misleading answers to the questionaire of a computerized dating service led to Goober getting a date with the woman who ran the computer program. And even though they both realized quickly they were mismatched, the two of them still had fun on their date. As for Mr. Franklin, he was the assistant to Dr. Edith Gibson.

I wish I could find more information... information... information on the episode of 'The FBI' in which Tod Andrews also played Franklin. Perhaps he decided it would be more lucrative if he took his knowledge of computerized dating and applied it towards a blackmailing scheme.

Without finding a proper, more detailed synopsis, I can't jump to conclusions just yet; after all, Ed Franklin in 'The FBI' episode may not have been involved in the blackmail operation. But there's hope yet - they show the series on the American Life network, so I'll just consider "Target Of Interest" to be a target of interest......

BCnU!
Toby OB