Ernest T. Bass

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Ernest T. Bass was a fictional character on the American TV sitcom The Andy Griffith Show. He was played by Howard Morris.

Ernest T. was an ignorant and obstreperous mountain man with a penchant for rock throwing, who was known to wreak havoc on the otherwise quiet town of Mayberry. He lived in the mountains neighboring Mayberry, and his appearance in town almost always meant trouble for Sheriff Andy Taylor and Deputy Barney Fife. A wild, belligerent hillbilly, Ernest T. (as he was always referred) had a scruffy appearance, a maniacal laugh, and often spoke in rhyme. When threatened with the law, Ernest T. would generally run off yelling his famous response, "You ain't seen the last...of Ernest T. Bass!"

Ernest T. Bass's behavior was often summed up by Barney Fife: "He's a nut!"

Ernest T.'s most notable trait was breaking windows with rocks. Ernest T. prided himself as being "the best rock thrower in the county". He was notoriously importunate with the women he desired, and regularly used this tactic to get their attention. He also tried to impress people by informing them that he was saving up for a gold tooth.

In his first appearance, (episode # 94, "Mountain Wedding"), Ernest T. has his mind set on marrying Briscoe Darling's daughter Charlene, despite the fact that she is already married to Dud Wash. He breaks the Darlings' window in the middle of the night, and then attempts to serenade Charlene by singing "Old Aunt Mariah", accompanied by drumming a gas can (which he tuned by tightening and loosening the cap). The family then decides to conduct a second (faked) wedding, to which Ernest T. reacts by devising a nefarious plan to steal the bride, only to discover that it was Barney in disguise.

In episode # 133, "The Education of Ernest T. Bass", Ernest T. tried to impress his love interest Ramona by getting an education. It was revealed that he could not read or write, except for a few signs (this is somewhat contradictory to earlier episodes, since he often threw rocks with written notes attached). Ernest T. attends Helen Crump's elementary class, where he quickly becomes a nuisance. After she hits him with a ruler for being disruptive, Ernest T. becomes smitten with Miss Crump. Fed up, Helen decides—on Andy's advice—to graduate Ernest T., despite his minimal education. She gave him his "diploma", which was simply a certificate stating that he knew some Arithmetic, could read and write some words, and knew the boundaries of the United States. In a touching ceremony, she announced that Ernest T. Bass had received his diploma "for learning...For learning".

Ernest T. Bass's last appearance was in episode # 164, "Malcolm at the Crossroads". Despite only appearing in five episodes during the show's entire run, Ernest T. Bass is one of The Andy Griffith Show's best remembered characters and remains a fan favorite. Morris, along with Griffith, Knotts, and many other TAGS cast members reprised his role in the 1986 TV movie Return to Mayberry.