The Merchant of Mayberry - S2-E22
Plot hole: In the episode where Barney confronts the two farmers for selling produce on the side of the road, Barney mentions that they're not allowed to sell because of "section 17.4" of the ordinance code - that street vending is not allowed, and Andy confirms it. But in this episode Bert comes to town and is selling dry goods, etc. and he's allowed to sell. Even Ben states that there must be a structure if he's selling - wouldn't you think that Andy and Barney would have known that already before setting him up to sell?
Answer: As noted in the previous answers, in real life, things like this provided wind and/or rain deflection, and also maintained a bit of privacy when blinds were raised somewhat. The interior courthouse set was located in the studio, so the "outside" Main Street didn't exist. I believe these things were added to the courthouse windows for practicality, to avoid some crew movement being visible on the opposite side of those windows. These are not "window boxes" to hold anything, as they're actually bottomless; we can see the Venetian blind's long pull cords under them. They're made of plywood and simple to build, so the "material and labor" was inexpensive. Similar variations made of different materials are in other movies/shows. In 1957's "12 Angry Men," textured chicken wire glass panels are in the jury room windows, and in "Jesse Stone: Night Passage" another type is in Jesse's office windows.
Super Grover ★