Question: Beginning with the "Convicts at Large" episode in season 3, full width window boxes appear at the bottom of both front windows on the inside of the Sheriff's Office. Prior to this episode, they did not exist. Window boxes are often used to display decorative plants but I don't see any plants. And if they were supposed to partially block the background, the blinds were long enough to accomplish that. I find it hard to believe that the producers would spend additional money (for material and labor) for something that seems to serve no purpose. So why were they added?
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.
Answer: I suspect these were common, as to block the wind from blowing the blinds and papers on the desk.
Question: When Peggy is mad at Andy and storms away she gets into a car with the steering wheel on the right side. I'm just curious as to why?
Answer: Steering wheel looked like it was on the right hand side. Maybe the car was an import from England.
Answer: From what I see, the steering wheel is on the left hand side. She just happens to get in on the passenger side, to avoid going around the car into the street or the bushes were blocking her way.
Answer: I answered a similar question about this show, and I'll repost what was from the Internet as a possible reason: This could be production-related in setting up the shot. For example, getting in on the passenger side can be shot as a locked-down tripod shot. Getting in on the driver side means the character has to walk around the car, requiring at minimum a pan/tilt/zoom and probably a dolly shot to make it look good (they didn't have Steadicams back then, so any time the camera had to move, a dolly track had to built for it to roll on). That would add expense and time to what was really just an establishing shot. This was a low-budget, weekly TV show, and scenes would shot in the easiest, fastest, and most economical way possible, even if it seems somewhat illogical.
Except the way the shot was set up, the camera wouldn't have had to follow her walking around the car. Being equipment-related is the least likely reason.
Question: Whose car were Barney and Floyd driving in this episode? If this was Floyd's car, why was he not driving?
Answer: When Floyd and Barney have run out of gas, Barney chides Floyd by saying, "Why didn't you put gas in this car? If you're gonna drive through the country, you're supposed to make sure the tank is filled." This suggests it's Floyd's car. Since Barney insisted he knew a shortcut, Floyd let him drive the car.
Barney and the Governor - S3-E15
Question: Who was the young man standing in courthouse with the governor when he shook Barney's hand?
Answer: Right before Barney and Andy walk into the courthouse to meet Governor Ed, his chauffeur (played by Rance Howard) is standing beside the Governor's car. In the next shot inside the courthouse, when Governor Ed shakes Barney's hand, I'm presuming the young man with the Governor is his aide or personal assistant. The young man is carrying an attache case which likely belongs to the Governor, and earlier the Governor told Andy that he had some business in the vicinity.
Answer: I heard that that man was also Ron Howard's real father. Is that true?
Yes. The governor's chauffeur was played by Rance Howard (Ron Howard's father).
Question: In "Barney's First Car", what was the thing that came out of the steering wheel?
Answer: It is supposed to be part of the steering column. It was actually put there for comic relief.
High Noon in Mayberry - S3-E17
Question: When Luke Comstock called Andy to let him know he was coming over, why did Andy choose not to keep himself armed in the event Luke's intentions proved sinister? Andy had no way of knowing ahead of time if Luke was coming back to seek revenge on him. Barney even said that the person matching Luke's description was seen carrying a shotgun. Luke was armed, so Andy should have been just in case Luke tried anything.
Answer: Throughout the show, it is established multiple times that Andy doesn't use firearms. (At least not for police work.) He has the ability to de-escalate most situations without resorting to force or the threat of violence.
Answer: Those "boxes" are valences that used to be very common, before air conditioning. They allow for windows to be open during rain storms. They permit air circulation, without letting the rain in.