<Li> The Darling Boys--Briscoe's four sons, played by the bluegrass group The Dillards, almost never spoke, except when singing in the band . They had an oafish appearance, but were very talented musicians . The names of the boys were somewhat contradictory from episode to episode: The original script of "Mountain Wedding" listed their names as Oether (pronounced Othor), Jebbin, Ward, and Frankie (although only Oether and Jebbin were ever used onscreen), but in a later episode, Andy refers to them as Mitch, Dean, Rodney, and Doug--the real first names of the members of The Dillards . However, they are generally referred to simply as "the boys", collectively . They were characterized by their silent, emotionless presence, and by their instrumentation in the family band: banjo (Doug Dillard), guitar (Rodney Dillard), mandolin (Dean Webb), and bass (Mitch Jayne). When they played, one usually sang lead and the others provided harmonies, while their father played rhythm on the jug . In a running gag, Andy addresses them, and they return only a blank stare . Thus greeted in "Mountain Wedding", Andy remarked to Briscoe, "The boys are talkative today ." Completely missing the irony, Briscoe admitted "They's all keyed up" (over Ernest T. Bass's antics). Another time was when Charlene had a baby (Andelina) and Andy said, "You boys must be proud to be uncles ." They did not respond . Briscoe answered "They all choked up ." The only lines ever spoken by the Darling boys occur in the jail scene of the episode "The Darlings Are Coming". Mitch can be heard to say, "About to pop ." Another trademark was that Mitch Jayne's character always had a pipe in his mouth . </Li> <Li> Dudley A. "Dud" Wash--Charlene's fiance and later husband, Dud had served three years in the U.S. Army, where he achieved the rank of private first class . He had been betrothed to Charlene since the age of five . Dud was originally portrayed by Hoke Howell as a well - mannered country boy . However, in Dud's final appearance, episode #121, "Divorce Mountain Style", Howell was curiously replaced by Bob Denver . Denver's portrayal was more along the lines of a wily, scrappy mountain man, akin to Ernest T. Bass, in contrast to Dud's original "good ol' boy" persona . At a 1995 convention, actor Hoke Howell explained the replacement as CBS's attempt to make Bob Denver a more familiar face, to promote his upcoming show, Gilligan's Island, despite the fact that Denver previously played Maynard G. Krebs on The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis . Dud was absent from the Darling's later appearances . </Li> <P> The Darlings made their final appearance on The Andy Griffith Show in episode #193, "The Darling Fortune". They made a total of six appearances throughout the show's run . </P> <Table> <Tr> <Th> Season #</Th> <Th> Production #</Th> <Th> Broadcast #</Th> <Th> Airdate </Th> <Th> Title </Th> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> </Td> <Td> 088 </Td> <Td> 088 </Td> <Td> March 18, 1963 </Td> <Td> The Darlings Are Coming </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> </Td> <Td> 094 </Td> <Td> 094 </Td> <Td> April 29, 1963 </Td> <Td> Mountain Wedding </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> </Td> <Td> 096 </Td> <Td> 100 </Td> <Td> October 28, 1963 </Td> <Td> Briscoe Declares for Aunt Bee </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> </Td> <Td> 121 </Td> <Td> 120 </Td> <Td> March 30, 1964 </Td> <Td> Divorce, Mountain Style </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 5 </Td> <Td> 139 </Td> <Td> 139 </Td> <Td> December 7, 1964 </Td> <Td> The Darling Baby </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 7 </Td> <Td> 193 </Td> <Td> 195 </Td> <Td> October 17, 1966 </Td> <Td> The Darling Fortune </Td> </Tr> </Table>

Who played dud wash on the andy griffith show