Alas, my favorite episode has not shown up on any of those lists. So, as your personal insurance geek, I must point out my most beloved episode of "The Andy Griffith Show". You may not remember it, so let me give you a quick synopsis.
Aunt Bee loses her "valuable" antique broach, given to her by her "Aunt Martha". Andy tells Bee they can put in a claim with their insurance company. Showing his wisdom extends beyond law enforcement to insurance, Andy does a great job explaining the applicable coverage:
Andy: "That pin is listed on the schedule with the silver and other things. It is valued at $275. The loss comes under the heading of a mysterious disappearance."
Andy calls their local insurance agent, Ed Jenkins. Ed (who you will recognize as the future Mayberry character Howard Sprague) quickly agrees to come to the Taylor's residence where he tries to sell Andy life insurance. (Epitome of the 1960's image of insurance agents - simply salespersons.) Finally, Andy gets a chance to tell Ed why he requested the visit.
Ed: "A claim? A claim?"
Andy: "Maybe you insurance people have a different name for it. We send money to the insurance company, we lose something, we tell you about it then the insurance company sends us money..."
Ed, reluctantly: "Yeah, that's a claim alright."
The insurance company delivers on the insurance contract by providing a check for the full $275! And, of course, a bit of mayhem and life lessons follow.
This classic episode displays the value of the local insurance agent who visits your home, extols the advantage of scheduling "valuable" property on your policy and demonstrates how quickly a claim should be processed. All still valid in today's insurance world.
A sitcom episode about insurance. TV doesn't get any better than this for a geek like me!
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