The Andy Griffith Show

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For other uses, see Andy Griffith (disambiguation).
The Andy Griffith Show
Format Sitcom
Created by Sheldon Leonard
Starring Andy Griffith
Ronny Howard
Don Knotts
Frances Bavier
Theme music composer Earle Hagen
Opening theme "The Fishin' Hole"
Country of origin Flag of the United States United States
No. of seasons 8
No. of episodes 249 (List of episodes)
Production
Running time 30 minutes per episode (with commercials)
25-26 minutes per episode (without)
Broadcast
Original channel CBS
Picture format Black and white 1960-1965,
Color 1965-1968
Full screen
Original run October 3, 1960 – April 1, 1968
Chronology
Followed by Mayberry R.F.D.
Related shows The Danny Thomas Show
Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.
External links
IMDb profile

The Andy Griffith Show is an American television sitcom that saw eight very successful first-run seasons in the 1960s. The show stars Andy Griffith as Andy Taylor, the Sheriff of fictional Mayberry, North Carolina. Andy is widowed, lives with a young son and a spinster housekeeper, dates a schoolteacher, and is best friends with his deputy. The show was created by Sheldon Leonard, filmed at Desilu Studios, and televised by CBS from October 3, 1960 to April 1, 1968. The show's first five seasons were filmed in black-and-white, while the last three were filmed in color. In its eight season run, the series consistently placed in the Nielsen Ratings top-ten. The show saw a spin-off series, a sequel series, and a reunion telemovie. The Andy Griffith Show is syndicated by CBS Television Distribution with reruns airing across the United States. The complete series, selected episodes, and individual seasons are available on DVD.

Contents

[edit] Production

[edit] Conception and development

The show's origins are traced to a February 1960 episode from The Danny Thomas Show, wherein Danny Williams (Danny Thomas) is arrested by Sheriff Andy Taylor for running a stop sign in Mayberry. Except for one brief scene in the street outside the courthouse, the action takes place inside the courthouse, with Danny spending most of his time sitting in a jail cell. Frances Bavier appeared as Henrietta Perkins, a widow being victimized by a shopkeeper, and Ron Howard appeared briefly as Opie. Eight months later, The Andy Griffith Show made its debut on CBS October 3, 1960.

[edit] Writers and producers

Executive producer Sheldon Leonard, producer Aaron Ruben and writers Jim Fritzell and Everett Greenbaum were closely associated with the success of the show's five black and white seasons. Those seasons saw the series' most popular episodes, with "Opie, the Birdman", "Mr. McBeevee", "Man in a Hurry", and "The Pickle Story" being at the top of all-time favorite lists. In the sixth season, producer and story consultant Aaron Ruben left the show to work Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C., a show of which he was part owner. Episode writers Everett Greenbaum and Jim Fritzell left the show as well. Writer Harvey Bullock left after season six, and, by season eight, an entirely new team of writers was working for the show.

[edit] Filming locations

The show was filmed entirely in Hollywood at Desilu Productions on the former RKO Pictures lot (now merged with the Paramount Pictures lot in Hollywood proper). Mayberry exteriors were shot on the former Selznick International Pictures lot, later known as Forty Acres. The rural fishing hole that opened each episode was Franklin Canyon Lake, just north of Beverly Hills. Franklin Canyon was also the site of the show's Myers Lake and other woodsy outdoor locales.

[edit] Opening sequence

The opening sequence remained the same throughout the series run though re-filmed as Ron Howard grew into a young teen. Accompanied by the show's well-known theme tune, Griffith and Howard are seen in character walking side-by-side along a path carrying fishing gear. Opie stops to pick up a stone and then rejoins his father. The two walk to an opening in the trees to gaze upon a body of water. Opie throws the stone into the water. The main cast (Griffith, Howard, and Knotts), was announced as the two walked along the path. In the first season, Elinor Donahue was announced in a opening sequence and, in the last season, Frances Bavier.

[edit] Music

The whistled theme song, "The Fishin' Hole" was composed by Earle Hagen (the show's music coordinator as well as the whistler) and Herbert Spencer, with unsung lyrics by Everett Sloane. Hagen also wrote the music for the series. One of the show's tunes, "The Mayberry March", was reworked a number of times in different tempi, styles and orchestrations as background music and eventually became the relaxed, carefree theme music for the show's spinoff, Mayberry R.F.D. Many styles and genres of music were heard on the show over the years: bluegrass, classical, folk, rock, pop, jazz, Broadway, traditional hymns, and classical airs like "Endearing Young Charms". Unlike other sitcoms, the music was often an integral part of the plots, not merely soundtrack to accompany scenes.

[edit] Sponsor

The sole sponsor of The Andy Griffith Show was General Foods, maker of Post Cereals, Jell-O and Sanka Coffee, though promotional consideration was paid for (in the form of all cars) by Ford Motor Company. Griffith and other members of the cast appeared in commercials for General Foods during the course of particular episodes and some commercials have been released on various DVD's.

[edit] Fictional world of The Andy Griffith Show

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Barney, Andy, Aunt Bee, and Opie in the second season episode "The Pickle Story" (1961)
Barney, Andy, Aunt Bee, and Opie in the second season episode "The Pickle Story" (1961)

Andy Taylor is the center of the Mayberry universe. His public life is dramatized in episodes about law enforcement, with moonshiners and other ne'er-do-wells keeping him busy. In his private life, Andy enjoys picnics with his sweetheart Helen Crump (Aneta Corsaut), double dating with his deputy Barney Fife and his girl Thelma Lou (Don Knotts and Betty Lynn), and socializing with filling station attendant Goober Pyle (George Lindsey), barber Floyd Lawson (Howard McNear), and Mayberry County Clerk Howard Sprague (Jack Dodson). At home, Andy enjoys fishing trips with his son Opie (Ron Howard), and quiet evenings on the porch with his housekeeper Aunt Bee (Frances Bavier). While some episodes allow secondary characters to briefly take center stage (addle-pated Frank Myers and manicurist Ellen Brown, for example) such episodes are really about Andy as counselor, morale booster, or problem solver. At series' end, not much has changed in Andy's life. He is still Sheriff, still dating Helen, and still sitting on the porch with Aunt Bee. Opie has become a young teen needing less of his father's supervision while Barney has taken a position with the Raleigh Police Department.

[edit] Time setting

The time setting is contemporary with the show's publication. In one color episode, Aunt Bee says she returned to Mayberry in 1959; her return opens the premiere season of October 1960. The show occasionally hinted at contemporary events like the war in Vietnam ("the situation in Asia").

[edit] Mayberry and vicinity

Main Street shops.
Main Street shops.

Mayberry is a fictional small community in North Carolina with its founding predating the American Revolution. Main Street is dominated by All Souls Church at one end and the movie theater at the other. Farms and scenic locations like Myers Lake surround the community. Mayberry is a town, township, city, and county with evidence in the program supporting the several designations. The courthouse, Andy's house, and Floyd's barbershop are principal settings for the show. Actual communities mentioned on the show include Raleigh and Siler City. Fictional, fast-paced Mount Pilot is a few miles east of Mayberry. Fans would like to believe Mayberry was modelled on Griffith's hometown of Mount Airy, North Carolina, but Griffith has denied any connection. While early seasons depict Mayberry as a sleepy, xenophobic community happily out-of-touch with the larger world, the Mayberry of the final seasons is aware of and takes an interest in the world beyond its city limits. The Taylors visit Hollywood, Aunt Bee travels to Mexico with friends, and Howard becomes a Caribbean beachcomber. Aunt Bee's Chinese restaurant is a marked success while Helen's book brings a Richmond publisher to her door. Mayberryites attend a globe-trotting professor's lecture, and, in the final episode, they welcome three Italian immigrants to the community as permanent residents.

[edit] Andy Taylor's back story

In the premiere episode, the viewer learns Andy was raised by Aunt Bee, suggesting (but not confirming) he was an orphan. Andy lived in Mayberry as a child (old timers in the show remember him as a boy) and attended Mayberry Union High, graduating in the class of '45. His high school girlfriend Sharon Despain — anxious to experience the fullness of life in a place other than slow-paced Mayberry, broke off their relationship and moved to Chicago. In a first season episode, Andy says he served in France during World War II. In another episode, it is mentioned that Andy-as-lawman fired his gun at a fleeing robber in 1952. Andy's son Opie is six-years-old when the show begins. Andy hired a housekeeper, Rose, to manage his household before Aunt Bee's return in the first episode. Except for Aunt Bee, Opie, and Barney, Andy has no relatives living in Mayberry and its vicinity.

[edit] Opie's mother

"What happened to Opie's mother?" is a frequently asked question among the show's viewers and fans. Little is known about her, however. Even her name is unknown. She is actually mentioned only twice. In the backdoor pilot, Andy says he lost her when Opie was "the least little speck of a baby", and, in "Wedding Bells for Aunt Bee", Opie asks his father if he had the kind of love for his mother that Aunt Bee and her husband-to-be have for each other. Andy indicates he did have that kind of love. In the third-season episode "A Wife for Andy", Barney refers to Andy as a man "who's been married once before", but there is no evidence that he was married to Opie's mother. Her life and whereabouts are never discussed. It is not clear if she is dead. There are no souvenirs (such as photos or portraits) of her in the Taylor home nor does anyone mention or visit a grave. In addition, only Opie's paternal relatives appear on the show. Opie's mother remains a question mark in the show's mythology and a mystery fans continue to examine.

[edit] Racial and ethnic minorities

Rockne Tarkington.
Rockne Tarkington.

Minorities rarely appeared on the show, and, when they did, were generally treated briefly and in a stereotypical manner. Although the program was produced during the civil rights era, African Americans were, with one exception, seen only in the background as part of the crowd. Rockne Tarkington was the only African American to appear in a speaking role on the show, as Opie's football coach in a seventh season episode. Other minorities were equally scarce. A Japanese martial arts instructor appears in one episode and two Chinese men join Aunt Bee in opening her "Canton Palace" restaurant. Gypsies and three Italian immigrants make appearances in color episodes and are presented in a stereotypical manner.

[edit] Women

Andy and his high school sweetheart, Sharon Despain
Andy and his high school sweetheart, Sharon Despain

In his book The Andy Griffith Show, Richard Kelly states, "[The show] may not have been sexual, but it certainly was sexist. The male population of Mayberry rules the town, and the women, for the most part, joyfully accept their positions as homemakers whose function is to keep their men happy."[1] Attractive women are regarded as sex objects[2] while ambitious women are regarded with horror and condescension.[3].

Several women were brought to the show early on to give Andy a romantic facet: Elinor Donahue as Ellie Walker, Julie Adams as Mary Simpson, Joanna Moore as Peggy McMillan. As Sheldon Leonard explained, "There had to be women in his life or else we'd have been suspected of homosexual inclinations."[1] However, it wasn't until Aneta Corsaut joined the show as Helen Crump in the third season that Andy found a steady partner for the duration of the series. Helen was not aggressive like Ellie, and in contrast to Peggy, Helen was not overtly sexual; according to Richard Kelly, she was more like Andy's sister than his lover.[1]

[edit] Church life

Unlike other sitcoms of the period, church-going is a prominent activity in The Andy Griffith Show. The Taylors attend All Souls Church, the only house of worship seen on the show. Aunt Bee sings in the choir, Opie yawns in the front pew, and Andy serves on the church's finance committee. Clara plays the organ and Helen teaches Sunday school. Some episodes feature visiting clergymen and problems like finding a new organ for the church. Roman Catholic trappings (crucifixes, confessionals) are not evident — indicating All Souls is likely a Protestant church, but its denomination is never defined. Some Christian viewers feel the show has a moral backbone virtually unrivaled by other television sitcoms and have singled out episodes for use as instructional and inspirational tools for their congregations.[4] Others question the use of the show for Christian instruction.[5]

[edit] Episodes

Main article: List of The Andy Griffith Show episodes

There were 249 episodes in all, 159 in black and white (seasons 1-5) and 90 in color (seasons 6-8).

[edit] Season one (1960-61)

The show's four stars — Griffith, Howard, Knotts and Bavier, are introduced in the premiere episode with all announced in the opening credits save Bavier. Pharmacist Elinor "Ellie" Walker (Elinor Donahue) becomes Andy's romantic interest but is dropped after twelve appearances. Andy's fathering skills are tested in several episodes, as they would be in every succeeding season. Recurring characters Floyd Lawson, Clara Edwards (Hope Summers), Otis Campbell (Hal Smith), and Thelma Lou debut. The season sees the only Christmas-themed episode.

[edit] Season two (1961-62)

The season is rich with guest stars: Alan Hale, Jr., Andy Clyde, Barbara Eden, Sterling Holloway, Bill Bixby, Buddy Ebsen appear. Andy dates Mary Simpson (Julie Adams/Sue Anne Langdon) while Aunt Bee dates handyman "Uncle" Henry Wheeler (Edgar Buchanan), the first of her several series romances. Opie's mother is mentioned for the first and only time on the series.[6]

[edit] Season three (1962-63)

Filling station attendant Gomer Pyle (Jim Nabors) debuts. Andy dates rich-girl Peggy McMillan in four episodes and has his only series kiss with former sweetheart Sharon Despain at a high school reunion. Schoolteacher Helen Crump debuts and becomes Andy's sweetheart for the remainder of the series. Aunt Bee romances disreputable medicine man Colonel Harvey. In real life, Howard McNear suffers a stroke and leaves the show.

[edit] Season four (1963-64)

Howard McNear returns to the show but plays Floyd Lawson from a seated position. Gomer's cousin Goober Pyle debuts. Love-smitten hillbilly Briscoe Darling (Denver Pyle) carries Aunt Bee to his mountain cabin. A false rumor is spread about Andy and Helen marrying. Jim Nabors leaves the show after twenty-three appearances to star in his own spin-off series Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C..

[edit] Season five (1964-65)

At the end of the season, Barney Fife leaves Mayberry to take a job with the Raleigh Police Department. Barney's sweetheart, Thelma Lou, is dropped from the show as a recurring character. (In real life, Don Knotts left the show to pursue a film career. He would make five guest appearances in the following color seasons.) In the season's final episode, Jerry Van Dyke appears as Andy's replacement deputy but never returns to the show.

[edit] Season six (1965-66)

The series begins filming in color. The opening sequence is reshot, retaining the father and son walk to the fishing hole and the scene's musical theme. Jack Burns plays Andy's deputy Warren Ferguson but is dropped after eleven appearances. Mayberry County Clerk Howard Sprague debuts. Thelma Lou makes a guest appearance. Aunt Bee begins a series of romances with respectable gentlemen, her first being a retired senator.

[edit] Season seven (1966-67)

Frances Bavier wins an Emmy. Aunt Bee has a brief romance with visiting clergyman Reverend Leighton. Helen is referenced for the first time as Andy's fiancée.[7] Rockne Tarkington is the only black performer to appear on the show in a speaking role. Howard McNear (who played Floyd the barber) leaves the show. A sponsor complains about character Otis Campbell and his alcoholic shenanigans; Otis is dropped, and Hal Smith leaves the show.

[edit] Season eight (1967-68)

Frances Bavier is announced for the first time in the opening credits. Paul Hartman joins the show as fix-it shop owner Emmett Clark. Ken Berry plays widower Sam Jones, star of the sequel series. Aunt Bee has a romance with professor Hubert St. John. Arlene Golonka makes two appearances as Millie Hutchins, a bakery clerk and Howard Sprague's betrothed. The season closes at number one in the Nielsen Ratings.

[edit] Notes

Griffith appears in all 249 episodes with Bavier coming in second at 239. Mary Lansing and Bob McQuain are frequent bit players with Lansing appearing in fifteen episodes and McQuain in fourteen. Allan Melvin plays substantial roles in eight episodes, while Burt Mustin portrays six characters in eleven episodes. Don Knotts' last appearance on the show in the eighth season is the most watched episode of the series. Only Griffith, Howard, Bavier, Knotts, and Hope Summers appear in all eight seasons — Knotts as a regular character for the first five seasons and a recurring one for the last three. Mayberry telephone operator Sarah and diner waitress Juanita Beasley are characters often mentioned on the show but never seen or heard.

[edit] Cancellation and subsequent developments

In 1968, Andy Griffith felt he had contributed all he could to the character Andy Taylor,[8] and the show was cancelled.

Frank Sutton as Sergeant Carter on The Andy Griffith Show.
Frank Sutton as Sergeant Carter on The Andy Griffith Show.

The backdoor pilot "Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C." aired at the end of the fourth season, May 1964. The episode followed Gomer's first days in boot camp. In September 1964, the spin-off series Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. debuted with Frank Sutton as Gomer's drill instructor Sergeant Vince Carter. Ron Howard made a guest appearance as Opie.

In the final season of The Andy Griffith Show, character Sam Jones was introduced and a sequel series Mayberry R.F.D. was fashioned around him. Several performers reprised their original roles in the sequel, with Bavier becoming Sam's housekeeper. Andy and Helen married in the first episode, remained briefly, then left the show. Following cancellation in 1971, Lindsey reprised his Goober character on the variety series Hee Haw.

In 1986, the reunion telemovie Return to Mayberry was broadcast with several cast members appearing in their original roles. Absent, however, was Frances Bavier. She had retired from acting, was in poor health, living in North Carolina, and declined to participate. In the telemovie, Aunt Bee is dead and Andy visits her grave.

[edit] Media information

[edit] Broadcast history

The show debuted on CBS October 1960 and remained on CBS for its entire run, leaving its first run broadcasts in 1968. Reruns of the show began airing in 1964 as Andy of Mayberry and are televised today as The Andy Griffith Show on TV Land.

[edit] Marketing and merchandise

Dell Comics published two The Andy Griffith Show comic books during the show's first-run. In 2004, copies in 'near mint' condition were priced in excess of $500 each. [9] Since the show's first-run considerable merchandise has been generated including games, reproductions of Barney's cap, bobblehead dolls, kitchenware, books, and other items. In 2007, a line of canned foods inspired by the show was made available in grocery stores across America. Collectors prize studio promotional photos, original scripts, costumes and props from the show, Andy Griffith gospel recordings from the period, and autographs.

[edit] DVD releases

CBS Home Entertainment has released all eight seasons of The Andy Griffith Show on DVD in Region 1. The complete series was released as a boxed set in 2007 (ISBN141573159) and includes the pilot from The Danny Thomas Show, the reunion telemovie Return to Mayberry, and an episode from Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. co-starring Ron Howard. Sixteen episodes from the show's third season are in the public domain and available on discount DVDs.

DVD Name Ep # Release Date
The First Season 32 November 16, 2004
The Second Season 31 May 24, 2005
The Third Season 32 August 16, 2005
The Fourth Season 32 November 22, 2005
The Fifth Season 32 February 14, 2006
The Sixth Season 30 May 9, 2006
The Seventh Season 30 August 29, 2006
The Final Season 30 December 12, 2006
The Complete Series 249 May 29, 2007

[edit] Reception

[edit] Ratings

The Andy Griffith Show consistently placed in the top ten during its run.[10]

  • 1960-1961:#4
  • 1961-1962:#7
  • 1962-1963:#6
  • 1963-1964:#5
  • 1964-1965:#4
  • 1965-1966:#6
  • 1966-1967:#3
  • 1967-1968:#1

A Neilsen study conducted during the show's last season (1967) indicated the show ranked #1 among blue collar workers followed by The Lucy Show and Gunsmoke. Among white collar workers, the show ranked #3 following Saturday Movies and The Dean Martin Show.[11]

[edit] Awards and nominations

Don Knotts won five Emmy Awards for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series, in 1961-63, 1966 and 1967, the last two for guest appearances. Frances Bavier won one Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series in 1967. The show received its only Emmy nomination in 1967 for Outstanding Comedy Series, losing to a new show, The Monkees. In 2002, TV Guide ranked The Andy Griffith Show ninth on its list of the 50 Greatest TV Shows of All Time.

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c Kelly, Richard. The Andy Griffith Show. Blair, 1981. (ISBN 0895870436).
  2. ^ The Andy Griffith Show:"The Manicurist"; Season 2.
  3. ^ The Andy Griffith Show: "Ellie Runs for Town Council"; Season 1.
  4. ^ Finding the Way Back to Mayberry. Retrieved on 2007-10-16.
  5. ^ Sunday School: What Would Andy Do?. Retrieved on 2007-10-16.
  6. ^ The Andy Griffith Show: "Wedding Bells for Aunt Bee"; Season 2.
  7. ^ The Andy Griffith Show: "Helen, the Authoress"; Season 7.
  8. ^ Griffith, Andy
  9. ^ Overstreet, Robert M.. Official Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide. 34th edition. House of Collectibles, Random House Information Group, May 2004.
  10. ^ Classic TV Hits: TV Ratings
  11. ^ Kelly, Richard. The Andy Griffith Show. Blair, 1981. (ISBN 0895870436).

[edit] Further reading

[edit] Viewings

[edit] External links

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[edit] Tags

 This article needs additional citations for verification.
Please help improve this article by adding reliable references. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (March 2008)