one of the best with Andy and Don Knotts!
WIKIPEDIA: The Andy Griffith Show is an American sitcom first televised by CBS between October 3, 1960 and April 1, 1968. Andy Griffith portrays a sheriff in a fictional small community in North Carolina. Though neither Griffith nor the show won awards during its eight season run, two of Griffith's co-stars won a total of six Emmy Awards. The series was a hit, never placing lower than seventh in the Nielsen Ratings and ending its run at number one. The show spawned a spin-off series Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. (1964), a sequel series Mayberry R.F.D. (1968), and a reunion telemovie Return to Mayberry (1986). Reruns currently air across the United States, and the complete series is available on DVD.
The series' plot revolves around Sheriff Andy Taylor (Andy Griffith) and his life in sleepy, slow-paced Mayberry, North Carolina. Sheriff Taylor's level-headed approach to law enforcement makes him the bane of local moonshiners and out-of-town criminals, while his abilities to settle community problems with common sense advice, mediation and conciliation make him popular with his fellow citizens. His professional life, however, is complicated by the gaffes of his overzealous and comically inept deputy, Barney Fife (Don Knotts). Andy socializes with male friends in the main street barbershop and dates various ladies until a schoolteacher becomes his steady interest in the third season. At home, Andy enjoys fishing trips with his son, Opie (Ronny Howard), and quiet evenings on the front porch with his maiden aunt and housekeeper Aunt Bee (Frances Bavier). Opie tests his father's parenting skills season after season and Aunt Bee's ill-considered romances and adventures cause her nephew concern.
The Andy Griffith Show came about after Andy Griffith appeared on The Danny Thomas Show (aka Make Room for Daddy), in an episode titled "Danny Meets Andy Griffith", February 15, 1960, when Danny Williams (Danny Thomas) went on vacation on his show and was pulled over by rural Sheriff Andy Taylor. Griffith as Sheriff Taylor arrests Thomas for running a Mayberry stop sign. Frances Bavier appears as widow Henrietta Perkins and Ron Howard is briefly seen as Opie. The following October, The Andy Griffith Show made its debut.
In the original concept (as shown in the pilot), the Sheriff Taylor character was to be sort of slow-witted, but with a good heart; no role for a "deputy" was envisioned. Before the show began production however, Don Knotts (who had worked with Griffith in the Broadway and movie versions of "No Time for Sergeants" as well as the film "Onionhead") asked Griffith if there might be a role for him. Griffith agreed that the Sheriff needed a deputy, and the role of "Barney Fife" was born. In addition to adding a new and interesting character to the Mayberry family, it also had the added effect of allowing Griffith's character to become more worldly-wise and to act as the "straight man" to the other characters' foibles. It is not generally considered correct that Andy and Barney were cousins; although Barney refers to Andy as his "cousin" in the first regular-run episode, the relationship is never mentioned again during the entire run of the show, and is generally considered to have been merely included by the writers as a comedy gag line. The actual scene features Andy explaining to Barney all of the reasons why he chose Barney to be his deputy; his training, his experience, his professional demeanor, etc. After Andy finishes, there is a slight pause, then Barney says: "Thank you cousin Andy."
The show's production team included creator and executive producer Sheldon Leonard, producers Aaron Ruben (1960-1965) and Bob Ross (1965-1968), and writers Leo Solomon, Ben Gershman, Jim Fritzell and Everett Greenbaum among others. In the sixth season, Greenbaum and Fritzell left the show and Ruben departed for Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C., a show he partly owned. Writer Harvey Bullock left after season six, and, by season eight, the show had an entirely new team of writers. Bob Sweeney directed the first three seasons save the premiere.
The show was filmed at Desilu Studios, with exteriors filmed at Forty Acres. Woodsy locales, including the opening sequence with its whistled theme, were filmed north of Beverly Hills at Franklin Canyon Lake.
The show's theme music, "The Fishin' Hole", was composed by Earle Hagen and Herbert Spencer, with lyrics written by Everett Sloane. Whistling in the opening sequence was performed by Earle Hagen. One of the show's tunes, "The Mayberry March", was reworked a number of times in different tempos, styles and orchestrations as background music.
The show's sole sponsor was General Foods, with promotional consideration paid for (in the form of cars) by Ford Motor Company.
The show was retitled Andy of Mayberry for its initial daytime rerun package in 1964, to distinguish the repeat episodes from the then-new episodes airing in prime time and continued to turn up in syndication over the ensuing decades.
At the end of the show's fourth season (May 1964), the backdoor pilot "Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C." aired, and, the following September, spinoff series Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. debuted with Jim Nabors in his Gomer role and Frank Sutton as drill instructor Sergeant Vince Carter. Ron Howard made a guest appearance as Opie during the show's run.
In the last episodes 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 were married in the first episode, remained for a few episodes then left the show with a move to Raleigh being the explanation given the audience. After the sequel series' cancellation in 1971, George Lindsey reprised his Goober character over a ten year period on the popular variety show 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 Siler City, North Carolina, and declined to participate. In the telemovie, Aunt Bee is dead and Andy visits her grave.
