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''The Andy Griffith Show'' is an American Television Series that aired on CBS from October 3 rd, 1960 to April 1 st, 1968 . The series, a spinoff of '' The Danny Thomas Show '', centered around Andy Taylor, a widowed rural sheriff who rarely carried a gun. The series was an immediate hit with its audience, and still enjoys success in Syndication . The production manager of the show was Griffith's manager, Richard O. Linke. However, it was producer Aaron Ruben's (writer for '' The Phil Silvers Show ''), executive producer Sheldon Leonard 's (producer of '' The Danny Thomas Show ''), and Andy Griffith's attention to the scripts that was credited for giving the show its enduring quality. PREMISE as Barney Fife and Griffith as Andy Taylor]] ''The Andy Griffith Show'' was based around widowed Sheriff Andy Taylor ( Andy Griffith ), raising his young son Opie ( Ron Howard ) in the fictional rural North Carolina town of Mayberry . Sheriff Taylor was also the town's Justice Of The Peace , dispensing Summary Judgment s. He apparently had jurisdiction in the surrounding county as well. The first episode begins with their family housekeeper Rose (Mary Treen) getting married to Wilbur Pines (played by Frank Ferguson, who would later play grocer Mr. Foley) and moving away. This sets up the arrival of Andy's spinster Aunt Beatrice ( Frances Bavier ), called "Aunt Bee", who moves in to help take care of Opie. Barney Fife ( Don Knotts ) had just been hired as Andy's deputy sheriff. Fife is supposedly Andy's cousin, but it was only mentioned in three episodes of the first season and then never referred to again. Barney and the three members of the Taylor household made up the nucleus of the show. Before long however, other characters were introduced, including auto mechanic Gomer Pyle ( Jim Nabors ) and his cousin Goober Pyle ( George Lindsey ), town drunk Otis Campbell ( Hal Smith ), crazy man Ernest T. Bass ( Howard Morris ), Aunt Bee's busybody best friend Clara Edwards ( Hope Summers ), absentminded barber Floyd Lawson (played in his first appearance by Walter Baldwin and then replaced by Howard McNear . McNear would later say that he played Floyd Lawson Jr.), and the rest of the townsfolk. Andy's love interest early on was Ellie Walker ( Elinor Donahue ), a pharmacist who worked in her Uncle Fred's drug store. In 1964, teacher Helen Crump ( Aneta Corsaut ) joined the show and before long, became Andy's main girlfriend for the remainder of the series. CAST :''Main articles: List Of All Andy Griffith Show Cast , List Of Andy Griffith Show Guest Stars . In 1964, Jim Nabors left to star in a Spin-off series, '' Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. ''. His character, Gomer, enlisted in the Marines and was replaced by cousin Goober. McNear suffered a stroke which caused him to miss most of the third season, but he returned in season four. In 1967, his barber shop was sold to Emmett Clark, the town's handyman. Knotts left in 1965 (after season five) due to miscommunication, but did make five guest appearances in following seasons. It was explained that Barney had moved to the state capital of Raleigh, North Carolina to become a detective. His last guest appearance on the show in 1968 was the most watched episode of the entire series. Andy Griffith, Ron Howard and Frances Bavier were the only actors to remain on the show throughout its entire run. ORIGINS ''The Andy Griffith Show'' originated from an episode of '' The Danny Thomas Show '' in February 1960 . In that show, Danny Williams ( Danny Thomas ) was arrested by the sheriff for running a stop sign (at a spot where a crossroad had yet to be built) while driving through Mayberry. Andy Griffith was already a well-known entertainer, and received a large hand from the studio audience upon entering the scene ("''The name ain't 'Clem', it's 'Andy', Sheriff Andy Taylor!''"). While Danny was waiting for a resolution to the problem, various denizens of Mayberry wandered into the courthouse, notably Frances Bavier, who played a character different from her eventual Aunt Bee: a widow being victimized by a formal wear shop owner, who is making her pay eternal rent for the tuxedo her husband was buried in. ''The Andy Griffith Show'', its format and cast somewhat retooled from this episode, made its debut that fall. ''The Andy Griffith Show'' was an early example of a TV sitcom Spin-off , though it was not the first, as is often assumed. The first was '' Pete And Gladys '' in 1960, a spin-off of '' December Bride ''. REACTION When the show premiered in 1960 , many viewers felt a connection with widowed Sheriff Andy Taylor, his son Opie, his Aunt Bee, and his deputy sheriff, Barney Fife. Ironically, the airing of the series preceded one of the largest cultural upheavals in American history, but it focused on a quaint, idealistic community, befitting the American Dream. Audiences took an instant liking to the show, and it finished its first season at #4 in the United States. AWARDS Don Knotts and Frances Bavier won Emmy Awards . Knotts won five for Outstanding Supporting Actor In A Comedy Series , in 1961-63, 1966 and 1967, the last two for guest appearances. Bavier won one for Outstanding Supporting Actress In A Comedy Series in 1967. That same year, the show received its only nomination for Outstanding Comedy Series. OVERVIEW The show operated on at least two levels: there were the corny, nitwit antics of the supporting players, who provided most of the humor, and there was also the straightforward presentation of the occasional story involving a criminal to be caught or a love interest to be established. There was often a storyline of a serious nature concerning Andy's being a single parent to Opie. (The series never explained the circumstances surrounding Andy's wife, though she is mentioned in two episodes including "A Wife for Andy" and an episode where Aunt Bee is considering marriage to the local dry cleaner. In this episode Andy talks with Opie about different types of love ... including the marriage kind. That is when Opie asks if that is the kind of love Andy had with Opie's mom to which Andy answers in the affirmative.) One of the show's dynamics was the relationship between Andy Taylor, the sensible, easygoing sheriff and Barney Fife, his high-strung, overzealous deputy. From a comedic aspect, Andy usually served as the Straight Man to Barney's over-the-top antics. Andy's laidback law enforcement style was more in step with the sleepy town he safeguarded than Barney's, whose "by-the-book" attitude towards law and order generally served to cause more problems than it resolved. Andy rarely wore his full uniform and almost never carried a weapon, as opposed to Barney, who was never seen on duty without his cap and tie and was so anxious to use his gun, he had to carry the sole bullet Andy allowed him in his shirt pocket for safety. Andy had an understanding of the townspeople, and he regularly made exceptions to the rules. Because of this approach, Mayberry rarely ever saw any major crime. His familiarity with the small town and his intricate relationships with the individuals residing there made him a natural choice for sheriff. In contrast, Barney's heavy-handedness went steadily against the grain. On one occasion, Andy had to leave town for a day and left Barney in charge as acting sheriff. When he returned, he discovered dozens of the townspeople had been arrested, including Aunt Bee and her ladies group (for "Unlawful Assemblage and Inciting a Riot"—they were standing in front of the courthouse chatting), and the mayor (for "Vagrancy and Loitering"). Andy held a brief trial for each "criminal," with every case promptly dismissed. Andy had a different moral code than the average law enforcer. He did what he thought was right, and that sometimes meant he had to lie to protect the feelings of his friends and loved ones, which he saw to be more important than brazen honesty in certain situations. Andy regularly used Reverse Psychology on people, which he clearly saw to be for their own good. He seemed to have a keen eye for surreptitious or otherwise questionable situations, which the people of Mayberry sometimes lacked. If somebody he cared about made a poor decision, he would find a way to get them out of the situation without letting them know their mistake. He was regularly getting Barney out of some kind of trouble, which he tended to bring upon himself, letting him believe he had done right all along. Another one of Andy's character traits was giving credit to someone (usually Barney) for something he had done himself, and let them receive the adulation for it. Another of the show's dynamics was Andy's relationship with his son, Opie, as a single father. Andy was constantly teaching Opie moral lessons and making him think through situations. One of the most memorable examples of this is when Opie accidentally killed a mother bird, leaving three baby birds unattended. Rather than punishing him by conventional methods, Andy made Opie listen all one night to the baby birds cry outside his window, which convinced Opie that he needed to take care of the birds himself, since it was because of him that they had no mother. Opie raised them until they were able to fly away. From this experience, Opie learned a sense of responsibility and that actions produce consequences. In the show, Opie and Andy's 'man-to-man' conversations were very serious though oftentimes there was a certain amount of comedy in the lines. Opie came to his father about different things and often Andy had to think of ways to explain things so that Opie would understand exactly what he was trying to say. In the episode 'Opie and the Spoiled Kid', Opie tries convenient methods, like holding his breath and throwing a temper tantrum, to make his father cave. The conversation earlier in the show revealed to Andy that his son was unhappy about some other kid with a rich father getting a bigger allowance and not having to work for it. Opie soon realizes the kid and his father do not have anywhere near the relationship that Opie has with his. At one point, the kid readily agrees to Sheriff Taylor's suggestion to put his own father in jail. Opie's wide-eyed expression tells us that he's shocked that any material item could be more important than one's father (Andy and Barney had confiscated the boy's bike when he rode on the sidewalk after disobeying a direct order not to). THE LATER YEARS In the fall of 1965 , Don Knotts left to pursue a career in feature films. Griffith had said early on that he only planned to do the show for five years. As that time approached, Knotts signed a movie contract. Griffith reconsidered his earlier decision and Knotts, who wanted to continue as Barney, tried to get out of or rework his film contract. However, the film studio wouldn't consider either option, so Knotts was forced to leave the show (although he made 5 guest appearances over the following 3 seasons). Beginning with the 1965-66 season, the series was broadcast in Color . The opening and closing credits were reshot, but retained the familiar "The Fishin' Hole" theme. Jack Burns joined the cast as Warren Ferguson, the new deputy, but the character was dropped mid-season without explanation. Griffith later said that it just hadn't worked out. Perhaps the most significant changes to the show in the 1965-66 season, however, were the departures of show producer and story consultant Aaron Ruben , after 5 seasons, and frequent episode writers Everett Greenbaum and Jim Fritzell . Subsequently, prolific writer Harvey Bullock left after season 6, and by season 8, an entirely new crop of writers was working for the show. While it would be unfair and untrue to characterize the new writers as anything less than professional, the color episodes were often accused of lacking Ruben's customary affection for the small-town lifestyle and attention to production detail. Additionally, due in part to the loss of Knotts as a comic foil, Griffith's character often comes across as irritable and distant. At the time of their original broadcasts, however, the color episodes of ''The Andy Griffth Show'' were quite popular, with the show consistently finishing in the top 10. Ironically, it was in the final season that the series topped the Nielsen Ratings . UNPOPULARITY OF COLOR EPISODES IN SYNDICATION At the same time ''The Andy Griffith Show'' switched to color, a new writing/producing team was hired, the popular Knotts departed, and new (not always popular) supporting characters were added. This made for a unique situation when the show went into syndication. Over the years, several classic sitcoms of the 1960s began as black and white shows, but went color after a year or two (e.g., '' Gilligan's Island '', '' My Three Sons '', '' Bewitched '', '' I Dream Of Jeannie '', '' The Beverly Hillbillies ''). When these series were shown in syndication, TV stations tended to run the color episodes more often than the black and white ones. In some instances, TV stations would even skip the black and white episodes altogether. In some cases, the black and white episodes would be Colorized , to make them saleable on the syndication market. With ''Andy Griffith'', however, the opposite would happen. In syndication, the black and white "Barney Fife" episodes from 1960 to 1965 were much more popular and aired much more often than the 1965 to 1968 color episodes. In the 1990s, WHNT-TV in Huntsville, Alabama , and WMAZ-TV in Macon, Georgia started airing the color episodes in black and white, the thinking being these episodes would be more likely to be watched if viewers thought they were watching an episode from the popular black and white years. Within the past few years, however, the stations have started showing the color episodes in color once again. In recent years the TV Land network has shown color episodes nearly as frequently as the black and white ones. GOING OUT ON TOP Griffith left the show in April 1968 when his show was #1 in the Television Ratings (one of only three shows to do so, the other two being '' I Love Lucy '' in 1957 and '' Seinfeld '' in 1998 ). Griffith and CBS saw the potential profit in continuing the franchise, so Mayberry and most of the supporting characters lived on in a Spin-off from (or perhaps more correctly a continuation of) ''The Andy Griffith Show'' titled '' Mayberry R.F.D. ''. The first episode featured the marriage of Andy Taylor to his longtime girlfriend Helen Crump , and marked the only appearance of Barney Fife and Opie Taylor on the spin-off series (in brief, two-liner appearances). Frances Bavier (Aunt Bee) was the only original member of the cast to remain on the new show, which also featured the established characters of Clara, Goober, Howard, and johnny-come-latelys Emmett and Millie. ''Mayberry R.F.D.'' starred Ken Berry (who had joined the cast the previous year as farmer Sam Jones ) and Buddy Foster as his son Mike. It was cancelled in the spring of 1971 along with CBS' other Rural-themed Shows , as the network sought to attract the younger, more urban demographic advertisers desired. Pat Buttram , who played Mr. Haney on fellow rural program '' Green Acres '', said at the time, "CBS killed everything with a tree in it." MAYBERRY ''The Andy Griffith Show'' was set in and around the fictional town of Mayberry in the county of Mayberry, North Carolina . (Andy and Barney were employees of Mayberry County.) According to roadside signs seen in various episodes, the town population varied between 2,000 and 5,360 during the eight seasons of ''The Andy Griffith Show''. Raleigh was a few hours' drive away but the nearest city was Mount Pilot, located to the east of Mayberry in Pilot County. Mt. Pilot had a population of 30,000 and was known for its fast pace. Another nearby city mentioned numerous times on the show is Siler City , in Chatham County . It is also the town where Frances Bavier , the actress who played Aunt Bee , retired and was buried. One episode had a fictional neighboring district called "Pierce County" near Mayberry County. There is no real town of Mayberry, but, despite Griffith's denials, it is widely believed that it was based upon his real hometown of Mount Airy in Surry County , North Carolina . (In one 1965 episode, "Aunt Bee's Invisible Beau," he can be seen perusing a copy of the Mount Airy News {Link without Title} in his living room.) More likely, Mayberry was the brainchild of not only the writers, directors, and producers of The Andy Griffith Show, but also of the several other actors besides Griffith who hailed originally from southern towns and cities (e.g. Don Knotts from Morgantown, West Virginia, Jim Nabors from Sylacauga, Alabama, and George Lindsey, from Jasper, Alabama). Mayberry has become synonymous with the peaceful charm and wholesome goodness of small town America. In a negative sense, the term has also been used to connote the ignorance and lack of sophistication often associated with people from rural areas, and as an example of an idealized, fictional white south that never really existed. Real locations Years after the series ended, tourists driving through rural North Carolina still asked for directions to Mayberry, not realizing that the town didn't exist. There is a Pilot Mountain (believed to be the inspiration for Mount Pilot ), though it is better known as a mountain than as a town. Mount Airy , Griffith's hometown, caters to fans of the show with a large gift shop of show memorabilia, a museum, replica of the patrol car, jail, large statue of Andy and Opie, the Snappy Lunch (which was mentioned in many episodes), and the "real" Floyd's barber shop. There is a large fan club reunion in September, with character look-alike contests and visits by surviving cast members. Filming locations The TV show itself was filmed entirely in '' (" Miri ", " The Return Of The Archons ", and " The City On The Edge Of Forever ", in which Captain Kirk and social worker Edith Keeler walk past the front window of Floyd's Barber Shop). The apparently rural fishing hole that led off each episode was actually in the , just north of Beverly Hills . The 1986 reunion TV movie '' Return To Mayberry '' used the small California town of Los Olivos as Mayberry. 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 wrote the music for the series, and also for Andy Griffith's later, short-lived sitcom '' The New Andy Griffith Show '' in 1971 . The lyrics can be viewed here {Link without Title} . The playing of folk music by regular as well as guest characters was an integral part of the show. One reoccurring folk song played on the show was Old Dan Tucker . 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 the squad car) by Ford Motor Company . SEASONS ''Main articles: List Of The Andy Griffith Show Episodes .
NOTED CREW MEMBERS
CULTURAL REFERENCES
DISTRIBUTION ''The Andy Griffith Show'' remains popular. It is Syndicated by CBS Paramount Television (formerly Viacom and later Paramount ) for Reruns to be broadcast across the United States. It is also broadcast nationally on Cable Television on TV Land . DVD Releases CBS DVD has released all eight seasons of ''The Andy Griffith Show'' on DVD in Region 1 for the very first time. Copyright status The Mayberry FAQ says that the copyrights on some episodes have expired. These are all from the 1962 - 63 season, about a dozen and a half of them in total. The episodes are available on discount home video DVDs. It also says that composers don't receive royalties, but they do get performance money. The difference is that royalties are determined by a guild negotiating re-use payments with the producers. These payments diminish over time by the number of repeat plays of the program. Performance money is paid by the broadcasters who have to secure licenses to perform the music under the copyright laws of the world. This appears to be the reason why many of the discount home video versions of the public domain episodes replace the original show theme music with generic music (to avoid the need to pay such fees). In any event, official versions of the public domain episodes are available via Paramount Home Entertainment's box sets of the entire series. SEE ALSO
The following two shows were Spin-off s that included characters from the show:
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