Celebrating its 60th anniversary on October 3, “The Andy Griffith Show” is one of the most charming comedies in the history of American television. The CBS program was never outside of the top seven in TV ratings throughout its eight-year run and continues a strong six-decade domination in syndication.
Starting with the 1960 debut as a spinoff from “The Danny Thomas Show,” the series starred comedian Andy Griffith as Andy Taylor, sheriff of small-town Mayberry in North Carolina. One of the keys to the popularity was casting Don Knotts as bumbling but well-meaning deputy Barney Fife. Audiences got to know the young Ron Howard as Andy’s son Opie, long before his successful time on “Happy Days” and decades before his Oscar-winning career as a film director and producer.
While Griffith never received an Emmy nomination for his work on the program, Knotts won five times as Best Comedy Supporting Actor. In fact, he is the only performer to ever win five Emmys without any losses. Only three other people have prevailed five times for the same role: Julia Louis-Dreyfus (with the record of six for “Veep”), Edward Asner (“The Mary Tyler Moore Show” and “Lou Grant”) and Candice Bergen (“Murphy Brown”).
The other Emmy winner for her performance as Aunt Bee was Frances Bavier. Other cast members and guest stars featured in our ranked photo gallery of the 25 best episodes include Jim Nabors, George Lindsey, Aneta Corsaut, Betty Lynn, Howard McNear, Howard Morris, Denver Pyle and Hal Smith.
While not a big Emmys favorite overall, the Television Academy has inducted several people involved into their TV Hall of Fame: Griffith, Howard (for acting and producing other projects), producer Sheldon Leonard, producer Danny Thomas, associate producer Jay Sandrich and composer Earle Hagen. And if you have any connection with a Hall of Fame voter, it’s high time for Knotts to be inducted for playing one of the most iconic characters in television lore.
Photo : CBS Paramount
25. Barney and the Cave Rescue
Aired January 6, 1964. Andy and Helen are on a picnic when they go exploring in a cave. It collapses and Barney must try to rescue them. They find their own way out and then realize Barney will be embarrassed because he has mobilized the town for the emergency.
Photo : CBS Paramount
24. Alcohol and Old Lace
Aired January 30, 1961. Who would suspect that the elderly Morrison sisters are the mysterious moonshiners supplying Otis and others with illegal liquor?
Photo : CBS Paramount
23. Barney’s Physical
Aired September 28, 1964. Barney needs to gain weight and inexplicably grow taller in one week. He has to meet new guidelines for sheriff’s deputies or lose his job.
Photo : CBS Paramount
22. Jailbreak
Aired February 5, 1962. The state police do not want Andy and Barney’s assistance while after some thieves in Mayberry. They ultimately need their help more than originally thought.
Photo : CBS Paramount
21. Barney’s Sidecar
Aired January 27, 1964. Barney becomes a menace in Mayberry when he buys a surplus army motorcycle and sidecar to use on patrol.
Photo : CBS Paramount
20. The Big House
Aired May 6, 1963. Two captured criminals are jailed In Mayberry by the state police. It’s more than Barney can handle, with things made even worse by specially-assigned deputy Gomer.
Photo : CBS Paramount
19. Three Wishes for Opie
Aired December 21, 1964. Opie is magically charmed when Barney buys a fortune-telling game for him.
Photo : CBS Paramount
18. The Darlings Are Coming
Aired March 18, 1963. The Darlings descend from the mountains for one of their rare visits to the big city of Mayberry.
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17. A Date for Gomer
Aired December 9, 1963. Thelma Lou’s homely cousin Mary Grace is visiting. Barney is forced to line up a date for her and settles on Gomer.
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16. Barney’s First Car
Aired April 1, 1963. Barney decides to buy his first car but gets taken in by an elderly widow and her con artist gang.
Photo : CBS Paramount
15. Barney and the Choir
Aired February 19, 1962. Barney is invited to join the choir before everybody realizes how bad is singing is.
Photo : CBS Paramount
14. Opie the Birdman
Aired September 30, 1963. Opie accidentally kills a mother bird with his new slingshot. His father is upset and has him raise the baby birds himself. He grows very attached to them, but then has to set them free.
Photo : CBS Paramount
13. The Shoplifters
Aired March 2, 1964. Merchandise has been disappearing from Weaver’s department store. Andy is on the case, but Barney decides to go undercover as a mannequin.
Photo : CBS Paramount
12. Mr. McBeevee
Aired October 1, 1962. Opie meets a working man in the forest who walks in the trees. Nobody else can see him, so neither his father nor anybody else will believe him.
Photo : CBS Paramount
11. Stranger in Town
Aired December 26, 1960. A mysterious stranger seems to know everything and everybody in Mayberry even though he has never been there before.
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10. Fun Girls
Aired April 13, 1964. Two visiting “fun girls” interrupt Andy and Barney’s late-night office work. Girlfriends Helen and Thelma Lou think something is going on and cancel their dates to the dance.
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9. Barney Gets His Man
Aired May 8, 1961. Barney accidentally captures a wanted fugitive and becomes the most celebrated man in Mayberry. The criminal escapes and wants to take revenge on Barney.
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8. Christmas Story
Aired December 19, 1960. Mean old man Ben Weaver wants moonshiner Sam locked up for Christmas. When he sees how welcomed he and his family is in jail, Ben tries to get arrested himself.
Photo : CBS Paramount
7. My Fair Ernest T. Bass
Aired February 3, 1964. Crazy Ernest T. Bass wants to find his perfect girl. Andy and Barney teach him civilized manners and how to dress properly for a party. They claim he is Andy’s cousin from Raleigh.
Photo : CBS Paramount
6. The Haunted House
Aired October 7, 1963. Andy, Barney and Gomer have to retrieve a baseball from a haunted house nobody wants to visit in Mayberry.
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5. The Bank Job
Aired December 24, 1962. Barney dresses as a cleaning woman when he thinks the Mayberry Bank is a pushover for a robbery.
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4. Man in a Hurry
Aired January 14, 1963. A business traveler is stranded in Mayberry with car trouble. He must learn patience since it’s a Sunday and the pace is very slow to help him that day.
Photo : CBS Paramount
3. Convicts-at-Large
Aired December 10, 1962. Andy must try to rescue Barney and Floyd when they are held hostage in a cabin by three escaped women convicts.
Photo : CBS Paramount
2. The Pickle Story
Aired December 18, 1961. Aunt Bee’s homemade pickles are the worst imaginable but nobody wants to admit it. Andy switches them with ones from the grocery store to avoid eating hers. She is so proud to enter those into the county fair.
Photo : CBS Paramount
1. Citizen’s Arrest
Aired December 16, 1963. Barney tickets Gomer and then makes the same traffic mistake. Gomer issues a citizen’s arrest to Barney, causing a heated exchange. He is embarrassed in front of the Mayberry citizens and resigns as deputy, demanding a jail sentence in lieu of paying the fine.
