Do you know anything about what Andy Griffith was like off camera?
There is a new biographical book out, called “ANDY AND DON”. Available in libraries, and online. It was written by Don Knotts’ son-in-law.
As you may know, Andy grew up the only child of a furniture-factory worker in the small foot-hills town of Mount Airy, NC, near Winston-Salem. His boyhood house is now a Bed and Breakfast Inn, open to guests. He attended U-NC Chapel Hill, and became a teacher and choral director 2 years at Goldsboro high school (some of the early TV episodes allude to his love for folk-music). He and his first wife Barbara started entertaining at NC civic clubs and lodge banquets, with singing, (her) dancing, and telling funny stories. His first big hit record monologue was “What it was, was football” (You can hear it on Youtube).
He and Barbara then went to Broadway to star in “No Time for Sergeants” (he first met Don Knotts there), and repeated the role later in a Hollywood film, as well as the movies Onionhead, Destry Rides Again, and A Face in the Crowd. He played in a skit on the Danny Thomas Show about a small-town sheriff. This led to getting his own TV series in 1961, and choosing Don Knotts for his deputy. The first year of the TV show, he had a broad grin and a strong accent. The remaining years he toned down his accent. After 5 years, Don Knotts “Barney” left the show to pursue other movie roles. The lack of Don Knott’s comic antics, caused the show to drop ratings, introduce various new characters and morph into the show “Mayberry RFD”. Andy then did other roles including “Matlock” and the movies “Angel in My Pocket” and “Cold Turkey” and TV’s “Headmaster” and “Matlock”. He and Don Knotts were always close and devoted friends. They both came from the Appalachia region. (Don, like Andy, was also married 3 times). Andy discovered Jim Nabors (Gomer) doing stand-up comedy in California and hired him. Jim eventually had his own TV series playing a naive and good-hearted but annoying U.S. Marine private, in a role reminiscent of “No Time for Sergeants.” George Lindsey “Goober” went on to play in “Hee-Haw.” Ken Berry “Farmer Sam” went on to play in the “Mama’s Family” sit-com.”
The author of “Andy and Don” says that Andy could get angry sometimes when he drank, and smash furniture around at home. He and Barbara separated after she felt neglected and “left out” of his social life in Hollywood. But he was kind to Howard McNear and let him continue to play Floyd after he had suffered a stroke. Andy was very attracted to Aneta Coursault who played “Helen Crump” and wanted to marry her, and was puzzled when she told him she was an independent woman and didn’t ‘t want to be tied down. He and Frances Bavier “Aunt Bee” never got along. She was too proper and fussy and didn’t like the cast telling off-color jokes or language breaks during filming. Ironically, she ended up retiring alone in the small-real town of Siler City (one of the places mentioned on the show). Andy’s 2nd wife was a Greek actress, not much at all is known about her. His 3rd wife was a young, cute southern schoolteacher. were happy and she nursed him through a chronic painful neuromuscular condition at their home on the N.C. Coast.
Andy always held a grudge against the people in Mount Airy who had bullied him growing up. On one occasion he refused to play a benefit performance for an organization there, whose local President had bullied him in school. He and his 3rd wife stayed at home in the coastal town of Manteo NC, and never appeared at the annual September “Mayberry Days” festival and parade. The helicoptered to and from Wilmington for shootings of TV’s “Matlock.” Andy finally returned to Mount Airy once, to the dedication of ( his museum? or the local theater in his name?).
