Television in the 1960s was filled with a lot of high concepts, but nothing was quite like The Andy Griffith Show. During this time, there was the wacky adventures of seven stranded castaways (Gilligan’s Island), an alien among us (My Favorite Martian), monsters living down the block (The Munsters, The Addams Family), witches in suburbia (Bewitched) and magical genies in Florida (I Dream of Jeannie). Yet standing out above them all — and decidedly low concept — was an homage to the good old days, and the innocence of small-town life. And that came in the form of The Andy Griffith Show.
Running for eight years from 1960-68 (and then pretty much continuing for another three with a different lead character in the spin-off Mayberry, RFD), the show introduced us to the world of Sheriff, and widower, Andy Taylor (Andy Griffith). ); his son Opie (Ron Howard), their caretaker Aunt Bee (Frances Bavier), Deputy Sheriff Barney Fife (Don Knotts), and a wide variety of townspeople who became fully formed characters of their own, including Jim Nabors’ Gomer Pyle (eventually spun off into his own successful series).
It’s difficult to describe the appeal of the show, but the bottom line is that you can still watch episodes today and take away so much in the feeling of warmth and good-natured humor. The Andy Griffith Show won’t change the world, but somehow it reminds us that it’s not such a bad place.
Throughout the first season, Andy Taylor went through a number of changes.
When Andy first started playing the character, his portrayal was described as more of a country bumpkin — in the style he would deliver comic monologues on stage — than the character that would ultimately endear himself to viewers. Then he realized, according to producer Aaron Ruben, that he had to be a straight man to all “these kooks” around him. As a result, in season two he was, as Ruben called it, a more “Lincolnesque character,” which meant that more and more of the “drama” and craziness would come from the residents of, or visitors to, Mayberry, would require him to lend a helping hand. In the pages of The Andy Griffith Show Book, he revealed, “In the beginning [the pilot] I was supposed to tell funny stories about people around the town and be very southern, very rural, and very mountain — rural was the vogue then.”
Remember that wonderful opening theme of the show? Well, it actually has lyrics, and Andy Griffith even recorded a version of it. But the decision was ultimately made to go with an instrumental version. In truth, we’re happy that they did (but, man, is it hard to get that theme out of your head when you start thinking about it). Take a listen to the song with its lyrics:
At the age of six when he began playing Opie Taylor, Ron (then Ronnie) Howard didn’t know how to read yet, so his father and other cast members would have to go over his lines with him. Ron, of course, would go on to play Richie Cunningham on Happy Days. It was a sort of pit-stop for his Hollywood directing career. You’ve come a long way, Opie!
For his part, Ron told Closer Weekly that acting on the show was a lot like living in Mayberry: “It was warm and funny, like the show. I learned hard work and fun were not diametrically opposed. In fact, they can work hand in hand. Andy taught me about the spirit of collaboration, which I’ve carried with me forever. I grew up in an environment with an equilibrium, a work ethic but also a sense of joy.”
