Andy Griffith is most known for his role on The Andy Griffith Show. However, he also made a number of films, including one with Debbie Reynolds. During the making of the film, Reynolds laughed at Griffith when he was in pain for one very specific reason.
Andy Griffith and Debbie Reynolds star in ‘The Second Time Around’
Griffith played one of Reynolds’ suits in the 1961 film The Second Time Around. The setting is the frontier in Arizona. In her book Unsinkable: A Memoir, Reynolds describes one scene that she found particularly amusing. “Andy Griffith plays my leading man,” she wrote. “At one point, he had to ride to Thelma’s ranch, where she and I were waiting for him on her porch. Andy rode in, this big man bouncing along, howling with every step his horse made – ‘Son of a b*tch! Ouch! Owwww’ – until he finally came to a stop in front of the porch, slipped, and fell off the horse.”
Reynolds says she and Thelma did all they could to keep from laughing at Griffith. “Someone from the crew took Andy to get protection for his male parts, which were taking a beating,” she recalled. “The next attempt to shoot the scene did not go much better for Andy – “Andy kept bouncing and screaming and slipping off the horse, while Thelma and I stood on the porch laughing, no longer able to control ourselves.” The scenes continued on but “by the end of the fourth take, Andy was in so much pain.”
Debbie Reynolds gives Andy Griffith a gift
Reynolds relays at the wrap party for the movie, she gave Griffith a gift – a real, stuffed palomino. She says she attached a card to it that reads “A little something you can practice on.” Griffith put the palomino on the top of his vehicle as he left the party. Griffith had had a few drinks and was pulled over by the highway patrol. They inquired as to where he was going with the horse. “Andy told the cops that the horse was his friend. If Roy Rogers could stuff Trigger, Andy should be able to travel around with his pet horse. Miraculously, the police let him move on. After that, Andy will take his new friend with him to parties.”
Did ‘The Second Time Around’ resonate with the public?
Clearly, there were antics that occurred with the making of the film, but did it resonate with the public? According to IMDb, the film was nominated for two Laurel Awards in 1962. One nomination for Top Female Comedy Performance, Debbie Reynolds and the other was for Top Female Supporting Performance, Thelma Ritter. Performances in the film seemed to have hits with the public – along with the hits to Griffith’s body parts.
