Within hours of the 86-year-old actor’s death, multiple networks firmed up plans to air some of his most famous projects.
The whistling of The Andy Griffith Show theme song will probably be a familiar sound on television in the days following the actor’s July 3 death.
At 86, Andy Griffith was one of the few remaining stars of the American sitcom’s 1960s heyday — so it shouldn’t be much of a surprise that cable networks are already changing schedules to show off the late actor’s work.
TV Land, which still airs repeats of The Andy Griffith Show, has already blocked off several days of the week to air some of the more memorable entries from the series’ 249-episode catalog.
A special 5-hour block will air July 4 (8 a.m. to 1 p.m. ET), while a full day’s worth of episodes will run from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. on July 7 and 8.
“We are deeply saddened by the passing of our dear friend, Andy Griffith,” said network president Larry W. Jones. “His contributions to the entertainment industry and his role as Sheriff Andy Taylor will live forever in the minds and hearts of generations of television viewers past, present and yet to come. The entire TV Land staff will miss him and our thoughts go out to his family.”
As for Griffith’s film work, Turner Classic Movies will air its tribute on July 18. Four of his more notable cinematic efforts, including Elia Kazan‘s A Face in the Crowd, will air in a primetime block that Wednesday.
Check out the full schedule below:
8 p.m. — A Face in the Crowd, 1957 (co-starring Patricia Neal, Anthony Franciosa, Walter Matthau and Lee Remick and directed by Elia Kazan)
10:15 p.m. — No Time for Sergeants, 1958 – (co-starring Myron McCormick, Nick Adams, Murray Hamilton and Don Knotts and directed by Mervyn LeRoy)
12:30 a.m. — Hearts of the West, 1975 (co-starring Jeff Bridges, Donald Pleasance, Blythe Danner, Alan Arkin, Richard B. Shull, Herb Edelman, Alex Rocco and Marie Windsor and directed by Howard Zieff)
2:15 a.m. — Onionhead, 1958 (co-starring Felicia Farr, Walter Matthau, Erin O’Brien, Joe Mantell, Ray Danton, James Gregory and Joey Bishop and directed by Norman Taurog)
