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The Andy Griffith Show

Plot

The pilot for the long-running CBS sitcom The Andy Griffith Show was seen on February 15, 1960, as an episode of The Danny Thomas Show, "Danny Meets Andy Griffith." As originally conceived, Andy Taylor (Andy Griffith) was not only the sheriff of the sleepy North Carolina town of Mayberry, but he was also the mayor, justice of the peace, and newspaper editor. Child actor Ronny Howard (who, as Ron Howard, would in adulthood enjoy a spectacularly successful career as a film director) was seen in the pilot as the widowed Andy's son Opie, but Frances Bavier played an entirely different role than she would in the actual series, while Frank Cady rather than Hal Smith was cast as town drunk Otis Campbell. While there would be changes in concept and casting, the laid-back character of Andy Taylor "clicked" with TV audiences, ensuring that The Andy Griffith Show would join the Monday night CBS lineup come October 3, 1960. Introduced as regulars during season one were of course Andy Griffith, Ronny Howard, and Frances Bavier (now as Aunt Bee, housekeeper for Andy and Opie Taylor), with the significant and salutary addition of Don Knotts as Andy's tightly wound deputy Barney Fife. The rapport between Andy and Barney contributed mightily to the series' success during its shakedown season, with nominal leading character Andy often voluntarily taking a back seat to Barney's overzealous antics. Subsequent additions to the cast included Jim Nabors as bucolic gas station attendant Gomer Pyle (later spun off into his own series, Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.); George Lindsey as Gomer's cousin, Goober Pyle; Howard McNear as dithery barber Floyd Lawson; and Hal Smith as the aforementioned Otis Campbell. Taking advantage of Andy Taylor's widower status, the series' writers tried to pair the character off with a number of eligible young ladies, beginning in the first season with Elinor Donahue as drugstore sales clerk Ellie Walker. But only when Aneta Corsaut joined the cast as Opie's schoolteacher Helen Crump did Andy find the "right" girl. Indeed, Andy and Helen would become engaged during the series' final season. Conversely, Barney Fife had but one steady girlfriend, Thelma Lou, played by Betty Lynn.

Don Knotts left the series at the outset of its sixth season (the show switched from black-and-white to color at the same time); it was explained that Barney had accepted a deputy position in Raleigh, permitting Knotts to make a handful of memorable return guest appearances. Barney was briefly replaced by Deputy Warren Ferguson, played by Jack Burns; later on, Goober Pyle became Andy's unofficial deputy. The post-Don Knotts episodes brought forth several other new recurring characters: Jack Dodson as town clerk Howard Sprague, Paul Hartman as handyman Emmet Clark, and Hope Summers as Aunt Bee's best friend, Clara. During the Emmy-winning series' eighth season, Andy Griffith decided to leave the show. At this point, Ken Berry was added to the cast as widowed farmer and later town councilman Sam Jones, with Buddy Foster as Sam's son Mike and Arlene Golonka as Sam's girlfriend, Millie Hutchins. After the final telecast of The Andy Griffith Show on September 16, 1968, the series continued for three additional seasons under the title Mayberry RFD, with Ken Berry taking over as star and with most of the familiar Andy Griffith Show supporting characters still in attendance. One of the most consistently popular sitcoms of all time, The Andy Griffith Show lasted 249 half-hour episodes, and also spawned the high-rated 1986 TV movie Return to Mayberry. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Cast

Jim Nabors - Gomer Pyle; George Lindsey - Goober Pyle; Hal Smith - Otis Campbell; Jack Burns - Warren Ferguson; Jack Dodson - Howard Sprague; Paul Hartman - Emmet Clark; Betty Lynn - Thelma Lou; Hope Summers - Clara; Ken Berry - Sam Jones; Buddy Foster - Mike Jones; Arlene Golonka - Millie Hutchins; Parley Baer - Mayor Stone

Credit

Sheldon Leonard - Executive Producer, Danny Thomas - Executive Producer, Earle Hagen - Composer (Music Score), Herbert Spencer - Composer (Music Score), Jerry Jameson - Producer, Jay Sandrich - Producer, Bob Ross - Producer, Richard O. Linke - Producer, Earle Hagen - Musical Performer

Episodes

The Andy Griffith Show: Season 01 (1960)
The "ensemble" feel of The Andy Griffith Show has not entirely solidified during the series' first season on CBS. Thus, we find more episodes centering exclusively around the character of Mayberry, NC sheriff Andy Taylor (Andy Griffith) than would be customary in later seasons. Still, there is plenty of time for the series' secondary characters to shine, notably Don Knotts as Andy's uptight, overzealous deputy Barney Fife (identified as Andy's cousin in the episode "The Manhunt," a familial link that would be ignored and forgotten as the series rolled on). Also allowed to take center stage from time to time are the widowed Andy's young son Opie (Ronny Howard) and Andy and Opie's housekeeper, Aunt Bee (Frances Bavier), who is "hired" in the series' very first episode. Throughout season one, the writers endeavor to develop a romance between Andy Taylor and Ellie May Walker (Elinor Donahue), a headstrong and highly intelligent young woman who clerks at her uncle's drugstore. Evidently, however, the sparks never flew, and Ellie would be written off the show by season's end. Introduced as part of CBS' powerhouse Monday night sitcom lineup (all of them sponsored by General Foods), The Andy Griffith Show ended its first season as the nation's fourth most popular series. As a bonus, Don Knotts picked up the first of his five Emmy awards for Outstanding Performance in a Supporting Role." ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
The Andy Griffith Show: Season 02 (1961)
One of the few unqualified hits of the 1960-1961 season, The Andy Griffith Show was a shoe-in for a second season renewal come September of 1961. Back in the saddle are Andy Griffith as Andy Taylor, easygoing sheriff of Mayberry, NC; Don Knotts as Andy's nervous, anal-retentive deputy Barney Fife; Ronny Howard as the widowed Andy's son Opie; and Frances Bavier as Andy and Opie's warmhearted housekeeper, Aunt Bee. Ever so gradually, and never pushing the issue, the series has evolved into an ensemble piece, with Andy Taylor frequently and graciously surrendering the spotlight to the supporting characters. Among the citizens of Mayberry who can be seen with more frequency during season two are Betty Lynn as Barney's girlfriend Thelma Lou, Hal Smith as town drunk Otis Campbell ("deputized" so that he can lock himself in the Mayberry jail whenever going on a bender), and Howard McNear as dithery barber Floyd Lawson. After unsuccessfully trying to romantically pair up Andy with drugstore clerk Ellie Walker during the previous season, the writers attempted to develop a new relationship between our hero and county nurse Mary Simpson. However, since Mary is played by two different actresses (Julie Adams and Sue Ane Langdon) in two separate episodes, no sense of continuity is established with the character, thus Andy remains unattached. Closing out its second season as America's seventh most popular series, The Andy Griffith Show also collected its second Emmy Award, again presented to co-star Don Knotts. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
The Andy Griffith Show: Season 03 (1962)
The Andy Griffith Show offered some of its best-ever episodes during the series' third season on the air. Highlights include "Andy and the New Mayor," introducing Parley Baer as Mayberry's freshly elected mayor, Roy Stone; "The Cow Thief," in which sheriff Andy Taylor (Andy Griffith) and deputy Barney Fife (Don Knotts) stumble onto the hilarious (but logical!) modus operandi of the title character; "Barney Mends a Broken Heart," treating viewers to their first glimpse of those "fun girls" Daphne (Jean Carson) and Skippy (Joyce Jameson); "Floyd, the Gay Deceiver," wherein barber Floyd Lawson (Howard McNear) confesses to being a cad in his dealings with a mail-order sweetheart; "One-Punch Opie," or how Andy's son Opie Taylor (Ronny Howard) conquers a tough kid without a single punch; "Barney and the Governor," wherein Barney tickets the governor's car and gets good and drunk in anticipation of being dismissed (which, of course, he isn't); "The Loaded Goat," illustrating the consequences of allowing a goat to wander too near a box of dynamite; "The Darlings Are Coming," Mayberry's first encounter with those musically talented hillbillies, the Darling Family; "Andy's English Valet," the debut appearance of the "veddy proper" Malcolm Merriwether (Bernard Fox); and "Mountain Wedding," affording the world its first glimpse of rock-hurling village idiot Ernest T. Bass (Howard Morris, who also directed several Andy Griffith episodes). Season three features two more attempts by the series' writers to pair off widower Andy Taylor with an eligible female. Joanna Moore appears in four episodes as new county nurse Peggy McMillan, whose efforts to land Andy are no more successful than those of her season two predecessor, nurse Mary Simpson. Conversely, the episode "Andy Discovers America" brings Andy face-to-face with his son Opie's much-despised "old lady" schoolteacher -- who turns out to be a very attractive young lady by the name of Helen Crump (Aneta Corsaut). And it is clear from the get-go that Andy and Helen will remain an item for some time to come.

Arguably the season's best episode is the Emmy-nominated "Man in a Hurry," which allows us to see the familiar characters of Mayberry through the eyes of a nonplussed outsider, a dyspeptic businessman played by Robert Emhardt. As a bonus, this episode marks the very first appearance of that celebrated, nasal-voiced gas station attendant, Gomer Pyle (Jim Nabors). Rated as the sixth most popular show on American television during the 1962-1963 season, The Andy Griffith Show also took home a third consecutive Emmy award for supporting actor Don Knotts. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
The Andy Griffith Show: Season 04 (1963)
The fourth season of The Andy Griffith Show opens with one of the series' finest episodes, as well as the favorite episode of co-star Ronny Howard (now better known as film director Ron Howard). "Opie the Birdman" poignantly details the efforts by Opie Taylor (Howard), son of Mayberry sheriff Andy Taylor (Andy Griffith), to take care of several newly hatched robins after accidentally killing the mother bird with his slingshot. The rest of the season maintains the high standards of this opener, with such classic episodes as "Ernest T. Bass Joins the Army," featuring Howard Morris as the titular rock-throwing village idiot; "A Black Day for Mayberry," in which Andy and his nervous deputy Barney Fife (Don Knotts) prepare for the arrival of a top secret gold shipment from Denver; "Up in Barney's Room," the saga of the acrimonious falling out and tearful reconciliation between Barney and his landlady Mrs. Mendelbright (Enid Markey); "Barney's Side Car," or how a man can be corrupted by a WW1 vintage motorcycle; "Divorce. Mountain Style," in which the rambunctious Darling family once more descend upon Mayberry, with a pre-Gilligan's Island Bob Denver along for the ride; "The Return of Malcolm Merriwether," another visit from Mayberry's favorite English valet (Bernard Fox); and the unforgettable "Citizen's Arrest," chronicling a war of nerves between Barney and indignant gas station attendant Gomer Pyle (Jim Nabors). Speaking of Gomer, this would be the last year that this remarkable character would appear regularly on The Andy Griffith Show. The series' season finale, "Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.," serves as the pilot for the popular military sitcom in which Jim Nabors would headline from 1964 through 1970. Season four of The Andy Griffith Show found the series still flourishing in the ratings, ranking as America's fifth most popular program. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
The Andy Griffith Show: Season 05 (1964)
With The Andy Griffith Show as hilarious and highly rated as ever during its fifth season on the air, one would never suspect that there was trouble brewing in Mayberry, NC. The source of the difficulty was Don Knotts, who had won three Emmy awards for his performance as Barney Fife, the high-strung deputy to laid-back Mayberry sheriff Andy Taylor (Andy Griffith). Although the friendship and rapport between Knotts and Griffith remained strong, Knotts was upset that he was not being groomed for his own series, as former Andy Griffith Show regular Jim Nabors had been before being spun off into Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. Thus, when an offer to star in theatrical feature films came his way, Knotts jumped at it -- and, of course, this meant that his fifth season as Barney Fife would be his last. Reportedly concerned that Knotts' defection would lessen the quality of his series, star Andy Griffith himself considered voluntarily ending the show at the end of season five and looking for movie work of his own. Banking on the possibility that Griffith would change his mind, the series' writers cast about for a character that could adequately replace Don Knotts. Eventually they came up with Don Rickles, who plays the title role in the final episode of the season, "The Luck of Newton Monroe." Cast as a perennial loser who fails at every job he tries, Rickles is amusing, but the character is too insubstantial to be made a permanent Mayberry resident. Even so, "The Luck of Newton Monroe" upholds the high standards of The Andy Griffith Show, as do most of the series' fifth season episodes.

Highlights this year include "The Education of Ernest T. Bass," in which Mayberry's resident rock-throwing village idiot (played by frequent Griffith Show director Howard Morris) decides to re-enroll in the fifth grade -- and promptly falls for Andy Taylor's sweetheart, schoolteacher Helen Crump (Aneta Corsaut); "Barney's Bloodhound," wherein Barney purchases a phlegmatic "police dog" in his efforts to capture a desperate criminal; "Barney's Uniform," pitting the hapless deputy against a boorish bully (played by perennial sitcom guest star Allan Melvin); "Goodbye, Sheriff Taylor," in which Andy considers taking an out-of-town job, obliging Barney to try out a number of unworthy candidates for deputy; "Goober Takes a Car Apart," built around the talents of George Lindsey as Goober Pyle, Gomer's cousin and erstwhile replacement on the series; and "The Case of the Punch in the Nose," illustrating the perils of not letting sleeping dogs lie. Rumors of imminent cancellation notwithstanding, The Andy Griffith Show continued to be a viewer magnet, ending its fifth season as America's fourth most popular series. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
The Andy Griffith Show: Season 06 (1965)
The sixth season of The Andy Griffith Show was the first season to be filmed in color -- and the first to do without the services of longtime co-star Don Knotts, who had abandoned his Emmy-winning role of Mayberry deputy Barney Fife to pursue a film career. For a while, it looked as though star Andy Griffith would follow Knotts' lead, thereby voluntarily ending one of CBS's most popular sitcoms. At the last moment, however, Griffith opted to remain with the show, though reports still persist that he was never entirely happy with this decision. With the exception of Knotts, the series' familiar supporting cast remained intact: Ronny Howard as Opie Taylor, son of widowed sheriff Andy Taylor (Andy Griffith); Frances Bavier as the Taylors' housekeeper, Aunt Bee; Aneta Corsaut as Andy's schoolteacher sweetheart Helen Crump; Howard McNear as jittery town barber Floyd Lawson; George Lindsey as gas station attendant Goober Pyle; and Hal Smith as town drunk Otis Campbell. New to the series is Jack Burns as Andy's new deputy, the over-conscientious Warren Ferguson; and Jack Dodson as mother-dominated town clerk Howard Sprague. This season marked the first time that The Andy Griffith Show relied upon story arcs, with a single storyline spread throughout several consecutive episodes. The first of these found Andy, Opie, Aunt Bee, and Helen heading to Hollywood to oversee production of "The Sheriff Without a Gun," a film based on Andy's law career. The second arc, consuming two episodes, finds Barney Fife Don Knotts returning to Mayberry to attend his high school reunion. Ironically, these two installments proved to be the highlights of the season, and also earned Don Knotts his fourth Emmy award for his portrayal of Barney Fife! Although some aficionados feel that The Andy Griffith Show lost momentum during its post-Barney "color years," the series remained an audience favorite throughout its sixth season, ranking as America's sixth highest-rated program. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
The Andy Griffith Show: Season 07 (1966)
Proof positive that The Andy Griffith Show had been on the air for seven seasons by the fall of 1966 was offered in the season opener, "Opie's Girlfriend," in which Opie Taylor (Ronny Howard), all of six years old when the series started, has entered the dating scene! In a related development, it is clear that Opie's dad, Mayberry sheriff Andy Taylor (Andy Griffith), is very, very serious about his longtime sweetheart Helen Crump (Aneta Corsaut), though wedding bells would not ring for at least another year. The basic cast lineup at this point includes Andy Griffith, Ronny Howard, Aneta Corsaut, Frances Bavieras Aunt Bee, George Lindsey as gas station attendant and erstwhile sheriff's deputy Goober Pyle, Jack Dodson as mother-dominated town clerk Howard Sprague, and Hal Smith as town drunk Otis Campbell. Also still on hand is Howard McNear as barber Floyd Lawson, but in a diminished capacity. Having suffered a serious stroke, actor McNear was unable to walk or to move his left arm. In a sweet, sentimental gesture, Andy Griffith insisted that the stricken actor remain on the series as long as he was able, seeing to it that Floyd's scenes were written so that he could remain seated and gesture only with his "good" arm. Having left the series as a regular at the end of season five, Don Knotts makes two more return appearances as Andy's former deputy in the episode "A Visit to Barney Fife" and "Barney Comes to Mayberry." This last-mentioned episode would earn Knotts another Emmy Award -- his fifth for playing the same role! Some viewers felt that The Andy Griffith Show had grown tired and predictable by the time its seventh season rolled around, with Andy Griffith's enthusiasm obviously waning. Other viewers didn't feel that way at all, as witnessed by the fact that the series closed out season seven as America's third highest-rated program. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
The Andy Griffith Show: Season 08 (1967)
The Andy Griffith Show may have been America's top-rated series during its eighth season on the air, but star Andy Griffith had decided that he would leave the program at season's end, and that was that. The departure of Griffith's character, Mayberry sheriff Andy Taylor, is carefully orchestrated throughout the season's episodes, beginning with Andy finally asking his longtime sweetheart Helen Crump (Aneta Corsaut) to marry him, and ending with the slow and steady buildup of Andy's potential replacement on the series: local farmer and town councilman Sam Jones, played by Ken Berry. A widower, Sam lives with his son Mike Jones, and is courting local gal Millie Hutchins (Arlene Golonka), former girlfriend of town clerk Howard Sprague (Jack Dodson). In addition to Berry and Golonka, Paul Hartman has been added to the cast as handyman Emmet Clark, Sam Jones' rival for the position of councilman. Hartman, along with most of the other supporting characters (including Frances Bavier as Aunt Bee and George Lindsey as Goober Pyle), would remain on the series after Griffith's departure and during the show's re-emergence in the fall of 1968 as the "new" sitcom Mayberry RFD. While the final Andy Griffith Show episodes are enjoyable, few are standouts. An exception is "Aunt Bee, the Juror," in which the defendant in a burglary trial is played by none other than Jack Nicholson! ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

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