THIRTEEN FACTS ABOUT THE ANDY GRIFFITH SHOW
1)
The theme song does have lyrics: "Well now, take
down your fishing pole and meet me at the fishing hole/We may not get a bite
all day, but don’t you rush away/What a great place to rest your bones and
mighty fine for skipping stones/You’ll feel fresh as a lemonade a-setting in
the shade/Whether it’s hot, whether it’s cool/Oh, what a spot for whistling
like a fool …"
2)
Andy Taylor was introduced on
The Danny Thomas Show. The episode where the small-town sheriff stops Andy for a
traffic violation served as the pilot for CBS.
3) Frances Bavier appears in the pilot
but not as Aunt Bee. Instead she’s an unhappy customer complaining about the
local dept. store.
4)
Don Knotts does not appear in the
pilot. Barney was added after Knotts suggested himself for the role. He knew
Andy Griffith because they had recently appeared together on Broadway.
5) Aunt Bee officially arrives in the
first episode. She takes the bus to Mayberry from West Virginia to
help Andy and Opie out after their housekeeper, Rose, leaves to get married.
6)
Barney Fife was proud of the septic tank he bought his parents for their
anniversary (it was steel reinforced)
7)
Aunt Bee was proud of her cucumbers,
even though Andy and Barney referred to them as “Kerosene Cucumbers” behind her
back
8)
In 1967 a young actor named Jack
Nicholson appeared as a young drifter just traveling through Mayberry.
9)
Mayberry appeared in an
episode of Star Trek. Capt. Kirk travels back in time and wanders up and down a
Depression-era street. The set used was the Andy Griffith Show’s. The sign for
Floyd’s Barber Shop is visible.
10)
Andy's son Opie is named after Opie Cates, an Arkansas born musician and radio performer from the 1940s. Both Andy Griffith and producer Sheldon Leonard were big fans.
11) Andy and Barney always drove Ford Galaxies. The cars were donated by a local dealership and returned (and presumably repainted and resold) when the new models became available.
12) Don Knotts won several Emmys for
playing Barney Fife, and Francis Bavier was awarded one for her role as Aunt
Bee.
13)
Andy Griffith was
never even nominated for his role as Andy Taylor. He was, however, nominated in
the 1980s for a role in a made-for-TV movie.
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Hard not to like them Mayberrians.
ReplyDeleteI remember watching reruns--lots and lots of reruns. I liked all the characters especially Barney Fife.
ReplyDeletehttp://otherworlddiner.blogspot.com/2012/07/are-you-ready-fourth-of-july-quiz.html
Loved watching this show with my dad. Very fond childhood memories.
ReplyDeleteI was so sad to hear he died - heard about it on the local radio station who played a block of great whistling songs in tribute :0)
ReplyDeleteThere are a few facts in there I did not know! Cool. This show has been on my local CBS station for 48 straight years. It comes on at 5:30 p.m. and for at least 30 years it has been #1 in that time slot in our area, routinely beating out shows like Oprah and whatever else the other local stations threw at it.
ReplyDeleteI like how you telepathically got the theme song stuck into my head now for the rest of the day......
ReplyDeleteHave a great rest of your Thursday!
My kids have never seen the Andy Griffith show. I've tried to get them to watch a time or two just so they'll know what I'm talking about when I refer to it.
ReplyDeleteI love the trivia blast from the past. I used to have a crush on Opie (as well as the kid on Rifleman). http://looseleafnotes.com
ReplyDelete