The Andy Griffith Show - General Discussion

[cooksdelight]

I’ve seen women in the hospital wearing them. Certainly would keep you warmer than that flimsy hospital gown.

[chessiegal]

45 minutes ago, cooksdelight said:

I’ve seen women in the hospital wearing them. Certainly would keep you warmer than that flimsy hospital gown.

That makes so much sense. You have the covers for your bottom half, and a bed jacket would keep your top half warm.

[Miss Chevious]

3 hours ago, chessiegal said:

That makes so much sense. You have the covers for your bottom half, and a bed jacket would keep your top half warm.

Yep, I like to sit up and read in bed so I want a bed jacket. All the ones nowadays aren't pretty and fluffy with ribbons like Aunt Bee's, they're ugly quilted, flannel, or really heavy duty horrors that bear no resemblance whatsoever. Bring back the bed jacket standard!

[Gemma Violet]

The Bed Jacket is one of my favorite episodes, too!

I remember my mom telling me when I was young (in the 60s) the purpose of a bed jacket.  She didn't say anything about keeping warm, though.  She said bed jackets were for women who were either in the hospital or those convalescing at home in bed and who would receive visitors.  She said the bed jacket was to not only give the impression of being "dressed up" in bed (hence the ruffles and lace), but more importantly, to hide the woman's chest since the woman would be wearing a thin nightgown with no bra and couldn't very well accept many visitors like that. 

Wearing them for keeping warm also sounds plausible, though.   

[VCRTracking]

"The Bed Jacket" is brilliant because it starts with Andy and Opie at the fishing pond and the mayor wanting to buy Andy's fishing reel and Andy refusing. You watch it thinking "What the hell does this have to do with anything?" Then later it pays off when the Mayor buys the bed jacket for his wife and he won't give it to him unless Andy gives him his prized fishing reel.

Edited September 17, 2019 by VCRTracking

[CrazyMoon]

1 hour ago, VCRTracking said:

"The Bed Jacket" is brilliant because it starts with Andy and Opie at the fishing pond and the mayor wanting to buy Andy's fishing reel and Andy refusing. You watch it thinking "What the hell does this have to do with anything?" Then later it pays off when the Mayor buys the bed jacket for his wife and he won't give it to him unless Andy gives him his prized fishing reel.

There are many wonderful family lessons in TAGS....my favorite father/son moments are in 'Opie & the Spoiled Kid' and 'Bailey's Bad Boy' and the one where Opie develops a crush on Thelma Lou.

[Browncoat]

2 hours ago, CrazyMoon said:

one where Opie develops a crush on Thelma Lou.

Thelma Lou:  "Ask (Barney) again why he wants to go to the duck pond!"

ETA: I actually quote that one a lot, or at least one line from it a lot.  After Andy describes a day out with a grown woman, he adds, "And it's a fun day." in a very dry manner.  I use that line any time I have a particularly un-fun day.

Edited September 17, 2019 by Browncoat

[VCRTracking]

2 hours ago, CrazyMoon said:

There are many wonderful family lessons in TAGS....my favorite father/son moments are in 'Opie & the Spoiled Kid' and 'Bailey's Bad Boy' and the one where Opie develops a crush on Thelma Lou.

17 minutes ago, Browncoat said:

Thelma Lou:  "Ask (Barney) again why he wants to go to the duck pond!"

ETA: I actually quote that one a lot, or at least one line from it a lot.  After Andy describes a day out with a grown woman, he adds, "And it's a fun day." in a very dry manner.  I use that line any time I have a particularly un-fun day.

Opie: "Why go to the duck pond at night? You won't be able to see the ducks."

Damn, Thelma Lou was so cute. Barney was lucky to have her and shouldn't have been trying to call up Juanita on the side!

Watching episodes like "The Rivals"reminds me how good a child actor Ron Howard was. There's a nice bit where he's showing the girl he has a crush around the sherrif's office and asks Andy what he's been doing. Andy says he had to go get someone's cat off the roof of their house and Opie points with his eyes to the girl like "C'mon, I'm trying to impress her!" so Andy adds some exciting sounding police business to it! Also love whenever his little brother Clint would show up as "Leon", not saying a word and always offering people his peanut butter and jelly sandwich!

[CrazyMoon]

1 hour ago, VCRTracking said:

Opie: "Why go to the duck pond at night? You won't be able to see the ducks."

Damn, Thelma Lou was so cute. Barney was lucky to have her and shouldn't have been trying to call up Juanita on the side!

Watching episodes like "The Rivals"reminds me how good a child actor Ron Howard was. There's a nice bit where he's showing the girl he has a crush around the sherrif's office and asks Andy what he's been doing. Andy says he had to go get someone's cat off the roof of their house and Opie points with his eyes to the girl like "C'mon, I'm trying to impress her!" so Andy adds some exciting sounding police business to it! Also love whenever his little brother Clint would show up as "Leon", not saying a word and always offering people his peanut butter and jelly sandwich!

And don't forget Ron's dad Rance Howard made several appearances in TAGS show, most notably the Governor's driver.

[cooksdelight]

In one of Barney’s return visits to Mayberry after he’d moved to Raleigh, they were having a reunion or something, and Thelma Lou and her husband attended. I remember Andy telling Barney that Thelma Lou had moved away about a month after Barney left town. That made me cry.... she’d been his loyal girlfriend for all those years. They’d looked in the window at the furniture store and talked about what they’d want in their home. He had a great thing with her, and threw it away.

[VCRTracking]

On 9/17/2019 at 6:51 PM, cooksdelight said:

In one of Barney’s return visits to Mayberry after he’d moved to Raleigh, they were having a reunion or something, and Thelma Lou and her husband attended. I remember Andy telling Barney that Thelma Lou had moved away about a month after Barney left town. That made me cry.... she’d been his loyal girlfriend for all those years. They’d looked in the window at the furniture store and talked about what they’d want in their home. He had a great thing with her, and threw it away.

I'm glad they got together finally in the "Return to Mayberry" movie. I love when he sees her while he gives the safety demonstration to kids at a school while dressed as a clown.

[Gemma Violet]

I just saw another one of my favorite episodes:  "Citizen's a-ray-est!  Citizen's a-ray-est!" 😄

[CrazyMoon]

1 hour ago, Gemma Violet said:

I just saw another one of my favorite episodes:  "Citizen's a-ray-est!  Citizen's a-ray-est!" 😄

That was my dad's favorite...

[cooksdelight]

“Oh, this BOOB here...” 

LOL

[VCRTracking]

Watching the first episode of Mayberry RFD and with just the smallest amount of screen time and hardly any dialogue Don Knotts is still the funniest person on the show as Barney is Andy's best man at his wedding of Helen. Accidentally making a noise when the preacher asks if anybody objects to the marriage, trying to find the ring in his pockets, walking with the couple as they walk down the aisle afterward and waving to everybody. When Ken Berry and the other characters are mentioning Barney's antics at the end, I thought "that's kind of odd to recap that" then it cuts to Andy and Helen on their honeymoon and Andy with his guitar singing to her and the reveal of Barney singing along and Andy being annoyed! As funny as it was I'm glad for the Reunion movie because I didn't want that to be the very last image of Andy and Barney together!

Edited September 24, 2019 by VCRTracking

[mmecorday]

Did anyone else ever wish that Andy had ended up with Charlene Darling? I always thought she was so pretty and enjoyed her appearances on the show.

[cooksdelight]

Oh gosh no!! She got on my nerves and she would have driven Aunt Bee crazy.

[Browncoat]

She was pretty, but she was so so wrong as a match for Andy. 

[CrazyMoon]

Andy referred to her as "a silly, giggling girl 15 years younger than me!" He never did have any interest in her other than music.

[Browncoat]

I'm watching a show on PBS right now, called Song Of The Mountains.  Tonight's featured performers are The Dillards (aka The Darlings), with Charlene Darling!  She's instantly recognizable -- that same smile -- even though she just said she can't dance quite the way she used to.  I don't recognize the boys at all, though.  Possibly because they're talking and have expressions other than the stony faces they had on Andy Griffith.

They still sure can play the hell out of their instruments, though, and Maggie Peterson still has a great voice.  She just finished singing "There Is A Time" -- my favorite of their songs.

[Gemma Violet]

A week or two ago, I saw the episode where Thelma Lou's cousin (played by Mary Grace Canfield) is set up on a date with Gomer, so all three couples can go to the big dance together.  (You'll recall Mary Grace played Ralph Monroe of the Monroe Brothers on Green Acres.)  Barney repeatedly refers to her as a "dog" in the episode.  I always wondered how actresses feel when they're cast in a role where the character is ugly.  Mary Grace is plain-looking, but I wouldn't call her ugly.  I always kind of felt sorry for her, playing a "dog" on TAGS, and then being referred to as a man (brother) on Green Acres.  I guess she was glad for the work, but it must have stung a little. 

[VCRTracking]

 I'm annoyed that they got the same young actress to play Karen Burgess, who Opie had a crush on in season 4's "The Rivals"and later played a girl named Ethel in Season 4's "The Rumor" and a classmate named Sharon McCall in Season 5 premiere "Opie Loves Helen"! I looked up the actress Ronda Jeter on IMDB and she's been in 6 episodes, her last named "Sharon Porter" in season 6. I fanwank it's the same girl but her parents went through a divorce so she changed her last name. First to her mother's maiden name, then her stepdad's! As for her first name, Karen is her real birth name, "Sharon" is a nickname and Ethel is her middle name.

ETA: I just wanted to clarify I have nothing against the young actress, who was adorable, especially in "The Rivals", I just wished she was playing the same character throughout her appearances!

Edited November 3, 2019 by VCRTracking

[GHScorpiosRule]

"Opie's Charity" was on Wednesday night. I ADORE that episode and the whole scene where Andy is trying to explain " a ratio" of "one and half boays" to Opie, who thinks it's "Horatio" never fails to make me laugh! Or that he's never heard of a "half a boy."

Andy: Why, I was readin' here just the other day where there's somewhere like four hundred needy boys in this county alone, or... or-or one and a half boys per square mile.

Opie : There is?

Andy : There sho' is.

Opie  : I never seen one, Pa.

Andy: Never seen one, what?

Opie : A half a boy.

Andy: Well, it's not really a half a boy. It's a ratio.

Opie : Horatio who?

Andy: Not Horatio. A ratio. It's mathematics - arithmetic. Look, now, Opie, just... forget... forget that part of it. F-f-forget the part about the half a boy.

Opie : It's pretty hard to forget a thing like that, Pa.

Andy : Well, try.

Opie : Poor Horatio.

Andy : Now look, Opie, Horatio is not the only needy boy... Son, uh, didn't you... didn't you ever give anybody anything just for the pleasure of it. Something you didn't want anything in return for?

Opie : Sure, just yesterday I gave my friend Jimmy somethin'.

Andy : Now that's fine. What'd you give him?

Opie : A sock in the head.

Andy : I-I meant charity.

Opie : I didn't charge him nothing.

Andy : I meant somethin' for the joy of givin'.

Opie : I enjoyed it!

Here's the clip:

And then, at the end, when Andy learns Opie's saving the money to get his girlfriend a new coat, right before dinner, Opie asks what they're having, Andy replies:

"Well, you and Aunt Bee's havin' fried chicken, and I'm havin' crow.."

[Gemma Violet]

Quote

"Opie's Charity" was on Wednesday night.

Saw it.  One of my favorites as well. 😀 

[BigBingerBro]

I love "Opie's Charity" as well.  One of the rare times that Aunt Bee got to scold Andy and put him in his place, especially in those early years.

[cooksdelight]

Barney trying to recite the preamble to the constitution was on today. I love the goofs in continuity in that scene. One minute his hair is all over the place, cut to the other camera and it’s all in place.

[blubld43]

I wish the newer shows would be on more often; they seem to run through the same old ones a lot.

[BigBingerBro]

1 hour ago, blubld43 said:

I wish the newer shows would be on more often; they seem to run through the same old ones a lot.

I agree., however it seems like most fans prefer the early seasons with Don and child Opie as it's "classic" Andy Griffith.  I personally don't mind the later seasons as well as Mayberry RFD.

[Browncoat]

I prefer the older ones for the most part.

[Miss Chevious]

It just wasn’t the same after Barney left. Don Knotts’ departure left a big hole in the fabric of life in Mayberry. Emmett and Howard did the best they could but it wasn’t as good. 

 I think that’s why they favor the earlier episodes. It was fun seeing the later episodes in color though.

[cooksdelight]

Just caught another continuity mess up.... in the Gentleman Dan Caldwell episode, when Barney is ordered out of the cell and Andy comes in, Barney has no badge. But once Andy walks around and takes the gun away from Caldwell, Barney’s badge suddenly reappears.

It always bothered me that Barney wore his badge off-center above his pocket.

[Miss Chevious]

15 hours ago, cooksdelight said:

It always bothered me that Barney wore his badge off-center above his pocket.

He had to be able to get to his Lucky Strikes! 

[Browncoat]

More likely, he had to be able to get to his bullet.

[cooksdelight]

There was a photo that appeared in one of the Andy Griffith Show groups on Facebook that showed Barney with his uniform and a magic marker “B” on his shirt where his badge would have been pinned on.

[TheLastKidPicked]

On 11/10/2019 at 4:28 PM, Miss Chevious said:

It just wasn’t the same after Barney left. Don Knotts’ departure left a big hole in the fabric of life in Mayberry. Emmett and Howard did the best they could but it wasn’t as good. 

Not only did you sum up this show, but you summed up real life as well.

When one person or family in the friend group move away, and it's never quite the same.

 

[GHScorpiosRule]

Saw this the other night, and still makes me laugh my ass off:

"Andy, The Marriage Counselor":

"Mornin' Honeeeey..."

"Mornin' Deeeeeer...'

Me: 🤣

 

[GHScorpiosRule]

I want to know who's in charge of the closed captioning for Netflix and Amazon Prime! Because after the first handful of episodes in season one "Pa" is being typed out as "Paw" everytime Opie calls Andy Pa. It's annoying.

But damn, Ron Howard was an adorable little boy. He was soooo cute. And so talented. The look of fear in Opie's eyes as Andy is writing the letter on Opie's behalf (because Opie can't write yet), of him running away in the pilot episode. Didn't even look like acting. And Ron, at that age, couldn't read! His parents helped him learn his lines.

Their relationship is by far, my favorite one on this show.

[BigBingerBro]

To be fair, little Ronnie Howard really did lay on the accent pretty thick in the first season. (as did Andy)  It truly did sound like he was saying "paw" instead "Pa".

[GHScorpiosRule]

9 minutes ago, BigBingerBro said:

To be fair, little Ronnie Howard really did lay on the accent pretty thick in the first season. (as did Andy)  It truly did sound like he was saying "paw" instead "Pa".

I admit, I'm a nitpicker. But even when other characters lay on the accent, the words are printed normally. Like in "Opie's Charity," when Andy says "Half a boy." It sounds like "Halfa boyea." Yet we get the normal spellings!

[Oosala]

On ‎4‎/‎8‎/‎2019 at 6:42 PM, cooksdelight said:

Andy was putting the moves on Elinor Donahue, in spite of being married, and she wasn’t falling for his charms. Same reason Joanna Moore left. He and Aneta Coursalt (Helen) had a hot affair.

I wasn't sure which of Andy's girlfriends was Joanna Moore (she was Miss Peggy) so I looked her up.  Holy Crap!  She's Tatum O'Neal's mother!

Edited to add that I hated Ernest T. Bass.  I never watch his episodes.  Further edited to add that TAGS is comfort TV for me, a remembrance of simpler times and somewhat simpler problems (although they did show alcoholism and spousal abuse).  Anyway, I watch it to relax, and Ernest T. Bass's episodes were anything but relaxing.  He was nucking futs.

Edited February 20, 2020 by Oosala

[mmecorday]

Quote

He [Andy Griffith] and Aneta Coursalt (Helen) had a hot affair.

They had a nice on screen chemistry, but Helen could be such a bitch at times.

 

[Oosala]

2 hours ago, mmecorday said:

They had a nice on screen chemistry, but Helen could be such a bitch at times.

As someone mentioned above, Helen was extremely jealous to the point where it became very unattractive.  Either you trust him or you don't.  Although from other comments above, AG IRL was a real dog!!!

[GHScorpiosRule]

While the Pickle episode was hilarious--watching Barney and Andy eat those horrid "kerosene" pickles, it made no sense. Aunt Bee was known for her wonderful cooking. And then for her to also be godawful at making preserves? That smelled like turpentine? Even if Andy and Barney's reactions made me laugh.

And I know I shouldn't let it bother me, but hello! Aunt Bee had only been in Mayberry for a year, so how could she have lost for 11 years? She didn't live in the county! She had been living up "North" for many a year until recently.

[cooksdelight]

2 hours ago, GHScorpiosRule said:

While the Pickle episode was hilarious--watching Barney and Andy eat those horrid "kerosene" pickles, it made no sense. Aunt Bee was known for her wonderful cooking. And then for her to also be godawful at making preserves? That smelled like turpentine? Even if Andy and Barney's reactions made me laugh.

And I know I shouldn't let it bother me, but hello! Aunt Bee had only been in Mayberry for a year, so how could she have lost for 11 years? She didn't live in the county! She had been living up "North" for many a year until recently.

Another of the many continuity gaffs this show makes. When I make pickles, I taste them. I guess Aunt Bee didn’t bother. It’s like she lost her sense of taste and smell.

[Snow Apple]

3 hours ago, cooksdelight said:

Another of the many continuity gaffs this show makes. When I make pickles, I taste them. I guess Aunt Bee didn’t bother. It’s like she lost her sense of taste and smell.

It's been a while since I saw this episode but I thought Aunt Bee didn't like pickles which was why she never tasted her own. I guess she just assumed since she's such a good cook that anything she made tastes good. LOL

[mmecorday]

I guess she didn't taste the roast either to make sure it was tender before serving it to Andy and Opie.

"Aunt Bee, call the man!"

[cooksdelight]

LOL, I have a love/hate relationship with that episode. Anytime Aunt Bee gets all screechy it’s like fingernails on a chalkboard.

[Browncoat]

My local station just showed two of the episodes that made me really dislike Helen.  One was the one where Cousin Gloria comes to stay for a few days, and Aunt Bee tells Andy to be nice to her.  Then he is nice, and Helen gets her knickers in a twist, plus Aunt Bee then yells at Andy for being nice!  

The other one is the one where the Fun Girls speed through town to get themselves arrested, then Helen and Thelma Lou catch the boys at the jail with the Fun Girls and get their knickers in a twist.  Mind you, that bout of jealousy could have been prevented if Andy had just told Helen the damn truth in the first place, but still.  She and Thelma Lou jumped to all kinds of conclusions and wouldn't listen to the boys at all.

[CrazyMoon]

On 2/18/2020 at 3:12 PM, Oosala said:

I hated Ernest T. Bass.  I never watch his episodes.  Anyway, I watch it to relax, and Ernest T. Bass's episodes were anything but relaxing.  He was nucking futs.

I still love Ernest T. Bass...His character was impactful, obviously, because he only appeared in 5 episodes. Howard Morris appeared in another episode in another character...His naivete is priceless. I also watch for familiar comfort...and there are some great lessons in there. "Opie & the Spoiled Kid" is a great example...

[Browncoat]

I love Ernest T., too, but he is another example of the inconsistency of this show.  In one episode, he's writing love notes and tying them to rocks, and in another, he can barely read or write his own name.  But he does know his boundaries -- Old Man Kelsey's Ocean!