The Andy Griffith Show - General Discussion

[BigBingerBro]

I enjoyed Mr Merriwether from the UK - those are some of my favorite episodes.

[CrazyMoon]

18 hours ago, BigBingerBro said:

I enjoyed Mr Merriwether from the UK - those are some of my favorite episodes.

Only two episodes, but his character left such a great feeling...I'd have welcomed back yet again.

19 hours ago, Browncoat said:

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!

Ernest T's love notes were very primitive. At best he was a functional illiterate. My uncle had similar struggles...only went through the 3rd grade. He could sign his name neatly, read at a primary level and do some basic arithmetic....He worked for years at a cannery, then when it closed he worked at a warehouse...might not have been able to read the labels accurately, but he could match them up perfectly...killer work ethic and showed up every day.

 

[Browncoat]

Until recently, I mostly only watched the black-and-white episodes, but my local station has started running the in-color ones.  

They just showed the one where Aunt Bee runs for town council, and she accuses Andy of being anti-women and not wanting a woman on the council, etc., etc.  Apparently they'd all forgotten Ellie existed, much less as a council member.

Now we've got the one with Father Mulch as the new doctor, and several townsfolk are whining about how young he is -- much like Barney did when a new doctor came to town when Ellie was the pharmacist.  At least this time, Andy's not worried that the new doctor is paying too much attention to Helen.

[Maverick]

 Aunt Bee accused Andy of being against her because he was against women, but really he was just against her.  A common theme in the color episodes was Aunt Bee trying new things and trying to grow beyond being a housekeeper.    It was an equally common theme for Andy to belittle her, tell her she wasn't capable and flat out tell her she wasn't allowed to do something as s=if she were an incompetent old woman.  In this case he was right she wasn't as qualified as Howard, but in general he was proven wrong.   One of the most annoying examples was when Aunt Bee buys the Chinese restaurant, which is a huge success, but Aunt Bee ultimately decides to sell when she decides Andy is right and she's just not a business woman.   

[cooksdelight]

Maybe Aunt Bee needs to remind Andy of his laundromat fiasco. 🙂

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0512415/

[Browncoat]

I’d forgotten those!  That’s probably part of why I don’t like the “newer” episodes as much.

[CrazyMoon]

The color seasons came at a time of huge social upheaval...women were getting out of the house, college campuses were in a uproar, hair, clothing & music had morphed into something unrecognizable. Viet Nam was being fought in our living rooms. TV was in almost every home so you could see the changes happen in real time for the first time...The writers were just trying to keep up yet still keep the fading small town innocence...

[blubld43]

On 5/6/2020 at 9:21 PM, CrazyMoon said:

The color seasons came at a time of huge social upheaval...women were getting out of the house, college campuses were in a uproar, hair, clothing & music had morphed into something unrecognizable. Viet Nam was being fought in our living rooms. TV was in almost every home so you could see the changes happen in real time for the first time...The writers were just trying to keep up yet still keep the fading small town innocence...

I'm enjoying the color episodes; they just showed one I didn't remember at all!  Opie and Arnold find a bank robber's stash and convince him to confess.  

I really enjoy many of the characters introduced after Barney left, including Warren.  He was quirky, I laughed a lot at the episode in which he chases Helen around the jail while sleepwalking.

Mayberry is full of quirky characters and IMO that's what made it great😁

[Browncoat]

Warren is one of my least favorite characters.

[GHScorpiosRule]

47 minutes ago, Browncoat said:

Warren is one of my least favorite characters.

Same. As well as Howard.

To be honest, for me, I watched and watch this show for Andy and Opie. And sometimes Barney. Because maaaan, he could also annoy me. But I just ADORE the relationship between Andy and Opie, and Ronnie, er, I mean Ron Howard was just SO ADORBS, and the acting was just so natural. Amazing considering he couldn't read his scripts for the first year or two.

[Gemma Violet]

On 5/8/2020 at 11:10 AM, GHScorpiosRule said:

Same. As well as Howard.

 

I wasn't crazy about Warren, but I didn't mind Howard.  I really didn't like Emmett.

Edited May 24, 2020 by Gemma Violet

[cooksdelight]

The motorcycle episode was on the other day. In the beginning, Barney and Andy pronounced it correctly. Then, out of nowhere, they are pronouncing it motorsiccle. They must have had no one overseeing continuity. 

[chessiegal]

@cooksdelight I don't know if you get emails from MeTV, but when Andy Griffith quizzes show up, I always think you could ace them. I usually do about 50%.

Mayberry Trivia Challenge

I am looking forward to the Mayberry Reunion tomorrow. I don't think I've ever seen it.

[Gemma Violet]

I watched the Mayberry episode the other day about Millie being the town's fashion trendsetter after winning an award for most fashion-forward woman in the county.  She then introduced the midi length to the other ladies in town.  Of course, the episode was all about the men being crestfallen that mini-skirts were on the way out and forbidding their wives from wearing the midi length.  It's kind of infuriating to me when I see old TV episodes like that with men telling women what they can and can't do.  Even sensible Sam couldn't muster up any enthusiasm for Millie's new outfit.  

[BigBingerBro]

13 minutes ago, Gemma Violet said:

Millie being the town's fashion trendsetter

Millie had so many tickets out of Mayberry.  Besides the show you are referring to, she had a whirlwind modelling career in NYC, actress auditions, Miss Farmerette, gaining the eye of a celebrity golfer in Palm Springs.....  why she stuck to her beloved Mayberry is beyond me!  (thank God she dodged the bullet and didn't marry Howard!)

[Maverick]

 Millie wasn't even from Mayberry.   She was from, I believe, West Virginia like Aunt Bee.  

[Gemma Violet]

I just saw Return to Mayberry.  I can't remember if I saw it when it first aired.  I do have a vague memory of Ron Howard in a mustache on TV in that time period, so I probably saw it.

I always hated when Andy would maneuver things to make Barney look good.  This was no exception.  

All in all, though, it was fun to see everyone back in Mayberry.

[blubld43]

On 5/30/2020 at 9:46 PM, Gemma Violet said:

I watched the Mayberry episode the other day about Millie being the town's fashion trendsetter after winning an award for most fashion-forward woman in the county.  She then introduced the midi length to the other ladies in town.  Of course, the episode was all about the men being crestfallen that mini-skirts were on the way out and forbidding their wives from wearing the midi length.  It's kind of infuriating to me when I see old TV episodes like that with men telling women what they can and can't do.  Even sensible Sam couldn't muster up any enthusiasm for Millie's new outfit.  

Was this an episode of TAGS, or Mayberry R.F.D?

[Gemma Violet]

It was Mayberry RFD. 🙂

[chessiegal]

I watched the Return to Mayberry movie. It was corny and sappy, and I enjoyed it. 😄

[GHScorpiosRule]

I know that Jim Nabors was a good singer in real life. And I loved how he sang "Santa Lucia" in "The Song Festers". But then in the season finale, which was basically the backdoor pilot for Gomer Pyle, they had Gomer singing so off-key with his Gomeresque twang, that it was jarring. I guess because singing the Marines' Hymn "The Halls of Montezuma" wasn't a "real" song?

[cooksdelight]

They needed to make Gomer look as goofy as possible. Not being able to read some words in the book, being the buffoon of Sgt. Carter’s group of rookies to train, etc.

[GHScorpiosRule]

The Backdoor Pilot! On The Danny Thomas Show

Ronny was just BEYOND ADORABLE! He couldn't have been more than five.

And Frances Bavier playing a different character, to end up playing Aunt Bee.

They had an "Aunt Lucy" here.

No Otis, but Will.

The office was different.

 

[GHScorpiosRule]

I STRUGGLED trying to watch season six--the year the show went to Color. Without Barney, you had Andy hangin' out with that moron, loose lips, rumor monger Floyd, and Goober sometimes, and some other new dude.

I won't lie, I fast forwarded through all scenes with Warren. UGH.

And they MOVED the door in the Taylor kitchen! It was always next to the counter, where the sink was for the first five seasons. But starting in Season six, the moved it so it's now next to the curio that holds all the dishes.

And I just want to see Opie/Ronny in color. But I called it quits after going through that season. It was like a totally different show. Andy was meaner/more strict toward Opie--quick to make snap judgments about what Opie had or hadn't done. So I just went back to rewatch the pilot to cleanse the brain.

Watching this in a marathon points out so many continuity gaffes, that it's just not worth pointing out the most egregious (for me) ones.

[TheLastKidPicked]

On 6/23/2020 at 12:46 PM, GHScorpiosRule said:

So I just went back to rewatch the pilot to cleanse the brain.

You perfectly summed up why many of us watch.

It's a nice way to escape reality for a half an hour.

 

[mmecorday]

Quote

To be honest, for me, I watched and watch this show for Andy and Opie. And sometimes Barney. Because maaaan, he could also annoy me. But I just ADORE the relationship between Andy and Opie, and Ronnie, er, I mean Ron Howard was just SO ADORBS, and the acting was just so natural. Amazing considering he couldn't read his scripts for the first year or two.

Absolutely one of the most believable father-son relationships in the history of TV. You wouldn't even think Ron was acting -- he was just being a kid.

It's too bad I can only watch this show when my girlfriend is away. She hates it.

[GHScorpiosRule]

35 minutes ago, mmecorday said:

Absolutely one of the most believable father-son relationships in the history of TV. You wouldn't even think Ron was acting -- he was just being a kid.

It really is. And both Andy and Ron say as much in interviews. Actually Ron has said that Andy was "family" because he already had a dad. And Rance and Mrs. Howard (don't remember her name) did a great job raising Ron.

Topic--you can see how much Ronny adored Andy. The things Opie did and said--before he could read--he idolized his Pa, and took issue with anyone who criticized him or talked bad about him.

[blubld43]

I watched an episode of Gomer Pyle, USMC the other day.  In this episode, Opie has run away from Mayberry and showed up at Gomer's Marine base, which was in California!  He looks to be maybe 14; of course Andy comes to get him.  But how did he get cross country in a short time, lol?  What on earth happened to inspire such out-of-character behavior?!

[CrazyMoon]

The bus will get you there in 3-4 days...

[Oosala]

OH NO.  Netflix is going to stop showing TAGS on July 1.  I'm so bummed out.  My DVR is full and I can't be bothered to find it on regular TV.

[GHScorpiosRule]

Just now, Oosala said:

OH NO.  Netflix is going to stop showing TAGS on July 1.  I'm so bummed out.  My DVR is full and I can't be bothered to find it on regular TV.

It's on MeTV. And if you have Amazon Prime, it's available and free to Prime Members.

[Oosala]

As a fellow Scorpio, may I suggest that Scorpios do in fact rule.  Thank you so much.  I have Amazon Prime.

 

[GHScorpiosRule]

8 minutes ago, Oosala said:

As a fellow Scorpio, may I suggest that Scorpios do in fact rule.  Thank you so much.  I have Amazon Prime.

 

You're welcome, but I'm not a Scorpio--My handle refers to the Scorpios of General Hospital--Robert and Robin Scorpio. Anna is on my shit list because of the massacre they've done to her character, so until she comes back, she's off this list!

Topic?

I've always thought it weird that whenever Andy would show up on say, Gomer Pyle, like the one where Opie ran away, he came off meaner. You didn't see the love he had for Opie. Which I thought was wrong on so many levels.

[Snow Apple]

1 hour ago, GHScorpiosRule said:

It's on MeTV. And if you have Amazon Prime, it's available and free to Prime Members.

It's also on TVLand

[cooksdelight]

1 hour ago, Oosala said:

OH NO.  Netflix is going to stop showing TAGS on July 1.  I'm so bummed out.  My DVR is full and I can't be bothered to find it on regular TV.

It’s on from 9-11 am every Monday-Friday on TV Land. It comes back on at 4 pm and runs until 8 pm.

It’s on WE TV beginning at 4 am usually, and will run for several hours.

 

[GHScorpiosRule]

The best part of "A Feud is a Feud" is Andy telling Opie the story of Romeo and Juliet in Andy Griffith style! And I love it because you can tell it's Ronny listening and enjoying the story that Andy Griffith is telling him! Ronny just looks soooooo adorable!

The funniest line, for me, was when Andy talks about the funeral for Juliet: "Ohhhhh, they had the purtiest funeral for herrrrr....folks cryin' and carryin' on..."

I know that Andy Griffith was known for retelling Shakespeare in his Southern way, and I'm glad the show let him incorporate some of them. As well as the story about "The Shot that was heard around the world" when telling Opie and his pals about Paul Revere and the start of the Revolution.

 

[CrazyMoon]

Andy's "stories" from history are hysterical...and Opie looks to be listening intently...I laugh again every time.

And, as for Andy seeming 'hard' when he has to chase Opie 3000 miles I'd be cranky too if I had to chase one of my kids like that. More reality than anything else.

 

[Browncoat]

The best part of the “Shot Heard ‘Round The World” story was Barney’s involvement and reactions.

[curbcrusher]

When I was a kid in the 70s, my dad had a reel-to-reel tape recorder, with these 5 inch reels of audio tape. Most of them were albums that he had  taped in the pre-Internet version of content sharing. One of the albums was an Andy Griffith comedy album. It contained most of the stories, Romeo and Juliet, the Shot Heard Round the World, and one of my favorites , "What is Was, Was Football."

[chessiegal]

Satellite radio airs those Andy Griffith routines on one of their comedy channels. That's where I heard them. They are indeed funny.

[GHScorpiosRule]

6 minutes ago, chessiegal said:

Satellite radio airs those Andy Griffith routines on one of their comedy channels. That's where I heard them. They are indeed funny.

I really love it when he stretches out the words, like he did when he was talking about Juliet's funeral!😂

[Snow Apple]

My favorite line is how they could have avoided the expense of two funerals if they simply had a cheap wedding.

[BigBingerBro]

I do wonder if they built those episodes around those monologues.  I actually really dislike the episodes themselves.

[CrazyMoon]

22 hours ago, BigBingerBro said:

I do wonder if they built those episodes around those monologues.  I actually really dislike the episodes themselves.

Early in the series they used Andy's monologues for sure fire laughs...as the series matured they weren't needed...I think the last one was "The shot heard around the world" in Andy Discovers America...which was season 3, it fit perfectly there. 

 

[TheLastKidPicked]

On 5/5/2018 at 1:32 PM, cooksdelight said:

Bernard P. Fife, Oliver was his middle name at one time. 

I just watched the scene where Andy is reading the inside cover of Barney's old school book.  The chemistry these two had made the scene remarkable.

"This book belongs to Bernard P. Fife.

If found, please return to Bernard P. Fife

Signed, Bernard P. Fife"

 

 

[cooksdelight]

Barney had a lot of different middle names, as staying consistent was not this show’s strong point.

His high school yearbook photo is shown with the name “Bernard Milton Fife.”. On yet another occasion, Barney claims his middle name is “Tibbs”, but Andy calls him out by saying “I thought it was Oliver”.

[curbcrusher]

So Little Curbcrusher and I watched the Eurovision movie on Netflix the the other night. Without talking about the plot or story, there is a "my hometown" type of song presented, and all I could think of is "They ripped off the Andy Griffith Show."  🙂

[Oosala]

On 7/10/2020 at 3:19 AM, Browncoat said:

The best part of the “Shot Heard ‘Round The World” story was Barney’s involvement and reactions.

Barney to Andy:  "Will you help us?" start the history club.

[GHScorpiosRule]

Opie's gonna be on Gomer Pyle tonight. The one where he tells Gomer he's run away. This took place in the 6th season of Andy Griffith, so he'd be around 11 or 12.

[BigBingerBro]

I'm sorry if this has been mentioned previously.  I caught one of the very early episodes, and most likely the first episode that Barney appears.  Did anyone else catch that Andy mentions that Barney is his cousin??  They dropped that pretty quick as I don't think it was mentioned ever again.