When we talk about a television series with eight seasons, 249 episodes, and numerous Emmy Awards, it has to be one of the most amazing shows of that era. We are talking about the saga of the sleepy town of Mayberry, Sheriff Andy Taylor and Barney Fife. No points for guessing that we are talking about The Andy Griffith Show! We are sure you must have been a die-hard fan but there is a huge possibility that you are still unaware of these facts and secrets about the show
The Comics
The marketing team of the show did a commendable job of promoting it. During the running of the first season, The Dell Comics released two comics with the show’s namesake. The artwork in the comics was done by Henry Scarpelli. Does it seem like you have heard this name before? Well, he is the one who portrayed Opie Taylor in the show. The last time they checked in 2004, each comic was valued at $500, the ones that were in near-mint condition.
The Stone-Throwing Saga
Do you remember the opening credits of the show? If you do, you might know that the stone-throwing scene of Opie Taylor has been the best part of it. However, there is something you don’t know about that particular scene. When that scene was shot, Howard was just 6 years old and didn’t have the strength to throw a stone. Hence, the stone was actually thrown by an assistant who was hiding in the bushes. Interesting, right?
Real-Life Tribute
Now that we have talked about the show’s opening credits, let’s talk about the ‘nod’ of Andy Taylor after the stone throw. It wasn’t just any throw; Andy gave a tribute to his dad by that nod. It was after years that Griffith realized that his dad used to do this when he wanted to say, “Good job!” Andy Griffith and Ron Howard admitted that they portrayed their character based on the relationship they shared with their respective dads.
Not Legit Cousins
During the first season, we saw Andy calling his partner in crime Deputy Bernard Milton Fife, “Cousin Barney.” They were not really cousins in the show but all they wanted to convey was a satirical joke. It was about small towns and the relationship people shared with someone in power.
People get to places because of their relationship with “someone” and not on the basis of their merit. But in the coming seasons, they stopped this ritual of “Cousin Barney” as if no one noticed.
Does The Name Matter?
Barney Fife is one of the most memorable characters from the show and people did some serious research on this man. However, there are still certain things you don’t know about this man and his character. He didn’t have just one but two middle names. He was sometimes called Barney Oliver and in others, he said his middle name was Milton. Hence, his full name was never decided as they never agreed on one name.
Writing The Reality
The fans of the show might remember the two episodes where Andy Griffith’s character was heavily bandaged. In the show, the bandage was a result of a rift with the criminals. However, that’s not the complete story. The injury was, in fact, a real one. Andy got injured because, in a moment of rage, he punched his hand on the wall. So, writers had to include a scene in the show to justify the “real-life” injury.
Fictional Town
There was a conjecture going on that the fictional and sleepy town, Mayberry was based on the real town of Mount Airy, North Carolina. However, Griffith denied the claims. In contrast to Andy’s claims, whenever they needed a directory, they used to pick up the directory that read ‘Mount Airy’.
People are obsessed with this show and now they celebrate the sitcom by celebrating an annual festival called Mayberry Days. This festival is celebrated in none other than Mount Airy, North Carolina.
Reversing The Roles
Andy’s character was initially a person who was basically always panic-struck. However, the show makers decided to shift that characteristic to Barney Fife as he was more apt for the role. That is when they made Andy’s role as a level-headed and sophisticated justice of the peace in Mayberry.
Barney was then playing an inept character with friendly characteristics.
Brand New Ford Galaxie 500
Have you ever noticed that Sherriff Taylor and Barney’s Ford Galaxie 500 always looked brand new? Well, it isn’t because they cleaned it thoroughly. The show makers got a brand new Ford Galaxie 500 from a local car dealership, just for the sake of the show. The best part about this deal was that the dealer would send them the latest model upon release and take the old one back. This way, there were a total of 10 Galaxies over 8 seasons. Hence, the car always looked brand new.
The Hidden Condition
Since we are here to unveil the things about the show you skipped, here’s an intriguing fact. The barber, Floyd Lawson played by Howard McNear never used his left hand in later episodes and was always sitting on a chair while the camera rolled. The reason behind this was the condition he was suffering from. McNear suffered a stroke and survived it. After that, he struggled in moving his left hand. Just to hide the condition, the producer got a stool on which he could sit and shoot.
Temporary Turned Into Permanent
We remember Barney Fife as the strongest character of the show. However, he was not a permanent member of the show. After the screening of the ‘Pilot’ episode, the producers signed a five-year contract with Don Knotts. There was no formal contract before this. After the amazing portrayal of the character, they signed a contract for five years because they never thought that the show would run beyond that. He still went ahead and shot for three more years. It was in 1965 that Knotts wanted to move on for a better opportunity.
Nicknames
In some of the episodes of this show, Barney would refer to his friend, Sheriff Taylor as ‘Ange’. This was not just any name. Don Knotts used to call Andy Griffith by this name off-screen. For him ‘Ange’ was a great short version for Andy. Both of them were close friends off-screen. They met each other in 1958 on the sets of No Time for Sergeants and reunited for this show in 1965. However, their friendship wasn’t limited to the professional front.
Origin Of The Show
Did you know that this whole show is partially based on an episode from The Danny Thomas Show, originally called Make Room for Daddy, from the ’50s. The unofficial pilot episode of the Andy show was actually screened as an episode in season 7 of the older show.
The episode was named ‘Danny Meets Andy Griffith’. However, there was a difference in the characters played by the actors.
Dull Chemistry
In the first season of the show, Elinor Donahue played the role of Andy Taylor’s first girlfriend. She left after the first season as she believed that the two don’t share that essential on-screen chemistry. Griffith acknowledged that fact by admitting that he struggled to show affection on the camera. But then we saw the amazing bonding of Griffith with actor Aneta Corsaut. She played the role of Opie Taylor’s teacher Helen Crump. She was the long-term girlfriend in the show and Griffith even flirted with her off-screen. But it was all in the private.
A Weird Name
Producers of the show thought Helen Crump’s character would appear on the show just once. So, they didn’t think her name through and gave her a weird crumply name. However, the storyline changed and she ended up becoming Andy’s wife.
The remarkable performance of Aneta forced the producer to keep her the show for as long as she could. From season 3 to 8, her role was regular in the scenes but the regret of a weird name sustained.
The Dressing Didn’t Change
Barney Fife’s dressing for all the formal events and dates was always the same. His white straw boater hat, red bow tie, and a "salt and pepper" patterned coat have made his character lively. Also, Knotts didn’t give up on this look even after the show got over.
He continued to dress this way in the shows like The Incredible Mr. Limpet (1964), The Ghost and Mr. Chicken (1966), The Reluctant Astronaut (1967), and How to Frame a Figg (1971).
What Happened To Opie Taylor’s Mother?
At the beginning of the show, Sheriff Taylor is shown as a widowed father. However, there is no detail revealed about Opie Taylor’s mother even in the later episodes or seasons. The only hint you can get about his mother is that she died when Opie was an infant. Turns out, there was no plot written about the mother, not even her first name. The sheriff never gave Opie his mother’s picture and neither was her grave shown in the show. Isn’t that weird?
An Amazing Dad
Even though Taylor never told Opie about his mother or he might not have given him any picture of her but that didn’t make him a bad dad. He was ranked on No. 8 in TV Guide‘s list of the “50 Greatest TV Dads of All Time” in 2004. Ron Howard acknowledges the fact that Andy Griffith has shaped his life. He says that he will be forever grateful to him, it seems like this on-screen father turned out to be a father-like figure in his real-life too.
Clerical Error
Due to a clerical error, the last 16 episodes of third seasons were leaked on a public platform. However, the copyright on the music of the show still pertains. Hence, the music during the opening and the ending credits of the show has different music. It was the worst because these episodes had significant moments like the debut of Malcolm Merriweather, played by Bernard Fox from Bewitched, Ernest T. Bass, the portrayal of Helen Crump’s arrival, how she and Andy are set up as a couple after her second appearance, and the Darling family.
Whistling All The Way
The whistling you hear in the beginning credits, it is none other than the composer and 20th Century Fox orchestrator Earle Hagen whistling the song himself. Hagen collaborated with the Chilean-born composer and orchestrator Herbert Winfield Spencer to create the song, “The Fishin’ Hole”.
The opening credits even had the lyrics written by the character actor and songwriter Everett H. Sloane. However, the producers chose to keep them out of the opening credits.
All About Fan Mail
The fans of the show might know that Sheriff Andy didn’t trust Barney Fife with a loaded gun. He was given just one bullet which he had to keep in his pocket. And in some cases, Taylor took that one bullet away.
This careless handling of the bullet made Barney Fife favorite for some people. He used to get a single bullet in all of his fan mails as a token of love.
Don Knotts Was Irreplaceable
When Don Knotts chose to leave the show for better opportunities, the writers wrote his exit. In the show, he leaves to join the Raleigh North Carolina police force. However, there is a replacement for him. Barney Fife is replaced by Ferguson, portrayed by actor Jack Burns.
However, Barney was a classic and people couldn’t relate to Warren Ferguson. The show makers realized it in the very beginning and Warren disappeared from the show after 11 episodes, without explanation.
Mister Schwamp
When we talk about the characters of the show, this one has received the least importance. You might have heard Andy and Barney saying “Hello, Mister Schwamp” in the series. He was a middle-aged man with perfectly combed hair. This man appeared numerous times in the show and didn’t speak a word. You would find him slumping over a park bench or walking through the crowd scenes. Without any dialogues, this man has managed to leave an impact by just nodding it all along.
Minor Detailing
How many of you noticed that the calendar that was kept in Floyd’s Barber Shop was always stuck in February? Yes, it never changed and the people on the sets never bothered to change it as well. Was it strategic? Another thing worth noticing was the map on the Sheriff’s table. It was a map of the state of Idaho that was kept upside down. Well, even if you were a fan of the show, you wouldn’t have noticed as it requires thorough research.
Why The Name “Opie”?
The character Ron Howard played was that of Opie Taylor. However, we are sure you don’t know that this name had a reason behind it. Both Andy Griffith and Sheldon Leonard, the producer of The Andy Griffith Show were fond of the prominent clarinet player and bandleader of the ’30s and ’40s swing era, Opie Cates. Hence, they decided to name one of the characters with this unusual name, Opie.
Locations Mattered
The residential part of the show was shot in RKO’s film studio in Culver City, California. Do you remember “Aunt Pittypat House” from the film Gone With The Winds (1939)? Yes, the one set in Atlanta film set. Andy’s house was next to that exact house. However, his address became a topic of dispute. In one of the episodes, Barney said Andy’s address was 24 Elm Street and Aunt Bee was noticed quoting his address as 332 Maple Street.
Ending With A Bang!
After 8 seasons and 249 episodes, this show ended on an exciting note. When the show concluded, it had Nielsen ratings at No. 1. The remarkable thing was that during its complete run time, the show never fell beyond number seven in the Nielsen ratings. In 2002, the show was declared the ninth-best show in American television history. That seems like an achievement all television series want to accomplish.
Spin-Off Shows
Once Andy Griffith left the show, many supporting actors came back and took Andy’s and Opie’s spot The show makers somehow managed to run the show for the next three years and ended it in 1971. Another spin-off of the show happened in 1964. This spin-off was called Gomer Pyle. The pilot episode of this show was aired as the finale of The Andy Griffith Show season 4. Gomer Pyle was extremely popular back in the day and had the second-highest ratings in America.
Return To Mayberry
Other than the spin-offs, the show even had a reunion. After the show was over, the cast came together to make a movie, “Return To Mayberry” in 1986 that was released on NBC. The show was based on the original ’60s show and the spin-off Mayberry, R.F.D. The movie had 16 cast members from the original series like Andy Griffith, Don Knotts, and Ron Howard. There was one exception and that was of Frances Bavier. She had retired from the show Mayberry R.F.D. after two years.
Jerry Van Dyke
When Don Knotts left the series for his future ventures, actor and comedian Jerry Van Dyke was considered for the role. He even appeared in Fife’s uniform in season 5. However, things didn’t work out and he was chosen for a role in the fantasy sitcom, My Mother the Car, 1965. This show aired only for one season on NBC. When asked about his choice, he said that he would have chosen to play Deputy instead of the fantasy sitcom, if he was given a choice all over again.
In The Family
The peanut-butter-and-jelly-eating toddler with the cowboy hat was none other than the younger brother of Ron Howard. He appeared in bits and parts in the show over season 2 to season 4.
Clint Howard didn’t have a central character in the show. When his brother took on the directing business, Clint has managed to get featured in 16 movies of his brother.
The Darling Sons
The four men who appeared on the show as the Darling Sons were an actual band from Salem, Missouri. They were a bluegrass music group called The Dillards. Doug Dillard, Rodney Dillard, Dean Webb, and Mitch Jayne play the character of the four brothers in the show. The band had decent popularity before the show but they claim that they gained great fame after the appearance in the show. Many Americans hadn’t heard the name of the group before they were featured in the show.
Secret Location
We told you about the house of Andy. However, you still aren’t aware of the few main but secret locations of the show. The one we are talking about was a group of three bungalows that were opposite the Desilu Studios in Hollywood. That specific location was used as Thelma Lou’s (Barney Fife’s girlfriend) residence. This location was also used as random homes for the minor characters of the show over the eight seasons.
Canned Food
Andy Griffith Show was among the favorite shows of the Americans. Hence, coming up with its own pop culture and merchandise was another marketing stunt that worked for the benefit of the series. Ever since the show started running on the television, there was merchandise coming out and it consisted of bobbleheads, books, kitchenware, and board games. The best part about these products was the variety of canned food. There were condiments called Mayberry’s Finest Brand Foods. They were released in grocery stores across the whole of America in 2007.
Flavors Of The Show
The canned came in the form of tempting meals. There were 36 southern-inspired foods that included cream-style canned corn, canned turnip, and collard greens. There was another addition to it and they introduced a new baking mix in numerous flavors such as toast, lemon icebox, chocolate chunk cookie dough, and peach cobbler. Another kind of food they had was beef stew, chicken, and chili dumplings. We are already drooling!
