Posted on 11/14/2004 2:21:13 PM PST by silent_jonny
November 12, 2004 - You can't grow up in North Carolina without being subjected to endless reruns of The Andy Griffith Show. Though the show was a bit harder to find once I moved to San Francisco, I still made a point of seeking out the reruns wherever I could find them. The nostalgic show, produced by Sheldon Leonard and Danny Thomas, looks back to an idealized time and place that never really existed. The popularity of the show lasted a full eight seasons and it was, along with I Love Lucy and Seinfeld, one of the few shows to ever end its run while still at the top of the Nielsen ratings. Though the show has thrived in syndication ever since it went off the air (or morphed into the decidedly unfunny Mayberry R.F.D.), fans have long been waiting for a comprehensive DVD version of the show. Thankfully, Paramount has finally consented to release the entire first season in a remastered DVD format, available November 16.
(Excerpt) Read more at dvd.ign.com ...
My favorite episode is where the harried big-city businessman gets stuck in Mayberry on a Sunday when his car breaks down. At first, he's infuriated that nobody will fix it so he can get moving - - but gradually the kindness and relaxed pace of the small town wears away his gruffness, and he starts humming along with the hymn-singing on Andy's front porch.
Believe it or not, here in California you can buy an Andy Griffith DVD with three-four episodes at the 99 cent store.....
That is going way back. He was one of the "men on the street" -- another being Louie Nye (spell?)
Andy Griffith was really good as the backwoods Georgia hick who makes life miserable for the Sergeant. The movie was so funny my ribs literally hurt the next day.
Never got into that. Too fake. Just like I never got into The Beverly Hillbillies. Nothing real about it. TAGS was very real in a lot of ways. My favorite line was the one Andy used after Opie raised a nest of wild birds in a cage. When he released them Opie said: "Just look how empty that cage is Pa."
To which Andy replied: "Yes, son, but don't the trees look nice and full."
Yep. All I can remember (and that's a lotta years) was Knotts was a very nervous and shaky character. Nye, was Mr Cool New Yorker
ping
That was Andy's favorite episode according to the recent reunion show.
And they are all sitting on the front porch on Sunday after lunch when Barney stretches, leans back and says: "You know what I'm gonna do?"
Andy: "Hmm?"
Barney: "I'm gonna go home, take a nap, go over to Thelma-Lou's and watch a little TV."
Andy: "Huh".
Barney (after a pause): "Yep, that's the plan."
Andy: "What?"
Barney: "Go home, take a nap, go over to Thelma-Lou's and watch a little TV."
Andy: "Hah".
Barney: "Yeeeeeppp! Go home, nap, Thelma-Lou's for TV."
Andy: "Huh"
Mr. Tucker: "For Pete's sake go, go, go do it. Go home, go to Thelma-lou's, go!"
Barney (stomping off): "What's the rush?"
I thought Helen was adorable.
Bea Benederet
Winkin'll tell Blinkin'. Blinkin'll tell Nod. Nod'll tell Barney and Barney'll tell you.
Barney (Don Knotts) was of the impression that Andy was going to leave to make movies. Knotts signed his own movie contracts and had to leave the show. Turned out Griffith didn't leave and Knotts would have preffered staying, but, too late. Hell we could have had another 100 episodes with Barney. At the time they were getting better and better.
"Man in a Hurry" ... great one.
Similar to AG, people like to bash LiTB as an idealistic depiction of a time that never was, but it pretty much resembles my childhood, though I grew up in the '70's: parents warn you not to do X because Y will happen; you do X anyways and Y happens; you think you've covered your tracks and gotten away with it but they find out somehow and you lose your allowance for a week. Of course, back then "X" was walking to the bowling alley without permission as opposed to, say, boinking your girlfriend in the family room.
Times sure have changed.
His exasperation at not being able to use the phone cause those two old bats were talking about ... what was it, corns?
"Ladies, ladies, my name is Malcom Tucker."
pause
"Of the Buffalo Tuckers?"
"No, no..."
"Which Tucker?"
"You know, she married that man who fell down a lot."
Andy (I paraphrase): "He's savin' up for college. Gonna be a doctor."
Feet falling asleep. Barn wonderes about that aswell.
And not old bats...two elderly sisters who always conversed by phone on Sunday afternoon.
Oh, right! "I wonder what causes that."
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