The Andy Griffith Show

Nip it in the bud!

1960 · 8 seasons · Comedy
7.6 Popular

Series finished

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Comedy Family

The Andy Griffith Show is an American sitcom first televised on CBS between October 3, 1960 and April 1, 1968. Andy Griffith portrays the widowed sheriff of the fictional small community of Mayberry, North Carolina. His life is complicated by an inept, but well-meaning deputy, Barney Fife, a spinster aunt and housekeeper, Aunt Bee, and a precocious young son, Opie. Local ne'er-do-wells, bumbling pals, and temperamental girlfriends further complicate his life. Andy Griffith stated in a Today Show interview, with respect to the time period of the show: "Well, though we never said it, and though it was shot in the '60s, it had a feeling of the '30s. It was when we were doing it, of a time gone by." The series never placed lower than seventh in the Nielsen ratings and ended its final season at number one. It has been ranked by TV Guide as the 9th-best show in American television history. Though neither Griffith nor the show won awards during its eight-season run, series co-stars Knotts and Bavier accumulated a combined total of six Emmy Awards. The show, a semi-spin-off from an episode of The Danny Thomas Show titled "Danny Meets Andy Griffith", spawned its own spin-off series, Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C., a sequel series, Mayberry R.F.D., and a reunion telemovie, Return to Mayberry. The show's enduring popularity has generated a good deal of show-related merchandise. Reruns currently air on TV Land, and the complete series is available on DVD. All eight seasons are also now available by streaming video services such as Netflix.

Country of origin
🇺🇸 United States
Year
1960
Created by
Sheldon Leonard, Danny Thomas
Channel
CBS
Studio
CBS · Danny Thomas Enterprises · Mayberry Enterprises

Trivia & behind the scenes

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Origins

The series originated as a backdoor pilot episode of The Danny Thomas Show titled 'Danny Meets Andy Griffith,' which aired February 15, 1960, featuring Griffith as Sheriff Andy Taylor arresting Danny Williams for running a stop sign.

Casting

Frances Bavier and Ron Howard both appeared in that Danny Thomas Show pilot episode as townspeople before joining the main cast, playing Henrietta Perkins and Opie Taylor respectively.

Casting

Don Knotts, who had worked with Griffith on both the Broadway and film versions of No Time for Sergeants, called Griffith during the show's development to suggest the sheriff needed a bumbling deputy sidekick, an idea that became the character Barney Fife, which Knotts then auditioned for and won.

Filming

The show was filmed at Desilu Studios, with exteriors shot at Forty Acres in Culver City, while rural scenes—including the iconic opening credits of Andy and Opie walking to the fishing hole—were filmed at Franklin Canyon north of Beverly Hills.

Music

The whistled theme song was composed and performed by Earle Hagen; guest actor Everett Sloane, who played Jubal Foster in one episode, later wrote lyrics for it after learning it had none, resulting in a vocal version titled 'The Fishin' Hole.'

Casting

Andy Griffith initially played Sheriff Taylor as a broad, grinning country bumpkin similar to his stage role Will Stockdale in No Time for Sergeants, but after realizing he was essentially the straight man surrounded by comedic characters, he reshaped the role into a calmer, more thoughtful 'Lincolnesque' character starting in the second season.

Casting

Don Knotts left the show after season five to pursue a film career, with his character explained as taking a detective job with the Raleigh Police Department, though he returned for five guest appearances as Barney Fife in later seasons.

Reception

When Frances Bavier was invited to participate in the 1986 reunion telemovie Return to Mayberry, she declined due to ill health, so her character Aunt Bee was written as having died; Bavier herself passed away three years later.

Trivia

Very little official merchandise was produced during the show's original run, reportedly because Griffith and the producers wanted to protect the show's image as realistic rather than commercialized, though a comic book, coloring books, a soundtrack album, and a 1966 Grape-Nuts cereal box featuring Griffith did exist.

References

Canadian rapper Drake referenced the show's theme song in his 2009 track 'Best I Ever Had,' and the country band Rascal Flatts released a song titled 'Mayberry' in 2003 paying tribute to the series.

Memorable quotes

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Deputy Barney Fife: Nip it! Nip it in the bud!

Barney Fife Barney's catchphrase warning to stop trouble early

Ernest T. Bass: It's me, it's me. It's Ernest T.!!

Ernest T. Bass Ernest T. Bass introduces himself

"Citizen's arr-ay-est!, citizen's arr-ay-est!, citizen's arr-ay-est!" -- Said by Gomer Pyle (actor Jim Nabors) to Barney Fife (actor Don Knotts) in the episode aptly titled "Citizen's Arrest."

Gomer Pyle Gomer excitedly arrests Barney

"Go-o-lly!" -- Gomer Pyle

Gomer Pyle Gomer's signature exclamation

"Sha-zay-um!" -- Gomer Pyle (southern for "Shazam!")

Gomer Pyle Gomer's southern take on Shazam

"Judy Judy Judy" -- Goober does his "Cary Grant" impression.

Goober Pyle Goober does his Cary Grant impression

Jay walking is rampant!

Barney Fife Barney overreacts about jaywalking

Of course you smell gas. What do you think this car runs on, coal?

Barney Fife Barney explains car trouble to Andy

"You're a boob, Gomer!" -- Barney Fife, in "Citizen's Arrest"

Barney Fife Barney scolds Gomer

"Where's my plaque? Give me my plaque." -- Barney describing how Otis is going to arrive at the mayor's office to receive an award.

Barney Fife Barney mocks Otis wanting recognition

Otis: [singing childlike to Barney who out of pride voluntarily put himself in the other cell] "Barney's in Jail! Barney's in Jail!"

Otis Campbell Otis teases Barney for being in his own jail

Otis: [speaking of how his mouth feels] Shooby, shooby, shooby.

Otis Campbell Otis describes his hangover

Barney: I had them, Andy! I had them all dead to rights! You can check the manual! Every one of them was as guilty as sin!

Barney Fife Barney defends his mass arrest of the town

Andy: Listen to me, Barney. Listen to me just a minute. Now it's true you had them all dead to rights by the book. But now if you went strictly by the book, why I don't reckon we'd have anything in this country but about 180 million jailbirds.

Andy Taylor Andy calms Barney after his overzealous arrests

Andy: Well, no wonder it's quiet in town; the whole population's in here!

Andy Taylor Andy jokes about the empty town

Andy: It must've been kept more this here day than all the other days put together![http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xxxfdm_andy-griffith-s01e20-andy-saves-barneys-morale_shortfilms&start=277]

Andy Taylor Andy teases Barney about his overzealous policing

Barney: I asked them to move along, but Aunt Bee kept right on talking! So I asked her again, and she said, "Stop interrupting!" Then another lady opened her umbrella; now that's inciting a riot!

Barney Fife Barney explains arresting Aunt Bee's group

Aunt Bee: Oh, overlook, nothing! He was too busy yelling, "There will be no favoritism in Barney Fife's administration!"

Aunt Bee Aunt Bee mocks Barney's self-important policing

Jennifer: I'm sorry, Clarabelle; I keep forgetting. It's just that the odor of witch hazel atones me.

Jennifer Morrison Jennifer explains her odd habit of visiting the barber shop

Clarabelle: Jennifer! You will be the death of me yet! How many times must I tell you? A lady never goes into a barber shop!

Clarabelle Morrison Clarabelle scolds her sister for entering a barber shop

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