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If you watch the first year of the show, Andy played a real hayseed. After that he became the straight man to Barney, good move to be sure.
The episodes after the change remind me a lot of Newhart. A person smarter than most everyone else on the show that has to deal with the situations around him. I guess a lot of shows are like that, come to think of it.
One of my favorite episodes was when he outsmarted Sgt. Carter.
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Most people are not aware (or don't remember because it was so long ago ) , but Andy Griffin was actually a contemporary of Marlon Brando & was considered a mesmerizing actor in one of his first roles : A Face in theCrowd in which he played an immoral and serpentine hustler.
I love the earlier shows. I remember the first when Barney called Any "cousin Andy" and Andy told Opie his stories which were based on Griffith's standup routines.
One of my favorites lines was when Earnest T Bass went back to school and he was acting up in class. Miss Crump told him he was being rude. Later on Bass thought another student was being rude so he told the kid "You get a rude!" I always think of that line when I see someone being rude.
The early shows were very good but I think that was maybe only the first two seasons. First Jim Nabors left and then Floyd had the stroke and was pretty much incapacitated. It was a downer. When Don Knotts left it was pretty much officially over. Griffith became less funny and Andy seemed more annoyed at the goings on around him.
Much of that was just bad writing. The characters and actors were there the stories were just lame. Warren the replacement deputy... Oh, boy. Goober took a long time to establish himself and he didn't play off Andy very well.
I admit that I liked Howard Sprague. He was geeky and weird and that episode where he went off to an island to be a beach bum has got to be the only later episode to make it into the Andy Griffith shows top ten best list.
Ken Berry was wasted on Mayberry RFD. What did the RFD stand for anyway?
Who remembers a similar show that was a late 1970s classic.... Carter Country? That was a favorite of mine.
I remember Mayberry RFD just vaguely. Don't think it lasted too long though. The first year of Andy Griffith he has a stronger southern accent, too, and then it changes to a milder one. Interesting. Well, like the early Mat Dillion (Gunsmoke) episodes of 1/2 hour. He was different, too, from later episodes, more of a relaxed sheriff, kinda new to the job, different affect, Doc, too, grumpy and complaining. After that initial year or two, the characters become different.
I remember an George Lindsay interview with Bill Anderson. Bill asked George if they ever ad-libbed on the show and the answer was to the effect of "No, the writers got paid to write that stuff. We just got paid to say it!"
I believe that Andy and Barney did ad lib the scenes between the two of them, especially the ones where they'd be sitting on Andy's porch, talking. At least, Don Knotts and Andy Griffith both said they did.
I remember Mayberry RFD just vaguely. Don't think it lasted too long though. The first year of Andy Griffith he has a stronger southern accent, too, and then it changes to a milder one....
MeTV recently re-ran the first season and I was surprised that I hadnt noticed Andy's heavy accent previously. It was almost distracting.
I've read that, originally, Andy's character was going to be the funny guy. But, once he saw Don Knotts in action, he realized that the show worked better with Barney as the funny guy and Andy as the straight man. Quite perceptive -- but, when Barney left, there was no slapstick funny guy and it was too later for Andy to change character.
I believe that Andy and Barney did ad lib the scenes between the two of them, especially the ones where they'd be sitting on Andy's porch, talking. At least, Don Knotts and Andy Griffith both said they did.
Ya, they had been around the block once or twice with each other so that doesn't surprise me.
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