Re: Mayberry RFD
To answer Wayne and Anne Newsome's question, Mayberry R.F.D. was a continuation of The Andy Griffith Show, when Andy left the cast. Ken Berry, fresh off his run on F Troop, was introduced as farmer and city councilman Sam Jones during the last season of The Andy Griffith Show and was now the alpha male of Mayberry. The show ran three seasons from 1968 until that fateful year CBS cancelled everything with a tree in it, 1971, despite the fact Mayberry R.F.D. actually finished that season in the top 20. It's not on DVD yet but someone is adding episodes on Youtube. Dixon ___ WBMUTBB mailing list WBMUTBB@wbmutbb.com http://www.mayberry.com/tagsrwc/wbmutbb/
Re: military vehicles in law enforcement
***Wouldn't Barney have to have gotten a voucher/cash advance/purchase order from either Andy, the Mayor,or city council?Therefore,Andy should not have been surprised.*** That's a good question, I don't remember if Barney said he bought it (most likely) or just got it from military surplus. But it brings up an interesting point. If that were to happen today, Barney likely would've just heard it was available from the government and they would've sent it free of charge. A lot of local law enforcement agencies are receiving military hardware that way now--tanks, non-tracked vehicles, boats, and in Texas at least one agency even has a drone. There's a big debate about it that I won't go into here, but there's no way Barney would've let such a trend go unnoticed. He would've been all over it. Just in my part of Alabama, the Calhoun County Sheriff's Office has two such tracked vehicles (and used them in a manhunt in August) while the Etowah County Drug Enforcement Unit has a non-tracked armored vehicle. Calhoun, Etowah and Cherokee Counties all three have boats that had a previously life in the military (shades of McHale's Navy). So at the end of the episode, when Andy pulls over the tracked vehicle only to run afoul of a National Guard ranking officer, the comedy is in how preposterous it was that Barney would've come back with a tank. That's what makes it funny. But today, Barney would've been *more* likely to come back with a tank than a sidecar motorcycle! Dixon ___ WBMUTBB mailing list WBMUTBB@wbmutbb.com http://www.mayberry.com/tagsrwc/wbmutbb/
Re: Mayberry R.F.D. on Youtube
Thanks Dixon for the note on Mayberry RFD. Is there a way to find the Mayberry RFD episodes on YouTube in some kind of order??or do you just do a search and enjoy what you can find? * Hey Untrained Voice, Just type in Mayberry R.F.D. episodes, and if you want to watch them in order, the shows are formatted this way: First episode will be s1e1. The 15th episode of the first season will be s1e15. And they're listed in the same order as the Imdb episode guide. Dixon ___ WBMUTBB mailing list WBMUTBB@wbmutbb.com http://www.mayberry.com/tagsrwc/wbmutbb/
Re: Mayberry RFD on Youtube
Someone has posted all of seasons one of Mayberry, R.F.D. on Youtube. Finally great to see it someplace since it's apparently not commercially available on DVD or on higher quality streaming. These episodes were recorded, apparently on VHS, from a TV Land marathon several years ago. Some observations: Andy and Helen's wedding (specifically, Barney's role in it) still cracks me up. If that were to happen now, it would have been a two-part series finale for TAGS during ratings sweeps. Opie sure was a good kid. Mike seems to get into trouble a lot more often and doesn't seem to be as smart. The Aunt Bee in the wedding episode is more liberated than the one in the TAGS pilot, even though the script appears to be a remake. We've talked alot about African Americans in Mayberry; R.F.D. seems to show even more diversity. Sam has an African-American neighbor, Ralph, who has a son slightly older than Mike and a daughter Goober taught in driver's ed. Some of us have complained about the scripts on Mayberry R.F.D and specifically, how the writing doesn't fit the characters. One example I saw in season one: Clara Edwards is a lot meaner than she was on TAGS, and pointedly, she doesn't seem to have any scenes with Aunt Bee anymore. I wonder if the two actresses had some kind of falling out and one refused to work with the other? Another example: Howard suddenly caving in too much during a debate, certainly not the guy we saw take Aunt Bee apart in another debate when they were running for town council. There are some good moments throughout season one, and one episode (The Camper) actually made me laugh out loud repeatedly. I honestly think that one could've worked with Barney and Gomer years earlier, it was that funny. At least one of Andy's appearances, the one in the episode where Mike loses his wristwatch, didn't seem necessary at all to the plot. It was still good to see him (and the squad car, and the inside of the sheriff's office) again. And some of the episodes could've played just as well with Andy in Sam's role, which made me wonder if they used any leftover scripts that were intended for Andy. (On the other hand, some of the episodes obviously could only be done with Sam and Millie, like for instance the one about Sam's bean crop failing while Millie grows a bumper crop in her back yard.) Car nuts will notice Mayberry went from being a Ford town to a Mopar city, and Sam drives a new Dodge truck every year (as opposed to the older Ford truck he drove on The Andy Griffith Show). We even get a brief glimpse of Andy driving a Dodge Coronet in the Mayberry Sheriff's Office striping package. Sam also has a new Plymouth sedan every year, compared to Andy, who only had his one work vehicle. Two episodes feature a then-unknown Jodie Foster, and in one of them, she doesn't speak and isn't even credited! I sure wish they would release this series on DVD. What are they waiting for? It has a ready made audience. Dixon ___ WBMUTBB mailing list WBMUTBB@wbmutbb.com http://www.mayberry.com/tagsrwc/wbmutbb/
Re: living people on stamps
I went to the USPS website this morning to see how to get Andy's picture on a stamp - there's no place for it!? * Evidently Lucille, they want you to snail mail your suggestion, it's good for business! Here's the correct address: Citizens’ Stamp Advisory Committee, c/o Stamp Development, U.S. Postal Service, 475 L’Enfant Plaza SW, Room 3300, Washington, DC 20260-3501 There's still no guarantee the public will get to come up with whoever gets the honor of the first living person on a stamp. It may nor may not be a publicly discussed suggestion like, say, Neil Armstrong or Maya Angelou. Personally, I'm guessing we'll see another set of classic TV stamps coming down the road, and maybe Andy and Opie with their fishing poles are featured in that series along with, say, Dick Van Dyke tripping over the ottoman or Mary Tyler Moore throwing her hat in the air. Dixon ___ WBMUTBB mailing list WBMUTBB@wbmutbb.com http://www.mayberry.com/tagsrwc/wbmutbb/
Re: OT: social networking
In a message dated 9/25/2011 11:00:24 A.M. Central Daylight Time, wbmutbb-requ...@wbmutbb.com writes: Sorry to deviate off course, but please do not send me any social networking connections or ads. Thank you. While we should be mindful of this, please keep one other thing in mind: some of these sites trick us into sending invites to everyone on our email list, whether we intend that or not. It happened with me and Linkedin, for instance. The results were embarrassing. Watch out for that. Dixon ___ WBMUTBB mailing list WBMUTBB@wbmutbb.com http://www.mayberry.com/tagsrwc/wbmutbb/
Re: sheriff with or witout a gun
In a message dated 9/16/2011 11:00:15 A.M. Central Daylight Time, wbmutbb-requ...@wbmutbb.com writes: Maybe in principle, he was 'without a gun,' but he knew that there were times when one was needed. Andy was known, even said so, for not carrying a gun, but I don't recall him ever saying he didn't own one to his name. We know he went hunting, for one thing, plus those guns in the courthouse. It stood to reason in a small town where everyone knows where the sheriff lives--his car is usually either in front of the house or in the driveway, occasionally in the garage--someone would show up sooner or later for something bad, other than Aunt Bee's pickles. And that's where the pistol would come in handy. Dixon ___ WBMUTBB mailing list WBMUTBB@wbmutbb.com http://www.mayberry.com/tagsrwc/wbmutbb/
Re: how long a fan?
I actually remember seeing the show on CBS. I was born in January 1964, but my memories (both of the prime time episodes and the CBS daytime repeats) are all of the color shows. Until the show went into syndication in 1971, I barely even knew Barney existed. What a found treasure that turned out to be. I specifically remember the cast commercials and I remember Cool Whip and Log Cabin Syrup being among the products whose commercials popped up on the show. Dixon ___ WBMUTBB mailing list WBMUTBB@wbmutbb.com http://www.mayberry.com/tagsrwc/wbmutbb/
Re: character names when actors are spotted elsewhere
In a message dated 8/30/2011 11:00:18 A.M. Central Daylight Time, wbmutbb-requ...@wbmutbb.com writes: As has been mentioned on here before, the first episode features Frances Bavier. Notice I did not say I saw Aunt Bea on Alfred Hitchcock -- it always bugs me a little when somebody says something like I saw Floyd and Mayor Stoner in an old western movie. Use the actors' names, folks. If you don't know them, look them up on IMDb, it's not hard, and you'll learn something new Good point, but identifying people by their character names is a common short hand practice for reminding people who may not be so familiar or recognize them right off the bat, about their best known roles. My daughter, for instance, probably wouldn't react if I said Hey, that's Frances Bavier! during the dinner scene in The Day the Earth Stood Still, but if I said Hey, it's Aunt Bee! she knows exactly who I mean. Hey, it's Frances Bavier, the lady who used to play Aunt Bee on 'The Andy Griffith Show!' is just too wordy for that occasion IMHO. Many of us who do that do know the actors' names. I could see where that might be a little glaring here in the digest, however, where almost all of us know these actors by name. Secondly, it's almost like a joke. I know pop culture critics back in 1997-98 said it wasn't unusual to sit in a theater playing Titanic and hear someone say Calling Dr. Bombay, emergency come right away! when Bernard Fox appeared on screen. Then again, I have yet to hear any reports of someone saying, It's Malcolm Meriwether, I hope Ernest T. isn't on that boat, he'll kill him! Dixon ___ WBMUTBB mailing list WBMUTBB@wbmutbb.com http://www.mayberry.com/tagsrwc/wbmutbb/
Re: Gilly Walker's car
In a message dated 8/17/2011 11:00:13 A.M. Central Daylight Time, wbmutbb-requ...@wbmutbb.com writes: He ends up taking a car apart and putting it together inside the courthouse...is that an old Studebaker? Anyone? I think we figured out that it was a 1960 Rambler American. _http://www.imcdb.org/vehicle_226679-Rambler-American-1960.html_ (http://www.imcdb.org/vehicle_226679-Rambler-American-1960.html) Dixon ___ WBMUTBB mailing list WBMUTBB@wbmutbb.com http://www.mayberry.com/tagsrwc/wbmutbb/
Re: Mayberry actors...together again
Ron Howard and Jack Dodson both appeared together on Happy Days, when Dodson played Ralph Malph's father. Also, the man who started it all, Danny Thomas, once appeared on Happy Days, but I think Howard left the show by that point. Ron Howard's debut as a movie director, Grand Theft Auto (1977), had him working with his father Rance and his brother Clint, and Hoke Howell (Charlene's husband), not to mention his TV mom, Marion Ross. Don Knotts and Bill Bixby worked together in The Apple Dumpling Gang, and Barney Fife was reunited with his ranking officer from Raleigh, Captain Dewhurst (Richard X. Slattery), in The Apple Dumpling Gang Rides Again. They didn't appear on screen at the same time, but there was once a 1970s commercial for Bonanza Steakhouses in which Don appeared as Barney Fife, and one time TAGS guest star Bob Denver appeared as Gilligan. Dixon ___ WBMUTBB mailing list WBMUTBB@wbmutbb.com http://www.mayberry.com/tagsrwc/wbmutbb/
Re: Mayberry actors...together again
I forgot one more obvious one...remember Aunt Bee's crush, Mr. Wheeler the handyman? Well, she had another crack at him when Frances Bavier worked with Edgar Buchanan in Benji (1974). Too bad she was so busy chasing dogs out of her yard she didn't notice him. Dixon ___ WBMUTBB mailing list WBMUTBB@wbmutbb.com http://www.mayberry.com/tagsrwc/wbmutbb/
Re: non-verbal moments
In a message dated 7/10/2011 11:00:15 A.M. Central Daylight Time, wbmutbb-requ...@wbmutbb.com writes: A person can speak without moving their lips.Body gestures can speak volumes without a single word being uttered.Which TAGS character exemplifies this best in your opinion? Barney/Don Knotts was a master at this. His slow-burn facial reaction to some of Andy's zingers (Winken will tell Blinken, Blinken will tell Nod, Nod will tell Barney and Barney will tell us!) are as funny as the zingers themselves. One favorite moment of mine is when Barney is desperately pursuing prospective buyers for Andy's house out the door, begging them to give it another change (Opie just told them everything that was wrong with it) then opens the door back just long enough to shoot Andy an angry glare before closing it again. Great moment. Dixon ___ WBMUTBB mailing list WBMUTBB@wbmutbb.com http://www.mayberry.com/tagsrwc/wbmutbb/
Re: Oscars and Mayberry
In a message dated 7/6/2011 11:00:21 A.M. Central Daylight Time, wbmutbb-requ...@wbmutbb.com writes: If you are speaking of actors on TAGS who appeared in any Oscar winning picture, there were dozens. I'm sure this topic could even explode if it were opened up to nominees who didn't win. Right off the top of my head I can think of one in particular: Buddy Ebsen, who appeared as Opie's hobo friend right about the time his Oscar-nominated role in Breakfast at Tiffany's was entertaining movie audiences. Dixon ___ WBMUTBB mailing list WBMUTBB@wbmutbb.com http://www.mayberry.com/tagsrwc/wbmutbb/
Re: Oscar winning Mayberrians
In a message dated 7/4/2011 11:00:27 A.M. Central Daylight Time, wbmutbb-requ...@wbmutbb.com writes: I'll try this oneJack Nicholson is one. I still have my bucket on trying to think of the other one. I really, really racked my brain on this one before I suddenly went duh! The other one: 2001 Best Director Ron Howard. Dixon ___ WBMUTBB mailing list WBMUTBB@wbmutbb.com http://www.mayberry.com/tagsrwc/wbmutbb/
Re: the warm and fuzzies
My favorite warm and fuzzy moment(s) are any intimate moments between Andy and Opie. It's almost always very real and touching, even the funny ones (like Opie believing Horatio is only half a boy, or the color episode where after a few days of Andy's cooking, he expresses happiness at eating at the diner, getting a glare from Andy). But two stand out: the scene in Mr. McBeevee where Opie cries, fearing the whipping he's going to get for standing by his story, followed by Andy saying I do believe in Opie. Then, the one that always, ALWAYS makes me tear up a little: Opie releasing his baby birds back into the wild. Gee Pa, the cage sure does look empty now. I know...but don't the trees seem nice and full? Dixon ___ WBMUTBB mailing list WBMUTBB@wbmutbb.com http://www.mayberry.com/tagsrwc/wbmutbb/
Mayberry's dumbest crooks
My vote for dumbest criminals were the four guys who escaped from the county jail. They thought they were so smart--hatching a plan to escape, taking advantage of the dumb, hick deputies, getting more smug as they thought they were being proven right...only to mistake falling Christmas lights for machine gun fire. I'd like to think the Mayberry Gazette had a field day with that story, a wire service picked it up, and the four men's names were splashed coast to coast as four men who were done in by Christmas lights. I would like to think Jack Paar even made a monologue joke about it on his show that week. Dixon ___ WBMUTBB mailing list WBMUTBB@wbmutbb.com http://www.mayberry.com/tagsrwc/wbmutbb/
Re: Andy, Barney, Barney's mother and hats
In a message dated 6/11/2011 11:00:30 A.M. Central Daylight Time, wbmutbb-requ...@wbmutbb.com writes: Barney said he couldn't stand to wear a hat after it's been on someone elses head. He said his mother was the same way.? Andy said, I remember that about your mother.? My friends and I always use that line when we talk about our mothers. Wasn't that a reference to a previous conversation? Dixon ___ WBMUTBB mailing list WBMUTBB@wbmutbb.com http://www.mayberry.com/tagsrwc/wbmutbb/
Re: Paul Mulik/Joplin tornado
Paul I am so glad you're safe, please update us when you can. I am so sorry to hear about your damage. You and your family will be in my prayers. I know a few TAGS fans where I live in Alabama that are in the same boat you are, after what happened April 27th. Dixon ___ WBMUTBB mailing list WBMUTBB@wbmutbb.com http://www.mayberry.com/tagsrwc/wbmutbb/
Re: Why not grab the keys?
In a message dated 5/11/2011 11:05:31 A.M. Central Daylight Time, wbmutbb-requ...@wbmutbb.com writes: So when they were in jail with no one guarding them, before Opie came in and kicked Bobby, why didn't they reach through the bars, grab the key and escape? Because a band that wants to keep booking gigs is much, much easier to find than a single thug who runs off and flees the state. Like the guys Barney and Gomer were trying to guard. Dixon ___ WBMUTBB mailing list WBMUTBB@wbmutbb.com http://www.mayberry.com/tagsrwc/wbmutbb/
Re: air conditioning
This air conditioning topic is a very good one, kudos for bringing it up. What's interesting is whether cars that came through Mayberry had air conditioning. They were available on full-sized Fords and Thunderbirds, as well as Lincolns, as early as 1959, but it's likely the Mayberry squad car didn't have air. Note the windows are almost always down. (There may be a stage reason for that, though, lighting issues for instance, but go with me on this.) Plus, air conditioning was optional in those days and considered a luxury, and putting it on a government-owned car might have been considered bad politics. And the squad car was usually the lowest trim level anyway. But the lady speeder drove up in a beautiful '61 Thunderbird with noticeable power window switches, and if it had power windows then it surely had air. But she has the top down, so apparently the weather was pleasant enough that day to drive that way. But what puzzles me is, when Malcolm Tucker first drives up, the windows are down in his '63 Lincoln Continental. That car *surely* had air conditioning, but the windows are down, and yet when he gets out he seems to break into a sweat almost immediately, indicating he had the air on. Could he have run the AC while the windows were down? In any event the inference I get from all of this is, Mayberry's climate was apparently fairly mild and pleasant, and high humidity days like we're used to here in Alabama, or the one the day Malcolm Tucker drove into down (in an episode, oddly enough, that aired in January) were rare. So perhaps they hadn't yet decided AC was a necessity? Dixon P.S. I recently watched the hilarious first season of Car 54, Where Are You? Notice on the dash of Toody's and Muldoon's Plymouth police cruiser, there's a small fan. Wonder why they didn't have one of those in the squad car in warmer-climated Mayberry? ___ WBMUTBB mailing list WBMUTBB@wbmutbb.com http://www.mayberry.com/tagsrwc/wbmutbb/
Re: Don Knotts' seminal role...Ralph Furley?
In a message dated 4/27/2011 7:27:22 A.M. Central Daylight Time, wbmutbb-requ...@wbmutbb.com writes: It said that he was on the Andy Griffith Show but was better known for his portrayal of Ralph Furley from Three's Company. Does anyone here think that Don Knotts was better known as Ralph Furley? He'll always be Barney Fife to me. Of course not, that's ridiculous. He'll always be Barney Fife to a vast majority of people who've heard his name. Better known as Furley to that writer, maybe, but if he thinks *everyone* knows him best as Ralph Furley, perhaps he should rethink his profession as someone who's supposed to be more in tune with pop culture, past *and* present. Just because *he* may not be a TAGS fan doesn't mean no one else ever heard of it. That's just silly. It's a fact, not an opinion, that The Andy Griffith Show fared much better in reruns than Three's Company and that Don Knotts won a record five Emmys (eventually tied, still unbroken) in that one role as Barney Fife and zero as Ralph Furley. Plus, Furley isn't an American icon like Barney Fife. If you think of a shrill, aging landlord who chases after women, most people don't automatically call him a Furley. But if you're pulled over by a small town cop who acts like he's throwing the book at you and protecting society because you were going 27 in a 25 mile zone, many people will later describe him to friends as a regular Barney Fife. Perhaps the guy was talking to a specific demographic and assumed a character on a black and white TV show wouldn't be relatable to younger people who thought the world began the day they were born. I see that quite often and people who write like that do so at their own folly. I would love to know what he based that on, but I can't even wrap my mind around that. Dixon ___ WBMUTBB mailing list WBMUTBB@wbmutbb.com http://www.mayberry.com/tagsrwc/wbmutbb/
Re: clocks
In a message dated 4/9/2011 12:41:43 P.M. Central Daylight Time, wbmutbb-requ...@wbmutbb.com writes: Barney and his mother had clocks in their stomachs. Bob I'll bet they looked kind of funny, sitting around at home with their hats pulled over their heads and their clock stomachs ticking. Dixon ___ WBMUTBB mailing list WBMUTBB@wbmutbb.com http://www.mayberry.com/tagsrwc/wbmutbb/
Re: Cousins Andy Barney
In a message dated 3/15/2011 11:00:15 A.M. Central Daylight Time, wbmutbb-requ...@wbmutbb.com writes: How many, and in which episodes (besides Runaway kid and I THINK the first episode) do Andy and Barney refer to each other as cousin? Wasn't there an extended conversation about this in episode #2, Manhunt? Also, Barney always referred to Bee as Aunt Bee, but then again so did Gomer, Goober, Howard, Emmett, Floyd, Otis... Dixon ___ WBMUTBB mailing list WBMUTBB@wbmutbb.com http://www.mayberry.com/tagsrwc/wbmutbb/
Re: TAGS invoked in NYT article
In a message dated 3/5/2011 11:00:15 A.M. Central Standard Time, wbmutbb-requ...@wbmutbb.com writes: He is not some sort of Andy Griffith-type of character who would be hanging out at Floyd?s barbershop. I resent those types of stereotypes.? Considering how well loved The Andy Griffith Show and all things Mayberry...even Ernest T...are throughout Alabama, I would not consider that a wise way to get sympathy from potential jurors in Lee County, Alabama. And if you followed the coverage of the Toomer's Corner fiasco, you'll note all the Alabama and Auburn fans who came together in the aftermath, Alabama fans even raising thousands of dollars toward replacing the trees. *That* would be more like the spirit of Mayberry, in fact that might even make a good episode. Dixon ___ WBMUTBB mailing list WBMUTBB@wbmutbb.com http://www.mayberry.com/tagsrwc/wbmutbb/
Re: the fourth wall
In a message dated 3/3/2011 11:00:18 A.M. Central Standard Time, wbmutbb-requ...@wbmutbb.com writes: What scene in TAGS came closest to breaking the proverbial fourth wall? Nearly all of the cast commercials ended with someone, usually Andy, looking directly into the camera and talking to the audience. Andy would usually sign off with I appreciate it and good night! In the well-known Post Grape Nuts commercial where Andy is doing calisthenics while Barney sneaks off to enjoy the cereal, Barney looks into the camera and says Delicious! to the audience. There were a few exceptions but the Post/Jell-O/Sanka/Shake and Bake/other General Foods ads just about always broke the fourth wall. Dixon ___ WBMUTBB mailing list WBMUTBB@wbmutbb.com http://www.mayberry.com/tagsrwc/wbmutbb/
Re: drive-ins
In a message dated 2/1/2011 11:00:19 A.M. Central Standard Time, wbmutbb-requ...@wbmutbb.com writes: We still have a couple drive-in movies in the area.? There is one in Moneta near Smith Mtn. Lake near the Mayberry Diner.? There is the Star-Light in Christiansburg Va.? But the best is Hull's Drive-in about an hour away in Lexington.? I am a HUGE fan of drive-in theaters! I've been to every one of the ones you named, and took pictures. I even drove all the way from Gadsden, Alabama to see a double feature at the one in Monetta (nicknamed The Big Mo). We do have a few still going here in Alabama as well, including an especially nice one in Centre, Alabama called the 411, after Highway 411. I wish we could've seen some of the Mayberry characters actually going to a drive-in, it would've been a perfect fit with their car culture. As it was, we do hear Barney asking Juanita to the drive-in, and we do see Gomer taking Carol Burnett (long after he joined the Marines). Dixon ___ WBMUTBB mailing list WBMUTBB@wbmutbb.com http://www.mayberry.com/tagsrwc/wbmutbb/
Re: Ruth McDevitt
In a message dated 1/20/2011 11:00:14 A.M. Central Standard Time, wbmutbb-requ...@wbmutbb.com writes: The actress in that BEWITCHED episode, who played Mrs. Pendleton in Helen's Past and Emmett's Anniversary was Ruth McDevitt. I specifically remember Ruth being a regular on The Night Stalker, she was one of Carl Kolchak's fellow newswriters. Dixon ___ WBMUTBB mailing list WBMUTBB@wbmutbb.com http://www.mayberry.com/tagsrwc/wbmutbb/
Re: Ron Howard on The Daily Show
Thursday night's Daily Show featured a nice interview with Ron Howard talking about his latest movie, The Dilemma. He actually discussed The Andy Griffith Show a lot, telling that often repeated story about how he came up with ideas all the time and they got ignored until one was used in the second episode of season 2 (Barney's Replacement), and Andy told him it was the first one you had that was any...good! BTW I remember Grit, the newspaper, and I actually had a guy next door to me sell them. I always bought one because there was a cartoon feature in each issue that profiled a different old time radio show. Dixon ___ WBMUTBB mailing list WBMUTBB@wbmutbb.com http://www.mayberry.com/tagsrwc/wbmutbb/
Re: modern Mayberry
In a message dated 1/6/2011 11:42:52 A.M. Central Standard Time, wbmutbb-requ...@wbmutbb.com writes: Has the subject ever been brought up as to what folks might think Mayberry would be like today... What a great question, Victor. I would think Mayberry would still be similar in a lot of ways, and I'm basing this on my knowledge of such real-life Alabama cities as Ashland and Lineville (both of which have beautiful, Mayberry-like town squares). After all, small towns like those still are lacking in decent cell phone service and internet speed, so a lot of favorite activities (the Chamber dance, whittling, peeling an apple without breaking the peel) would still be intact. On the other hand, Sarah would probably be long retired and deceased and Mayberry now on digital dialing with E911. Still, I have to wonder if anyone in town would be running a booming Ebay business devoted to selling and restoring old candlestick phones? The Mayberry squad cars would likely be Ford Crown Victorias (although Ford is discontinuing those...maybe they'll switch to the Dodge Chargers?) and would bear the DARE logos. In fact I envision Mayberry having a new, modern sheriff's office with more deputies (maybe three) and maybe even a full time investigator. The old stills would, sadly, give way to meth labs (but hopefully not). And there would be separate judges handling district and circuit court, perhaps the district judge would be local and the circuit judge would come over from Mount Pilot? Business would be booming at the Bluebird Diner, now that it has a Facebook presence, wi-fi access, a menu of healthy foods and a reputation around the county for being a good meat and three. And Juanita now runs the place. I don't know that Mayberry would have a big box but I could see Mount Pilot having a Walmart Supercenter and perhaps even a Target. Mayberry itself would surely, by now, have a Subway and a McDonald's. (It apparently had a Baskin Robbins in the early 1960s!) And it would probably have two or three really nice convenience stores, perhaps Foley's grocery giving way to an IGA, an Ingram's or a Winn Dixie. Wally's service would probably be long gone and Gomer and Goober retired but still working out of their home garages, but I'd like to think the old Wally's building would now be an antique store. (And the old courthouse would be where the town council now meets, with a newer courthouse nearby.) The people of Mayberry would probably have their same basic character, except the population would be more diverse, and I think they'd get along as well as always. I wouldn't be surprised to see, say, the new sheriff's office (with a more modern jail) named in honor of Andy or Barney, and perhaps (in honor of his service to the community) a community center is named in honor of Floyd Lawson. Perhaps a Chester Schwump Memorial Library? Dixon ___ WBMUTBB mailing list WBMUTBB@wbmutbb.com http://www.mayberry.com/tagsrwc/wbmutbb/
Re: Mr. and Mrs. Fife
In a message dated 1/5/2011 11:07:10 A.M. Central Standard Time, wbmutbb-requ...@wbmutbb.com writes: I guess I must have missed an episode or two -- did Barney and Thelma Lou really get married?? I remember they walked by a furniture store window one night after a movie and were talking about decorating Barney's den, but I didn't know they really got married!? Lucille, Barney and Thelma Lou got married in the 1986 reunion TV-movie, Return to Mayberry, which is available on the special TAGS 50th anniversary DVD that just came out. They were never married on the series, in fact the last we heard on the series is that Thelma Lou came back to a class reunion with a new husband, breaking Barney's heart. (The movie made it clear that marriage was very shortlived.) Dixon ___ WBMUTBB mailing list WBMUTBB@wbmutbb.com http://www.mayberry.com/tagsrwc/wbmutbb/
Re: party lines
The question about the party line setup is a good one. Clearly it affected the courthouse as Malcolm Tucker's first attempt to use the phone is from the courthouse and runs into the problem even then. Yet, how in the world did Barney get away with calling up and flirting with, and even making dates with, Juanita down at the diner without Thelma Lou finding out, if the town had a party line? Surely she would've either picked up on one of their conversations or heard from someone who did (since people in small towns aren't very good about keeping secrets). BTW the cast commercial from that episode involves the two sisters and Mr. Tucker, and they're talking about Sanka. It's very funny. Dixon ___ WBMUTBB mailing list WBMUTBB@wbmutbb.com http://www.mayberry.com/tagsrwc/wbmutbb/
Re: Return to Mayberry
Having received The Andy Griffith Show 50th Anniversary DVD, I've enjoyed watching it and (for the first time in years) watching Return to Mayberry. I was lucky to watch it with a fresh set of eyes, as my fiancee Allison had never seen it and loved it, especially Opie becoming a father and Barney finally going down the aisle with Thelma Lou. Some things I noticed: *It was nice to see some characters who rarely or never worked together in the original series, spend so much time together. We got to see Howard and Barney together a lot, and Gomer and Goober may have actually spent more time together in the movie than they did in TAGS and Gomer Pyle combined. It's a shame we never saw the Pyle cousins together more often in the series, as they seemed to have a lot of chemistry. *Gomer and Goober, in fact, seemed to have some of the very best lines. My favorite: Goober insists on having his picture made with a small fish, saying It's more for him than it is for me. *Gomer says Surprise, surprise, surprise ! when Andy first drives up. That was a Gomer Pyle, USMC catchphrase, and I'm not sure (I know I'll be corrected if I'm wrong) that he ever said it at all on The Andy Griffith Show. *The GG Garage is surprisingly, a new business at the time of the movie. So what did Gomer and Goober do during all those years from 1971 to 1986? Was Gomer just discharged from the Marines? *The set designer did an especially convincing job re-creating the Mayberry courthouse and the row of shops next to it, even if the rest of the town didn't quite lay out the same (the hotel, the drug store, the street that runs past the courthouse, etc). It was wise to set a lot of the action around the lake since the Franklin Reservoir is still very much there (unlike the original town set). *The interior of the courthouse is convincingly re-created, yet we never see the jail cells. The often-changing map that hung behind the desk in the original series, is, in the movie, a map of both North and South Carolina. *Barney is still using a candlestick phone in the courthouse (in the 911 era!), but I don't remember anyone mentioning Sarah. At one point Barney refers to a TV reporter by accident as Floyd (the reporter's name is Lloyd), the only time Mr. Lawson's name is ever mentioned. I wonder who was living the old 1960s era Taylor home in 1986? It wasn't Opie, he lived way out in the country in a house with a long driveway. *Come to think of it, we never see the inside of Opie's house. But a lot of action takes place on the porch and in the driveway. And either Opie or his next door neighbor, has horses in a pasture. *I love how the only original series clip we ever see is the open with Andy and Opie going to the fishing hole and Opie throwing his rock. I loved hearing the characters describe the memories from the episodes, it worked a lot better than just injecting the clips and allowed us to spend more time with the modern-day incarnations of the characters. *I lost count of all the previous episodes mentioned in the movie. They include Opie the Birdman, The Fun Girls, Barney and the Choir (they even mention good ol' 14A), Quiet Sam and The Return of Barney Fife. Andy invoking Opie's releasing of the baby birds pretty much caused a flood (of tears) as my girlfriend and I watched. *I was surprised Sam and Millie didn't at least put in a cameo. It's not like Ken Berry wasn't available. *For us gearheads: Barney's 1981 Chevrolet Malibu squad car is the only Mayberry squad car not to be a Ford (or a full size, for that matter). In fact, Mayberry has evolved from a Ford town to a Chevy town (or at least General Motors; Opie's car, and the one driven by the restaurant owner, are both Oldsmobiles). The Darlings have the distinction of being the only characters who are actually seen driving the same make and model vehicle (1920s Ford Model AA truck) as the original series. *Is it just me, or was the scene where Opie crashes his car into a tree, a shot-by-shot re-creation of when he crashes his bike into a tree at the beginning of Opie's Job? A great last, lingering look at our beloved town, in some ways changed, in some ways not, in 20 years. It's been said that anything that shatters the illusion of non-change in Mayberry can be jarring, but the movie ends up doing it in a gentle and natural circle of life way. Well done. Dixon ___ WBMUTBB mailing list WBMUTBB@wbmutbb.com http://www.mayberry.com/tagsrwc/wbmutbb/
Re: Haunted House
In a message dated 12/23/2010 2:28:21 P.M. Central Standard Time, wbmutbb-requ...@wbmutbb.com writes: My question is..Is it the same house? I know we've talked about the Rimshaw house being the same as Mrs. Wiley's and Mayor Stone's I think..and its on Gone with the wind..but did Ron Howard visit it again on Happy Days?? I'll take a look myself more closely, but just wondered if any trained noticers already checked it out?? Probably not, since the exterior of the Rimshaw place was on its way out by the time the Happy Days episode was filmed, and that was more than ten years later in front of a live audience in a different studio lot (Paramount). It probably *was*, however, the same idea, as writers from TAGS and HD rubbed elbows in the Danny Thomas universe. Dixon ___ WBMUTBB mailing list WBMUTBB@wbmutbb.com http://www.mayberry.com/tagsrwc/wbmutbb/
Mayberry 50th Anniversary DVD
Yesterday I got my first official Christmas present of the holidays...the one I got for myself. It's the Mayberry 50th anniversary DVD! I've only had a chance to watch a little of it but many (not all) of the episodes have their original sponsor IDs and cast commercials. Mr. McBeeVee has almost every commercial that ran in the show that night in 1962, including the great Jell-O Pudding ad that features Opie's horse. And the Danny Thomas Show pilot is as complete as possible...not only does it have Will Wright's restore scene, it has the network open/sponsor ID/credits, and even a cast commercial featuring Danny and Andy! The video quality I've seen so far is absolutely pristine. What a great set, props to CBS Video for all of these nice treats. Dixon ___ WBMUTBB mailing list WBMUTBB@wbmutbb.com http://www.mayberry.com/tagsrwc/wbmutbb/
Re: product placement
In a message dated 12/17/2010 11:32:22 A.M. Central Standard Time, wbmutbb-requ...@wbmutbb.com writes: I think the problem with showing brand names on TV is self-explanatory.? Even on Public Television Stations the names of products weren't shown - apparently the people who sponsored the programs didn't like the idea of showing another firm's brand name unless they were paid advertisements.? That's close, but I'm not sure that's totally it. Sure, Post executives probably didn't want to see a box of Cap'n Crunch on the Taylor breakfast table, but I think the issue runs deeper than that. I think it's more of a question of plugola. Some advertisers often slipped money or merchandise under the table to reward someone for giving their product a free plug. It was really bad in the 1950s with radio DJs but it even ran rampant on the set of Late Show With David Letterman in the 1980s, with Dave giving the network headaches by boasting on the air whenever a firm gave out freebies (like Eskimo Pie for instance). So it wasn't a sponsor issue as much as it was a legal issue as well as ethical. And if you look now, prominent logo placements that are paid for are now disclosed in the closing credits (like The Office, for instance). In fact I suspect the Ford reference in the closing credits of TAGS was itself a product placement disclosure requirement. Dixon ___ WBMUTBB mailing list WBMUTBB@wbmutbb.com http://www.mayberry.com/tagsrwc/wbmutbb/
Re: gas station thermometer
In a message dated 12/10/2010 11:15:30 A.M. Central Standard Time, wbmutbb-requ...@wbmutbb.com writes: At the top, it said, Treat yourself to the best and the part at the bottom that was covered reads, Chew Mail Pouch Tobacco. I'm trying to remember, was there a thermometer between the top and bottom of that sign? The sign itself was, in fact, a thermometer. You can actually find them in antique stores and they even sell replicas. Dixon ___ WBMUTBB mailing list WBMUTBB@wbmutbb.com http://www.mayberry.com/tagsrwc/wbmutbb/
Re: Barney and Howard
In a message dated 12/9/2010 11:21:10 A.M. Central Standard Time, wbmutbb-requ...@wbmutbb.com writes: Speaking of Barney, I don't think he met Howard, unless they interacted on Return to Mayberry. They did interact and I remember suddenly being struck by that moment, that it was the first time I'd seen them speak to each other. Even the one episode I remember them being in together (the Mayberry RFD premiere, where Barney came back for the wedding), I don't think they spoke to each other. I'm sure someone will set me straight if my thinking bucket is crooked. Dixon ___ WBMUTBB mailing list WBMUTBB@wbmutbb.com http://www.mayberry.com/tagsrwc/wbmutbb/
Re: brand names
In a message dated 12/9/2010 11:21:10 A.M. Central Standard Time, wbmutbb-requ...@wbmutbb.com writes: I have also noticed that no one every mentioned having a coke at any time in Mayberry. They used root beer a lot but that is a generic term for a soft drink. Actually I think they usually said pop which struck me as being un-Southern. The joke here in the South is that everything carbonated is Coke, even Mountain Dew, Dr Pepper, Sprite/7Up, Orange Crush and water with Alka Seltzer tablets dissolving. (BTW some of Mayberry's fictional soft drink brands appeared to be plays on Orange Crush.) But look closely and every once in awhile a brand name will slip through. One obvious one that comes to mind is TWA as the Taylors are flying to Hollywood; another (during that same trip) is a wide shot of the Sunset Strip in which you can see a Chevron sign. In the color years, a very close look at the window of the filling station shows a display of Citgo oil cans (Citgo had just come into business, evolving from Cities Service). And of course the much-talked about Coors Beer truck (which wasn't supposed to be that far east). Dixon ___ WBMUTBB mailing list WBMUTBB@wbmutbb.com http://www.mayberry.com/tagsrwc/wbmutbb/
Re: Thelma Lou's last name?
In a message dated 12/8/2010 11:25:45 A.M. Central Standard Time, wbmutbb-requ...@wbmutbb.com writes: I think Thelma Lou once told Mr. Schwamp her last name but I don't think you will get it out of him. If there is one thing I know for sure about Mr. Schwamp is that he really knows how to keep quiet when it comes to secrets and gossip. On the other hand, I'm surprised Barney never mentioned it since he's such a blabbermouth. I guess we can rule out that her name was Thelma Lou Gold because otherwise everyone in town would know it, including Regis and Laura Lee Hobbs. Dixon ___ WBMUTBB mailing list WBMUTBB@wbmutbb.com http://www.mayberry.com/tagsrwc/wbmutbb/
Re: Howard McNear's stroke
In a message dated 12/4/2010 12:14:11 P.M. Central Standard Time, wbmutbb-requ...@wbmutbb.com writes: don't think there was the sensitivity to physically-challenged people in the 60s as there is now. ...Or perhaps there *was* sensitivity toward the differently abled, and that's why they never acknowledged the stroke. Remember, the humor was sometimes at Floyd's expense, and his final episode--the one about the contest--actually has Floyd as the foil and antagonist. Trying to mine that kind of humor out of an acknowledged stroke victim might have looked very insensitive (plus as a stroke victim, Floyd wouldn't be able to drive his car into the gas station in the first place). Dixon ___ WBMUTBB mailing list WBMUTBB@wbmutbb.com http://www.mayberry.com/tagsrwc/wbmutbb/
Re: spinoffs
In a message dated 12/1/2010 8:01:38 A.M. Central Standard Time, wbmutbb-requ...@wbmutbb.com writes: A Barney Fife, Man Undercover (or some such title) show would've no doubt been a hit, but since Don Knotts was already spinning off into movies, his own TV show was an impossibility. Actually when The Love God bombed, Don got his own variety show. I was kind of surprised he didn't land a sitcom, perhaps Barney Fife P.I. would've been hilarious, especially if his co-star had been, say, Tim Conway. As for a Paul Henning crossover, the most obvious one would've been the show most like Andy: Petticoat Junction. Not sure what the plot would've been though, maybe Barney staying at the Shady Rest and breaking open a big case? Dixon ___ WBMUTBB mailing list WBMUTBB@wbmutbb.com http://www.mayberry.com/tagsrwc/wbmutbb/
Re: Ken's sidecar
In a message dated 11/20/2010 11:00:42 A.M. Central Standard Time, David Quinn writes: Ken if you decide to get a motorcycle with a sidecar against your wife's wishes, you had better keep your eyes open for piano wire strung across your driveway, about head high. Wow! Leave Aunt Bee alone for one minute and look what she does! Dixon ___ WBMUTBB mailing list WBMUTBB@wbmutbb.com http://www.mayberry.com/tagsrwc/wbmutbb/
Re: NC references
In a message dated 11/4/2010 11:06:24 A.M. Central Daylight Time, wbmutbb-requ...@wbmutbb.com writes: Maybe there are others? The squad car always has a North Carolina license plate, and it can be read especially when Andy, Barney and the state inspector are crouched behind the car during a shootout. Dixon ___ WBMUTBB mailing list WBMUTBB@wbmutbb.com http://www.mayberry.com/tagsrwc/wbmutbb/
Re: Emma sighting?
In a message dated 10/12/2010 11:00:47 A.M. Central Daylight Time, wbmutbb-requ...@wbmutbb.com writes: happened to come across an old movie on TCM on Sun. evening. It had, among others, Henry Fonda, Natalie Wood, Tony Curtis, Lauren Bacall and they were all driving cars down an interstate. I believe the one you're thinking about is Sex and the Single Girl, from 1964. Dixon ___ WBMUTBB mailing list WBMUTBB@wbmutbb.com http://www.mayberry.com/tagsrwc/wbmutbb/
Re: the Rimshaw place
In a message dated 10/5/2010 11:01:29 A.M. Central Daylight Time, wbmutbb-requ...@wbmutbb.com writes: My husband thinks the Rimshaw house in the haunted house episode is also the same house used in The Munsters Anyone know for sure? No it wasn't. The Old Rimshaw House was part of the 40 Acres studios and was torn down with the rest of the studio, as was downtown Mayberry. The Munsters House was on the Universal lot, and reportedly still exists. A friend of mine took a picture of it in the 1980s, and it's reportedly even been spotted on Desperate Housewives. I once heard it was another supposedly haunted house on Leave It to Beaver (which might be what your husband is thinking about). Dixon ___ WBMUTBB mailing list WBMUTBB@wbmutbb.com http://www.mayberry.com/tagsrwc/wbmutbb/
Re: Wanted: Mr. Schwump...
In a message dated 9/30/2010 11:01:05 A.M. Central Daylight Time, wbmutbb-requ...@wbmutbb.com writes: As for ads in USA Today in hopes of finding Mr. Schwump, I would be afraid of wasting money if none of his kinfolk read this publication; I only read it when I travel and it's free in the hotel. If there were an ad taken out, maybe it should be in Variety. I'm sure there's bound to be someone reading that who knows Mr. Schwump or people who worked with him, or the now deceased casting directors who put him in those episodes? Dixon ___ WBMUTBB mailing list WBMUTBB@wbmutbb.com http://www.mayberry.com/tagsrwc/wbmutbb/
Re: Aunt Bee as opposed to Bea
In a message dated 9/29/2010 8:27:00 P.M. Central Daylight Time, wbmutbb-requ...@wbmutbb.com writes: It has always bothered me - her name was BEATRICE - not BEETRISS.? Why did they always spell it Aunt BEE??? I think that's just how a man would spell it, but it's not right!? GRRR.? Perhaps they meant to suggest a busy bee or a queen bee protecting her hive. Plus it sticks in everyone's minds more than, say, Aunt Rose or Aunt Mary or Aunt Sally... Dixon ___ WBMUTBB mailing list WBMUTBB@wbmutbb.com http://www.mayberry.com/tagsrwc/wbmutbb/
TV Land Viewers' Choice Marathon
Anyone catch any of the TV Land Viewers' Choice marathon? They showed the Top 50 episodes as voted online by fans, and showed them in order of most votes. #1 was a bit of a surprise for me: Hot Rod Otis. Evidently a lot of Otis fans out there. #2 was The Pickle Story, which I honestly thought would get #1. Didn't catch #3 (had to run an errand), forgot #4, but #5 was Barney's First Car. Anyone else see any surprises along the way? Dixon ___ WBMUTBB mailing list WBMUTBB@wbmutbb.com http://www.mayberry.com/tagsrwc/wbmutbb/
Re: politics in Mayberry
In a message dated 9/23/2010 11:00:54 A.M. Central Daylight Time, wbmutbb-requ...@wbmutbb.com writes: During the next few months I think we should all make a conscious decision to watch the episodes where politics is the theme. Don't forget Andy and Barney running against each other and Barney's 76 documented cases of malfeasance, probably Mayberry's ugliest campaign ever. Dixon ___ WBMUTBB mailing list WBMUTBB@wbmutbb.com http://www.mayberry.com/tagsrwc/wbmutbb/
Re: TAGS on The Daily Show
For what it's worth...Tuesday night's edition of The Daily Show included an entire segment on the controversy surrounding Andy Griffith's PSA telling seniors about the new health care law. In particular, Jon Stewart skewers Bill O'Reilly's ridicule of Griffith and even uses clips from The Andy Griffith Show (most notably, from one of the Fun Girls episodes, showing Barney and Thelma Lou at the dance) to do so. Warning: this is The Daily Show's usual irreverent, political self, language and all, so if you're easily offended, you might want to steer clear. Personally I thought it was a hilarious bit of satire. I'm not taking a position on the issues presented in the piece. Dixon ___ WBMUTBB mailing list WBMUTBB@wbmutbb.com http://www.mayberry.com/tagsrwc/wbmutbb/
Re: Andy and Barney duet
In a message dated 8/19/2010 11:04:20 A.M. Central Daylight Time, wbmutbb-requ...@wbmutbb.com writes: there was only one song Andy and Barney sang together in two different shows. I will give you a small hint. One of the shows was in black and white, and the other was in color. The song was not a well known song. I'm sure it would be very well known in Mayberry as it was the Mayberry Union School Alma Mater song. :-) Dixon ___ WBMUTBB mailing list WBMUTBB@wbmutbb.com http://www.mayberry.com/tagsrwc/wbmutbb/
Re: TV reference
In a message dated 8/18/2010 11:00:59 A.M. Central Daylight Time, wbmutbb-requ...@wbmutbb.com writes: I believe it was Matt Dillon that Aunt Bee mentioned, when she was high on Colonel Harvey's. Actually I thought she mentioned both Marshal Dillon *and* Chester in that one scene! Dixon ___ WBMUTBB mailing list WBMUTBB@wbmutbb.com http://www.mayberry.com/tagsrwc/wbmutbb/
Re: the oval window
In a message dated 8/16/2010 11:00:48 A.M. Central Daylight Time, wbmutbb-requ...@wbmutbb.com writes: Made me wonder if that one window just kept making appearances in different sets or if it was just such a popular style that the design was used over and over again. Yes and I ever saw it pop up on other TV shows too, most notably in a flashback episode of The Dick Van Dyke Show. Dixon ___ WBMUTBB mailing list WBMUTBB@wbmutbb.com http://www.mayberry.com/tagsrwc/wbmutbb/
Re: unpaved road
In a message dated 8/14/2010 11:00:48 A.M. Central Daylight Time, wbmutbb-requ...@wbmutbb.com writes: Unless I am mistaken, the street that runs in front of Andy's home, Maple Street is not paved. I noticed it again in the John Canfield episode. You're right and it's very noticeable. The Hollywood reason is likely, a show or movie that was set in the distant past was likely using the same set at the time, and a paved road would've been an anachronism. But the Mayberry reason would likely be Mayor Stoner using the city's long-range road paving budget to build that highway past his brother's gas station, and I'm guessing the likely embarrassment of the main artery through town suddenly becoming a dirt road, was enough of a campaign issue to get him beat in the 1966 election. Just my $.02. Dixon ___ WBMUTBB mailing list WBMUTBB@wbmutbb.com http://www.mayberry.com/tagsrwc/wbmutbb/
Re: Andy the White House
In a message dated 7/31/2010 11:00:49 A.M. Central Daylight Time, wbmutbb-requ...@wbmutbb.com writes: Friday's announcement by the White House about Andy Griffith's new TV spot for Medicare and Medicaid. I'm glad to see President Obama was so forgiving after that really ugly incident not long ago. I'm talking, of course, about the time his motorcade came through Mayberry and Barney wrote him a parking ticket. =) In all seriousness...I can't think of a better person for this spot, especially to reach baby boomers. Dixon ___ WBMUTBB mailing list WBMUTBB@wbmutbb.com http://www.mayberry.com/tagsrwc/wbmutbb/
Re: Andy, Opie...and no tackle box?
In a message dated 7/28/2010 11:01:54 A.M. Central Daylight Time, wbmutbb-requ...@wbmutbb.com writes: In the opening credits we see Andy and Opie walking to the fishin' hole. Never had thought about it before, but all they have with them are two fishing poles. No bait. Nothing to put the fish in. In the original network closing credits we see the two walking back from the fishing hole, and they're holding fish that appear to be connected by a set of hooks. Opie drops one and runs back to pick it up. And of course, the sponsor's product/logo appears in the corner of the screen. Guess Andy had that hook thing in his pocket with the worms (ouch). Dixon ___ WBMUTBB mailing list WBMUTBB@wbmutbb.com http://www.mayberry.com/tagsrwc/wbmutbb/
Re: WBMUTBB Digest, Vol 11, Issue 214
In a message dated 7/26/2010 11:01:40 A.M. Central Daylight Time, wbmutbb-requ...@wbmutbb.com writes: I just saw Howard McN on an old episode (like there's any other kind) of Peter Gunn. His character had a picture in his house of Our President. It was, of course, Calvin Coolidge. ___ WBMUTBB mailing list WBMUTBB@wbmutbb.com http://www.mayberry.com/tagsrwc/wbmutbb/
Re: TAGS regulars on Peter Gunn
In a message dated 7/26/2010 11:01:40 A.M. Central Daylight Time, wbmutbb-requ...@wbmutbb.com writes: I just saw Howard McN on an old episode (like there's any other kind) of Peter Gunn. His character had a picture in his house of Our President. It was, of course, Calvin Coolidge. Was that the one where Howard played an antique dealer? If so I missed Calvin! But I did catch something in that same episode: an old, creepy landlady flirts with Peter Gunn while he's checking out an apartment building. The landlady in question: Hope Summers, a/k/a Bertha Johnson a/k/a Clara Edwards. Dixon ___ WBMUTBB mailing list WBMUTBB@wbmutbb.com http://www.mayberry.com/tagsrwc/wbmutbb/
Re: fishing trips
In a message dated 7/25/2010 11:01:39 A.M. Central Daylight Time, wbmutbb-requ...@wbmutbb.com writes: Did Barney ever go fishin' with Andy and Opie? I remember him going with Floyd in Convicts at Large. I seem to recall Andy, Opie, Barney and Floyd all wrapping up a fishing trip when they crossed paths with the lady speeder. I *think* I remember being astonished to see Opie in the car during a high speed chase. BTW I just bought a rare, mint condition plastic model of the '61 Thunderbird on Ebay. I plan to turn it into the Lady Speeder's car. Dixon ___ WBMUTBB mailing list WBMUTBB@wbmutbb.com http://www.mayberry.com/tagsrwc/wbmutbb/
Re: Barney hitches a ride
In a message dated 7/22/2010 11:01:50 A.M. Central Daylight Time, wbmutbb-requ...@wbmutbb.com writes: I always figured Barney borrowed Otis's cow and rode that our to Sam's farm. It would be entirely in character for Barney to pull his badge on a motorist and demand it be taken over for official business... followed by a plea for a ride. I figured that's what happened, and that would've been a hilarious scene. Dixon ___ WBMUTBB mailing list WBMUTBB@wbmutbb.com http://www.mayberry.com/tagsrwc/wbmutbb/
Re: trivia
In a message dated 7/21/2010 11:00:52 A.M. Central Daylight Time, wbmutbb-requ...@wbmutbb.com writes: Was it Mary Tyler Moore as a costar on The Dick Van Dyke Show and then a star of her own show? Neither of those finished at #1 for the season. Dixon ___ WBMUTBB mailing list WBMUTBB@wbmutbb.com http://www.mayberry.com/tagsrwc/wbmutbb/
Re: gone at #2
In a message dated 7/21/2010 11:00:52 A.M. Central Daylight Time, wbmutbb-requ...@wbmutbb.com writes: Concerning the trivia question about which show was the #2 rated show for the 1969 season, and was then cancelled, the answer is of course our old friend Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. That's absolutely right! Give that man a prize. :-) The fact that I would even post this question on a Mayberry related email list was itself a big hint. Gomer Pyle USMC did finish its first run at #2 for the year just behind Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In. Wikipedia wrongly (and repeatedly) insists Gomer was canceled arbitrarily by CBS as part of the rural purge, but that's simply not true. Jim Nabors simply wanted to do a variety show instead of a sitcom, perhaps like his friend Carol Burnett, and CBS relented. The Jim Nabors Hour was indeed canceled as part of that purge of 1971, but not Gomer. By my count, from 1950 on, there were 15 series whose final seasons finished in the top ten. Three were #1 including The Andy Griffith Show, two were #2 including Gomer. All were sitcoms with one notable exception: Lost, apparently the only drama to ever have that distinction. The highest rated show ever canceled by a network (as opposed to the stars, producers, etc. deciding to move on) was Bridget Loves Bernie in 1973, it was #5. Dixon ___ WBMUTBB mailing list WBMUTBB@wbmutbb.com http://www.mayberry.com/tagsrwc/wbmutbb/
Re: #1 for the season
In a message dated 7/19/2010 11:14:55 A.M. Central Daylight Time, wbmutbb-requ...@wbmutbb.com writes: Name the Actor/Actress who Starred/Co-Starred in two completely different television shows that were the #1 rated television show for the entire year. I do not mean a show that was #1 for a week, but #1 for the entire year. I will give you a small hint, these shows were 10 years apart and this person was the co-star in the first and the star in the second. That could possibly apply to a number of television shows, but you're probably looking for Ron Howard (The Andy Griffith Show, Happy Days). I've been trying to compile a list of all the TV shows that finished in the Top Ten for their final season on the air. We all know The Andy Griffith Show finished #1 for its final season, a feat shared only by I Love Lucy and Seinfeld. The year TAGS wrapped up (1967-68), so did the #2 show on television (The Lucy Show; Lucy and Gale Gordon returned the following season in a new series playing new characters, Here's Lucy). A year later (1968-69), the #2 show that season also wrapped. Can you guess the show? Dixon ___ WBMUTBB mailing list WBMUTBB@wbmutbb.com http://www.mayberry.com/tagsrwc/wbmutbb/
Re: checking the files
In a message dated 7/8/2010 11:03:39 A.M. Central Daylight Time, wbmutbb-requ...@wbmutbb.com writes: Andy and Barney check the old files in that episode also. They sure did, and I remember a howlingly funny ending (Citizen's Arrest) where Andy takes Barney's resignation letter and files it with all the others--evidently there were multiples just for that year alone! Dixon ___ WBMUTBB mailing list WBMUTBB@wbmutbb.com http://www.mayberry.com/tagsrwc/wbmutbb/
Morelli's
In a message dated 7/2/2010 11:00:52 A.M. Central Daylight Time, wbmutbb-requ...@wbmutbb.com writes: Morelli's will be closed July 4th and 5th so that their employees may enjoy the Independence Day holiday with their families. Aw shoot, I was going to go by after the big fireworks show to watch them pound the steaks! Dixon ___ WBMUTBB mailing list WBMUTBB@wbmutbb.com http://www.mayberry.com/tagsrwc/wbmutbb/
Re: spinoffs
In a message dated 6/30/2010 10:14:49 A.M. Central Daylight Time, wbmutbb-requ...@wbmutbb.com writes: I hate to disagree with wikipedia but in the introduction episode of tags Danny Thomas gets stopped by Andy in Mayberry for not stopping for a stop sign where there was no road. I would think that Andy could be considered a supporting actor in this episode which was aired as part of the Make Room For Daddy Show starring Danny Thomas. Don't apologize for disagreeing with Wikipedia, Susan. It's user generated so it's not necessarily an argument-stopping authority. The fact is, a lot of people who like classic TV (and even work in television) seem to disagree vehemently on what actually constitutes a spin-off. I think TAGS is definitely a spinoff of The Danny Thomas Show, since the producers clearly wanted to use Danny to sell the viewers (and network executives) on Mayberry. (Mork Mindy had a similar beginning from Happy Days.) But I'm no authority either, just a guy who watched a lot of TV and listened to a lot of old radio recordings. Dixon ___ WBMUTBB mailing list WBMUTBB@wbmutbb.com http://www.mayberry.com/tagsrwc/wbmutbb/
Re: spinoffs
Thanks to everyone about the spinoffs, there were a couple I had forgotten (The Honeymooners, The Adventures of Champion) that were mentioned. I also forgot one more: if The Honeymooners counts, so does Gumby, which happened to be a spinoff of Howdy Doody. And I think The Danny Thomas Show actually had one other spinoff--The Bill Dana Show--although TAGS came first. On the CBS 50th Anniversary show in 1978, there was a production number called The Spin-Off Blues, featuring Carroll O'Connor, Mary Tyler Moore and Danny Thomas. Danny's part featured clips from TAGS, Gomer and MRFD. Dixon ___ WBMUTBB mailing list WBMUTBB@wbmutbb.com http://www.mayberry.com/tagsrwc/wbmutbb/
Re: spinoffs
In a message dated 6/28/2010 11:01:21 A.M. Central Daylight Time, wbmutbb-requ...@wbmutbb.com writes: I was just thinking about how Gomer Pyle U.S.M.C. was a spinoff of TAGS and wondering if anybody out there knows if this was the first time a spinoff of a sitcom was made. Putting on my bucket (like Gomer did in the spinoff pilot)... The Andy Griffith Show itself was technically a spinoff of Make Room for Daddy (known at that point as The Danny Thomas Show), even though Andy and Opie were only one shot characters. But some people argue that shouldn't count (I say it does). Anyway, there was a notable spinoff that premiered on CBS in 1960, same time as Andy: Pete and Gladys, a spinoff of December Bride. Pete, played by Harry Morgan (best remembered as Colonel Potter from M*A*S*H), was the next door neighbor on Bride and often mentioned his unseen wife Gladys, but on the show she was actually played by an actress as a Gracie Allen-type. Some might argue that The Lucy Desi Comedy Hour was a spinoff of I Love Lucy, but I'm not so sure I would agree with that. A few series got their starts as one shot episodes of Desilu Playhouse, including The Untouchables and The Twilight Zone. In old time radio, what's considered the first spinoff as we would know one, happened to be a radio show that's been much discussed here on the Digest lately: The Great Gildersleeve. Gildy was the next door neighbor on Fibber McGee and Molly before he moved away to another small town and got his own series in 1941. The Beulah Show was another spinoff featuring a character introduced on Fibber McGee and Molly. Many consider A Day in the Life of Dennis Day and The Phil Harris/Alice Faye Show to be spinoffs of The Jack Benny Show. Dixon ___ WBMUTBB mailing list WBMUTBB@wbmutbb.com http://www.mayberry.com/tagsrwc/wbmutbb/
Re: Maggie Peterson
I hope I'm not speaking out of school about this, but I spoke today to the mayor of Graysville, Alabama, and he tells me Maggie Peterson is confirmed as the guest at Mayberry Days (the Squad Car Rendevous) in Graysville July 10th. Anyone else hear that? Hope to see y'all there! Dixon ___ WBMUTBB mailing list WBMUTBB@wbmutbb.com http://www.mayberry.com/tagsrwc/wbmutbb/
Re: tobacco sponsor?
I don't recall any documentation that Chesterfield or any other cigarette maker ever sponsored or co-sponsored The Andy Griffith Show. The main sponsor was always General Foods, which advertised Post Cereals, Sanka, Jell-O and Jell-O puddings, SOS pads (now owned by Clorox), Gaines Burgers and Gaines Dog Food, Log Cabin syrup, Cool Whip, Shake and Bake and other products. The only non-General Foods advertising I can document is in the series finale, when Bristol Myers co-sponsored the show and used it to advertise Bufferin pain reliever. A cigarette maker *did* co-sponsor Mayberry R.F.D. as I've seen copies of the show with original commercials for Virginia Slims (very first episode) and Marlboro. And there were other wholesome family shows of the period that had tobacco sponsors (Make Room For Daddy, The Flintstones, The Dick Van Dyke Show, The Beverly Hillbillies, Family Affair). So it's not outside the realm of possibility. I just have never documented that it ever happened on The Andy Griffith Show. I would love to know for sure otherwise. Dixon ___ WBMUTBB mailing list WBMUTBB@wbmutbb.com http://www.mayberry.com/tagsrwc/wbmutbb/
Re: flags in Mayberry
In a message dated 6/17/2010 11:01:02 A.M. Central Daylight Time, wbmutbb-requ...@wbmutbb.com writes: Was the American flag ever seen displayed in any manner in Mayberry? The most obvious place is right behind the sheriff's desk in the courthouse. I think Andy even touches it as a hint when Barney is trying to recite the preamble to the Constitution. I think there may have been some on display as well in the episode about the thieves trying to steal artifacts, with Warren and Goober hot on their trail and perhaps in an unassuming spot in one of the candidate debates we saw over the years. I remember the ending to the TV movie Return to Mayberry where newly inaugurated Sheriff Andy Taylor and Deputy Barney Fife are raising a flag on a flagpole. That struck me because there was never a similar scene on the original series, the show never beat patriotism over anyone's head yet we all knew the citizens of Mayberry dearly loved their country. Dixon ___ WBMUTBB mailing list WBMUTBB@wbmutbb.com http://www.mayberry.com/tagsrwc/wbmutbb/
Re: Mayberry radio
In a message dated 6/10/2010 11:00:52 A.M. Central Daylight Time, wbmutbb-requ...@wbmutbb.com writes: As some may know, along with TAGS and other classic TV shows, I am also a huge fan of Old Time Radio. Well, lately I've been listening to a lot of Fibber McGee and Molly. I found two episodes that the writers of TAGS may have gotten the idea for the Pickle Story from. This is a great catch, Kristi, thanks. I've always thought old time radio had a huge influence on The Andy Griffith Show, so many of the actors appeared on old radio shows. Plus, Vic and Sade, Lum and Abner and The Great Gildersleeve all seem to have influenced TAGS (one of Gildy's friends was even a barber named Floyd!), and since Gildersleeve was a spinoff of Fibber McGee and Molly, and since FMM was also set in a small town, it would make sense that show would also inspire Mayberry. There was an episode of The Great Gildersleeve about the lodge's disastrous attempt to start its own band that made me think of both The Sermon for Today and the one where the Mayberry band tries to get a trip to the state convention. Dixon ___ WBMUTBB mailing list WBMUTBB@wbmutbb.com http://www.mayberry.com/tagsrwc/wbmutbb/
Re: catching a fly
In a message dated 6/8/2010 11:00:54 A.M. Central Daylight Time, wbmutbb-requ...@wbmutbb.com writes: I think it's the episode of Newton Monroe where Barney and Andy are setting on the front porch and Barney catches a fly and then says Well, it's Sunday.. and then lets the fly go. I don't know why, but I don't remember seeing this scene at all. It sounds like such a funny and wonderful bit that's so in character for anyone in Mayberry. Dixon ___ WBMUTBB mailing list WBMUTBB@wbmutbb.com http://www.mayberry.com/tagsrwc/wbmutbb/
Re: bugs cats
In a message dated 6/7/2010 11:01:00 A.M. Central Daylight Time, wbmutbb-requ...@wbmutbb.com writes: As I was trying to sh him away the thought came to me that I've never seen a bug in Mayberry. I remember someone writing in that they've never seen a cat there either. I don't remember them actually showing a bug (not a closeup of one anyway), but there is that classic moment from The Pickle Story where Barney waves his hand at the pickle and says Shoo fly, shoo! then abruptly stops and says, He's dead! As for cats, remember the neighbor's cat could be heard meowing at a time Opie was raising the baby birds. The sound of the cat set off a panic that resulted in the birds being moved to a cage. Dixon ___ WBMUTBB mailing list WBMUTBB@wbmutbb.com http://www.mayberry.com/tagsrwc/wbmutbb/
Re: Dick Van Dyke/Mayberry
In a message dated 6/5/2010 11:00:47 A.M. Central Daylight Time, wbmutbb-requ...@wbmutbb.com writes: The comedic (and controversial) payoff to the episode arrived when Mr. and Mrs. Peters visited the Petrie household and were revealed to be a black couple, played by Greg Morris and Mimi Dillard. I remember this Dick Van Dyke episode very fondly, it was funny on its own terms plus a step forward for how minorities were portrayed on television. In a later episode Morris also played Rob's old Army buddy. Mayberry's own contribution was in the form of Rockne Tarkington (hope I got the name right?) who played Opie's football coach. It was great that he was portrayed in a position of authority and respect and got to deliver the episode's moral, even teaching Andy something. That didn't seem to happen a lot in 1960s television. Dixon ___ WBMUTBB mailing list WBMUTBB@wbmutbb.com http://www.mayberry.com/tagsrwc/wbmutbb/
Re: Goober Takes a Car Apart
In a message dated 6/1/2010 11:01:04 A.M. Central Daylight Time, wbmutbb-requ...@wbmutbb.com writes: In the episode Goober Takes a Car Apart,what safety point did Sheriff Jackson think the car in the courthouse was bringing across?He did not elaborate any further on the statement. That maybe one of those things we have to figure out for ourselves. Personally I think opening the courthouse door, walking inside and suddenly seeing a '58 Rambler staring you in the face, emphasizes the point that you need to watch where you're walking and be aware of your surroundings, since cars can often come out of nowhere. Kind of an odd way to make the point but you have to admit it's eye-catching and memorable. Dixon ___ WBMUTBB mailing list WBMUTBB@wbmutbb.com http://www.mayberry.com/tagsrwc/wbmutbb/
Re: mutism
In a message dated 5/23/2010 11:00:35 A.M. Central Daylight Time, wbmutbb-requ...@wbmutbb.com writes: many adults who suffer from mutism experienced some form of emotional trauma during childhood. Fascinating you should mention this, Ken. There was a character on the daytime soap opera Search for Tomorrow in the 1950s who suffered from this very thing for this very reason. The actor who played him: a then-unknown Don Knotts. Dixon ___ WBMUTBB mailing list WBMUTBB@wbmutbb.com http://www.mayberry.com/tagsrwc/wbmutbb/
Re: The Simpsons
In a message dated 5/20/2010 11:00:52 A.M. Central Daylight Time, wbmutbb-requ...@wbmutbb.com writes: I was a little disappointed that anyone would answer The Simpsons because from what very little I have seen of this show (less than a full show), the standards (children disrespecting their parents, parents drinking to excess) are just not up to The Andy Griffith Show or Father Knows Best. Easy on us there, Orville! The Simpsons may not be your cup of tea (and that's okay, I fully understand if what you mentioned offends you), but television's longest running comedy series does have a lot of fans on this list (myself included). And Barney Fife himself popped up on the show a couple of times, in one instance even talking through the TV to Chief Wiggum. Ron Howard also popped up in two other episodes, both times voicing an animated version of himself. For the record, the Simpsons do live in Springfield, and the family dynamic does match, but any true Simpsons fan knows they live on Evergreen Terrace, not Maple Street. Dixon ___ WBMUTBB mailing list WBMUTBB@wbmutbb.com http://www.mayberry.com/tagsrwc/wbmutbb/
Re: SNL
In a message dated 5/14/2010 11:00:48 A.M. Central Daylight Time, wbmutbb-requ...@wbmutbb.com writes: As for Andy hosting SNL, I don't wish to offend anyone but I don't want to see him go there; from what I hear, this show is irreverent at best and filthy at worst. I'd rather our beloved Ange not be associated with that facet of showbiz! As much as I love Andy and loved Betty when she guest hosted SNL, I have to agree, I'm not sure Andy would be a good fit. But keep in mind he did once do a memorable cameo on SNL in the 1980s when Ron Howard guest hosted and they did that howlingly funny (and irreverent) Mayberry spoof. Dixon ___ WBMUTBB mailing list WBMUTBB@wbmutbb.com http://www.mayberry.com/tagsrwc/wbmutbb/
Re: foul weather
In a message dated 5/14/2010 11:00:48 A.M. Central Daylight Time, wbmutbb-requ...@wbmutbb.com writes: Anyone else recall ominous weather in our fair town? There have been numerous rain showers and thunderstorms: It rained when the gold truck came to town. It rained when Quiet Sam's wife went into labor. It rained (and thundered) when Andy and Barney went to get the dogs they'd released to the countryside. It rained when the gypsies came to town, trying to convince everyone they were bringing the rain with them. It rained just before the cows were stolen, leaving a heavy amount of mud and consequently, footprints. Thing is, except for the Christmas episode I don't remember much cool weather ever seen in the town, though I do remember the occasional use of coats (as when Andy and Barney once arrested Otis at night). Dixon ___ WBMUTBB mailing list WBMUTBB@wbmutbb.com http://www.mayberry.com/tagsrwc/wbmutbb/
Re: funniest ep one shots
My pick for funniest episode: Barney's Sidecar. Some hysterical dialogue (Barney describing riding with his mouth open and not pronouncing the letter s, Aunt Bee comparing him to a Nazi) and a brilliant sight gag straight out of the Marx Brothers. One shots: The guy who ran the drugstore when Opie was working there. Gomer's car repair customers who followed him to Andy's house when he lost his job at Wally's. Mayor Pike's daughter who sang Flow Gently Sweet Ashton. The Romeo Juliet couple from the first season and their entire families. Mr. Jenkins the insurance man, played by a pre-Howard Jack Dodson. Thank you Larry for the kind words on my civics essay. Dixon ___ WBMUTBB mailing list WBMUTBB@wbmutbb.com http://www.mayberry.com/tagsrwc/wbmutbb/
Re: Mayberry County's government
Someone else here said the show's writers wrote from the heart, not by the book (to paraphrase Barney), and I've said before, this was a sitcom, not a civics lesson, so there are a lot of unanswered questions concerning governmental matters in the township/county of Mayberry. I submit that perhaps Mayberry County had an early form of what we would now call a metro form of government--one body making decisions for the entire county, no separate city council/county commission, etc. (Mayberry ahead of its time?) If Andy and Barney worked for the county, they'd report to the county commission, not the mayor or council (which they'd do if they were a police chief and patrolman). But in a metro government they'd report to one board and there might even be a mayor that serves all or most of the municipality. *** If Andy and Barney are county employees why do they have to submit all reports etc to the town Mayor?*** Perhaps partly due to the metro government setup, and perhaps because the mayor was always threatening to cut funding to the sheriff's department. Clearly the mayor can't fire Andy, only the voters can. The mayor seems to think differently but then again his political tone deafness is a big part of his character. I can't imagine Mayor Stoner ever getting re-elected. The mayor was also always threatening to tell on Andy to the governor, so that's why I think it was all about funding. Clearly the writers wanted an antagonist for Andy and that's why prickly Mayor Stoner showed up. But that's not easy when Andy himself is really the boss and the viewers know it. ***Why does Mayor Stoner get to decide if the town band can go to Raleigh? Shouldn't the council vote on that?*** There are some decisions that can be made solely by the mayor. Maybe the band went previously due to a discretionary fund allocated by the mayor and this time he said no. ***How can Sam Jones be head of the town council when he lives outside the city limits?*** Again, same reason as Andy taking Barney's resignation to the town council...Mayberry (possibly) had a metro form of government. Of course calling it the town council doesn't make a lot of sense but maybe that's more out of tradition. ***How do Mayors Stoner and Pike get by with all those impromptu meetings without following open meeting rules?*** Because no one ever called them on it, and that would've made a great episode. (Gomer once made a citizen's arrest so he'd be a great candidate to make a complaint.) But the show never was that big on such social commentary. ***Why do Andy and Barney get to vote on council matters, like selling the canyon? Doubt if they are actual members of the council.*** The biggest unresolved issue of the whole list, I would think. Most likely a dramatic device showing Andy and Barney reluctantly coming on board, but it makes no sense in the plot. If Andy is Sheriff of the county of Mayberry why does he do all his sheriffing in and around Mayberry only? Aren't there other towns in the County of Mayberry?*** We never heard if Mayberry County had any other towns in it. And we do see quite a few scenes with Andy or Barney taking their squad car way out into the country, as a real life sheriff in the South most likely would. A moonshiner firing shots at people to keep them away from his yard, probably wouldn't have done that two blocks from downtown Mayberry. ***When Barney decided to run for Sheriff, he hadn't filed papers yet. If he still had time to file his papers, why couldn't Andy have time to file his?*** As I recall Barney filed his papers at the last minute, then the deadline, then Andy found out he didn't get the job. Andy was perhaps foolish for not filing papers, he could always withdraw later. Yes, I admit some of these are a stretch but like I said, the writers weren't trying to write civics lessons. Dixon ___ WBMUTBB mailing list WBMUTBB@wbmutbb.com http://www.mayberry.com/tagsrwc/wbmutbb/
Re: Mayberry NASCAR
In a message dated 4/30/2010 11:04:06 A.M. Central Daylight Time, wbmutbb-requ...@wbmutbb.com writes: Partnering with Front Row Motorsports, Travis Kvapil and the No. 34 Ford Fusion has given us a great opportunity to celebrate The Andy Griffith Show?s 50th Anniversary ...and it's very fitting that the car is a Ford, as that was always the make of the squad car. :-) I once tried to write some fan fiction about Barney and Andy tangling with a moonshine runner who had a knack for driving and designing fast cars, but every time I tried to write it, it ended up sounding like The Dukes of Hazzard. Dixon ___ WBMUTBB mailing list WBMUTBB@wbmutbb.com http://www.mayberry.com/tagsrwc/wbmutbb/
Re: Glenn Ford
In a message dated 4/20/2010 11:04:53 A.M. Central Daylight Time, wbmutbb-requ...@wbmutbb.com writes: Was there actually a movie called G-Men that Glenn Ford was in? No, in fact one movie he did make that year (1963) was The Courtship of Eddie's Father co-starring Ron Howard. So I'm wondering if his name being incorporated into the storyline was a shout-out related to their mutual association. Dixon ___ WBMUTBB mailing list WBMUTBB@wbmutbb.com http://www.mayberry.com/tagsrwc/wbmutbb/
Re: episode date
In a message dated 4/21/2010 11:06:41 A.M. Central Daylight Time, wbmutbb-requ...@wbmutbb.com writes: No, in fact one movie he did make that year (1963) was The Courtship of Eddie's Father co-starring Ron Howard. My bad, the episode was actually from 1962. So they were possibly filming it or at least planning it when the episode was shot. Dixon ___ WBMUTBB mailing list WBMUTBB@wbmutbb.com http://www.mayberry.com/tagsrwc/wbmutbb/
Re: Wally's Service on Sundays
I think it was always understood that Goober took Sundays off but would come in for emergencies. An out of towner stranded under a deadline would certainly qualify as an emergency. And remember, Goober was out on his boat and there were no cell phones in 1962 or Sarah's Mayberry. My memories of growing up in the south saw everything shut down on Sundays--even supermarkets in some areas!--but service stations, they stayed open. I specifically remembered going to my grandmother's house and stopping on the way for gas, Cokes and a few other things, and we usually stayed for a little while because the Texaco on Green Valley Road or wherever else we stopped, was the only thing open. Then again, even now, there aren't too many places open for service on Sundays, not where I live. Dixon ___ WBMUTBB mailing list WBMUTBB@wbmutbb.com http://www.mayberry.com/tagsrwc/wbmutbb/
re: cartoon voices
In a message dated 3/31/2010 11:01:32 A.M. Central Daylight Time, wbmutbb-requ...@wbmutbb.com writes: Ron Howard played the voice of the character Tom Colonic in the Fareley brothers' movie Osmosis Jones. ...and I just remembered he appeared as his animated self--twice--on The Simpsons. Interesting that he, Don Knotts (Scooby Doo) and one could argue, Andy Griffith (Frosty's Winter Wonderland) all voiced animated versions of their actual selves! Dixon ___ WBMUTBB mailing list WBMUTBB@wbmutbb.com http://www.mayberry.com/tagsrwc/wbmutbb/
Re: one more cartoon voice
I said I was through compiling the many, many TAGS alumni who did at least one cartoon voice in their time, but that's before I left out quite possibly the most obvious one: Winnie the Pooh himself, Sterling Holloway! In fact the Winnie the Pooh cartoons were a virtual Mayberry reunion with all the alumni recording voices. Dixon ___ WBMUTBB mailing list WBMUTBB@wbmutbb.com http://www.mayberry.com/tagsrwc/wbmutbb/
Re: cartoon voices
David Switzer's wonderful post about the vocal talents of Howard Morris and Jackie Joseph inspired me to make a list of all the Mayberry regulars who had cartoon voices on their resume...the list was longer than I thought! There were some very talented actors in this cast and I may have ever left out some actors in this long list. Andy Griffith--voiced an animated version of himself hosting the 1970s TV special Frosty's Winter Wonderland, also voiced a more recent one, The Very First Noel; even reportedly contributed a voice to the Close Combat video game in the 1990s Ronnie Howard--has one credit as Richie Cunningham, in one episode of the Saturday morning Happy Days spinoff, Fonzie and the Happy Days Gang Don Knotts--voiced an animated version of himself as a guest star on The New Scooby Doo Movies; a number of credits include Wormie in the Hermie Friends videos and the turkey mayor in Chicken Little Howard Morris--too numerous to name, but notable for: Beetle Bailey; Atom Ant; Jughead and other voices on Archie, Wade the Duck on Garfield and Friends, Gopher in the Disney Winnie the Pooh cartoons Jackie Joseph--numerous, but I'll always think of her as the ear-wiggling Melody on Josie the Pussycats Howard McNear--is listed as a doctor on three early episodes of The Flintstones Hal Smith--possibly the busiest voice actor in the Mayberry cast, with a long resume: Owl in the Winnie the Pooh movies, fill-in voice as Barney Rubble (while Mel Blanc was recuperating from a car accident); Goliath on Davey Goliath; fill in voice for Elmer Fudd; long, long resume ranging from Clutch Cargo to Disney's Beauty the Beast and said to even do some work as Goofy George Lindsey--had roles in Disney's Aristocats and Robin Hood Clint Howard--in Disney films, was Junior, the young elephant in The Jungle Book and Roo the baby kangaroo in the Winnie the Pooh cartoons Ken Berry--actually has a voice credit in the 1997 animated Batman series Jamie Farr--resume includes Hey Arnold! and Family Guy Arlene Golonka--Speed Buggy, Scooby Doo, Capital Critters Bob Denver Alan Hale--voiced their Gilligan's Island characters on the two animated Gilligan spinoffs Jesse White--credits range from Jonny Quest to Garfield Dub Taylor--Digger in The Rescuers Ronnie Schell--on his resume is a Saturday morning cartoon with a Mayberry-ish name...Goober and the Ghost Chasers. (Goober was played by Paul Winchell.) Honorable mention: I can't find that Frances Bavier ever voiced a cartoon but it's been widely mentioned here that she did pose as one of the models for the Fairy Godmothers in Disney's Sleeping Beauty. Dixon ___ WBMUTBB mailing list WBMUTBB@wbmutbb.com http://www.mayberry.com/tagsrwc/wbmutbb/
Re: still more cartoon voices
Wow, this is exhausting! I'm knocking off after this list. Allan Melvin-how could I leave out Magilla Gorilla? not to mention Bluto and Beetle Bailey's commanding officer, Sarge Snorkle Elinor Donahue--Biker Mice From Mars and Eek! the Cat Elvia Allman--original voice of Disney's Clarabelle the Cow William Schallert--a number of voices, including The Smurfs and in commercials for Kellogg's Pop Tarts he was Milton the Toaster Jackie Coogan--reprised his Uncle Fester role on an episode of Scooby Doo Olan Soule--on Superfriends, he was none other than...Batman! Karl Swenson--Merlin in Disney's Sword the Stone Joyce Jameson--Scooby Doo contributor James Best Denver Pyle--reprised their Dukes of Hazzard roles in the animated Saturday morning spinoff, The Dukes Charles Lane--The Aristocats Dixon ___ WBMUTBB mailing list WBMUTBB@wbmutbb.com http://www.mayberry.com/tagsrwc/wbmutbb/
Re: Bewitched
In a message dated 3/26/2010 11:04:30 A.M. Central Daylight Time, wbmutbb-requ...@wbmutbb.com writes: Ken, I have noticed a strange resemblence between Dr. Bombay and Malcom Merryweather. I think they might have come from the same twig on the tree. :) I've noticed the same thing about Darren's mother and Howard Sprague's mother. And she also has a strange resemblance to Donald's mother on That Girl. Same twig? Dixon ___ WBMUTBB mailing list WBMUTBB@wbmutbb.com http://www.mayberry.com/tagsrwc/wbmutbb/
Re: cingarettes
In a message dated 3/26/2010 11:04:30 A.M. Central Daylight Time, wbmutbb-requ...@wbmutbb.com writes: She gets out of the car and goes back into the trailer to get some cigarettes. Barney seizes the moment, jumps in the car, and drives off with the bad guys in tow. And we always thought cigarettes are bad for you! :) On the other hand, they certainly were bad for her! Dixon ___ WBMUTBB mailing list WBMUTBB@wbmutbb.com http://www.mayberry.com/tagsrwc/wbmutbb/
Re: unfilmed script
In a message dated 3/16/2010 11:01:07 A.M. Central Daylight Time, wbmutbb-requ...@wbmutbb.com writes: Andy had constantly spoken in praise of Brownie, so it was inevitable someone would write the story. We wrote the outline and then the fully completed script. Now the weird part. To this day nobody on TAGS can give a reason why it wasn?t filmed. It?s still a mystery. It seems like I heard someone say it was one of a number of stockpiled scripts at a time when the writers churned out more episodes than CBS had ordered that season, and when it was set aside it was just forgotten about the following season. Am I hearing that right or did I imagine it? Dixon ___ WBMUTBB mailing list WBMUTBB@wbmutbb.com http://www.mayberry.com/tagsrwc/wbmutbb/
TAGS connections on That Girl
Right now I'm working my way through a couple of classic sitcoms: The Real McCoys and That Girl. Both have TAGS connections but I'm especially struck by the many on That Girl. Earle Hagen composed the theme song. Among the TAGS alumni spotted: Rance Howard (unaired pilot), Ronnie Schell, Robert Emhardt, Richard X. Slattery, Jackie Joseph, Rob Reiner, Sterling Holloway, Arlene Golonka, and Ken Lynch (as yet another cop, of course). That Girl filmed in both LA and NY. And in the classic Anatomy of a Blunder episode (the one about the disastrous picnic on the way to see Ann's parents), the perfect spot where Ann lovingly begs to set up the picnic...is none other than Franklin Canyon (or as we better know it, Myers Lake). It's very recognizable. At least one Real McCoys episode was also shot there, as I've seen already. Dixon ___ WBMUTBB mailing list WBMUTBB@wbmutbb.com http://www.mayberry.com/tagsrwc/wbmutbb/
Re: Aunt Bee, renaissance woman
In a message dated 3/3/2010 11:00:51 A.M. Central Standard Time, wbmutbb-requ...@wbmutbb.com writes: she certainly had more high points than i have had in my lifetime... I remember that as well. Andy does address in passing that she had a rich, full life but she also dabbled in politics (ran unsuccessfully for city council, after campaigning for Ellie Walker years earlier) and was even a protest organizer--not just once (Mr. Frisbee) but twice (arrested for bingo)! She also dated a congressman, has been pressed into service as a jailer more than once, was played by an actress in a movie (in a surprisingly tough role that had her using a gun)...the list goes on. Being a pilot and actually flying solo, in fact, might have even blended into such a life as opposed to standing out as the highlight. Dixon ___ WBMUTBB mailing list WBMUTBB@wbmutbb.com http://www.mayberry.com/tagsrwc/wbmutbb/
Re: Mayberry weather
I love all the references to Mayberry's weather conditions. Here's another one: all the cattle thefts. It's implied that they took place after a period of heavy rain since there's so much mud everywhere and therefore, a lot of deep footprints. They even made a moulage out of it! Dixon ___ WBMUTBB mailing list WBMUTBB@wbmutbb.com http://www.mayberry.com/tagsrwc/wbmutbb/
Re: Alice Cooper
In a message dated 1/19/2010 11:01:08 A.M. Central Standard Time, wbmutbb-requ...@wbmutbb.com writes: Wasn't Alice Ghostley named Alice Cooper in Mayberry RFD?? Well I'll be, I never would've guessed that. I never heard Alice's last name as few times as I've seen that show. Dixon ___ WBMUTBB mailing list WBMUTBB@wbmutbb.com http://www.mayberry.com/tagsrwc/wbmutbb/
Re: rock band
In a message dated 1/17/2010 11:00:50 A.M. Central Standard Time, wbmutbb-requ...@wbmutbb.com writes: What Mayberry resident had the same name as a popular rock band at the time? I was going to guess Emmett Clark, who shared a last name as the Dave Clark Five, but I like the other guesses Ive seen, much better than mine! Dixon ___ WBMUTBB mailing list WBMUTBB@wbmutbb.com http://www.mayberry.com/tagsrwc/wbmutbb/
Re: glasses
In a message dated 12/13/2009 11:03:34 A.M. Central Standard Time, wbmutbb-requ...@wbmutbb.com writes: How many regulars/guests have been seen wearing eyeglasses? Didn't Aunt Bee wear some reading glasses once? Dixon ___ WBMUTBB mailing list WBMUTBB@wbmutbb.com http://www.mayberry.com/tagsrwc/wbmutbb/
