Dog
That very well could have been the same dog. His name was Pluto, and he was owned by legendary Hollywood animal trainer Frank Inn, who worked on practically every TV show from that era. In addition to appearing in various episodes of TAGS (as Blue in Barney's Bloodhound, as Spot in Man's Best Friend and as Sam in Jailbreak, etc.) Pluto probably appeared in many other TV series as well. Paul Mulik >>> Today I saw Arthur Honeycutt(Mr. Wakefield) on "Bonanza"... He had a mutt dog named Walter.but I would swear on a stack of Goober's comic books that it was Barney's dog "Blue". Sent from my U.S. Cellular BlackBerry® smartphone ___ WBMUTBB mailing list WBMUTBB@wbmutbb.com http://www.mayberry.com/tagsrwc/wbmutbb/
Soda, continued
Yesterday while the kids and I were grocery shopping at the local supermarket, we found a brand of soda called "Flathead Lake Gourmet Soda," with all sorts of unusual flavors, including (drumroll, please) ... Huckleberry! Naturally, I just had to try it. It's really good, the taste is somewhere between black cherry and blueberry. So even though Huckleberry Smash was most likely the product of a writer's imagination, there really is such a thing as huckleberry soda out there. www.flatheadlakemonster.com Paul Mulik Sent from my U.S. Cellular BlackBerry® smartphone ___ WBMUTBB mailing list WBMUTBB@wbmutbb.com http://www.mayberry.com/tagsrwc/wbmutbb/
Soda
Speaking of sodas, if you listen closely I think you'll agree that Floyd actually says Nectarine CRUTCH, not Crush. Either Howard McNear flubbed the line, or he was told not to say Crush, which was/is a real soda brand. Paul Mulik Sent from my U.S. Cellular BlackBerry® smartphone ___ WBMUTBB mailing list WBMUTBB@wbmutbb.com http://www.mayberry.com/tagsrwc/wbmutbb/
Cousins
That was an excellent trivia question that "Orville" posed the other day, about naming the TAGS character who was Opie's cousin. One definition of a cousin is a person who is the child of your uncle or aunt, and as was pointed out, once Helen married Andy her siblings became Opie's aunts and/or uncles, and therefore their children would be Opie's cousins. Now here's another trivia question. In three early episodes, Andy and Barney are said to be cousins. Assuming that they are first cousins, which of Andy's parents is the sibling of which of Barney's parents? There are various clues in various episodes. Paul Mulik Sent from my U.S. Cellular BlackBerry® smartphone ___ WBMUTBB mailing list WBMUTBB@wbmutbb.com http://www.mayberry.com/tagsrwc/wbmutbb/
I scream, you scream
Today my daughter's elementary school, which was not damaged by the tornado, had a get-together for the kids and teachers. Tragically, a few of the students did not survive the storm. The kids also got a chance to retrieve their personal belongings which were still in the school building (there were supposed to be two more weeks of classes left). Anyway, a big ice cream truck pulled up out front and everybody got free frozen treats. I ain't ever had a free ice cream before! I ain't even had a paid one, lately. Paul Mulik Sent from my U.S. Cellular BlackBerry® smartphone ___ WBMUTBB mailing list WBMUTBB@wbmutbb.com http://www.mayberry.com/tagsrwc/wbmutbb/
Severe weather
A while back someone brought up the subject of severe weather in Mayberry. Mayberry was indeed once hit by a tornado. Andy mentions it in "Goober's Contest," when Goober asks how Floyd will react when he finds out that he did not really win a large prize. There was also a flood at some point; once when Barney wanted to swear in a temporary deputy, he told Andy he could get Gomer, who was "still sworn in from the flood." Apparently when a deputy is sworn in, it remains in effect for several days. Paul Mulik Sent from my U.S. Cellular BlackBerry® smartphone ___ WBMUTBB mailing list WBMUTBB@wbmutbb.com http://www.mayberry.com/tagsrwc/wbmutbb/
Tornado
Hello friends, This will be a very lengthy message with very little Mayberry content. There's no reason to read it at all if you don't want to, but I need to get all of this into words. As reported yesterday, our house was destroyed by the tornado that hit Joplin, Missouri. My family are all safe and in good spirits, including the dogs, but 2 of our cats are still unaccounted for. My wife and I were at home with two of our kids (the third is away at school; he graduates Saturday) when the storm hit. The local news reported a funnel a few miles away, and the sirens went off. We do not have a basement, so we grabbed the dogs, a radio, a flashlight, and our cell phones and huddled in an interior hallway. I made the kids put their shoes on first, which turned out to be a very good decision. We had not been there 30 seconds when our house was hit. There are no words to express the terror we felt. The sky went black, even though it was only about 5:30 p.m. Enormous hailstones were pounding the house, then it soon became apparent that this was a very big tornado. At some point the power failed. The noise was horrendous. Glass was flying everywhere, and I was wearing shorts so I suffered numerous cuts to my legs but nothing serious. Later I found broken glass inside my pockets. The scariest moment came when my son, who is autistic and does not speak, wandered away from the rest of us but I kept screaming his name and he soon found his way back. I guess he had tried to go get something out of his room. After what seemed like an hour but was probably only 2 or 3 minutes, it subsided. We emerged from the hallway to find that it was the only part of the house that was spared. Most of the roof and nearly all of the windows were gone. I had two rooms full of Mayberry memorabilia, and most of that was badly damaged or just gone. But that's just STUFF, and stuff is unimportant. I can always get more stuff later. Every inch of the floor was covered with broken glass. I made my way outside, where neighbors were beginning to congregate. Every house as for as you could see was demolished. Thousands upon thousands of houses and businesses, just gone. You've seen the news reports, you know what it looks like. A group of us went from door to door checking on the neighbors, and thankfully no one in the immediate area except me was even injured. My house was the best on the whole block. Most folks lost everything. Traffic was completely jammed in all directions and most of the roads were blocked; they have since been cleared, though it will be months before all the rubble can be cleared away. My wife's dad was eventually able to get to within a few blocks of our house, continuing the rest of the way on foot. We packed some clothes and hiked to his car, then finally made it to his house, which was undamaged, where we spent the night. It still has not stopped raining. We spent all day today going through the house in the pouring rain to see what we could save. Friends from church, an old college buddy, and my sister and nephew came to help. The kids' rooms were not damaged except for a bit of water leaking through the ceiling. We got several carloads of stuff to my inlaws' house. We saved our computers (but not the chargers), important papers, and most of our clothes, photo albums, DVDs, and most of my daughter's books and toys. We got a lot of the furniture moved out, and moved much of the rest of it into the part of the house that was still dry. We have three pianos (that's my business), two large grands and one large old upright. Except for the finish they are undamaged but I don't know how we'll ever get them out. Every interior door in the house was blown off its hinges, so we nailed these up over some of the broken windows, and got tarps up over the rest. The rain has still not stopped, and I will not be surprised if tomorrow or Wednesday (what day is it, anyway?) the rest of the roof caves in. Our garage fared much better, the two cars inside were not damaged at all (we got both of them out today), and the rear hatch of the Cherokee on the carport is smashed in, but it is still driveable. We are now at my parents' house in Neosho, MO, which is about 20 miles south of Joplin. We will probably stay here for the next few weeks. My wife's workplace (General Mills) was not damaged, so she still has her job, and all of my piano tools were in my van so I can still work too, eventually. Very few phone calls are getting through, but I've received many emails and text messages from my friends in Mayberry and beyond. Once again, we are all safe and in good spirits. Thanks so much to everyone who was been praying for us. We hope you will continue to do so, or if you're not the praying type, then as Barney says "keep a good thought." Sincerely, Paul Mulik Sent from my U.S. Cellular BlackBerry® smartphone _
Joplin Tornado
My house and the contents were destroyed but praise the LORD my family are safe. Will send more info later. Paul Mulik Sent from my U.S. Cellular BlackBerry® smartphone ___ WBMUTBB mailing list WBMUTBB@wbmutbb.com http://www.mayberry.com/tagsrwc/wbmutbb/
I like traffic lights, but only when they're green
Mike got it right, Andy mentions a stoplight when giving directions to Malcolm Merriweather. Those directions sound like complete nonsense to me. The courthouse/barber shop/grocery store area must be the center of town, right? Andy's house is roughly a block away from the courthouse, yet his directions would have Malcolm travel several blocks, making two or three turns along the way, before he even reaches the middle of town. How can this be? Paul Mulik Sent from my U.S. Cellular BlackBerry® smartphone ___ WBMUTBB mailing list WBMUTBB@wbmutbb.com http://www.mayberry.com/tagsrwc/wbmutbb/
O Sole Mio
Last night's American Idol featured a song which was used on TAGS. I believe it was the Italian national anthem. Paul Mulik Sent from my U.S. Cellular BlackBerry® smartphone ___ WBMUTBB mailing list WBMUTBB@wbmutbb.com http://www.mayberry.com/tagsrwc/wbmutbb/
102
Ken, your nursing home story reminded me of another one. A friend was telling me about the time her little boy visited such a place, and when he got home he reported that one resident was 101 years old, another was 103, and one was 105! When she asked how he knew this, he said each person's door had a number on it to let everyone know how old they were. Obligatory Mayberry content: Why don't we go up to the old people's home sometime and wax the steps? That'd be funny, too. Paul Mulik Sent from my U.S. Cellular BlackBerry® smartphone ___ WBMUTBB mailing list WBMUTBB@wbmutbb.com http://www.mayberry.com/tagsrwc/wbmutbb/
Scooby Doo
To my knowledge Don Knotts never played Barney Fife in any incarnation of Scooby Doo, however, Don Knotts did play himself (not Barney Fife) in two episodes of The New Scooby Doo Movies. In one of them (The Spooky Fog of Juneberry) the on-screen character did look and act like Barney, but the gang called the character Don. Paul Sent from my U.S. Cellular BlackBerry® smartphone ___ WBMUTBB mailing list WBMUTBB@wbmutbb.com http://www.mayberry.com/tagsrwc/wbmutbb/
Heating system
It seems the folks in Mayberry County couldn't make up their mind what sort of heating system the courthouse should have. As has been mentioned, in certain episodes there is a large gas heater in the corner. However, when Barney industriously cleans the room in preparation for Gentleman Dan Caldwell's visit, Andy remarks "This place ain't been so clean since the boiler busted and flooded the place," which seems to imply that they once had steam radiators or some such. Further, when Barney puts Newton Monroe to work, he makes him go to the basement (which we never see) to clean the furnace, which is said to have a flue. From the huge cloud of black smoke that billows up soon afterward, I would guess there was a coal-burning furnace down there. Paul Mulik Sent from my U.S. Cellular BlackBerry® smartphone ___ WBMUTBB mailing list WBMUTBB@wbmutbb.com http://www.mayberry.com/tagsrwc/wbmutbb/
Cheap weddings
Shoot, my Mommer and Daddy just shuck hands on their deal. Andy does seem to favor cheap weddings; we see him perform three on The Show, and all were very simple affairs. He also says Romeo and Juliet would have been better off with a cheap wedding. BTW, there's no evidence that Charlene wore her mother's wedding dress. Speaking of that dress, according to Maggie Peterson, she and Don Knotts wore the exact same dress in that episode. It seemed to fit both of them pretty well. --Paul Mulik Ken wrote: >>>I watched the first episode of Mayberry RFD last night, "Andy and Helen Get >>>Married". What a beautiful and simple wedding they had... And look how >>>nice Charlene's wedding was and she wore her ma's dress and they got married >>>underneath a tree. Sent from my U.S. Cellular BlackBerry® smartphone ___ WBMUTBB mailing list WBMUTBB@wbmutbb.com http://www.mayberry.com/tagsrwc/wbmutbb/
Odd duet
I heard a funny song on the radio just now, it was a duet between Johnny Cash and Barney Fife (sung by an impersonator). The lyrics contained several references from The Show, such as going to Mt. Pilot and dating Thelma Lou, and numerous references to old Johnny Cash songs, such as A Boy Named Sue, Walk the Line and Ring of Fire. Has anybody else heard this? Paul Mulik Sent from my U.S. Cellular BlackBerry® smartphone ___ WBMUTBB mailing list WBMUTBB@wbmutbb.com http://www.mayberry.com/tagsrwc/wbmutbb/
Mayberry sighting
Well, actually a hearing. There's a Christian comedian that I've heard on the radio several times. I don't know her name, but she speaks with a rather strong Southern accent. I heard one of her bits today in which she was talking about watching TV as a child. Her parents were careful about what the family watched, so the only programs she ever saw were evangelists, news documentaries and "Andy Griffith." She went on to say that these days, the stuff on the news tends to be so negative that the only thing left worth watching is Andy Griffith. Paul Mulik Sent from my U.S. Cellular BlackBerry® smartphone ___ WBMUTBB mailing list WBMUTBB@wbmutbb.com http://www.mayberry.com/tagsrwc/wbmutbb/
Spelling (again)
While we're on the subject of words, I would like to point out another common error that pops up from time to time. Folks here sometimes discuss The Cow Thief episode, in which Mayor Stoner accuses Andy of having "hair brained ideas." This too is incorrect. The correct word is HAREBRAINED. I know many folks don't care one way or the other, but some of us are sticklers when it comes to grammar and spelling. I hope I don't get a rude for pointing this out. And speaking of this episode, does it strike anyone else as odd that when the man and the cow walked through the mudhole, each of the six feet involed left exactly one footprint? I would have expected dozens of footprints in that large muddy area. Paul Mulik Sent from my U.S. Cellular BlackBerry® smartphone ___ WBMUTBB mailing list WBMUTBB@wbmutbb.com http://www.mayberry.com/tagsrwc/wbmutbb/
Spelling and whatnot
In case the Count might be listening, yes it does sound as if Barney says "Countess von Telecky," but the correct name is "Count Istvan Telecky" (or maybe Telecki.) In certain Eastern European languages, Istvan is a form of the name Steven/Stephen. It's like how John, Juan, Ian, Sean, Ivan, Johann etc. are all forms of the same name in various languages. Paul Mulik Sent from my U.S. Cellular BlackBerry® smartphone ___ WBMUTBB mailing list WBMUTBB@wbmutbb.com http://www.mayberry.com/tagsrwc/wbmutbb/
Hawthorne buildings
Hey Sheryl or anybody else who might be interested, I have an extra Floyd's Barber Shop from the original Hawthorne Mayberry set. Email me if interested. Paul Mulik Sent from my U.S. Cellular BlackBerry® smartphone ___ WBMUTBB mailing list WBMUTBB@wbmutbb.com http://www.mayberry.com/tagsrwc/wbmutbb/
Spelling Bee (get it?)
Now you old-timers know this, so this is for the new arrivals. On The Andy Griffith Show, it is Aunt BEE, not BEA. It is always spelled B-E-E in the credits, never B-E-A, and it is seen spelled BEE on screen within episodes a few times too (example: painted on the window of her Chinese restaurant). Just remember: it's I before E except after C, and E after E in Aunt Bee. Now that I'm the subject of spelling, here's a trivia question: which recurring character's name was once misspelled in the closing credits? Not the actor's name, the character's name. --Paul Mulik Sent from my U.S. Cellular BlackBerry® smartphone ___ WBMUTBB mailing list WBMUTBB@wbmutbb.com http://www.mayberry.com/tagsrwc/wbmutbb/
Breaking the fourth wall
They used to break the fourth wall on Green Acres from time to time. I remember one very funny scene in which the Douglases were in bed while the credits rolled on the screen, and they made silly comments about the words appearing (in midair, mind you) at the foot of their bed. Paul Mulik Sent from my U.S. Cellular BlackBerry® smartphone ___ WBMUTBB mailing list WBMUTBB@wbmutbb.com http://www.mayberry.com/tagsrwc/wbmutbb/
TAGS tags
Concerning TAGS tags (get it?), when I had my squad car I had the Missouri license plate JL-327. I know that Jack Fellenzer had it for Iowa several years back when he lived there, and Jim Clark had it for Tennessee (Jim probably still does). I do not know if anyone else in Missouri or Iowa currently has JL-327; I'm not even sure if the law allows for the same vanity plate to later be issued to someone else. Paul Mulik Sent from my U.S. Cellular BlackBerry® smartphone ___ WBMUTBB mailing list WBMUTBB@wbmutbb.com http://www.mayberry.com/tagsrwc/wbmutbb/
Mollycoddlin'
Andy almost used the word mollycoddling once; in Andy's Vacation he was having a pretty bad day, and while talking to Barney he barked "I'm tired of coddlin' these people. From now on when they break the law, it's either fine 'em or jail 'em." Paul Mulik Sent from my U.S. Cellular BlackBerry® smartphone ___ WBMUTBB mailing list WBMUTBB@wbmutbb.com http://www.mayberry.com/tagsrwc/wbmutbb/
TAGS ringtone
I use The Andy Griffith Theme for my ringtone too, but lately I've kind of regretted it. Here in The Ozarks, school has been cancelled for the past nine days straight, and my teenaged son has been watching TAGS a great deal of that time. Every time he started up a new episode I reached for the phone. I also use Andy singing "Cindy" for the ringtone when my wife calls me (but she doesn't spell her name that way). There aren't too many ways to spell Taylor, but there are a LOT of ways to spell Cindy. Paul Mulik Sent from my U.S. Cellular BlackBerry® smartphone ___ WBMUTBB mailing list WBMUTBB@wbmutbb.com http://www.mayberry.com/tagsrwc/wbmutbb/
Bob Hope comes to Mayberry
Hi folks, In the last few days word of a video clip has been spreading on Facebook, however there seems to have been no mention of it here on the Digest (unless I missed it). In this video from 1964, Bob Hope plays a gangster who for some reason decides to turn himself in at the Mayberry Jail, however Andy can't be bothered to lock him up because he wants to go fishing. Friends, you do not want to miss this! It's almost as if a lost episode of TAGS were just rediscovered. It was not filmed on the actual courthouse set, but it's a pretty good facsimile. Anyway, go to YouTube and search for "Andy Griffith Bob Hope" and it will be at the top of the list. And speaking of Facebook, I would be very glad to add anyone reading this to my friends list, just send me a friend request and be sure to add a note about Mayberry so I know who you are. Paul Mulik Sent from my U.S. Cellular BlackBerry® smartphone ___ WBMUTBB mailing list WBMUTBB@wbmutbb.com http://www.mayberry.com/tagsrwc/wbmutbb/
Philomathian Literary Society
Trained noticers will remember that one of the clubs mentioned in Barney's high school yearbook is called the Philomathian Literary Society. As Andy explains, it was a group that cut current event clippings from the newspaper and pasted them into a book. I am a lover of words (just TRY to beat me at Scrabble) and I subscribe to Dictionary.com's "word of the day." Matter of fact, that daily email arrives right around the same time as this digest. Anyway, today's word was PHILOMATH, which means a scholar or lover of knowledge. So in case you didn't know what Philomathian meant (pertaining to a philomath), now you do. Paul Mulik Sent from my U.S. Cellular BlackBerry® smartphone ___ WBMUTBB mailing list WBMUTBB@wbmutbb.com http://www.mayberry.com/tagsrwc/wbmutbb/
Hunting
Steve asked about which animals are said to have been hunted in Mayberry. I'm not sure if shooting crows qualifies as hunting or not, but anyway here are some animals Andy is said to hunt: Frog hunting/gigging in The New Housekeeper and The Inspector Ducks in Opie and the Carnival Quail in The Clubmen "Northern Honkers" (geese, I assume) in High Noon in Mayberry Tigers (jokingly) in Opie the Birdman There's a mounted deer head in Andy's living room in some early episodes, so maybe he hunts deer as well. Also, Goober goes on a hunting trip in Goober Makes History, but I don't recall if any specific prey was mentioned, and Dud Wash "keeps his nose to the possum hole" during possum season. Ernest T. Bass mentions a .22 repeater in one episode and possum steaks in another episode, so he probably hunts or traps as well. If hunting people counts, Andy and Barney sometimes go out on a man hunt (or woman hunt) and Opie and hs friends consider "hunting Indians" in Runaway Kid. Paul Mulik Sent from my U.S. Cellular BlackBerry® smartphone ___ WBMUTBB mailing list WBMUTBB@wbmutbb.com http://www.mayberry.com/tagsrwc/wbmutbb/
Maybe some old tramp's been in here
As far as I can remember we never saw a fire burning in the Taylors' fireplace. From a production standpoint, it would have been very complicated (not to mention dangrous), to have real firewood burning in a "prop" fireplace, since there would not have been a flue or anything. Trivia time: name an occasion where we DO see a real fire burning inside a structure in Mayberry (candles don't count). There are numerous correct answers. Paul Mulik, who remembers The Grit newspaper well. Sent from my U.S. Cellular BlackBerry® smartphone ___ WBMUTBB mailing list WBMUTBB@wbmutbb.com http://www.mayberry.com/tagsrwc/wbmutbb/
Wig
Recently Bob wanted to know if Joanna Moore wore a wig in the 4 episodes in which she appeared as Nurse Peggy. As far as I know she did not, however Arlene Golonka definitely wore a wig on The Show. After she auditioned for and won the role of Millie, she had her hair cut very short, only to be told later that "women in Mayberry do not wear their hair like that." So she was required to wear a wig on TAGS, but later on MRFD that was Arlene's real hair. Paul Mulik Sent from my U.S. Cellular BlackBerry® smartphone ___ WBMUTBB mailing list WBMUTBB@wbmutbb.com http://www.mayberry.com/tagsrwc/wbmutbb/
Quotes amd misquotes
I don't mean to be cantankerous, and I do enjoy reading quotes from The Show, but if you only get half of the words right then it's not a quote. To quote Bob Newhart, it's sort of like Mark Antony saying, "Friends, Romans, countrymen, I've got sump'n I wanna tell ya." Paul Mulik Sent from my U.S. Cellular BlackBerry® smartphone ___ WBMUTBB mailing list WBMUTBB@wbmutbb.com http://www.mayberry.com/tagsrwc/wbmutbb/
Frog giggin'
Apparently I'm not too much like Sam Allen, but if anyone should choose to try frog-giggin', be sure to check your local laws. In many states, it is illegal to use a light to "stun" or attract prey while hunting or fishing. Paul Mulik Sent from my U.S. Cellular BlackBerry® smartphone ___ WBMUTBB mailing list WBMUTBB@wbmutbb.com http://www.mayberry.com/tagsrwc/wbmutbb/
Newspaper headlines
Disclaimer: please do not turn this thread into a political debate! When watching DVDs, whenever there's a scene of someone reading the newspaper, I like to hit the pause button and try to read the headlines. Today while watching "Opie's Fortune," when Barney discovers the ad about the lost purse, I noticed for the forst time that the Mayberry Gazette headline appears to read "Let Surry Vote Democratic, We'll Get Results, Says Pell." I wonder if this was something Andy had inserted into the prop newspaper as a subtle way of making a political statement to the folks back home. Mt. Airy is in Surry County, and Andy Griffith has often stated "I vote Democratic" in interviews. Again, please don't turn this observation into a political debate. --Paul Mulik Sent from my U.S. Cellular BlackBerry® smartphone ___ WBMUTBB mailing list WBMUTBB@wbmutbb.com http://www.mayberry.com/tagsrwc/wbmutbb/
Searching for Mr. Schwamp
I like the idea of hunting for Mr. Schwamp, but wouldn't a Facebook page be simpler than a newspaper ad? Not only that, it's free. Somebody with more Internet smarts than I could create the page, then all of us who use Facebook could "like" it and before you know it hundreds of folks would know about the search. Paul Mulik Sent from my U.S. Cellular BlackBerry® smartphone ___ WBMUTBB mailing list WBMUTBB@wbmutbb.com http://www.mayberry.com/tagsrwc/wbmutbb/
Tom Sawyer
I've just finished reading The Adventures of Tom Sawyer for the first time in my adult life. I was struck by a lot of events in the story that also happen in Mayberry: •Boys play Robin Hood in the woods •Folks recite incantations in a superstitious manner •People search for buried treasure •A "haunted house" is used as cover for crooks •A big search is organized to find two people lost in a cave •A funeral is held for someone (named Tom!) who was thought to be dead, who later turns up alive and well Surely these can't all be coincidences. I expect many of the writers of TAGS were fans of this novel. --Paul Mulik Sent from my U.S. Cellular BlackBerry® smartphone ___ WBMUTBB mailing list WBMUTBB@wbmutbb.com http://www.mayberry.com/tagsrwc/wbmutbb/
Monday Night Mayhem
The other night I watched the film "Monday Night Mayhem," which tells the story of the early days of Monday Night Football. It stars John Turturro, one of my favorite actors, as Howard Cosell. An enjoyable film if you're a football fan. Anyway, there's a scene in the film that takes place in the fall of 1971, and it is implied that the surprise success of Monday Night Football was the reason Mayberry RFD, which also aired on Monday night, was cancelled. Not exactly accurate, maybe, but it was nice to hear Mayberrry RFD mentioned. Paul Sent from my U.S. Cellular BlackBerry® smartphone ___ WBMUTBB mailing list WBMUTBB@wbmutbb.com http://www.mayberry.com/tagsrwc/wbmutbb/
Zeke Dooley
Vern got it right, Dooley's first name is Zeke. If you do an Internet search for "Mitch Jayne Zeke Dooley" you can find some of these hilarious stories. Many of them were published over the years in a magazine called The Missouri Conservationist. Even better than reading the stories off the page is hearing Mitch read them in his own voice. Folks who live in Missouri can hear the audio version of the magazine at any public library (at least, it used to be available on cassette; I haven't checked lately.) I don't know if you'll be able to find the audio version online though. Maybe Allan can work some into a podcast someday if copyright laws allow. Paul Mulik Sent from my U.S. Cellular BlackBerry® smartphone ___ WBMUTBB mailing list WBMUTBB@wbmutbb.com http://www.mayberry.com/tagsrwc/wbmutbb/
Postcard
My nephew Barney just started kindergarten, and as part of a class project he is trying to get postcards mailed to him from as many different places as possible. I thought it would be cool if someone could send him a Barney Fife postcard from Mayberry Days. Email me if you'd like to help. Thanks, Paul Mulik Sent from my U.S. Cellular BlackBerry® smartphone ___ WBMUTBB mailing list WBMUTBB@wbmutbb.com http://www.mayberry.com/tagsrwc/wbmutbb/
Dooley
The Dooley of the song was based on a real person that The Dillards knew back in the Missouri Ozarks. Actually, according to Mitch he was sort of an amalgam of two or three old-timers. Anyway, Dooley is the character's last name, and he does have a first name. It is not given in the song, but it is used in a series of hilarious short stories written by Mitch. Hint: since we've been talking about Old Testament names recently, I will tell you that Mr. Dooley's first name is a shortened version of a prominent figure from the Old Testament. --Paul Mulik Sent from my U.S. Cellular BlackBerry® smartphone ___ WBMUTBB mailing list WBMUTBB@wbmutbb.com http://www.mayberry.com/tagsrwc/wbmutbb/
Hard trivia
You want some harder trivia, Orville? Tell me Dooley's first name. Ya know, that feller the Darling boys sang about. --Paul Mulik >>> It is getting almost impossible to post any trivia question that the wbmutbb readers will not solve immediately. Sent from my U.S. Cellular BlackBerry® smartphone ___ WBMUTBB mailing list WBMUTBB@wbmutbb.com http://www.mayberry.com/tagsrwc/wbmutbb/
Bob and Ray
Congrats to David Quinn and Dewey, who knew that Mary McGoon was a character on The Bob and Ray Show (aka Matinee with Bob and Ray, and other various similar titles). The duo would often sign off with "Write if you get work" and "Hang by your thumbs," the former phrase being the one Andy Taylor used on TAGS once when releasing a prisoner. The final incarnation of The Bob and Ray Show was on NPR, in which these catch phrases were updated for Internet users, to "Hang by your modems" and "Write if you get it to work." Paul Mulik Sent from my U.S. Cellular BlackBerry® smartphone ___ WBMUTBB mailing list WBMUTBB@wbmutbb.com http://www.mayberry.com/tagsrwc/wbmutbb/
Smoking
TAGS had exactly one sponsor during its entire eight years: General Foods (makers of Post cereal, JELL-O, Sanka, etc.) At no time did any tobacco company ever sponsor it. Andy smoked both in real life and on The Show until around 1964, which is when the surgeon general started issuing warnings about the dangers of cigarettes. After that, both Andy Griffith and Andy Taylor stopped smoking. Paul Mulik Sent from my U.S. Cellular BlackBerry® smartphone ___ WBMUTBB mailing list WBMUTBB@wbmutbb.com http://www.mayberry.com/tagsrwc/wbmutbb/
Question marks
I'm still stumped as to why some messages on this digest appear with those pesky question marks mixed in here and there. I have noticed that when I send a message from my computer, they show up every time I put two spaces after a period (which is what I was taught back in high school, but maybe they don't do it that way nowadays), and also one sneaks in every time I type something and them go back and change it, for example if I spot a typo. I've also noticed that I don't see so many question marks in my posts when I send from my BlackBerry, as I'm doing right now, except in the tag which is added automatically. Curious, curious, curious. Paul Mulik Sent from my U.S. Cellular BlackBerry® smartphone ___ WBMUTBB mailing list WBMUTBB@wbmutbb.com http://www.mayberry.com/tagsrwc/wbmutbb/
Lefties
The subject of left-handed folks in Mayberry comes up every now and again. I tend to notice when someone writes that way, as I am left-handed myself. Anyway, only two people have been spotted (so far) writing left-handed in Mayberry; one is Eleanora Poultice when she gives Barney an A in breathing, the other is Frank from the school board when he and Helen are working on that blamed grading manual. A while back someone mentioned Howie Pruitt, but I haven't gotten around to double-checking that one yet. Paul Mulik Sent from my U.S. Cellular BlackBerry® smartphone ___ WBMUTBB mailing list WBMUTBB@wbmutbb.com http://www.mayberry.com/tagsrwc/wbmutbb/
Math trivia
Boy, do I hate it when Dewey gets obtuse. Paul Mulik Sent from my U.S. Cellular BlackBerry® smartphone ___ WBMUTBB mailing list WBMUTBB@wbmutbb.com http://www.mayberry.com/tagsrwc/wbmutbb/
SNL
Ron Howard hosted SNL a number of years ago. They did a Mayberry skit that was rather funny, but not in the best of taste. The biggest laugh came when Ron called one of the characters by the wrong name and had to ad lib. Andy Griffith sort of made an appearance in the episode; through a little video magic, his face appeared in the air and he chatted with grown-up Opie as if Ron were dreaming or talking to Andy's spirit or whatever. Some of Andy's comments were very un-Mayberry-like, and I will not repeat them here. Perhaps the clip is available on YouTube if anyone is interested. Paul Mulik Sent from my U.S. Cellular BlackBerry® smartphone ___ WBMUTBB mailing list WBMUTBB@wbmutbb.com http://www.mayberry.com/tagsrwc/wbmutbb/
Glenn Cripe
Singer Glenn Cripe was played by actor Delos Jewkes (pronounced "duh-LOSS.") He also appeared (along with Ronny and Rance Howard and many other Mayberry actors) in the movie version of The Music Man. Paul Mulik Sent from my BlackBerry® wireless device from U.S. Cellular ___ WBMUTBB mailing list WBMUTBB@wbmutbb.com http://www.mayberry.com/tagsrwc/wbmutbb/
more Halloween references
While not specifically mentioning Halloween, there are more episodes which refer to it. One is at the end of Mayberry Goes Hollywood, when the townsfolk are told to "get out of those trick-or-treat outfits," and one other is in The Inspector, when Barney gets his skinny little veins to poppin' over Andy's comical hat and tie, saying he's dressed for trick-or-treats. Seems like Opie and Joey also mentioned the custom when they saw Barney wearing a dress in The Bookie Barber. Paul Mulik P.S. Don't tell me daughter-in-law. Sent from my BlackBerry® wireless device from U.S. Cellular ___ WBMUTBB mailing list WBMUTBB@wbmutbb.com http://www.mayberry.com/tagsrwc/wbmutbb/
