The Andy Griffith Show
A time gone by, in a town called Mayberry.
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Rogers & Cowan, Beverly Hills-publicity agency · Public domain
The television sitcom known as The Andy Griffith Show had its start in an installment of The Danny Thomas Show.[1][2] Andy Griffith portrays Andy Taylor, a sheriff who is a widower, in the made-up town of Mayberry, North Carolina.[1] Throughout its broadcast run, the program's lowest Nielsen rating was seventh place, and its concluding season achieved the top spot.[3]
Making and release
The series debuted on October 3, 1960, at 9:30 p.m., after General Foods committed to sponsoring the spin-off.[4] Sheldon Leonard and Danny Thomas hired comedy writer Arthur Stander to create a pilot for Griffith, who was interested in a television role.[2] Don Knotts suggested the sheriff character needed a deputy and comic sideman, then auditioned and received a five-year contract to play Barney Fife.[5][6] After the eighth season, the show was retitled Mayberry, R.F.D., running for 78 episodes until 1971.[7]
Reruns air on TV Land, MeTV, The CW, and SundanceTV, with some SundanceTV airings presenting full uncut versions.[7] Desilu Studios served as the filming location for the show, while outdoor scenes were shot at Forty Acres in Culver City and at Franklin Canyon.[5] General Foods was the exclusive advertiser for the program, and Ford Motor Company provided vehicles as part of a promotional arrangement.[8] A total of 249 episodes make up the series; 159 of them were filmed in black and white, and 90 were filmed in color.[8]
What the cited sources add
A TVparty.com account notes that The New Andy Griffith Show debuted on January 8, 1971, and lasted only ten episodes.[9][10] The same source states that the pilot was written and produced by Aaron Ruben, who guided the first five seasons of the original show.[9] The TVparty.com account also reports that the theme song for The New Andy Griffith Show was based on incidental music cues from the original show's fourth season.[9] The Surry Arts Council website describes Mayberry Days as an annual festival held in Mount Airy, North Carolina, with events at the Andy Griffith Playhouse and Historic Earle Theatre.[11][7]
References
- Wikipedia, "The Andy Griffith Show" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Season 4, episode 20, as stated in the script<br>– In season 8, episode 30 "Mayberry R.F.D." a sign says that the population of Mayberry is 5,360. (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "The Andy Griffith Show" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Kelly, Richard. The Andy Griffith Show. Blair, 1981.; Kelly, Richard. The Andy Griffith Show. Blair, 1981.; Kelly, Richard. The Andy Griffith Show. Blair, 1981.; Kelly, Richard. The Andy Griffith Show. Blair, 1981. (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "The Andy Griffith Show" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Dostis, "Looking back at 'I Love Lucy' 64 years later", New York Daily News, October 15, 2015; "TV Guide Names Top 50 Shows", CBS News, February 11, 2009; Fretts, "The Greatest Shows on Earth", p. 16–19 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "The Andy Griffith Show" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Kelly, Richard. The Andy Griffith Show. Blair, 1981.; Kelly, Richard. The Andy Griffith Show. Blair, 1981.; Beck, Ken, and Jim Clark. The Andy Griffith Show Book. St. Martin's Griffin, 1995. (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "The Andy Griffith Show" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Don Knotts, Andy Griffith & Jim Neighbors, The Andy Griffith Show 1960s", My Vintage Photos, October 2023; Kelly, Richard. The Andy Griffith Show. Blair, 1981.; Kelly, Richard. The Andy Griffith Show. Blair, 1981.; Kelly, Richard. The Andy Griffith Show. Blair, 1981.; Clodfelter, "Ask SAM", Winston-Salem Journal, March 28, 2020 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "The Andy Griffith Show" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Kelly, Richard. The Andy Griffith Show. Blair, 1981.; Burlingame, "Music for Prime Time: A History of American Television Themes and Scoring", Oxford University Press, 2023, p. 213–214; Weber, "Earle Hagen, 88; Composed Noted TV Tunes", New York Times, May 28, 2008; Julian, "Book Revives Life and Times in Mayberry", Knoxville News Sentinel, October 29, 2000, p. E6; Kirkley, "Andy Griffith Hits the Road", Baltimore Sun, October 8, 1961, p. 53 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "The Andy Griffith Show" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Mayberry Days", The Surry Arts Council Presents Mayberry Days (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "The Andy Griffith Show" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Kelly, Richard. The Andy Griffith Show. Blair, 1981. (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- The New Andy Griffith Show, TVparty.com , retrieved February 12, 2020. facts only, no text reused. tvparty.com
- Wikipedia, "The Andy Griffith Show" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: The New Andy Griffith Show, TVparty.com , retrieved February 12, 2020 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- "Mayberry Days", The Surry Arts Council Presents Mayberry Days. facts only, no text reused. surryarts.org
Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article The Andy Griffith Show (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.
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Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: The Andy Griffith Show (CC BY-SA 4.0).
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