Quotes
 [shouting to several prisoners]
Barney Fife: Now here at the Rock we have two rules. Memorize them until you can say them in your sleep. Rule number one: obey all rules. Rule number two: no writing on the walls. Barney Fife: The last big buy was my mom`s and dad`s anniversary present.
Andy Taylor: What`d ya get `em?
Barney Fife: A septic tank.
Andy Taylor: For their anniversary?
Barney Fife: They`re awful hard to buy for. Besides, it was something they could use. They were really thrilled. It had two tons of concrete in it. All steel reinforced.
Andy Taylor: You`re a fine son, Barn.
Barney Fife: I try.
Barney Fife: Man, we really packed it away, didn`t we?
Andy Taylor: Yeah, boy.
Barney Fife: Fortunately, none of mine goes to fat. All goes to muscle.
Andy Taylor: Does, huh?
Barney Fife: It`s a mark of us Fifes. Everything we eat goes to muscle.
[pats tummy]
Barney Fife: See there?
Floyd Lawson: You know, everyone complains about the weather but nobody does anything about it. Calvin Coolidge said that.
Andy Taylor: No, Floyd, that wasn`t Calvin Coolidge that said that, it was Mark Twain.
Floyd Lawson: Then what did Calvin Coolidge say?
Barney Fife: Well, today`s eight-year-olds are tomorrow`s teenagers. I say this calls for action and now. Nip it in the bud. First sign of youngsters going wrong, you`ve got to nip it in the bud.
Andy Taylor: I`m going to have a talk with them. What else do you want me to do?
Barney Fife: Well, don`t just mollycoddle them.
Andy Taylor: I won`t.
Barney Fife: Nip it. You go read any book you ant on the subject of child discipline and you`ll find every one of them is in favor of bud-nipping.
Andy Taylor: Well, Barney, you know we always give the truck drivers an extra five miles an hour so they can make it up Turner`s Grade.
Barney Fife: Now Andy, if you let them take thirty, they`ll take thirty-five. If you let them take thirty-five, they`ll take forty. If you let them take forty, they`ll take forty-five. If you...
Andy Taylor: Uh, Barn.
Barney Fife: If there`s anything that upsets me, it`s having people say I`m sensitive.
[Reassuring Opie after releasing a group of dogs to the countryside as a thunderstorm approaches]
Barney Fife: A dog can`t get struck by lightning. you know why? `Cause he`s too close to the ground. See, lightning strikes tall things. Now if they were giraffes out there in the field, now then we`d have trouble.
Andy Taylor: Goob, did anybody ever tell you you`ve got a big mouth?
Goober Pyle: Yeah, but I don`t pay no attention to `em.
Barney Fife: [angry] Oh, you`re just full of fun today, aren`t you? Why don`t we go up to the old people`s home and wax the steps?
[after a haircut at Floyd`s]
Andy Taylor: Floyd.
Floyd Lawson: What`s the matter?
Andy Taylor: My sideburns.
Floyd Lawson: Your sideburns - what`s the matter with your sideburns?
Andy Taylor: Why, they`re both even.
Floyd Lawson: Well, I`ll be dogged. How`d that happen?
Andy Taylor: I declare, Floyd, I believe you`re getting the hang of it. And looka there - they`re the right length and everything.
Aunt Bee Taylor: Did you like the white beans you had for supper?
Andy Taylor: Uh huh.
Aunt Bee Taylor: Well, you didn`t say anything.
Andy Taylor: Well, I ate four bowls. If that ain`t a tribute to white beans, I don`t know what is.
Aunt Bee Taylor: Well...
Andy Taylor: Eating speaks louder than words.
Aunt Bee Taylor: You know, your education was worth every penny of it.
Andy Taylor: What are you doing?
Barney Fife: Gun-drawing practice, ten minutes every day. If I ever have to use this baby, I want to teach it to come to papa in a hurry.
Barney Fife: Well, I guess to sum it up, you could say, there`s three reasons why there`s so little crime in Mayberry. There`s Andy, and there`s me, and
[patting gun]
Barney Fife: baby makes three.
Andy Taylor: When a man carries a gun all the time, the respect he thinks he`s getting might really be fear. So I don`t carry a gun because I don`t want the people of Mayberry to fear a gun. I`d rather they respect me.
Barney Fife: If only someone would just kill somebody?
Andy Taylor: Barney?
Barney Fife: Well, it wouldn`t have to be anyone we know... If two strangers was to come to town, and if one of them was gonna kill the other one anyway...
[the Darlings have come to Andy for help with Ernest T. Bass]
Sheriff Andy Taylor: Well, Mr. Darling, can`t you and your boys handle him?
Briscoe Darling: Well, we thought about killin` him, but we didn`t want to go that far.
[after getting in a fight with Andy]
Helen: Just who do you think you are, anyway, Mayberry`s answer to Cary Grant?
Sheriff Andy Taylor: Call the man.
Barney Fife: Gentlemen, I give you science in action. Proof-positive the camera does not lie; it sees all, tells all.
Barney Fife: Let`s get this film down to the lab at Mrs. Mason`s drugstore.
Sheriff Andy Taylor: Somewhere wandering loose around Mayberry is a loaded goat.
Barney Fife: They don`t do things that way anymore. This is the Age of Science Know-How, electronal marvels.
Barney Fife: What`s the matter, haven`t you ever seen a man take off a dress before?
Barney Fife: All I`m saying is that there are some things beyond the ken of mortal man that shouldn`t be tampered with. We don`t know everything, Andy. There`s plenty going on right now in the Twilight Zone that we don`t know anything about and I think we ought to stay clear.
Otis Campbell: Every man needs a hobby.
Barney Fife: But, Otis; you ain`t got a hobby!
Otis Campbell: I do have a hobby; drinkin`!
Gomer Pyle: Me and Goober are goin` down to see that Cary Grant movie. Goober never misses a Cary Grant movie. He studies him. You want to hear him take off on Cary Grant? C`mon, Goober; do Cary Grant.
Goober Pyle: Well, I don`t know...
Andy Taylor: Well, Gom, if he doesn`t want to...
Goober Pyle: I`ll do it! Judy, Judy, Judy!
Gomer Pyle: [laughing hysterically] Ain`t that great, Andy? How do you do it? Let me try; Judy, Judy, I can`t do it. Andy, couldn`t you just swear it was Cary Grant standin` right before you in this room?
Andy Taylor: Uh, yeah, Gomer; that was real good, Goober.
Barney Fife: [to a group of boys] Boys, when that steel door slams shut, that`s the end of the happy days. No more fishin`, no more ball playin`, no more peanut butter sandwiches.
[Door slams shut behind Barney]
Andy Taylor: [little boy holds out sandwich to Barney] No, No Leon; Barney can`t have that.
Barney Fife: You`re real funny, you know that. We ought to book you on one of those excursion lines.
Andy Taylor: You date one woman all the time and pretty soon people start taking you for granted. They don`t say, "Let`s invite Andy," or "Let`s invite Elly." No, they say. "Let`s invite Andy and Elly!" See, then it`s "Andy and Elly"; "Elly and Andy". A then, that`s when that woman gets her claws into you!
Andy Taylor: Let her go off somewhere else... gig some other frog.
Barney Fife: I`ll say it right to your face, Otis, you`ve got a pickled liver!
Otis Campbell: Well, it`s better than having a pickled puss!
Barney Fife: Oh, yeah?
Otis Campbell: Yeah!
Andy Taylor: Boys, stop it!
Otis Campbell: Well, he started it!
Barney Fife: I did not start it, he started it!
Andy Taylor: [after learning Barney has spilled the beans about the gold shipment] Somewhere between here and Denver is seven million dollars headed for Mayberry, and you and me and Gomer and Laura Lee Hobbs, we`re gonna` receive it.
Barney Fife: [through a megaphone while directing the cave rescue] Now is the time for all good men to come to the aid of their neighbor! Repeat! Now is the time for all good men to come to the aid of their neighbor!
Ernest T. Bass: If a duck stood still you could catch him by the bill.
Andy Taylor: Opie! Time to come in, son.
Opie Taylor: Aw Pa, just a little while longer... please?
Andy Taylor: Well, OK.
[to Barney]
Andy Taylor: Daylight`s precious when your a youngen`.
Floyd Lawson: [while looking at himself in the mirror] Wretch, wretch! Deceitful wretch!
Briscoe Darling: Dud, did you tell Ernest T. Bass the Sheriff wanted to see him?
Dud Wash: I couldn`t find him, Mr. Darlin`. His cousin said he went into the woods to kill a mockingbird.
Andy Taylor: He doesn`t sound like a very nice person.
Briscoe Darling: One of the worst we got.
Barney Fife: [about Briscoe`s decision not to kill Ernest T] It`s a wise man who knows not to push the limits of the law.
Briscoe Darling: [to Andy] He arguin` with me?
Andy Taylor: No; he`s agreein` with you.
Briscoe Darling: Just so I know where I stand.
Dud Wash: Where`s my `darlin` person`? There she is!
[grabs Charlene and begins hugging and kissing her]
Charlene Darling: Dud! Stop it!
Dud Wash: Aw. c`mon Charlene!
Briscoe Darling: Stop that, boy! We got other things to do. Try to control them hot flashes.
Sheriff Andy Taylor: [reading a note tied to a rock Ernest T. Bass threw through the window] "Maybe you goin` to have a weddin`, and maybe you goin` to have a preacher; but you might not have a bride. You ever think of that?" Mr. Darling, you don`t think he`d try to kidnap Charlene before the wedding?
Briscoe Darling: He might. He`s just crazy enough to do it.
Dud Wash: Well, you just let him try! I`ll show him some things I learned in the army in jungle warfare! First, you grab the mouth and pull like this.
[demonstrates by pulling his own mouth]
Dud Wash: Then you grade his nose and twist it like this.
[twists his own nose]
Briscoe Darling: Stop that, boy! You want your face to freeze thatta` way?
Andy Taylor: [telling Opie and his friends the story of Paul Revere] And he said, "The British is comin, the British is comin! Git your guns, we gonna have us a revolution!"
Barney Fife: [Andy and Barney are watching a sign painter] Ain`t he got chicken spelled wrong?
Andy Taylor: No, it`s right.
Barney Fife: You sure?
Andy Taylor: Yeah, it`s "i before e except after c and e before n in chicken".
Barney Fife: [chuckles] Oh yeah, I always forget that rule.
[Andy has told Rafe Hollister to try out for the musical]
Barney Fife: I`m surprised at you, Andy. They want people who have had musical training. Why, suppose they ask Rafe to do something he don`t know? Rafe, if they asked you to sing a cappella, could you do it?
Rafe Hollister: No.
Andy Taylor: Hey, Barn, what if they was to ask you if you could sing a cappella, what would *you* do?
Barney Fife: Why, I`d do it!
[snapping fingers in rhythm]
Barney Fife: "A cappella, a cappella"... Well, I don`t remember all the words.
[Andy and Barney are at the Darlings when a rock comes through the window]
Barney Fife: What was that!
Andy Taylor: I think Ernest T. Bass is paying us another visit.
Briscoe Darling: Ernest T. Bass! You`re a low down skunk!
[Turns away from the window, then turns back]
Briscoe Darling: Doggone ya!
Andy Taylor: Listen here, Ernest T. Bass! This is Sheriff Taylor! Go on home and leave these people alone! You`re keepin` `em awake!
Ernest T. Bass: Tell `em to go back to bed! Charlene`s the one I want to talk to!
Barney Fife: Listen here, Ernest T. Bass! This is Deputy Fife! I`m armed and if you don`t go home, I might just take a shot at you
[another rock come flying through the window]
Barney Fife: Stop that!
[Another rock hits the window]
Briscoe Darling: Sheriff, tell your deputy to be quiet before he gets us all stoned to death!
[the Darlings are discussing the song they are going to play at Charlene`s wedding]
Briscoe Darling: How `bout "Don`t Hit Your Grandma with a Great Big Stick"?
Charlene Darling: No, Paw, That one makes me cry!
Andy Taylor: [Briscoe is getting dressed for Charlene`s wedding] Hold still, Mr. Darling, while I put on your tie.
Briscoe Darling: Ever since I saw a hangin`, I been nervous about wearin` one of these things.
Ernest T. Bass: I don`t chew my cabbage twice. And you ain`t heard the last of Ernest T. Bass!
Ernest T. Bass: I`m a little mean, but I make up for it by bein` real healthy. Say you`ll be mine. Say you`ll be my beloved!
Andy Taylor: Well, I caught him earlier on a 10-17.
Barney Fife: Hat in a horse trough?
Andy Taylor: Yeah.
Barney Fife: [while relaxing on the front porch after Sunday dinner] You know what I think I`m gonna` do?
Andy Taylor: What?
Barney Fife: I`m gonna` go home, have me a little nap, and then go over to Thelma Lou`s and watch a little TV.
Andy Taylor: Mmm-hmm.
Barney Fife: Yeah, I believe that`s what I`ll do. Go home... have a nap... and then over to Thelma Lou`s for TV.
Andy Taylor: Mmm.
Barney Fife: Yep, that`s the plan. Home... little nap... then...
Malcolm Tucker: [interrupting] For the love of Mike *do* it!
[shouts]
Malcolm Tucker: Do it! Just *do* it! Go take a nap, go to Thelma Lou`s for TV, just *do it*!
Barney Fife: Inkem binkem notamus rex, protect us all from the man with the hex.
Barney Fife: Fly away buzzard, fly away crow, way down south where the winds don`t blow. Rub your nose and give two winks and save us from this awful jinx.
Barney Fife: Adios, amigo.
Briscoe Darling: [to Andy] He one of ours?
Andy Taylor: Oh, sure.
Briscoe Darling: [to Barney] More power to ya.
Ramona `Romeena` Ankrum: It rained last week, ya know?
Ernest T. Bass: Yeah... yeah... I was right there in it.
[Gomer has made a citizens arrest on Barney]
Andy Taylor: All right, what`s goin` on here?
Barney Fife: Aw this boob here...
Gomer Pyle: Boob? Why that`s an insult in the face of the public!
[after writing himself a traffic ticket]
Barney Fife: A boob that`s what I am, a boob!
[Goober thinks he has whiplash]
Goober Pyle: Floyd made the diagnosis.
Andy Taylor: Floyd, what do you know about whiplash?
Floyd Lawson: What do you mean? A barber does a lot of work around the back of the neck.
Barney Fife: Boy, giraffes are selfish.
Andy Taylor: Where can we find this Ernest T. Bass?
Dud Wash: Aww, he`s a pestilence and a pestilence will find *you*... you just wait.
[Ernest T. Bass has crashed Mrs. Wily`s party]
Mrs. Wiley: He burst into the house uninvited and started behaving in the most peculiar manner.
Andy Taylor: Like what, Mrs. Wily?
Mrs. Wiley: Oh, he stuck his hand in the punch bowl and ate every bit of the watermelon rind. And if that wasn`t enough, he soaked the paper napkins in the punch and then he threw them at the ceiling.
Andy Taylor: Didn`t anybody try to stop him?
Mrs. Wiley: Mr. Schwump tried to pinch him, but he just giggled and jumped away.
[Opie has a crush on Thelma Lou]
Opie Taylor: Pa, just what can you do with a grown woman?
Barney Fife: Gomer, get down there with them spiders and start workin`!
Floyd Lawson: If I keep this up I`ll probably end up with a barber`s claw from holding the shears all day.
Andy Taylor: [to Emmett] You blew it. You stood right there and blew it.
Myrt `Hubcaps` Lesh: That`s the clunker we sold to that boob in Mayberry.
Andy Taylor: [on the phone] If you don`t want magazine subscriptions or your septic tank pumped out, there`s a sign you can get that says, "No solicitors."
[pause]
Andy Taylor: Well, sure that applies to septic tank pumpers... sure. Now take down those disease signs, Nelvin.
Briscoe Darling: [serenading Aunt Bee] Low and lonely, sad and blue / Thinking only, of little you / Always tryin`, to keep from cryin` / I`m low and lonely over you.
Briscoe Darling: [Aunt Bee has hit Briscoe with a spoon] Ow! What`d you do that for?
Aunt Bee Taylor: No elbows on the table.
Briscoe Darling: [to Andy] That ain`t fair; her hittin` first and explainin` the rules after.
Barney Fife: Andy, I`ve this one dead to rights! Otis was drunk. I even gave him a test. I drew a line on the sidewalk and told him to walk it. You know what he said?
Andy Taylor: What?
Barney Fife: He asked me what line. I`ve got this one right, Andy. Otis was drunk!
Andy Taylor: That right, Otis? Did you ask Deputy Fife what line?
Otis Campbell: Yeah; but I didn`t have my specs on and drunk or sober, I can`t see much without my specs.
Andy Taylor: Otis, three hours ago when Deputy Fife arrested you were you drunk?
Otis Campbell: I don`t know; I wasn`t wearin` my glasses.
Andy Taylor: [find Aunt Bee obviously "tiddly", then finding a 2/3 empty bottle of "Colonel Harvey`s Elixir" in the hall closet] Well, it sure looks like she took the adult dose.
Goober Pyle: I love picnics. Speaking of picnics, you remember that movie `Picnic`? Cary Grant sure was good it that movie.
Andy Taylor: Goober, Cary Grant wasn`t in `Picnic`.
Goober Pyle: He wasn`t? Well, speakin` of Cary Grant, I do him.
Helen: What?
Goober Pyle: I take off on Cary Grant. Want to hear me do Cary Grant?
Andy Taylor: Uh, Goober...
Goober Pyle: Be glad to. Judy. Judy. Judy.
Andy Taylor: That`s real good, Goober; but Cary Grant wasn`t in `Picnic`.
Helen: That was William Holden.
Goober Pyle: William Holden? Heck, I can`t do William Holden; he sounds like everybody else.
[Andy and Helen walk off with Goober following]
Goober Pyle: I can`t do William Holden, but I can do Cary Grant. Judy. Judy. Judy.
Andy Taylor: [Picking up the phone] Sarah? What? Just soak it. That`s right; just soak it a lot in warm water. Listen, Sarah; get me Thelma Lou. I know she`s Barney`s girl; just get her on the phone. What? `Cause I don`t want to. No, Sarah, I wouldn`t rather talk to Juanita at the diner; just get Thelma Lou.
Andy Taylor: [Barney and Thelma Lou have had a fight on the phone] Uh, Barn; why don`t you just call her back?
Barney Fife: [Picking up the phone] Sarah, get me Juanita at the diner. No, I wouldn`t just rather call Thelma Lou back!
Andy Taylor: Barney, you can`t give Otis a sobriety test now; he`s had all night to sleep it off. The time to give him a sobriety test was last night when you picked him up.
Barney Fife: I couldn`t give him the test last night!
Andy Taylor: Why?
Barney Fife: He was too drunk.
Barney Fife: [to Andy] Well, if it ain`t daddy long legs!
Trivia
Barney Fife kept one bullet in his shirt pocket and his citation booklet in his cap.
Andy Taylor`s middle name is Jackson.
According to Andy Griffith, the show`s original premise was to follow the story line set up in his appearance on "Make Room For Daddy". The premise was that Mayberry was so small that Andy Taylor was not only the sheriff, but the Justice of the Peace, the editor of the local newspaper, and the mayor. However when it came time to write the series, Andy decided that was too ridiculous so he asked that Andy Taylor`s duties be confined to being the sheriff and the justice of the peace. However the "Justice of the Peace" task was used sparingly and usually only with out-of-town troublemakers.
During the "black and white" episodes, there was a character named "Mister Schwamp" who would occasionally appear in episodes. He was a middle-aged man with a slumped demeanor and he had dark hair (which looked like a comb-over or a toupee). He could usually be found sitting on a park bench or in crowd scenes. He never had any lines. One of the characters (Usually Andy or Barney) would acknowledge him with "Hello, Mister Schwamp." and he would smile and nod and that`s all he would do.
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# In the first season, Barney Fife courted several women including Thelma Lou. In "Andy the Matchmaker", Barney courted a woman named Miss. Rosemary, in "Ellie for Council", Barney is seen dating Hilda May, who is again mentioned in "Christmas Story". Juanita, the never-seen waitress at the local diner was also serenaded by Barn in a few episodes in later seasons. Thelma Lou is only seen in one episode of the first season, but appears later as Barney`s main squeeze.
When the series began, Andy and Barney were cousins in the first few episodes. This was a joke based on the stereotype that the only reason people in small towns get jobs in the local government is because they are related to someone and not based on the merits of their abilities. However, after a few well placed references of Andy and Barney`s relation (usually to cap off a joke) in the first season, this idea was dropped and the back story of their relationship became simply that they were friends since childhood.
The character of Warren Ferguson (played by Jack Burns) was brought in to replace Barney Fife after Don Knotts left the show. Warren was referred to on occasion as Floyd the barber`s nephew. Replacing the classic character of Barney Fife proved to be an impossible task, however. "Warren Ferguson" did not catch on with the viewers, and he was written out of the series after only appearing in 11 episodes. There was no explanation in any episode story line for Warren`s departure; he simply stopped appearing.
After Howard McNear left the show, Floyd`s Barber Shop became Emmit`s Fixit Shop.
Howard McNear (Floyd the Barber) suffered a severe stroke and had trouble standing up, which is why during his last season on the show he was always shown either sitting in the barber`s chair inside his shop or on one of the chairs outside on the sidewalk.
The scripts used during Jack Burns`s time on the show as Deputy Warren Ferguson were originally written for Don Knotts` Barney Fife.
Thelma Lou`s last name and occupation were never revealed.
Milton, Oliver, and the middle initial "P" were all given as Barney Fife`s middle name at one time or another during the series.
Andy Griffith originally told Don Knotts that he only wanted to do the show for five years. So they both signed five-year contracts. During the fifth season, Knotts began looking for other work. He then signed a five-year deal with Universal Pictures. Suddenly, Griffith decided to continue on with the series for three more years and offered Knotts a new contract. But Knotts was already bound by his contract with Universal and left the show.
In two episodes of the second season, Andy Griffith`s hand is heavily bandaged. Griffith had broken his hand by punching a wall. On the show, the bandage was explained by Sheriff Taylor saying he hurt his hand apprehending some criminals.
Contrary to popular belief, Mayberry, North Carolina is not based on Mt. Airy, North Carolina, Andy Griffith`s birthplace.
The character of Helen Crump was supposed to be a one-shot. That is why they gave the character an unpleasant sounding name. But the producers were so impressed with Aneta Corsaut`s performance and her rapport with Andy Griffith that they made her a regular cast member.
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# The character played by Hope Summers was originally named "Bertha Edwards" in the first season. In the second season, the character came to be known as "Clara" and she referred to her late husband as "Mr. Johnson". Later, she came to be known as "Clara Edwards".
Rockne Tarkington is the only African-American actor ever to have a speaking role on the show. He appeared in one episode as Opie`s piano-playing football coach.
Andy and Barney`s squad car was a Ford Galaxie. The cars were supplied free of charge by a nearby Ford dealer, and whenever the newest model came out, it was sent to the studio and the old one was returned to the dealer who re-painted it and sold it. Altogether, there were about 10 different Ford Galaxies used throughout the run of the series.
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# Elinor Donahue decided not to return after the first season because she felt she had no on-screen chemistry with Andy Griffith. Griffith later admitted that it was his own fault because had a hard time showing affection on-screen, and as a result, the relationship didn`t appear real or believable.
The final season of the show was pretty much a setup for its replacement, "Mayberry R.F.D." (1968).
The show was shot on the same set as Atlanta from Gone with the Wind (1939), if you were to walk out of the courthouse and look to the right at the end of the street, you can see the old Atlanta train station in many episodes.
Aunt Bee was originally from Morgantown, West Virginia
Sheriff Taylor did not routinely appear wearing a necktie or a sidearm. In several episodes, he wears a necktie or a sidearm in special circumstances, such as when a VIP visited Mayberry or if he had to track an escaped convict reported to be in the vicinity. He rarely was shown smoking, but did so in several episodes.
When Howard McNear left the show after years of declining health, his departure was explained by having Floyd sell the barbershop and moving away to be with his daughter.
The series ended while still at the top of the Nielsen`s Ratings, one of only three shows to have done so, along with "I Love Lucy" (1951) and "Seinfeld" (1990).
When Don Knotts left the show, his absence was explained by having Barney move to Raleigh, North Carolina to join their police department.
One of the maps used for a period of time behind Andy`s desk was simply a state map of Nevada turned upside down.
In several early episodes the map behind Andy`s desk was a state highway map of Idaho turned upside down.
The character `Andy Taylor` was ranked #8 in TV Guide`s list of the "50 Greatest TV Dads of All Time" (20 June 2004 issue).
When Don Knotts left the show, Jerry Van Dyke was considered for the part of a deputy who would have replaced Barney Fife, and even appears in a deputy`s uniform in a fifth-season episode. However, Van Dyke chose instead to star in NBC`s "My Mother the Car" (1965), and later said if he had to do it over again, he would have taken the deputy part instead.
Before Aunt Bee moved in with Andy, he had a housekeeper named Rose. Andy performed her wedding ceremony in the first episode.
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# The theme song for the series was titled "The Fishing Hole". Lyrics for the song were written by Everett Sloane but the producers decided that whistling the tune set the tone for the show, so the words were dropped.
During the opening credits as Andy and Opie walk down the path, Opie picks up a rock and throws it off camera right as Andy nods in a very distinct manner, before they start walking again. Years later, Andy Griffith watched this and realized he was unintentionally imitating a certain nod that his father would give him to show approval.
The opening credits were expanded slightly during the original network run. After Opie throws the rock into the lake the camera shot would change to a close-up of the water rippling, the logo of the sponsor`s product appearing in the middle.
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# The show debuted in October 1960, but the characters of Andy and Opie originally debuted on an episode of Danny Thomas` show "Make Room for Daddy" (1953) in February 1960 (Thomas` production company produced both shows). Frances Bavier, who later played Aunt Bee, was introduced as Harriet Perkins.
In early episodes, to the right of the cells above the glass-covered shelves is a small picture of President Woodrow Wilson and the presidents before him. Later, during most seasons, a different poster is there, also of the presidents, this time up to Dwight D. Eisenhower, and was published by Women`s Day Magazine in 1956.
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# Songwriter Earle Hagen provided the whistling to the theme song in the show`s opening-credits, which is titled "The Fishing Hole". Andy Griffith recorded a lyric version of the song, but it was never aired.
When not on duty, or when he`s going out on a date, Barney Fife can routinely be seen wearing a white straw fedora, "salt-n-pepper" pattern coat and a red bow tie. During his movie career after leaving the series, Don Knotts almost always wore the same suit. It appears in such films as The Ghost and Mr. Chicken (1966), The Reluctant Astronaut (1967), The Incredible Mr. Limpet (1964) and How to Frame a Figg (1971).
Andy Griffith had been a successful stand-up comedian as well as an actor before beginning the show and he had fully expected to be the main funny character on it, and in the first few episodes even performed some of his stand-up routines, like his countrified versions of classic fairy tales. However, when Don Knotts became such a popular favorite as Deputy Barney Fife, Griffith decided for the good of the show to let Knotts be the main comic figure and let Sheriff Taylor react to him as his "straight man."
The four men who played the four Darling sons, were a blue grass group called The Dillards -- Doug Dillard, Rodney Dillard, `Dean Webb`, and Mitch Jayne. Andy Griffith said years later that he actually performed with them on the show.
Barney Fife was Andy Taylor`s cousin. There were three episodes that mentioned Andy and Barney being cousins: "The New Housekeeper", "The Manhunt" and "Runaway Kid". Also, in "Andy and the New Mayor", Barney mentions, growing up and attending school with Andy (they got first and second place in a penmanship contest) as well as being Andy`s best man at his first wedding and being the Opie`s godfather.
Opie Taylor was named for Opie Cates, a prominent band leader of the 1930s and 1940s whom Andy Griffith and Sheldon Leonard, the show`s producer, both admired.
Josie Lloyd, the actress who Mayor Pike`s daughter Juanita in "Mayberry Goes Hollywood", is seen again in "The Beauty Contest" and plays the mayor`s daughter, Josephine. Her Juanita character is not "the" Juanita the waitress that Barney pines for; her name was Juanita Beasley. Lloyd also had a recurring role in the third and fifth seasons as Lydia Crosswaithe.
The last 16 episodes of season three have become part of the public domain due to a clerical error back in the 1960`s and are thus widely available in different formats and different conditions. The theme song however is still copyrighted material and can only be used with permission. Therefore, most public domain copies have different music during the opening and closing credits. These are the 16 public domain episodes, in order starting with 3.17: High Noon in Mayberry", "The Loaded Goat", "Class Reunion", "Rafe Hollister Sings", "Opie and the Spoiled Kid", "The Great Filling Station Robbery", "Andy Discovers America", "Aunt Bee`s Medicine Man", "The Darlings Are Coming", "Andy`s English Valet", "Barney`s First Car", "The Rivals", "A Wife for Andy", "Dogs, Dogs, Dogs", "Mountain Wedding", and "The Big House. Coincidentally, this is a pivotal batch of episodes in the show`s history; it includes the first appearances of Helen Crump, the Darlings, Malcolm Merriwether and Ernest T. Bass, as well as Crump`s second appearance, the first in which she and Andy are set up as a couple.
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