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57-457: Magilla Gorilla (voiced by Allan Melvin ) is a fun-loving yet trouble-prone anthropomorphic Western gorilla who spends his time languishing in the front display window of Melvin Peebles' pet shop, eating bananas and being a drain on the shop's finances. Peebles (voiced by Howard Morris and later by Don Messick ) frequently marks down his price considerably, but he is invariably only purchased for

114-400: A Reunion Special which featured Andy Griffith, Don Knotts, Ron Howard, Jim Nabors, George Lindsey, and Jack Dodson. In 2003, four surviving cast members (Griffith, Howard, Knotts, and Nabors) came together for a reunion special that featured the actors reminiscing about each other's time on the show. The production was interspersed with archival footage and short filmed interviews with some of

171-528: A bit too seriously. Magilla mistakenly thinks Peebles is going to get rid of him, so he joins the junior rangers of Camp Kitchy Gooney. Ogee gets upset as she can't prove the existence of the Purple Mask to Hector. Magilla takes the place of the superhero to help Ogee. Peebles sends Magilla to take his sick goldfish to the Oceanland doctor. During the check up, Magilla gets tangled in the aquarium where one of

228-787: A further appearance as yet another character on its successor show, Mayberry, R.F.D. . He played Staff Sgt. Charlie Hacker, who was Sgt. Vince Carter's rival, for four seasons on the Andy Griffith Show spin-off Gomer Pyle, USMC . He also made eight appearances on The Dick Van Dyke Show . He provided the voices of cartoon character Magilla Gorilla , the lion Drooper on The Banana Splits , archvillain Tyrone in The Secret Lives of Waldo Kitty and Bluto on The All New Popeye Hour . He also made three guest appearances on Perry Mason in various roles, including reporter Bert Kannon in

285-441: A half million." In 1964, daytime reruns began airing during the fall season and the show has been in syndication since. The reruns were retitled Andy of Mayberry to distinguish the repeat episodes from the new episodes airing in primetime. At the end of season four (May 1964), the backdoor pilot " Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. " aired and the following September, the spinoff series Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. debuted with Jim Nabors in

342-544: A heavy-handed country bumpkin, grinning from ear to ear and speaking in a hesitant, frantic manner. The style recalled that used in the delivery of his popular monologues such as " What It Was, Was Football ." He gradually abandoned the "rustic Taylor" and developed a serious and thoughtful characterization. Producer Aaron Ruben recalled: He was being that marvelously funny character from No Time for Sergeants , Will Stockdale [a role Griffith played on stage and in film] ... One day he said, "My God, I just realized that I'm

399-613: A job in the sound effects department of NBC Radio, he did a nightclub act and appeared and won on the Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts radio show. While appearing on Broadway in Stalag 17 , he got his break into television by getting the role of Corporal Steve Henshaw on the popular The Phil Silvers Show program. "I think the camaraderie of all those guys made it such a pleasant way to work. They were so relaxed." During this period, in addition to his role on The Phil Silvers Show , Melvin

456-420: A line of canned foods inspired by the series was made available in grocery stores across America. Griffith's hometown of Mount Airy, North Carolina , annually hosts a week-long "Mayberry Days" celebration featuring concerts, parades and appearances by the show's players. In 2003, the country band Rascal Flatts released the song " Mayberry " and many of the lyrics pay tribute to the show. The 1989 song " Floyd

513-441: A purple bow tie, red shorts held up by green suspenders, a purple undersized derby hat , and brown dress shoes. The only customer truly interested in owning Magilla was a little girl named Ogee (voiced by Jean Vander Pyl and pronounced "Oh Gee!"). During the cartoon's theme song, "We've Got a Gorilla for Sale", she asks hopefully, "How much is that gorilla in the window?" (a twist on the old standard, " (How Much Is) That Doggie in

570-428: A reunion telemovie, Return to Mayberry (1986). After the eighth season, when Griffith left the series, it was retitled Mayberry, R.F.D. , with Ken Berry and Buddy Foster replacing Griffith and Howard in new roles. In the new format, it ran for 78 episodes , ending in 1971 after three seasons. Reruns of The Andy Griffith Show are often shown on TV Land , MeTV , The CW , and SundanceTV . On those channels,

627-542: A short time, typically by some thieves who needed a gorilla to break into a bank or by an advertising agency looking for a mascot for their new product. The customers always ended up returning Magilla, forcing Peebles to give a refund. In the case of being bought by thieves, he was seized by police for being used in criminal activity and returned to Peebles' store. Magilla often ended episodes with his catchphrase "We'll try again next week." Like many of Hanna-Barbera's animal characters, Magilla Gorilla sported human accessories:

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684-480: A similar but canonically different character, Mayor Andy Sawyer. All three characters treated Sawyer as if he were Andy Taylor. The series only lasted ten episodes. In 1986, the reunion telemovie Return to Mayberry was broadcast with several cast members reprising their original roles. Absent, however, was Frances Bavier . She was living in Siler City, North Carolina in ill health and declined to participate. In

741-690: A special mission: being the first American to land on the Moon . Peebles sells Magilla to a couple of thieves who are hoping to make use of him, but Magilla foils their robbery attempt. Magilla drinks Professor Skiball's anti-gravity formula, making him float up in the air, and some advertisers take advantage of this. Peebles sells Magilla to a mad scientist who takes the gorilla to his laboratory to perform some sinister experiments on his brain. Upset that she can't have Magilla, Ogee runs away and Magilla goes after her, thinking of her safety. Magilla's fairy godmother grants Magilla three wishes. The first to go to

798-593: Is Andy's girlfriend in the first season, while Peggy McMillan ( Joanna Moore ) is a nurse who becomes his girlfriend in season 3. In the color seasons, County Clerk Howard Sprague ( Jack Dodson ) and handyman Emmett Clark ( Paul Hartman ) appear regularly, while Barney's replacement deputy Warren Ferguson ( Jack Burns ) appears in about half of season six. Ernest T. Bass made his first appearance in episode #94 ("Mountain Wedding"), as well as four later episodes. The actor who portrayed him, Howard Morris , also played George,

855-599: Is a bed-and-breakfast modeled after the Taylor Home. The Mayberry Cafe in Danville, Indiana , features Aunt Bee's Fried Chicken and a replica of Andy's Ford Galaxie police car. In 2021, the original feature film Mayberry Man was produced by children of actors from The Andy Griffith Show featuring Mayberry tribute artists set in a fictitious modern-day Mayberry. In the late 1980s, Premier Promotions released various episodes on VHS. Most tapes had either two or four episodes. In

912-480: The CBS Home Entertainment label starting in 2006) released all eight seasons as single-season packages on Region 1 DVD. The Andy Griffith Show: The Complete Series was first released as a 40-disc boxed set in 2007. In addition to all 249 episodes of the series, its bonus features included the episode "Danny Meets Andy Griffith" from The Danny Thomas Show which served as the pilot, the episode "Opie Joins

969-417: The public domain after CBS neglected to file copyright renewals on the episodes in 1989, are available on discount DVDs. The 2007 lawsuit CBS Operations Inc v. Reel Funds International Inc. ruled that the episodes in question were derivative works based on the copyrighted episodes even though the episodes themselves were not under copyright and granted CBS indirect copyright over the public domain episodes;

1026-539: The spin-off and committed to it immediately. On October 3, 1960, at 9:30 p.m., The Andy Griffith Show made its debut. The sitcom's production team included producers Aaron Ruben (1960–1965) and Bob Ross (1965–1968). First-season writers (many of whom worked in pairs) included Jack Elinson, Charles Stewart, Arthur Stander and Frank Tarloff (as "David Adler"), Benedict Freedman and John Fenton Murray, Leo Solomon and Ben Gershman, and Jim Fritzell and Everett Greenbaum. During season six, Greenbaum and Fritzell left

1083-529: The straight man . I'm playing straight to all these kooks around me." He didn't like himself [in first year reruns] ... and in the next season he changed, becoming this Lincolnesque character. As Griffith stopped portraying some of the sheriff's more unsophisticated character traits and mannerisms, it was impossible for him to create his own problems and troubles in the manner of other central sitcom characters such as Lucy in I Love Lucy or Archie Bunker in All in

1140-610: The "Danny Thomas" episodes) to create a pilot show for Griffith, featuring him as justice of the peace and newspaper editor in a small town. At the time, Broadway, film, and radio star Griffith was interested in attempting a television role, and the William Morris Agency told Leonard that Griffith's rural background and previous rustic characterizations were suited to the part. After conferences between Leonard and Griffith in New York City, Griffith flew to Los Angeles and filmed

1197-620: The 1966 episode "The Case of the Sausalito Sunrise." In the same year, Allan played the space enforcer on the series Lost in Space , in the episode "West of Mars". Melvin is remembered for supporting roles on two popular 1970s sitcoms. He played Sam Franklin, the owner of a local butcher shop and boyfriend of the Brady's housekeeper Alice (played by Ann B. Davis ) on The Brady Bunch , and Barney Hefner, Archie Bunker's neighbor and friend on All in

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1254-607: The Barber " by American grunge band Nirvana references multiple characters from the show, including Floyd, Barney, Opie, Andy, and Aunt Bee. Canadian rapper and singer Drake references the show's theme song in his 2009 track " Best I Ever Had" . The cable television network TV Land erected bronze statues of Andy and Opie in Mount Airy and Raleigh, North Carolina ( see: Pullen Park ). The Taylor Home Inn in Clear Lake, Wisconsin ,

1311-522: The Broadway and film versions of No Time for Sergeants ) and had seen The Danny Thomas Show episode, called Griffith during the developmental stages of the show and suggested the Sheriff character needed a deputy and comic sideman; Griffith agreed. Knotts auditioned for the show's creator and executive producer, Sheldon Leonard , and was offered a five-year contract playing Barney Fife. The show's theme music

1368-632: The Butcher on The Brady Bunch , and as Archie Bunker 's friend Barney Hefner on both All in the Family and Archie Bunker's Place . He has also voiced Tyrone the Bulldog, an archvillain (with his aliases The Jester, The Puzzler, Poochquin, Sheriff of Sherwood, and many others) in the live-action/animated series The Secret Lives of Waldo Kitty and was Magilla Gorilla on The Magilla Gorilla Show , as well as Drooper on The Banana Splits . While working at

1425-512: The Family , whose problems were the result of their temperaments, philosophies, and attitudes. Consequently, the characters around Taylor were employed to create the problems and troubles, with rock-solid Taylor stepping in as problem solver, mediator, advisor, disciplinarian, and counselor. The series revolves around Andy Taylor ( Andy Griffith ), the sheriff of the sleepy, slow-paced fictional community of Mayberry, North Carolina . His laid-back, level-headed approach to law enforcement makes him

1482-574: The Family . In other contributions to 1970s pop culture, he worked as a voice artist (under the name "Al Melvin"). He provided several characters' voices for the TV show H.R. Pufnstuf and the voice of Prince Thun of the Lion Men on The New Adventures of Flash Gordon . He also provided the voice of Rocky Maninoff for Tennessee Tuxedo in the episode "Mixed-up Mechanics" in 1963. He also worked extensively in television commercials, including fifteen years as Al

1539-452: The Marines" from Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. which featured Ron Howard and the 95-minute, made-for-television comedy film Return to Mayberry . In 2016, The Andy Griffith Show: The Complete Series was repackaged and released again as a 39-disc set that featured all 249 episodes of the series but did not include the bonus feature disc. The last 16 episodes of the third season, which lapsed into

1596-680: The Plumber on Liquid-Plumr drain opener commercials. In the early 1980s, Melvin appeared as a regular in Archie Bunker's Place , in which he reprised the now more important role of Barney Hefner. After the series ended in 1983, Melvin's work was exclusively devoted to cartoon voice-overs. His voice acting career continued until 1994, with Scooby-Doo! in Arabian Nights being his final voice work (again as Magilla Gorilla) before retiring. Allan Melvin died of cancer on January 17, 2008, aged 84, and

1653-497: The TV movie, Aunt Bee is portrayed as deceased (and in fact, Bavier did die three years later), with Andy visiting her grave. Also absent were Howard McNear, Paul Hartman, Jack Burns, and the cast members who were featured only in the Mayberry RFD seasons. Griffith and Howard reprised their roles a final time for a Funny or Die skit supporting the 2008 presidential campaign of Barack Obama . In 1993, The Andy Griffith Show had

1710-559: The Window? "), but she was never able to convince her parents to let her keep him. In Yiddish, a megillah is a long, tedious, or embroidered account, from the Hebrew megillah , a story written in a scroll. The first episode "Big Game" has Magilla saying, "Such a megillah over a gorilla." Magilla has been drafted into the US Army . He performs so well at his duty that Private Gorilla is slated for

1767-496: The antics involves him getting attacked by a shark . Magilla accidentally drives off with a man's sports car, causing a commotion and getting himself in trouble with the police. Don Messick provides the voice of Mr. Peebles after Howard Morris left the show. As pointed out on the Rhino Records ' CD liner notes for their collection of Hanna-Barbera theme tunes, part of Magilla's purpose was to sell likenesses of himself. The show

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1824-433: The early to mid-1990s, United American Video (under license from the show's then-syndicator Viacom Enterprises ) released VHS tapes of various episodes. They either had two or three episodes. These compilations were culled from episodes early in the show's run that had lapsed into the public domain; these episodes continue to be circulated on unofficial video releases. Starting in 2004, Paramount Home Entertainment (under

1881-581: The episode. On February 15, 1960, The Danny Thomas Show episode "Danny Meets Andy Griffith" aired. In the episode, Griffith played the fictional Sheriff Andy Taylor of Mayberry, North Carolina, who arrests Danny Williams (Thomas' character) for running a stop sign. Future players in The Andy Griffith Show, Bavier and Howard, appeared in the episode as townspeople Henrietta Perkins and Opie Taylor (the sheriff's son), respectively. General Foods , sponsor of The Danny Thomas Show, had first access to

1938-581: The episodes are edited to make room for more commercials, but some airings on SundanceTV air the full uncut versions. The complete series is available on DVD and Blu-ray and intermittently on streaming video services such as Amazon Prime and Paramount+ . Mayberry Days, an annual festival celebrating the sitcom, is held each year in Griffith's hometown, Mount Airy, North Carolina . Sheldon Leonard —producer of The Danny Thomas Show —and Danny Thomas hired veteran comedy writer Arthur Stander (who had written many of

1995-428: The first episode with the new title and remained for a few additional episodes before leaving with a move to Raleigh , effectively ending their appearances. After RFD ' s cancellation in 1971, George Lindsey played Goober for many years on the popular country-variety show Hee Haw . Goober, Barney and Emmett all made appearances in the series premiere of The New Andy Griffith Show , which starred Griffith as

2052-819: The first five seasons, Colin Male, portrayed Game Warden Peterson in Episode #140 ("Andy and Helen Have Their Day"). In the series' last few episodes, farmer Sam Jones ( Ken Berry ) debuts and later becomes the lead of the retitled show, Mayberry R.F.D. Don Knotts, Aneta Corsaut, Jack Dodson, and Betty Lynn also appeared on Griffith's later show Matlock . The show comprises eight full seasons and 249 episodes —159 episodes in black and white (seasons 1–5) and 90 in color (seasons 6–8). Griffith appears in all 249 episodes with Howard appearing in 202, Bavier appearing in 175, and Knotts appearing in 141. Only Griffith, Howard, Bavier, Knotts and Hope Summers appeared in all eight seasons. Knotts left

2109-478: The idea that non-whites should be segregated, with Peebles selling Magilla (the gorilla iconography thus evoking a reference to 19th-century racist artwork portraying blacks as subhuman primates) to white customers who would invariably return him to the pet shop by the end of each episode. Allan Melvin Allan John Melvin (February 18, 1923 – January 17, 2008) was an American actor and impressionist, who

2166-477: The jungle, the second to go back, and the third to get a lot of bananas. Ogee visits Magilla who entertains her with various fairy tales involving the masked stranger and Prince Charming . Magilla drives off with Peebles in his motorcycle all over the town, until they plunge off a waterfall and get rescued by a helicopter. Peebles sends Magilla to the City Zoo where he has to follow the rules, but he takes them

2223-489: The other by Bill Fraccio . In 2004, copies in near-mint condition were priced in excess of $ 500 each. There was also a soundtrack album , two coloring books, and a 1966 Grape-Nuts cereal box with a photo of Griffith in character as Sheriff Andy Taylor beside a lemon pie recipe on the back. The show's enduring popularity has spawned considerable merchandise during the decades following its cancellation, including board games, bobblehead dolls, kitchenware, and books. In 2007,

2280-441: The other surviving cast members. This special was called The Andy Griffith Show: Back to Mayberry. The Andy Griffith Show was a top ten hit through its entire run, never ranking lower than seventh place in the yearly ratings. A Nielsen study conducted during the show's final season (1967–68) indicated the show ranked number one among blue collar workers followed by The Lucy Show and Gunsmoke . Among white collar workers,

2337-666: The role in the 1960 episode "Stranger in Town"), service station attendants and cousins Gomer Pyle ( Jim Nabors ) and Goober Pyle ( George Lindsey ), and local drunkard Otis Campbell ( Hal Smith ). There are two mayors over the course of the series: Mayor Pike ( Dick Elliott ) is more relaxed, but often indecisive, while Mayor Roy Stoner ( Parley Baer ) has a more assertive personality. Other semi-regulars include townswoman Clara Edwards ( Hope Summers ), Barney's sweetheart Thelma Lou ( Betty Lynn ) and Andy's schoolteacher sweetheart Helen Crump ( Aneta Corsaut ). Ellie Walker ( Elinor Donahue )

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2394-448: The role of Gomer and Frank Sutton as drill instructor Sergeant Vince Carter. In the last episodes of the eighth season, as Griffith was preparing to leave, the character Sam Jones, played by Ken Berry , was introduced as the new star and the series was retitled Mayberry R.F.D. Most of the cast members continued their original roles, with Bavier becoming Sam's housekeeper. To create a smooth transition, Andy and Helen were married in

2451-780: The scourge of local moonshiners and out-of-town criminals, while his abilities to settle community problems with common-sense advice, mediation, and conciliation make him popular with his fellow citizens. His professional life, however, is complicated by the repeated gaffes of his inept deputy, Barney Fife ( Don Knotts ). Barney is Andy's cousin and best friend. At home, widower Andy raises his young son Opie ( Ronny Howard ), assisted by his maiden aunt and housekeeper, Aunt Bee ( Frances Bavier ). Opie tests his father's parenting skills season after season, and Aunt Bee's ill-considered romances and adventures cause her nephew concern. Andy's friends and neighbors include, at various times, barber Floyd Lawson ( Howard McNear ; Walter Baldwin portrayed

2508-551: The show at the end of season five to pursue a career in films (on the show, it is explained that he takes a job as a detective with the Raleigh Police Department ) but returned to make five guest appearances as Barney in seasons six through eight. His last appearance is in the final season, in a story about a summit meeting with Soviet dignitaries "ranked eleventh among single comedy programs most watched in television between 1960 and 1984, with an audience of thirty-three and

2565-485: The show ranked third, following Saturday Movies and The Dean Martin Show . The final season of The Andy Griffith Show was the number one ranked show on television. Other shows to have accomplished this include I Love Lucy and Seinfeld. In 1998, the year Seinfeld ended, more than five million people a day watched the show's reruns on 120 stations. 1961 1962 1963 1966 1967 Very little merchandise

2622-675: The show. Ruben departed for Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. , a show he owned in part. Writer Harvey Bullock left after season six. Bob Sweeney directed the first three seasons save the premiere. The show was filmed at Desilu Studios , with exteriors filmed at Forty Acres in Culver City, California. Woodsy locales were filmed north of Beverly Hills at Franklin Canyon , including the opening credits and closing credits with Andy and Opie walking to and from "the fishin' hole". Don Knotts , who knew Griffith professionally (they had appeared together in both

2679-447: The television repairman in episode #140 ("Andy and Helen Have Their Day") and two uncredited voice roles, as Leonard Blush and a radio announcer. Morris also directed a total of eight episodes of the show, none while portraying Ernest T. Bass. Unseen characters such as telephone operator Sarah, and Barney's love interest, local diner waitress Juanita Beasley, as mentioned in the first season, are often referenced. The show's announcer for

2736-443: The theme was renamed "The Fishin' Hole" and first appeared on an LP album of music from the show. One of the show's tunes, "The Mayberry March", was reworked several times in different tempo, styles and orchestrations as background music. The show's sole sponsor was General Foods , with promotional consideration paid for (in the form of cars) by Ford Motor Company (mentioned in the credits). Initially, Griffith played Taylor as

2793-486: The tone of the show, Griffith said that despite a contemporary setting, the show evoked nostalgia, saying in a Today interview, "Well, though we never said it, and though it was shot in the '60s, it had a feeling of the '30s. It was when we were doing it, of a time gone by." The series was never placed lower than seventh in the Nielsen ratings , ending its final season at number one. The only other shows to end their runs at

2850-497: The top of the ratings are I Love Lucy (1957) and Seinfeld (1998). On separate occasions, it has been ranked by TV Guide as the ninth- and thirteenth-best series in American television history . Though neither Griffith nor the show won awards during its eight-season run, co-stars Knotts and Bavier accumulated a combined total of six Emmy Awards . The series spawned its own spin-off — Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. (1964–1969) – and

2907-404: The widowed sheriff of Mayberry, North Carolina , a fictional community of roughly 2,000–5,000 people. Other major characters include Andy's lifelong friend, the well-meaning and enthusiastic but bumbling deputy, Barney Fife ( Don Knotts ), Andy's aunt and housekeeper, Bee Taylor ( Frances Bavier ) and Andy's young son, Opie ( Ron Howard ). The townspeople round out the regular cast. Regarding

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2964-449: Was buried at Westwood Memorial Cemetery , Los Angeles . The Andy Griffith Show The Andy Griffith Show is an American sitcom television series that was aired on CBS from October 3, 1960, to April 1, 1968, with a total of 249 half-hour episodes spanning eight seasons—159 in black and white and 90 in color . The series originated from an episode of The Danny Thomas Show . It stars Andy Griffith as Andy Taylor ,

3021-471: Was cast in hundreds of television episodes from the 1950s to the early 1990s, often appearing in recurring roles on various series. Some of those roles and series include portraying various characters on: The Andy Griffith Show , as real estate salesman Pete Dudley in My Favorite Martian , as Corporal Henshaw on The Phil Silvers Show , Sergeant Hacker on Gomer Pyle, USMC , Alice's boyfriend Sam

3078-514: Was composed by Earle Hagen , who also performed the whistling in the opening and closing credits. Herbert Spencer was credited by the BMI as "co-composer", but was not involved with the composition of the theme. In 1961, actor Everett Sloane , who also guest starred as Jubal Foster in the episode "The Keeper of the Flame", wrote lyrics for the theme after he learned it did not have any. This vocal version of

3135-487: Was often cast in slightly loud, occasionally abrasive, but generally friendly second banana roles. Melvin was also adept at "tough guy" roles; in an example of his range as an actor, one episode of The Phil Silvers Show featured Melvin doing an impersonation of Humphrey Bogart . In the 1960s, Melvin worked extensively at CBS for Sheldon Leonard and Aaron Ruben . He made eight guest appearances on The Andy Griffith Show in eight different roles, usually as heavies, and

3192-517: Was produced for The Andy Griffith Show during its original run, a peculiarity for a hit TV show in the 1960s. One theory for the lack of merchandise is that the show's producers, Griffith in particular, wanted to protect its image as a realistic and thoughtful offering and keep the public's focus on the show itself rather than its branding. Among the handful of merchandise released during the show's first run, Dell Comics published two The Andy Griffith Show comic books , one drawn by Henry Scarpelli ,

3249-626: Was sponsored by Ideal Toys , which produced a Magilla stuffed toy. According to Christopher P. Lehman, the trials of Magilla mirrored the attitudes that some American citizens had towards racial integration during the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s. In his 2007 book American Animated Cartoons of the Vietnam Era: A Study of Social Commentary in Films and Television Programs, 1961-1973 , Lehman writes that The Magilla Gorilla Show perpetuated

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