RIP ANDY GRIFFITH AGE 86
http://content.usatoday.com/communi...7/andy-griffith-dies-at-age-86/1#.T_MHUJFE4sc
http://content.usatoday.com/communi...7/andy-griffith-dies-at-age-86/1#.T_MHUJFE4sc
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RIP Andy Griffith age 86 Ben Metlock/Andy Taylor
- Thread starter oldiesfan2
- Start date
Definitely a very sad day for fans of The Andy Griffith Show and Matlock. RIP Andy!! :'(
B
Bob1370
Guest
Good guy, outstanding TV and film actor who could do everything from serious drama to light comedy. He'll be much missed.
Man, this has been a rough year for TV legends. Mike Wallace, Dick Clark, Don Cornelius, George "Goober" Lindsey, and now, one of the greatest of them all, albeit it appears that it was simply old age that claimed him.
I think only two main principals from the famed '60s sitcom are still around: Ron Howard and Jim Nabors, unless you count Ken Berry (I don't want to open up the controversy about whether Mayberry RFD should have ever happened, though). I'm sure we'll be hearing from Howard shortly; I'm not so sure about Nabors, who has lived in Hawaii for many years, largely out of the public spotlight.
I think only two main principals from the famed '60s sitcom are still around: Ron Howard and Jim Nabors, unless you count Ken Berry (I don't want to open up the controversy about whether Mayberry RFD should have ever happened, though). I'm sure we'll be hearing from Howard shortly; I'm not so sure about Nabors, who has lived in Hawaii for many years, largely out of the public spotlight.
...coincidentially, Turner Classic Movies will be running A Face in the Crowd, which has Griffith playing a TV star from Hell (to put it mildly), Thursday night/Friday morning. TCM's "Guest Programmer" this week is Spike Lee, and it's one of his favourite movies, even going to the point of claiming it was an inspiration for his own picture Bamboozled (tho that picture doesn't come anywhere close in quality to the Griffith item). Director Elia Kazan was said to have patterned the Griffith character, Lonesome Rhodes, on the king of CBS at the time, Arthur Godfrey, while the film's writer, Budd Schulberg, claimed his inspiration for writing Rhodes was Will Rogers; in both cases, it'd be an unjust charicature. But it is a damned good movie, and Griffith put in one of the great villainous performances of Hollywood history...
"The Andy Griffith Show", contrary to popular belief, was not network TV's first "rural" sitcom.
"The Real McCoys" (starring Walter Brennan) was, premiering in 1957 (there years before "Griffith").
However, "Griffith" was enormously successful.
How successful??
According to historical lists from Nielsen Media Research of the top 30 prime-time TV shows for each season, as published in Tim Brooks' and Earl Marsh's The Complete Directory To Prime-Time Network TV and Cable Shows, 1946-Present, "The Andy Griffith Show" was among the ten most popular prime-time shows on network television in all eight seasons it ran.
Only one other sitcom has ever finished it's prime-time run having been in the Top Ten every season it had first-run episodes in prime-time: "I Love Lucy".
The success of "Griffith", on top of that of "McCoys", ushered in a wave of rural sitcoms throughout the 1960's, especially on CBS-TV.
"Griffith" ended in 1968 when it's star decided to "call it a series". However, a spin-off titled "Mayberry R.F.D.", starring Ken Berry and many of the "Griffith" supporting cast, premiered in September of 1968 on CBS, running for there years. "Mayberry" was canceled in 1971 not because of low ratings, but because then network president Bob Wood and then programming head Fred Silverman decided to dump all of CBS's "rural" shows, although several of them (like "Mayberry", "Hee-Haw", and "Beverly Hillbillies") were still quite popular and by the normal standards of network TV in the early 1970's, would have been easily renewed.
"The Real McCoys" (starring Walter Brennan) was, premiering in 1957 (there years before "Griffith").
However, "Griffith" was enormously successful.
How successful??
According to historical lists from Nielsen Media Research of the top 30 prime-time TV shows for each season, as published in Tim Brooks' and Earl Marsh's The Complete Directory To Prime-Time Network TV and Cable Shows, 1946-Present, "The Andy Griffith Show" was among the ten most popular prime-time shows on network television in all eight seasons it ran.
Only one other sitcom has ever finished it's prime-time run having been in the Top Ten every season it had first-run episodes in prime-time: "I Love Lucy".
The success of "Griffith", on top of that of "McCoys", ushered in a wave of rural sitcoms throughout the 1960's, especially on CBS-TV.
"Griffith" ended in 1968 when it's star decided to "call it a series". However, a spin-off titled "Mayberry R.F.D.", starring Ken Berry and many of the "Griffith" supporting cast, premiered in September of 1968 on CBS, running for there years. "Mayberry" was canceled in 1971 not because of low ratings, but because then network president Bob Wood and then programming head Fred Silverman decided to dump all of CBS's "rural" shows, although several of them (like "Mayberry", "Hee-Haw", and "Beverly Hillbillies") were still quite popular and by the normal standards of network TV in the early 1970's, would have been easily renewed.
I have to say that Griffith was a sport of poking fun at his self-titled TV show, especially in that "Saturday Night Live" skit and in that "Funny Or Die" parody, both featuring co-star Ron Howard.
Betty Lynn ("Thelma Lou") is still alive and well. She resides in Mt. Airy, NC.
RIP, Andy Griffith.
RIP, Andy Griffith.
His passing is already getting a lot of coverage at WFMY/Greensboro, which is fitting, given that his show has been a staple on WFMY's schedule since its CBS days.
BTW They are now devoting a week to Mayberry's favorite sheriff:
http://www.digtriad.com/news/articl...ecial-Andy-Griffith-Tribute---Tonight-at-10PM
BTW They are now devoting a week to Mayberry's favorite sheriff:
http://www.digtriad.com/news/articl...ecial-Andy-Griffith-Tribute---Tonight-at-10PM
Greensboro looks like it's the closest TV market to Mayberry (Mt. Airy), even though
on the show they seemed to watch Raleigh TV (or "WZAZ-TV" Siler City).
on the show they seemed to watch Raleigh TV (or "WZAZ-TV" Siler City).
Mike Stroud said:
Don't forget Earl Scruggs, of Scruggs and Flatt from the Beverley Hillbillies.
Madmansam said:
WGN airs Matlock.
Wouldn't suprise me if James Garner of the Rockford Files passes on next.
How many did we lose this year?
Probally Johnny Carson, Dick Clark, and Ed MacMahon were the first ones to great them.
How many did we lose this year?
Probally Johnny Carson, Dick Clark, and Ed MacMahon were the first ones to great them.
willdav713 said:
Actually, Hallmark Movie Channel also air "Matlock" as well.
If you believe the tabloids, not only James Garner but Angela Lansbury,
Jack Klugman, and even Daddy Bush have one foot in the grave and the
other on a banana peel.
Back to WFMY, they devoted their entire 5 and 6 PM newscasts (excluding
the weather segments) to Andy yesterday. They are airing an Andy marathon
from 3-5 PM each day for the rest of the week (since they carry the afternoon
feed of "Let's Make A Deal" it's airing after Craig Ferguson--they can't carry "Deal"
at 10 AM because--guess why--Andy's on from 10 to 11 AM, and Ellen DeGeneres
is being pre-empted the rest of the week). Not only has Channel 2 carried Andy
from the beginning 52 years ago, a friend of my dad's who's retired from the station
once told him they'll never take Andy off.
As for WRAL, I don't know of any plans for an Andy marathon.
A couple of thoughts:
I don't know what this says about Greensboro vs. Charlotte, or maybe it's just
a question of the competition, but I remember about 15 or so years ago, WBTV
tried running Andy against Oprah on WSOC. It was no contest: Oprah manhandled
him. When Oprah was on WXII, WFMY had the good sense not to run Andy against
her; OTOH, in Roanoke/Lynchburg, WDBJ carried Andy against the second half of
Oprah on WSET. Guess who won? It wasn't the talk-show host with her own network
now.
The other thought is that someone pointed out in this morning's Greensboro News and
Record that "Matlock" actually lasted 9 years to "The Andy Griffith Show"'s eight. But
which one do people hold more special? It reminds me of Raymond Burr, who will always
be "Perry Mason" even though "Ironside" lasted only a year less (8 years to "Mason"'s 9),
or Carroll O'Connor, who will always be Archie Bunker even though he won Emmies for both
"All In The Family" and "In The Heat Of The Night."
As for me, I have my favorite episodes (Barney and his motorcycle may be my favorite),
but my two favorite roles played by Andy are those of bad guys: "Face In The Crowd"
and the ABC movie of the week "Pray For The Wildcats." And though I hate to bring it up
at this time, I don't like what he did to Elinor Donahue or to Jack Burns. Andy wasn't all
sweetness and light, but no one can argue that he and Mayberry were a piece of Americana.
But he won't be missed as long as the reruns continue to air.
Jack Klugman, and even Daddy Bush have one foot in the grave and the
other on a banana peel.
Back to WFMY, they devoted their entire 5 and 6 PM newscasts (excluding
the weather segments) to Andy yesterday. They are airing an Andy marathon
from 3-5 PM each day for the rest of the week (since they carry the afternoon
feed of "Let's Make A Deal" it's airing after Craig Ferguson--they can't carry "Deal"
at 10 AM because--guess why--Andy's on from 10 to 11 AM, and Ellen DeGeneres
is being pre-empted the rest of the week). Not only has Channel 2 carried Andy
from the beginning 52 years ago, a friend of my dad's who's retired from the station
once told him they'll never take Andy off.
As for WRAL, I don't know of any plans for an Andy marathon.
A couple of thoughts:
I don't know what this says about Greensboro vs. Charlotte, or maybe it's just
a question of the competition, but I remember about 15 or so years ago, WBTV
tried running Andy against Oprah on WSOC. It was no contest: Oprah manhandled
him. When Oprah was on WXII, WFMY had the good sense not to run Andy against
her; OTOH, in Roanoke/Lynchburg, WDBJ carried Andy against the second half of
Oprah on WSET. Guess who won? It wasn't the talk-show host with her own network
now.
The other thought is that someone pointed out in this morning's Greensboro News and
Record that "Matlock" actually lasted 9 years to "The Andy Griffith Show"'s eight. But
which one do people hold more special? It reminds me of Raymond Burr, who will always
be "Perry Mason" even though "Ironside" lasted only a year less (8 years to "Mason"'s 9),
or Carroll O'Connor, who will always be Archie Bunker even though he won Emmies for both
"All In The Family" and "In The Heat Of The Night."
As for me, I have my favorite episodes (Barney and his motorcycle may be my favorite),
but my two favorite roles played by Andy are those of bad guys: "Face In The Crowd"
and the ABC movie of the week "Pray For The Wildcats." And though I hate to bring it up
at this time, I don't like what he did to Elinor Donahue or to Jack Burns. Andy wasn't all
sweetness and light, but no one can argue that he and Mayberry were a piece of Americana.
But he won't be missed as long as the reruns continue to air.
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