Sunday, June 20, 2010

My Favorite TV Show: The Andy Griffith Show



As tough as it was for me to pick a favorite movie, I would've thought it would be just as difficult to pick a favorite TV show. I watch a lot of TV and it would be tough to pick a single, current show that I like better than the others. How do you pick between Castle, Modern Family, Cougar Town, Grey's Anatomy, and Doctor Who? Except for the two sitcoms, none of them are remotely like each other to even begin comparisons.

What makes it a lot easier though is adding in the nostalgia factor and awarding extra points for longevity. If a show that I grew up watching can still get the same response out of me all these years later, I have no problem proclaiming it the winner. And that's The Andy Griffith Show all the way. It still charms me and makes me laugh.

After the break: mollycoddling and nipping it in the bud.


The following clip is hilarious, but it doesn't do justice to Griffith's abilities as straight man to Knotts' antics. I'll die defending those two as the greatest comedy duo of all time.

6 comments:

Cal's Canadian Cave of Coolness said...

I came to this show relatively late in my life.

In my twenties I was paid a ridiculous sum of money one summer to sit and let people into the college dorms by pushing a button after they had first put their entry key into a slot. It was pretty boring. They could have hired a monky to respond to the green light but they figured a monkey like me who could talk might be a better choice.

I had a small B&W TV that they let me watch. It got three chanells but it was the time before the domination of infomercials on local late night tv so I always had some old TV show or movie to watch.

I started watching Andy one night. I knew of the show but thought it was from a time that was too square to keep my interest for long. Little did I know the truth.

Also my only connection with Don Knotts was from Three's Company and I found his acting ticks there to be quite manic. Little did I understand his true genius.

To hear Knotts call that crazy hillbilly that would come down and make trouble every once in awhile a 'NUT' put me into hysterics everytime.

And the way they treated that poor town drunk with love and compassion showed a humanity that doesn't exist but should exist to this day. The way the town that one time rallied around him to show to his relatives that he was 'respectable' made me cry.

For the life of me and my addled memory I can't remember their character names.

In my dreams, if I had to live in one mythical place I would choose Mayberry. The people that lived there were the real deal.

Ken O said...

I was stationed for 3 years in one of those sleepy North Carolina towns that claimed to be to be the basis for Mayberry.
While I didn't like the show as much, I've always enjoyed Griffith in No Time for Sergeants.

Michael May said...

Thanks, you guys.

Cal, that's the love letter I'd hoped to write, but didn't have time to compose. To your list, I'd also add Opie and Andy's relationship. I'm blessed with a kid who has Opie's sweetness and Andy's relationship with him is a role-model for me. (Otis is the town drunk, by the way. I'm blanking on the hillbilly, but I love that guy too and how much he gets under Barney's skin.)

Ken, I like No Time For Sergeants too. Griffith is hilarious and it's a testament to his talent that he could go from that to Andy Taylor so flawlessly.

peterson denial said...

thanks for telling about The Andy Griffith Show......i also like this

M said...

The hillbilly you're trying to peg is Ernest T. Bass, as played by the late great Howard Morris.

Michael May said...

Thanks, M! Don't know how I whiffed on that.

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