Monday, April 27, 2009

The Andy Griffith Show



The Andy Griffith Show - The Complete First Season
The Andy Griffith Show - The Complete First Season (1960)


I guess it says a lot about what I find funny that I love the Andy Griffith Show so much. The simple stories and characters just crack me up.

According to Paul Gaita;
Since its network debut in 1960, The Andy Griffith Show has been a viewer favorite thanks to its folksy, nostalgic charm and memorable cast, both of which shine in this set featuring the series' debut season. Originally spun off from an episode of Make Room for Daddy (both series shared producers Sheldon Leonard and Danny Thomas), The Andy Griffith Show centered around the lives of small-town sheriff Andy Taylor (the marvelously dry Griffith), his son Opie (Ron Howard), cousin and deputy Barney Fife (multiple Emmy winner Don Knotts), and the other gentle eccentrics of Mayberry (which was based on Griffith's real hometown).

But while other "rural" programs poked fun at its characters (The Real McCoys, The Beverly Hillbillies), The Andy Griffith Show never stooped to stereotypes, preferring instead to draw its humor from the fine writing and cast, which counted Frances Bavier as Aunt Bee, Howard McNear as Floyd the Barber, and Hal Campbell as Mayberry's benevolent drunk, Otis, among the first season ensemble. All 32 episodes (including the epilogues, which are rarely aired in syndication) are compiled on this four-disc set, which regrettably lacks any supplemental features.

1 comment:

becomingkate said...

It's true. I named one of my dogs Otis, after the drunk in the show. Back then, I had a soft spot for old drunks.

I saw a DVD set of the series, and was hoping it would start playing on TV again.