‘The Andy Griffith Show’: Andy Griffith likes to prank his co-stars
As you can imagine, when you lock up some talented comedians who have been the center of attention on TV for months – or even years -, you have the perfect environment for jokes. reality. Many TV co-stars eventually develop meaningful friendships, but many also tend to develop serious hostility toward each other after working so closely for so long. Of course, there’s always that dynamic where one person is having a lot of fun – at someone else’s expense!
While The Andy Griffith Show was certainly a show that created some genuine and lasting friendships, star Andy Griffith was a bit of a prankster – and one particular co-star took the brunt of it. from his antics.
The Andy Griffith Show premiered in 1960 on CBS. It’s hard to believe but the beloved classic TV show is now 60 years old! Iconic references to Mayberry persist, however, showing that the series has some real power and cultural impact. The fictional town where everything seems to be going smoothly is a welcome reprieve from the political turmoil and breaking news that is spreading across the country – something modern-day viewers have can recognize. In fact, Andy Griffith himself even went so far as to call this small town the real star of the show: “Mayberry is really the star of the show.” The show’s producer actually once said: ‘I think we named this show wrong. It should have been called ‘Mayberry’ from the beginning.”
The series lasted eight seasons before ending in 1968. By that time, fans had grown increasingly attached to the widowed town sheriff Andy Taylor (played by Griffith) and his son Opie as well. like Aunt Bee and Deputy Barney Fife. The names and personalities of these characters have persisted in popular popular culture because they were so enamored with Americana.
The show is wistfully reminded as a depiction of what life could have been with very little unresolved conflict by the end of the episode. However, in real life, there was trouble between the two co-stars on set. The actor who plays Aunt Bee is notoriously difficult to work with, and Frances Bavier brought that signature complexity to the set. Griffith, who is an expert, does not speak publicly about the troubles, but he does mention that Bavier once called him when she was near death and apologized years later for the problems she had caused. , according to KEKB.
Meanwhile, fans may have tension between Griffith and the actor who plays Barney Fife, Don Knotts. After all, the characters have incredibly strange dynamics with each other and the work they do depends heavily on each other. Knotts actually left the show after five seasons, but it turned out the whole thing was just a misunderstanding. Griffith owns about half of the show and Knotts owns none of it. When Knotts’ five-year contract ended, he demanded partial ownership, which Griffith misinterpreted as asking for half of his ownership claim. When he refused, Griffith took his talents elsewhere.