Of course, as impressive as Andy Griffith's film debut in A Face in the Crowd (1957) was, it has always been The Andy Griffith Show that resonated with me the most. I remember for many years during my childhood, CBS would air repeats of The Beverly Hillbillies and The Andy Griffith Show back to back on weekday mornings. Later syndicated reruns would air on local stations around the country, including KRCG in Jefferson City and KPLR in St. Louis. As a someone who grew up on a farm outside a small town, The Andy Griffith Show appealed to me. I could sympathize with the characters who lived in Mayberry. As to Andy Griffith's character, Sheriff Andy Taylor, he reminded me a lot of my father, although my dad was a farmer rather than a sheriff. Both Andy Taylor and my father were laid-back. Both my father and Andy Taylor were empathetic and preferred solving problems with common sense instead of discipline. And, most importantly, both liked telling stories and had a bit of mischievous streak. I am sure I am not the only young viewer who saw a lot of his father in Sheriff Andy Taylor.
Regardless, The Andy Griffith Show would prove to be a game changer when it came to television. Prior to The Andy Griffith Show, the only rural sitcoms were The Real McCoys and Guestward ,Ho! (which debuted only a few days before The Andy Griffith Show). The Andy Griffith Show proved to be a smash hit and started a cycle towards rural comedies that lasted for most of the Sixties. The Andy Griffith Show would prove to be revolutionary in one other respect. It was very early in the show's run that it shifted from Sheriff Andy Taylor being the primary source of humour on the show to Sheriff Andy Taylor playing the straight man to the citizens of Mayberry, particularly his Deputy Barney Fife (Don Knotts). The Andy Griffith Show then became much more about Mayberry and, as a result, would inspire every show about eccentric small towns ever since, from Northern Exposure to Newhart to Gilmore Girls to Parks and Recreation.
Besides Andy Taylor, I have to think Andy Griffith's most significant role is Lonesome Rhodes in A Face in the Crowd (1957), even it if it isn't as well-known as Ben Matlock on the TV show Matlock. Sadly, A Face in the Crowd (1957) seems more pertinent now than it was when it was first released. The film centres on Lonesome Rhodes, who goes from being a drifter to the host of a successful local radio show which goes national and turns Rhodes into a figure with considerable influence, although one who is extremely dysfunctional as well. Rhodes was one part, Arthur Godfrey, one part Will Rodgers, and one part Huey Long. I have to suspect he reminds many viewers of a certain individual, although that individual lacks Rhodes's folksy style. Andy Griffith gave an incredible performance as Rhodes, one that should be counted among the greatest film debut performances of all time. Amazingly enough, Andy Griffith was not nominated for an Oscar for a performance. Even more amazing is that A Face in the Crowd (1957) was not nominated for any Academy Awards.
Of course, Andy Griffith might not have played Lonesome Rhodes if it had not been for another, much more pleasant character. Andy Griffith played Will Stockdale, the country bumpkin who is drafted into the United States Air Force, in the United States Steel Hour episode "No Time for Sergeants," which was based on the novel No Time for Sergeants by Mac Hyman. He reprised the role of Will Stockdale in the Broadway production No Time for Sergeants, which was an expanded version of the United States Steel Hour teleplay. The play would be adapted as the 1958 movie of the same name, in which Andy Griffith once more played Will Stockdale.No Time for Sergeants in its various forms would not only launch Andy Griffith' career as an actor, but an argument can be made that it had an impact on American popular culture over all. It seems likely that, along with The Real McCoys and The Andy Griffith Show, it was partially responsible for the cycle of rural comedies on American television in the Sixties. Indeed, there would be a sitcom based on No Time for Sergeants (with Sammy Jackson as Will Stockdale) and, for that matter, Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. (itself a spinoff of The Andy Griffith Show) was pretty much No Time for Sergeants, but in the Marines instead of the Air Force.
Andy Griffith played many other roles over they years. His show Matlock ran for nine seasons and is still seen in reruns to this day. He played Western movie extra Howard Pike in Hearts of the West (1975). Over the years he appeared on several TV shows, in several TV movies, and feature films.
Of course, Andy Griffith was a complicated figure. He was hardly like Andy Taylor in real life. On th one hand, his co-stars on The Andy Griffith Show, such as Don Knotts, and Ron Howard, always spoke highly of him. Barbara Eden, who guest starred in the episode "The Manicurist," has praised Andy Griffith as being both police and professional. On the other hand, there were former cast members of the show Matlock who have said that he was difficult to work with. He was known to be a perfectionist and known to have a severe temper. Andy Griffith was a far cry from Andy Talyor, but he was a far cry from Lonesome Rhodes as well.
While Andy Griffith may not have been the avuncular, gentle Andy Taylor he played on television, he left being an incredible legacy. He not only gave great performances, but even had an impact on television history. And, for many fans, he would have a lasting impact. To this day, The Andy Griffith Show remains one of my favourite shows.
