Important Note:
Opinions are fun. My friends tell me I am someone with lots of opinions and that's fine since I don't get mad at others when they disagree with me. In this same spirit I am interested in hearing yours views as long as you are able to share your views without boiling over. I look forward to hearing from you. I tend to write in the form of short essays most of the time, but contributions do not need to be in this same format or size. Some of the content here will date itself pretty quickly, other content may be virtually timeless, this is for the reader to judge.
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Why I can’t stop watching the Andy Griffith show
Posted at: Jul/11/2012 : Posted by: mel
Related Category: Perspectives,
A few days ago, July 3 of 2012 to be specific Andy Griffith passed away at age 86. I am not going to eulogize him here. Some actors are remembered for the skill and character they bring to a role. These performances lead you to feel the role could not have been done as well by anyone else. In other cases, we remember an actor more for the project they were associated with and its timeless value. While the last episode of the Andy Griffith Show was produced in 1968, I understand it has never been off the air. I have to say that I never saw an episode of the Andy Griffith Show in prime time. Growing up, the one television in our house was exclusively my Father’s. For the few hours that the set might have been on during any given evening it was likely tuned to news or some educational programming. In truth, my Father’s TV in its beautiful wooden cabinet was mostly used as a piece of furniture to support some framed pictures of relatives I can no longer recall. I did not really get an opportunity to start absorbing the good and bad of television content until the early 1980’s when I bought my first set and planted it in my small apartment. With the addition of cable shortly after I purchased my TV I was introduced to a host of programs I had missed as a child that were now rerunning in syndication. Very few of the shows actually captured my attention, but the list of the few that did includes the Andy Griffith Show. The Andy Griffith Show debuted in 1960 and evolved around the iconic Sheriff Andy Taylor. The program inspired a host of other shows including “The Beverly Hillbillies”, “Green Acres”, “Gomer Pyle, USMC” and Petticoat Junction.” None of the aforementioned had the staying power of The Andy Griffith show which lasted for 8 seasons. The show’s longevity power was probably related to its folksy charm without taking the characters or plots too far off into the ridiculous. Basically the program presented a utopian image of small town America and the different pace it moves at. Everything about the show evoked something simple. Unlike some of the shows that were inspired by it at the time, “Andy” was never wacky. The storylines were plausible and the characters seemed authentic. The other television programs with fictionalized country or rural characters made fun of their values or their approach to life. The people of the fictional town of Mayberry and what it represented were never held up for ridicule; instead the show celebrated the hyper-mellow pace of small-town life. Even the cinematography and direction seem to focus on the simple and mellow. In truth, I don’t know reality from fiction with respect to small-towns and rural life. I have spent my entire life in various large cities on the west coach enjoying the activity level and periodically being frustrated by the noise, crowds and intolerance. In Mayberry we have the image of no secrets. Everyone knows everyone and has for their entire lives. In a situation such as this deception and lying are of no value. Faced with this unique openness, outsiders who come to Mayberry quickly find their slick ways and self-serving words of little value. The lessons of life become simple, tell the truth and be good to your neighbor. When problems did come to Mayberry, rather the rolling the SWAT team, having a high speed chase or piecing together some elaborate collection of evidence for a conclusion no one expected we have “simple common sense.” The purveyor of this common sense was nearly always Sherriff Taylor. Andy was the personification of what we dream Law and Order will look like. He is the corner policeman and the jailer, executing each situation with the wisdom of King Solomon and the charm of your grandfather. Setting aside the modern tools of policing, he maintained law and order through personal relationships, all the while abhorring the well-meaning but overzealous violence sometimes represented by the crusading-but-bumbling deputy Barney and his single bullet. Of course, it’s television, so it’s a homogenized view of the world. There is no doubt that modern political correctness has taken its toll on the program as well as the passing of the years. I don’t recall ever seeing an African-American in this fictional North Carolina town. Could or should a show be made that way again? It is also hard to imagine a character like the town drunk Otis being tolerated on TV today; rather than recurring visits to the town jail, he would now be sent to a rehab facility and likely never seen again. While the program is dated and Mayberry may only be an idealistic fantasy, I still like it and I suspect that’s why. Rather than being a reflection of the challenges of modern life, Sherriff Taylor and the town of Mayberry give us a peaceful refuge from all that is our modern world. This idyllic image of the joys of country life is the overarching narrative of the Andy Griffith Show and fundamentally why it seems to be so timeless. Later in his career, Andy Griffith starred in the program “Matlock” where he again found sustaining success. While Matlock was a wily attorney, he too dispensed folksiness and Southern charm. Some of the articles I have read say this down home sit on the porch character was just Andy Griffith being himself, if so that would explain why he did it so well. Despite this special persona, it should be noted that Andy Griffith has also played a great villain. His film début came in 1957 with the film “A Face in the Crowd.” Playing opposite Patricia Neal, Griffith plays a backwoods drifter who becomes a TV host. As his political power grows, so too does his personality evolve, becoming more and more maniacal. It's an amazing performance, especially when contrasted with the roles he is most noted for clearly showing his range as a skilled actor. While Andy Griffith has passed on, the role of Sherriff Taylor, cool, calm and never rushed lives on keeping the peaceful town of Mayberry safe from the chaos of our world. Folksy wisdom aside, television is as much escapism as it is anything else. If you need your dose of peace and simplicity where problems have simple solutions, visit Mayberry once in a while.
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