Now, I never watched Matlock, but in my youth I was subjected to constant viewing of The Andy Griffith Show because my family, specifically my dad, loved it. I usually half-watched it, busy with a comic book or some other amusement, but I came to know all the characters in Mayberry fairly well. I would never claim to be a giant fan of the show, and couldn't quote episode titles or the like as could one of my college professors who helped research a book on the show (Hi, Dr. Lee), but some things stuck with me, even if I wasn't aware of them at the time. Family and friends are important. Be true to your word. Don't get too worked up about problems in the moment, as life tends to sort them out over time. It could have been preachy, and its small-town truisms certainly could have been seen as treacly, but it just felt like life, which is a credit to the people that wrote and performed the show. It felt authentic. This is the new golden age of television, but I don't know how many shows I can honestly describe as such these days.
At the center of the show, the moral center, if you will, was Andy Taylor, Mayberry's local sheriff. To his credit, Griffith never seemed afraid of being upstaged by Don Knotts, who even the unreasonable among us would admit created one of history's most indelible and memorable comedic characters in blundering deputy Barney Fife. Griffith as Taylor tended to win over a cadre of spirited locals and wayward relatives with a calm, understanding demeanor and thoughtful wisdom in just the right amounts. The fact that most episodes (and, yes, the black & white episodes are better than the colors) can stand up to scrutiny and remain funny to this day speaks outstandingly well of Griffith's instincts and the, yes, authenticity and universality of Mayberry and its inhabitants. As a writer of fictions myself, The Andy Griffith Show was an early lesson in creating consistent, empathetic characters and also an absolute masterclass in world-building. That last bit is a phrase most often used in fantasy, in creating the geography, iconography, and internal logic of a fictional locale, but if the object of building a world is to make it feel strange and familiar all at once, then Mayberry fits the definition.
I don't know that Griffith ever had the greatest range as a performer. The most I've seen him stretch is in Elia Kazan's A Face In The Crowd, and his Lonesome Rhodes could perhaps be described as Andy Taylor's dark mirror. He absolutely nails the part of a homespun con artist sick with power. But with The Andy Griffith Show he hit a sweet spot, and in many ways became the nation's father figure for a good portion of the 60's and beyond. One could make a case that he remained beloved because he was a symbol of steadfastness in a turbulent point in U.S. history, a decent man trying to do right even as the concept of right and wrong was being turned upside down.
Regardless, I am glad he was around, and I believe he will be for generations to come. Thanks to my dad for always having you on the TV, Andy. Rest in Peace.
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