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Justice of the Peace

As described on MeTV.com: "When the pilot was made, the character of Barney Fife had not yet been created. Andy Taylor was originally painted as a man who wore many hats in Mayberry, serving not just as sheriff, but other jobs too, like justice of peace, and it struck Andy Griffith that maybe this idea was a little too silly, even for a sitcom."

Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.

<i>Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.</i> aired from September 25, 1964, to May 2, 1969, and it starred Jim Nabors as Gomer Pyle, a good-natured and somewhat bumbling gas station attendant from Mayberry, North Carolina, who enlists in the United States Marine Corps.

He made the "big time" as a cop in Raleigh

After leaving the series, Don Knotts left the writers with the task of explaining what happened to the beloved Barney Fife. They decided to explain away his disappearance by writing that he "hit the big time" by landing a great police job in Raleigh.

Mayor of Mayberry

Mayor Stoner took over for Mayor Pike during Season 3 of the series. Mayor Pike was played by Dick Elliot, who died halfway through Season 2, and therefore needed to be replaced. There was never any explanation for his disappearance, with the writers leaving it up the imagination of viewers.

Jackson

Not too much backstory is provided on Andrew Jackson Taylor, other than his attendance at a Mayberry high school. As the series opens, we find out that it's been several years since the passing or Opie's mother died; she died when Opie, in Andy's words, was "the least little speck of a baby".

Gun

In the episode cleverly called "TV or not TV," a production company discovers the article about Sheriff Taylor and comes calling, but Andy soon gets suspicious of the crew, who spend more time snooping around the Mayberry Security Bank than working on the show.

School teacher

Helen Crump was given her "ugly-sounding" name by the writers because the intended on her only appearing once. But when the producers became fond of Aneta Corsaut's portrayal of her, they extended her and she ended up becoming a permanent character. Helen was a teacher, and Opie and his friends called her "old lady Crump".

Raleigh

In the episode called "Goodbye, Sheriff Taylor," Andy heads to the state capitol for a possible job, and Barney starts his search for a new deputy. The pathetic candidates include Jud, Goober, and Otis. When Andy returns, he finds his beloved town in chaos, and is convinced to stay.

Otis

Otis Campbell worked as a glue dipper in a furniture factory and was a drunk during the weekend. He appeared on the show from 1960 to 1967, but eventually stopped showing up toward the end of the series because some of the sponsors expressed concerns about depicting the abuse of alcohol.

The New Andy Griffith Show

<i>The New Andy Griffith Show</i> was a short-lived fiasco in which Andy Griffith played Andy Sawyer, who becomes the mayor pro tem of the small town in which he grew up upon his return. Trying to replicate the feel and tone of Mayberry, the fake town in this series was called Greenwood, North Carolina, and had a population of about 13,000 people.

Throwing rocks

Bass referred to himself as "the best rock thrower in the county". His behavior was notoriously bad, he was brash and boastful, and he was rude with women. Basically, he was the town "rabble-rouser". Barney summed him up best: "He's a nut!"

"Nip it in the bud"

In the episode "One-Punch Opie," Barney delivers his famous "Nip it in the bud" speech, giving Andy some unsolicited parental advice. Barney had used this phrase before, but it was this episode that cemented it as his de facto catchphrase.

Pharmacist

Instead of referring to her as a pharmacist, Andy would often call Ellie a "lady druggist". Ellie Walker was intended to be a series regular, but only appeared 12 times, disappearing after the episode "The Guitar Player Returns".

Shirt pocket

Barney's one bullet was allotted to him after several misfires, which usually occurred with a Colt .38. Kept in his shirt pocket, Barney was to use the bullet only "in case of an emergency". One of the running jokes of the series was that Barney would load his gun for no reason and would end up firing it into the wall or the floor, or even into his own holster.

Morrison

In the episode, Opie reports to Andy that sisters Clarabelle and Jennifer Morrison have a "flower-making machine," which turns upon investigation by Andy and Barney turns out to be a moonshining still.

Vacuum salesman

In the episode that aired in Season 2, Barney is jealous of a law enforcement official named Bob Rogers, who is sent to Mayberry for some on-the-job training. Because Bob is so good, Barney is certain he's being shown the door, so he starts selling vacuums door-to-door. Needless to say, it was a false alarm, and Andy convinces Barney to come back.

A motorcycle

In "Barney's Sidecar," Fife buys an old World War II motorcycle in an effort to nab speeders on Route 6. But soon, the motorcycle has the townspeople up in arms because it's noisy, loud, and obnoxious. To solve the problem, Andy tricks Barney into donating it to the National Guard.

Virgil

Barney's cousin Virgil was a clumsy, awkward guy from New Jersey, inept at just about everything, except one thing: he knows how to pick a mean lock. In the episode "Cousin Virgil" from Season 2, Andy cultivates this talent by encouraging him to pick the cell door lock.

Kerosene

Of course, Barney is tactful enough not to say it to Aunt Bee's face, so instead of forcing himself to eat any more of her "kerosene cucumbers," Andy, Barney, and Opie substitute some store-bought ones for the ones Aunt Bee made. The plan backfires, and when Aunt Bee tries to enter then into a competition, the guys have to eat them all so she's forced to make her own batch.

Jack Nicholson

In the episode called “Opie Finds a Baby," Nicholson plays Mr. Garland, the father of an abandoned baby found by Opie. The next season he would play Marvin Jenkins, a defendant in a trial, in the episode "Aunt Bee The Juror" the next season.

Return to Mayberry

The film <i>Return to Mayberry</i> was the highest-rated television film of 1986, with 16 of the original cast members coming together to reprise their roles. Because of the success of the movie, there were plans to do more, but Griffith was already committed to <i>Matlock</i> at the time.

He's too small for the job

In the episode, Barney finds out that at 5'7" and 138 pounds, he doesn't meet the size requirements for the job, so he decides to quit. Andy, however, comes up with a plan to have Aunt Bee fatten him up and uses a harness to try to stretch him taller.

Barbara Eden

In an episode called "The Manicurist," which aired in 1962, Barbara Eden appeared as Ellen Brown, an attractive big city manicurist who stops in Mayberry, visits Floyd at the barbershop and gets hired immediately. She proceeds to lure the men in to get manicures, making the wives of Mayberry unhappy. Eventually, she's forced to move on.

Howard

In the race Aunt Bee and Howard Sprague, it's all about what side you're on. Andy, Goober and Floyd have all decided that Howard is the best candidate. Meanwhile, the Women's Club is all about Aunt Bee. Of course, Andy tries to convince her not to run, which only causes her to want it more!

5

More than half of the seasons of the show were filmed in black and white. In 1965, the series switched over to color. I all, there were 249 episodes - 159 in black-and-white and 90 in color.

Emmett's Fix-It

Because McNear was leaving the show, it was established in the episode called "Goober the Executive" that Floyd had earned enough money that he could retire and would be selling the shop. Soon afterwards, Emmett bought it and turned the same storefront into his Fix-It Shop.

North Carolina

Mayberry, North Carolina was based on Mt. Airy, North Carolina, which is where Andy Griffith grew up. Mount Airy is also known as Mayberry and called by both names by people who live there. According to the series itself, the town of Mayberry was named for fictional founder Lord Mayberry.

A fishing rod

Those were simpler times, when a man could name his fishing rod and not seem too quaint and out of touch. In an episode called "The Bed Jacket," Andy agrees to trade his prized fishing pole for a bed jacket that Aunt Bee desperately wants, but at the end of the episode he gets his pole back.

Warren Ferguson

Deputy Sheriff Warren Ferguson replaced Barney Fife in Season 6 of the series, but was short-lived (only appearing in 11 episodes) because he never took off as a character. It was hard to fill Barney's somewhat goofy shoes.

Leg of lamb

In the episode "A Wife for Andy," which aired in 1963, Barney's girlfriend makes a leg of lamb and Andy says "Leg of lamb? Good, good. That's my favorite dish." Barney proceeds to grill Helen Crump about whether she can prepare leg of lamb, to which she responds "Goodness, no. I wouldn't even know where to start" and adds "No, as a matter-of-fact, I'm a terrible cook." Welp!

Ben Weaver

In the episode, a play on the Dickens classic, storeowner Ben Weaver plays the role of the town's Scrooge and has bootlegger Sam Muggins thrown into jail. The people of Mayberry rally to Sam's cause and celebrate Christmas with him in a warm-hearted Southern way.

Foley's

Foley's market was visited often by Aunt Bee, Clara and Emma. The only real market in town, Foley's was sometimes referred to as "Crowley's Grocery" because the character Art Crowley managed it. In case you were wondering, coffee at Foley's was only 65 per can.

Thelma Lou

Andy had a series of girlfriends in the series, the most notable of which was Helen Crump, whom Andy marries in the first episode of <i>Mayberry RFD</i> called "Andy and Helen Get Married". Thelma Lou was actually Barney Fife's girlfriend on the series.

"The Fishin' Hole"

"The Fishin' Hole" is the most recognizable music from the series, whistled by none other than Earle Hagen, who co-wrote the tune. The series was also known for "The Mayberry March", which was used throughout the show as background music.

The Danny Thomas Show

<i>The Andy Griffith Show</i> was essentially "born" on February 15, 1960 on <i>The Danny Thomas Show</i> (which was known as <i>Make Room for Daddy</i> in its first three seasons. In the pilot episode, Danny travels through Mayberry and gets pulled over for running a stop sign by Sheriff Andy Taylor. That's when Danny learns that Andy is also the justice of the peace, the mayor of the town, and a bunch of other jobs. The two become friends, and the rest becomes TV history.

They were cousins

In three of the first episodes of the show, there are references to Andy and Barney being cousins, which explains how someone as inept and bumbling as Barney would get to be deputy of the town. The idea of them being cousins was eventually not referenced anymore.

Harmonica

In the episode, called "The Loaded Goat," Mayberry residents are worried that the goat might explode and destroy the town. Andy and Barney figure out that music soothes the animal, so Barney jumps on the challenge, and the goat follows him out of town to the sound of Barney's harmonica.

Blue

You could say that Barney's dog Blue is inept. When Barney tried to train Blue to be a crime fighter, Blue ends up liking the criminal more than Barney. The only way Andy and Barney can get Blue to attack the scofflaw is by blowing their dog whistle, which Blue hates so much it encourages him to do his job.

Elixer

The Morrison sisters were featured in an episode called "Alcohol and Old Lace." As an example of the more progressive and/or sympathetic side of Sheriff Andy, instead of arresting the sisters, he only has Barney take his ax to the still to destroy it.

One

Although cousins, Gomer and Goober Pyle only appeared together one time during the run of the series, and that was in the episode from 1964 called "Fun Girls." They did appear together in Gomer's spin-off series, however.

Rose

Rose Pine was the original housekeeper for the Taylor family before Andy's aunt arrived. After she got married to Wilbur Pine at the town's courthouse and left, she took care of their household. Opie loved Rose so much that he tried to hit Wilbur with a box of rice to keep him from taking Rose away from them.

Snails and brains

While dining at the restaurant, Andy makes a sensible order of steak, while Barney, trying to seem sophisticated, points to two fancy words on the menu and gets served snails and brains.

Ange

The nickname was a term of endearment, created by Don Knotts as a combination of "Andy" and "Griffith". It was something that Don Knotts often used off-screen when referring to his friend and co-star.

Juanita

Juanita Beasley was the name of the hash-slinging girlfriend of Barney Fife that was never actually seen. A waitress at the Bluebird Cafe, she was established as Barney's second girlfriend, and was mentioned up through Season 5.

They were of different states

During the series, some of the maps that are on the wall behind Andy's desk were actually representations of Idaho and western Montana. Even stranger than that, they were upside down. There is even one map that depicts the border between Nevada and California, also upside-down. Could a P.A. not find North Carolina maps anywhere?

Mr. McBeevee

The writers had a tradition of starting each new season with a story that put Opie in some sort of emotional situation. In the episode "Mr. McBeevee," which opened the 3rd season of the show, Andy doesn't believe his son and his tall tales of an imaginary man; later, Opie is vindicated when Andy meets Mr. McBeevee who happens to be a telephone line worker.

Mayberry Union High

Barney and Andy graduated in 1945 from Mayberry Union High School, whose mascot was the Bears. The yearbook from the 1945 graduating class from Mayberry Union was seen in the episode "Class Reunion," in which Barney and Andy see photos of their classmates and decide to throw a class reunion.

Elm and Maple

In one episode of the series, Aunt Bee says that the address where they live is 332 Maple Street, but in another episode, Barney says it is 24 Elm Street. We'll never know which it was. If you know any writers from the show, let us know what you're able to find out.

Ford Galaxie

A nearby Ford dealer supplied the producers of the series with a Ford Galaxie for free as soon as a new model came out. In all, more than 10 different Ford Galaxies were used throughout the run of the series.

6 to 14

Ron Howard started playing the role of Opie when he was just 6, and played it for 8 years. By the time the series ended in 1968, Howard was ready to move on to small role in <i>Land of the Giants</i> and <i>Daniel Boone</i>, which led to his major role in <i>Happy Days</i> just 5 years later, when he was 19.

Uneven sideburns

The running gag of Floyd being unable to evenly trim sideburns was established by William Baldwin, who only played Floyd for one episode. After January 1961, Floyd was played for the rest of the fun by Howard McNear, who first appeared in the episode called "Mayberry Goes Hollywood".

Movie theater

Andy Taylor worked at the Grand Theater, one of the staples of Mayberry's social scene. It's often called the "Mayberry Theater" for short, and is featured in many episodes; Opie and Gomer check out sci-fi movies there, and Andy and Barney bring their dates there. On Saturday nights, the theater stays open late.

Myers Lake

Described as "beautiful and romantic" by <i>Andy Griffith Show</i> character Nancy Hughes, Myers Lake can be seen in the opening sequence of every episode of the series, and was also a popular fishing hole for Barney and Andy. Additionally, Opie and his friends hang out there, and in one episode find vagabond David Browne camping around the lake.

The Dillards

The Darlings, pronounced as the "Darlins" with the typical Southern accent, lived in the mountains near Mayberry. They were made up of a patriarch and 5 grown children, who all lived together and formed a country/bluegrass band. Following the rules of 1950s stereotypes, they were portrayed as backward, ignorant "hillbillies".

Good Fellowship

The group, called Regal Order of the Golden Door to Good Fellowship was also known as the Mayberry Lodge, and was akin to a Masonic Lodge. It's a real honor to be part of the group, and in an episode called "The Lodge," Goober blackballs Howard when he applies for membership, after Howard's mother lies to Goober to stonewall his membership.

Nora and Ollie

Ollie is married to Aunt Bee's sister Nora, and is therefore Andy's uncle. When Nora and Ollie come to Mayberry, they quickly wear out their welcomes, so in order to get them to leave early, Andy tells them some convicts are heading straight to Mayberry.

John F. Kennedy was elected president

<i>The Andy Griffith Show</i> premiered in 1960 and ran for 8 years on CBS. In total there were 249 half-hour episodes - 159 of them in black and white and 90 in color. Amazingly, the series never placed lower than seventh in the Nielsen ratings.

Suzie Jo

Barney married his long-time girlfriend Thelma Lou in the movie <i>Return to Mayberry</i> in 1986. He also dated Miss Rosemary, who had a big crush on him, and Hilda Mae, who appeared in the episodes called "Ellie for Council," "The Christmas Story," and "Andy Saves Barney's Morale".

The governor

In the episode called "Barney and the Governor," Barney unknowingly tickets the governor's car for parking illegally. When the governor comes to Mayberry afterward, Barney is terrified he's going to lose his job, when in reality the governor just wants to congratulate him on a job well done.

Desilu Culver

<i>The Andy Griffith Show</i> was famously filmed at Desilu Culver, the same studio from <i>I Love Lucy</i> fame. The exteriors for the series were filmed at Forty Acres in Culver City and the wood/outdoor scenes were filmed at Franklin Canyon not far from Beverly Hills.

Greendale

In the episode "Sheriff Barney," the nearby town of Greendale reaches out to offer Barney the job of Sheriff. Of course Andy discourages him, believing that Barney isn't ready to make the leap into such an important job. So Andy decides to show Barney what being a sheriff is like by switching jobs with him for a day.

Postal inspector

Tired of being a postal inspector in the big city, Andy and his wife Helen return to Mayberry in the movie so Andy can get his old job as sheriff back. At that point, Opie was married and Andy was about to become a grandfather. We also find out that Aunt Bee had died several years before their return.

The Mayberry Chef

In the episode "The Mayberry Chef," Aunt Bee find out she'll be hosting her own cooking shot, but in true Aunt Bee fashion, is worried that the cooking at home will fall through the cracks. Andy assures her all will be OK, but he ends up trying his hand at cooking for the family, with decidedly mixed results.

Post

Post was a big sponsor of the show, and the characters from the series appeared in ads for Post Grape Nuts, Post Oak Flakes and Post Toasties. Other sponsors included Chocolate Jell-O Pie Filling and Sanka Coffee.

The Sound Committee

The episode, which aired towards the end of the run of the show in 1967, was called "Opie's Band," and featured Opie playing acoustic guitar. Before Andy sours on the whole thing, he suggests they call themselves "The Young Swingers".

At Wilton Blair's funeral

Not too much is known about this backstory, other than this conversation in the episode "Barney's Physical": Andy: "You met Thelma Lou?" Barney: "No, that was in 1960 at Wilton Blair's funeral." Andy: "Oh yeah." Barney: "Try again" Andy: "You moved into Miss Mendelbright's boarding house." Barney: "No."