Stories
A rare look at Andy's family life when The Andy Griffith Show premiered
"I'm the best old man in the world," Andy boasted in 1960.
June 16, 2021, 8:48AM
A much more mellow Don Rickles got invited to visit Mayberry
The insult comic got married the same year he appeared on The Andy Griffith Show, and he said his wife helped keep the sting in his nightclub act.
June 14, 2021, 1:48PM
Barney Fife's bank robbery episodes reflected a real rise in heists in America
In 1965, the deputy found $250,000 from a bank heist. That year, bank robbery losses hit the highest levels yet recorded: $3.9 million.
June 10, 2021, 12:40PM
Nobody predicted the crazy bidding war for Aunt Bee's dusty 1966 Studebaker
Frances Bavier didn't learn to drive until the age of 50. After that, she only drove Studebakers.
June 8, 2021, 9:17AM
Don Knotts met a real Barney Fife once directing a parade in his hometown
The Andy Griffith Show star even shared a funny exchange with the local sheriff who had to deal with the deputy.
June 1, 2021, 8:40AM
Hal Smith's happy home life was the complete opposite of Otis Campbell's Mayberry marriage
Married for more than 50 years, soulmates Hal and Louise Smith are all the proof we need that the saying is true: happy wife, happy life!
May 24, 2021, 9:13AM
Don Knotts found the inspiration for his comedic persona at an awkward 1950s dinner banquet
How a "violently and hilariously nervous" speaker brought Knotts back to being a funnyman.
May 10, 2021, 11:37AM
Even celebrities couldn't resist doing impressions of Barney Fife
Guess which TV stars grew up doing Barney Fife impressions. Hint: One was later his costar.
May 10, 2021, 8:52AM
13 familiar Mayberry faces (besides Don Knotts) that pop up in The Ghost and Mr. Chicken
Look for all these Andy Griffith Show actors in the spooky comedy!
April 30, 2021, 10:33AM
Andy Griffith hid a sweet tribute to his wife in the episode where Opie loves Helen
When Andy tells Opie about his first crush, he's really describing his first wife!
April 29, 2021, 8:55AM
Stories from Andy Griffith's makeup artist inspired many hilarious events in Mayberry
"He was a wild, wonderful man," Andy once said.
April 27, 2021, 12:21PM
Ever wonder what the ''T'' in Ernest T. Bass stands for?
The Mayberry hillbilly's name has surprising connections to Hitchcock and the TV movie Brian's Song.
April 20, 2021, 8:40AM
9 times Parley Baer played a mayor on TV
His roles on The Andy Griffith Show and The Addams Family were just two of his many TV terms in office!
April 19, 2021, 1:28PM
The former home of Aunt Bee is for sale in North Carolina
Frances Bavier lived her later years in Siler City, NC.
April 19, 2021, 11:18AM
Just once Denver Pyle wanted to play the guy who gets the girl
Aunt Bee was just another in a long line of ladies who rejected the veteran character actor onscreen.
April 14, 2021, 8:31AM
Bernard Fox wanted Malcolm Merriweather to replace Barney Fife
The actor who played Andy's English valet once shared his dream of what happened after Malcolm left Mayberry.
April 8, 2021, 8:38AM
Andy Griffith got his start earning $35 and performing at banks
The actor returned to North Carolina for a hero's welcome in 1958.
April 6, 2021, 10:56AM
Rance Howard won baby Ron Howard his debut movie role by jumping off a balcony
Here's a father who would do anything to see his son succeed. It took a tomahawk to get baby Ron to cry on cue.
March 31, 2021, 9:29AM
The Andy Griffith Show appears in the Looney Tunes animated universe
So that's what a cartoon Mayberry looks like.
March 29, 2021, 9:41AM
The Mayberry farmer was a Perry Mason medical examiner and Star Trek pioneer
Jon Lormer can be seen all over classic TV.
March 25, 2021, 10:13AM
R.I.P. Kim Tyler, former child star of 'Please Don't Eat the Daisies' and 'The Andy Griffith Show'
He played Opie's chum Billy Gray.
March 23, 2021, 4:03PM
Ron Howard made an exit plan to grow out of kiddie roles
He said The Andy Griffith Show had his back early on, helping him go much further than the average child star.
March 23, 2021, 10:31AM
Here's a peek into Andy Griffith's backyard wedding to a Seventies ''flower child''
Ken Berry said the bride and groom made the most unlikely couple he ever saw.
March 23, 2021, 9:33AM
Julie Adams saw the simple life as a thing of beauty
Sheriff Andy's one-time sweetheart was a beauty queen who grew up loving all things wholesome.
March 16, 2021, 1:22PM
Andy Griffith snuck a nod to his musical hero into an episode of The Andy Griffith Show
A jazz legend is hidden in "Sheriff Barney."
March 8, 2021, 2:26PM
You could say this trip to Mayberry made a big impact on Bill Bixby
After appearing on The Andy Griffith Show, Bixby played "himself" on a show about a widowed father bonding with his 6-year-old son.
March 8, 2021, 10:14AM
Don Knotts lived the story at the heart of ''Opie's Hobo Friend''
As a boy, Knotts befriended passers-through at his mother's boarding house.
March 3, 2021, 9:04AM
Andy Griffith's ''Woman Speeder'' essentially recycled the plot to its pilot episode
And there was another connection to The Danny Thomas Show right under your nose.
March 1, 2021, 11:20AM
The farmer Rafe Hollister passed on a chance to be one of Mayberry's biggest breakout stars
Jack Prince turned down a chance to be a series regular but said he was proud to be a small part of The Andy Griffith Show.
February 16, 2021, 9:29AM
14 revealing and rollicking behind-the-scenes photos from The Andy Griffith Show
See Andy hanging with his costars, wife and manager on the set of Mayberry.
February 3, 2021, 11:20AM
Mayberry's Joyce Jameson was the most ''Fun Girl'' Robert Vaughn ever met
The Man from U.N.C.L.E. star thought his friend deserved to be the next Carol Burnett, but she was typecast.
February 1, 2021, 9:28AM
All of Mayberry's money talk revolved around sharing one's good fortune
Howard McNear's son Kit got emotional describing Andy Griffith's "big heart" and generous spirit.
January 29, 2021, 2:53PM
Is this the most mysterious lovely lady we ever met in Mayberry?
Josie Lloyd emerged from her father Norman Lloyd's shadow on Alfred Hitchcock Presents, but later she just disappeared.
January 28, 2021, 5:23PM
You never saw Barney Fife faint for a reason
Don Knotts had a real problem feeling faint in big life moments.
January 22, 2021, 8:54AM
Betty Lynn hid her secret crush on Andy Griffith so she wouldn't ''hurt anyone's feelings''
Andy once wrote to Betty Lynn, ''You were Don's girl, but you should’ve been mine.''
January 13, 2021, 10:21AM
Frank Sutton was ''the perfect sergeant for Gomer''
A secret intellectual, the Sergeant Carter actor ''had a built-in sense of comedy and timing.''
January 12, 2021, 10:52AM
Joining Opie's boy gang was the ultimate fun for these child actors
Plus: Ron Howard described what it was like to be in the boy gang on Dennis the Menace.
January 11, 2021, 9:54AM
Allan Melvin quietly became ''one of TV's most recognizable faces''
The actor appeared regularly on major sitcoms from the 1950s to the 1980s, but he called his popularity ''a cult thing.''
January 6, 2021, 9:17AM
Did you know Rambo's mentor once rescued The Andy Griffith Show?
Richard Crenna saved the day in 1963. He also brought a new perspective to Mayberry — and rethought the front door. Did you notice?
December 29, 2020, 11:36AM
The Darlings had this feedback after their first appearance on The Andy Griffith Show
Plus: The story behind the Dillards' audition is as funny as an episode of the show.
December 16, 2020, 9:12AM
There's a good reason why Helen Crump has such an ugly sounding name
The writers were just as surprised as Sheriff Andy that Crump became his love interest.
December 15, 2020, 8:50AM
This Christmas, thank Santa Claus for believing in Don Knotts
The Jolly Old Elf encouraged Knotts to pursue his showbiz career. Knotts: "Don't tell me there's no Santa Claus!"
December 10, 2020, 9:33AM
Parley Baer fondly remembered being with his ''dearest friends'' on The Andy Griffith Show
Find out how Otis and Mayor Stoner passed time as friends in the real world.
December 8, 2020, 10:05AM
Tatum O'Neal perfectly described the allure of her mother, Joanna Moore of The Andy Griffith Show
"She was extraordinarily beautiful," her daughter gushed.
December 7, 2020, 11:12AM
Don Knotts laughed so hard in this Andy Griffith Show scene, it had to be reshot 20 times
Even a comedy pro couldn't help but to crack up and ruin the scene over and over again.
November 30, 2020, 1:50PM
Opie's friend Joey reached out decades later to remember that time Don Knotts dressed up as an old lady
Child actor Joe Stannard was also frequently Ron Howard's stand-in.
November 30, 2020, 9:02AM
A determined fan used his wedding to break through Frances Bavier's wall of silence
You could say he was the last fan to get advice from Aunt Bee.
November 24, 2020, 3:57PM
Andy Griffith once teased Don Knotts for not being a ''tough dad''
Don's daughter Karen tells a hilarious story about Andy's parenting advice behind the scenes of The Andy Griffith Show.
November 24, 2020, 8:58AM
Andy's dad Carl Griffith made a brief cameo on The Andy Griffith Show
Here's why some say Carl was the inspiration for Sheriff Andy.
November 17, 2020, 9:15AM
Hal Smith faced a little backlash for playing Otis Campbell
"I enjoy making people happy as Otis."
November 2, 2020, 8:49AM
The ''Stranger'' of Mayberry later became of mayor of 'Newhart'
Really, Floyd the Barber was the true stranger in this tale.
October 30, 2020, 4:20PM
Don Knotts perfected the comedic art of being scared
"People seem to enjoy the idea of seeing me get scared."
October 26, 2020, 8:46AM
10 actors from The Andy Griffith Show who voiced major cartoon characters
You can find members of Peanuts and the Justice League in Mayberry!
October 20, 2020, 12:03PM
You heard that right, Goober had a different name in one 'Andy' episode
Who the heck is Beasley?
October 9, 2020, 3:49PM
8 episodes of The Andy Griffith Show that dabble with the supernatural
Get into the spooky seasonal spirit with these hilariously eerie episodes.
October 5, 2020, 4:38PM
Was Count Istvan Teleky on The Andy Griffith Show a real person?
“Count Istvan Telesky exists!”
October 5, 2020, 9:10AM
Betty Lynn explained how Thelma Lou became Barney Fife's great love
There was no plan to bring Thelma Lou back until Betty Lynn got cast.
September 21, 2020, 9:04AM
Did you ever notice this imposter Floyd the Barber on The Andy Griffith Show?
Howard McNear missed more than 40 episodes due to health issues, but they quietly found a substitute.
September 8, 2020, 2:46PM
This telephone directory is from Andy Griffith’s real hometown
Blink and you'll miss this rare reference to Mount Airy.
September 8, 2020, 8:44AM
60 things you might not know about The Andy Griffith Show
And that's just the tip of the iceberg with this rich, rewarding sitcom. Happy birthday, Mayberry!
August 31, 2020, 3:40PM
Hoke Howell put all of himself into Dud Wash
How Ernest T. Bass' biggest rival was born.
August 31, 2020, 9:15AM
10 things you never knew about the Fun Girls of The Andy Griffith Show
Joyce Jameson and Jean Carson were nothing like their (many) Mayberry characters. See their debut on Monday at 8PM | 7C.
August 14, 2020, 11:25AM
This Mayberry actress promised to not get married to further her sci-fi career
Apparently, she never wed. Her final two TV appearances were on The Andy Griffith Show.
August 10, 2020, 9:05AM
Ken Berry's wife showed up in Mayberry long before he did
Jackie Joseph made a memorable dance partner for Ernest T. Bass.
August 6, 2020, 4:21PM
Barbara Eden's lone visit to Mayberry is hardly the only interesting thing about ''The Manicurist''
Two familiar Andy Griffith Show characters said goodbye — another secretly appeared.
July 29, 2020, 4:03PM
This Andy Griffith Show actress appeared on television just the one time
So what happened to Edris March of ''Ellie Saves a Female''?
July 15, 2020, 4:42PM
Elizabeth MacRae played the love interest to three different Mayberry actors
Remember her as Betty, Lou-Ann… and Ladyfish?
June 29, 2020, 3:09PM
Just one actress dated Sheriff Andy, Hoss, The Rifleman and Maverick
She went from scream queen to femme fatale — with a stop in Mayberry.
June 24, 2020, 10:12AM
10 details you never noticed in The Andy Griffith Show episode ''Opie's Newspaper''
Learn how war stories, haunted houses and high school memories influenced this beloved tale.
June 23, 2020, 11:46AM
This is arguably the most darling song to Sheriff Andy on The Andy Griffith Show
Read the lyrics to the final verse never heard on the show.
June 15, 2020, 11:20AM
9 things you never noticed in the reunion movie 'Return to Mayberry'
Did you notice Don's daughter and Judy Jetson?
May 20, 2021, 1:06PM
This week on The Month of Mayberry: The Best of 'The Bee Team'
The fourth week of The Month of Mayberry focuses on Bee, Gomer, Otis, Ernest and the rest! Here are some highlights.
May 22, 2020, 3:27PM
10 Mayberry residents you never noticed in movies made in the 1980s
You can find them in thrillers and teen comedies!
May 11, 2020, 4:27PM
This mysterious, unidentified Mayberry actress was the stand-in for Don Knotts
Nice Dress Nellie was the true ''Marvel'' of The Andy Griffith Show.
May 7, 2020, 11:19AM
6 details you never noticed in the Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. pilot episode
Take a closer look at this season-four finale of The Andy Griffith Show!
April 30, 2020, 3:32PM
This is quietly one of the biggest names in Mayberry
Do you know the Mendelbrights as well as the Darlings?
April 29, 2020, 8:50AM