Mayberry had no psychiatrists, but the Andy Griffith Show cast were into mental health

Don Knotts and Andy Griffith saw psychiatrists — and even ribbed Don's doctor on the sitcom.

In "Barney's Sidecar," the overeager deputy gets carried away with his new motorcycle. Barney causes trucks to roar through downtown, tosses parking tickets like confetti, and even slaps Aunt Bee on the wrist for jaywalking. The townsfolk boil over. Even sweet Aunt Bee suggests violently clotheslining Barney on his bike. 

"I wish we had a psychiatrist in town," Andy bemoans to Aunt Bee.

It's a rare reference to mental health on The Andy Griffith Show, a show designed to make you feel warm and fuzzy inside. (Well, outside of Barney constantly noting that Ernest T. Bass is "a nut.") There is another hidden reference to a psychiatrist, but we'll get to that in a bit.

Mayberry may not have had a psychiatrist but behind the scenes, the stars were advocates of mental health.

In 1977, Andy Griffith sat down for an interview with the Chicago Daily News Service to promote his latest project, the made-for-TV movie The Girl in the Empty Grave. In the decade following The Andy Griffith Show, The 51-year-old struggled to shake the stereotype of the folksy sheriff. Audiences could not sense where the character ended and the actor began. The journalist asked Griffith the difference between his real persona and Andy Taylor.

"I don't think he ever would have gone to a psychiatrist," Griffith explained. 

He opened up about his struggles with mental health and his gratitude for his doctor.

"I put my fist through a wall one day on the set and I started to back into the corner," Griffith confessed. (This is why you can see a cast on Sheriff Taylor in two episodes.) After the incident, the sitcom's producer, Aaron Rubin, sat down with its star. "Am I going crazy?" Andy asked his colleague and friend.

"No," Rubin said. He instead recommended that Andy see someone.

"It took me three years to realize that my marriage was driving me crazy," Andy said. "When I [left her], I never felt better." The piece went on to add, "Now Griffith sees a psychiatrist once in a while."

Meanwhile, his best pal, Don Knotts, was in a decades-long relationship with a noted Hollywood psychiatrist. The revealing biography Andy and Don: The Making of a Friendship and a Classic American TV Show by Daniel de Visé, the brother-in-law of Knotts, lifted the curtain on the comedian's inner conflicts.

"By 1960, Don was hopelessly addicted [to sleeping pills]," de Visé wrote. "Don sought out Dick Renneker, a prominent Hollywood psychiatrist. Dick began seeing Don and quickly surmised what lay at the root of his maladies." Knotts was "still haunted by the childhood fears he was going to hell." 

Renneker helped Knotts kick the pills and find sleep.

"I'm convinced my dad wouldn't have made it [without Renneker's help]," Tom Knotts told de Visé. "He would have committed suicide or something."

Knotts clearly appreciated the work of Renneker. He and Andy made Renneker an honorary citizen of Mayberry. He turns up in an episode of The Andy Griffith Show — well, in a comical way.

In "The Shoplifters," just a few weeks after "Barney's Sidecar," Andy and Barney are sitting in the squad car people-watching. 

Dick Renneker gets a shout-out, misspelled in the subtitles.

"Howdy, Dick!" Andy hollers to someone off-camera. "Dick Renneker," he notes to Barney. Hey, a nice shout-out! Well, kind of. They then joke about his toupée. Extensively.

Renneker made headlines of his own. In July 1960, around the time he started seeing Knotts, Renneker was vacationing in Newport Beach, California. The doctor was enjoying a plate of swordfish when a suicidal man crept onto the ledge of a 10-story building nearby. 

Renneker left his meal and talked the man off the roof. How did he do it?

"You're ruining my dinner, you know that?" Renneker told the man. The guy came down from the roof.

"I lied to that fellow up there," Renneker confessed. "My dinner isn't ruined. It's only cold."

Watch The Andy Griffith Show on MeTV!

Weeknights at 8 & 8:30, Sundays at 6 & 6:30 PM

*available in most MeTV markets
Are you sure you want to delete this comment?
Close

25 Comments

bagandwallyfan52 29 months ago
Rest In Peace
Betty Lynn
Thelma Lou
The Andy Griffith Show
FLETCH 30 months ago
I know I'm in the minority here because I've mentioned this before and many people disagree with me and that's totally fine. Agreeing to disagree is what civil people do.

But I can't stand Ernest T. Bass! I won't watch any episode that he is in. He is terrible for my mental health
Zip FLETCH 30 months ago
That's totally fine with me, as well. Personally, I love Ernest T. I think he is a hoot and he added so much weirdness and complication to the town of Mayberry.
I still would have liked to have seen Ernest T actually join the military and get his own show like Gomer did. Can you imagine the chaos he would have caused and the hijinks which would have ensued?! He would have been like the anti-Gomer. Where Gomer was simple, polite and naive, Ernest would have been manic, uncouth and intense.
Could have been very entertaining. For a while anyway.
JohnHFoster FLETCH 26 months ago
Although I enjoy Howard Morris and the character of "Ernest T. Bass", I can certainly understand how his portrayal could trigger anxiety and agitate. This character runs in the red pretty much all of the time, and appears to suffer from what we used to call "hyperactivity"--what psychiatrists now refer to as Attention Deficit Disorder(ADD). We also have to keep in mind that this character basically lived like a coyote; his clothes and unkempt appearance suggest he might have resided not in a proper house type dwelling--but more likely a shack or cave like enclosure to get some sort of protection from the elements. As many stories can attest to, the backwood folks deep in the hills didn't really embrace or understand him. Not motivated by malice, I don't believe....here's a man who just like most of us has the need for love, connection, and community. He is all hyper energy and unusual stamina--coupled with a complete deficit of couth and public decorum. We witness this every episode the character appears. And I could only be around him in small doses; he would wear my nerves to a frazzle just trying to stay up with him and the chaos he constantly brings. His heart for being a reciprocal member of society is cancelled out by his rapid impulse to fly at Mach speed with the first thought that enters his mind. Animal in one sense...yet some innate human brilliance as well. He knew how to break out of jail if he wanted, several quick and sure fire ways to get a possum out from under a rock, and found his own method--from a place of zero formal education or home schooling--for performing basic addition and subtraction. And don't forget...his natural yearning for female affection was never reciprocated beyond a short period. Even Barney Fife had a pretty girlfriend who was into him despite his neuroses and overreacting to many situations--in attempt to justify his life made a positive difference. A deep sense for finding reason that would clarify even his justification for being. This legendary comedy known as The Andy Griffith Show gets under our skin because we share common and varied traits of the characters that connects us to revisit Mayberry over and over again. It's the human condition; the joys and sorrows, breaking up and making up, failing and getting back up. Something in a lot of us needs to experience the constant of every single episode: No matter what happens, it's all gonna turn out okay at the end.
JohnHFoster FLETCH 26 months ago
When I wrote agitate, I meant to write agitation.
WGH 30 months ago
Maybe we shouldn't be joking about Ernest T. Bass and mental health issues when the article talks about Don Knotts being actually suicidal, and Andy Griffith being self-destructive due to mental health issues.

I think we should try to be respectful of what the article is trying to accomplish. That it's okay to seek help when you need it.

But I do agree that television and movies are a huge stress reducer for a lot of people in their lives. A form of escapism. But it's not enough for some people. That's when it's okay to get help.
LoveMETV22 WGH 30 months ago
The article seems to be a condensed version of the mental health of AG and DK with a little ETB for good measure. Not a bad story overall. Unfortunately AG and DK both had their issues and fortunately were able to overcome some of them.
NanC 30 months ago
I recommend the "Andy & Don" book. It's a very interesting read.
Beachel 30 months ago
Could Clara really play the organ? My vote is No.
Zip 30 months ago
"Mayberry had no psychiatrists"

Mayberry didn't need psychiatrists. Just living in Mayberry would have been therapy. At least for me.
It's too bad the actors couldn't find the same relaxation in Mayberry that we as viewers do. But I know that real life has a tendency to intrude.
I never knew Don Knotts feared that he was going to hell. That's sad to me. I hope he knew that repenting, believing in and trusting in Jesus Christ was all that he needed to avoid that fate.
ELEANOR Zip 30 months ago
I'm sure that he trusted in Jesus and suddenly there was an answer to his prayer which was to have sessions with Dick Renneker,
Zip ELEANOR 30 months ago
Could be.
Andybandit 30 months ago
Interesting story. Too bad about Don Knotts. He was a funny actor. Especially in Three's Company.
ELEANOR Andybandit 30 months ago
As I understand it, Don Knott's father fought some internal demons all of his life and made family life "interesting." It is truly amazing that Don was able to become a successful actor and in spite of his sleep problems, still was able to put all of that aside when the flapping board flapped and the camera rolled.
Andybandit 30 months ago
This comment has been removed.
LoveMETV22 Andybandit 30 months ago
Not a bad story overall. I also liked Norman Fell and Audra Lindley on TC prior to Don Knotts. There are a few interesting backstories on the series:
Don Knotts was asked by TC producers to fill the role, no audition necessary.
Andy Griffith thought Don was awful on Threes Company.
Don backed Suzanne Somers salary increase request at the end of the 5th season, where she wanted the same salary as John Ritter, the network said no and her run on the show ended.
harlow1313 30 months ago
This is an interesting read, at least to me. It can be nice to speak openly to a non-judgmental other. In this madhouse world, It's a wonder we all aren't nutty as Ernest T.
Load previous comments
Maverick66 30 months ago
This comment has been removed.
LoveMETV22 Maverick66 30 months ago
Just curious which episode did he say that in "I ain't talkin', I ain't talkin'. The more you're asking, the more I'm balkin'." I googled it and couldn't find it. Thanks
Maverick66 LoveMETV22 30 months ago
I'm pretty sure it was when he tried to join the Army. He kept breaking out of the jail & Andy asked, "How do you keep gittin' outta here?" Ernest T.'s response was that rhyme.
LoveMETV22 Maverick66 30 months ago
Thank You
Are you sure you want to delete this comment?