Andy Griffith never did anything he couldn't do well, and Lucy recognized the trait

Griffith's work ethic was pretty intense!

August 16, 2024, 2:15PM By MeTV Staff

CBS Television Distribution

Effort is a funny thing. You want to make sure to give it your all. But in certain circumstances, it doesn't serve you to seem like you're giving it your all. Suddenly, your efforts are focused on giving the illusion of effortlessness. "Never let them see you sweat" is an oft-repeated adage. But it can take a lot of sweat to make it all seem easy. It's tough to balance hard work with poise.

Somebody who understood this conundrum well was Andy Griffith. As the star of The Andy Griffith Show, he was at the center of one of TV's most-praised enterprises. But that came with a cost. Everything in his career, up to that point, was intensely calculated, as Griffith and his advisors mitigated risk to maximize reward. Griffith ensured he was never involved in anything that didn't meet the highest quality-control standards.

According to the 1995 illustrated biography The Andy Griffith Story, fellow television luminary Lucille Ball recognized this trait and confronted Griffith about it during the production of a 1963 CBS special. The First Lady of TV approached Griffith while he was eating a sandwich during a lunch break and asked him, "You don't do anything you don't do well, do you?"

Griffith was forthcoming about the incident during a later recollection and showed a level of self-awareness rarely found in media stars.

"It's true. Lucy knew what I've just found out about myself. All my life I've been thrown into situations I couldn't always master. Riding a horse, teaching school, getting adjusted to new places, new situations. It's a long way from North Carolina to Hollywood. And mostly, if I couldn't do something right, I'd quit to save myself embarrassment. It drives me crazy not to be able to do something well. And, I drive people around me crazy, trying too hard, being so intense. Sometimes, I like to give my wife fits with this rebellion I've got going on inside. The only good thing is, I think I'm gaining on myself."

That mentality paid off, as Griffith left behind a legacy as one of the hardest-working actors in show business history.