In 1965, The Andy Griffith Show was at a true crossroads. With careers and network ratings that depended on the series' success, it seemed like show-biz scrutiny was at an all-time high. That's because a monumental shift was happening. The show was losing Don Knotts, who was gone for greener pastures in Movieland. It wasn't just that Mayberry would have to live on without Barney Fife, the whole show would have to be retooled in his absence.

When Andy Griffith spoke with Charles Witbeck of the Greenfield, Massachusetts Recorder-Gazette, he wasn't just giving an interview. Griffith was giving a State of the Series address, assuring viewers (and advertisers) that the show would go on.

"Next year we're going to have to be careful," said Griffith. "Now when we do a heavy show with Opie, a drama, we use Don to break that tone. He flies about and any messages go down easy."

Watch The Andy Griffith Show on MeTV!

Weeknights at 8 & 8:30, Sundays at 12 & 6 PM

*available in most MeTV markets

 Add to Favorites  Remind Me

But without Knotts at their disposal, the writers on The Andy Griffith Show would have to rely on new storytelling techniques. 

The interview also included some very telling language about the young Ron Howard, who Griffith had a clear admiration for. 

"We treat him like a little kid," Andy said of the actor playing Opie. "We don't give him a lot of presents and we don't see him when he's noting a scene. He goes to public school when not working and that's good for him.

"Ronny enjoys acting. He loves the business and he possesses a surprising amount of knowledge about his craft. Sometimes Don or myself has to say 'Think' or 'Energy' as we go into a scene and Ronny snaps into it. It's that instantaneous."

The series would increasingly depend on Howard's acting skills in each episode. As The Andy Griffith Show progressed, Opie would be centered in more stories, each seemingly deeper than the last.

"After Ronny does a good scene, I try to come up afterward and say, 'You did that well, Ronny.' Now he's doing it to me. When I finish he runs over and says, 'You did that well, Andy.'"