Of course Andy Griffith was the perfect high school boyfriend

Kids used to swoon over the future TV star’s teen romance in the halls.

The Everett Collection

Watching how Sheriff Andy copes with Opie growing up is the heart of The Andy Griffith Show, but in the show’s third season, suddenly there was also romance everywhere.

Helen Crump gets introduced as Opie’s new teacher (destined to be Andy’s future wife), and even Aunt Bee gets foolish with matters of her heart a few times. Then, of course, we watched as young Opie experiences how topsy-turvy crushes can be in episodes like "The Rivals."

Fans know that on the sitcom, as Opie gets older, his onscreen romances get more and more precious, and it’s natural for these viewers to think about how Andy was when he was in high school.

Likely for that reason, The Andy Griffith Show gave us "Class Reunion," another third season episode focused on romance, where Andy realizes that he may still have burning feelings for his old high school flame.

Season three gave viewers all this romance, but what it couldn’t give us was a glimpse of what Andy Griffith actually was like as a high school boyfriend.

Thankfully, the 2015 book Andy and Don: The Making of a Friendship and a Classic American TV Show filled in that gap, offering a glimpse of what young schoolboy Andy Griffith looked like walking the halls with his steady girlfriend.

According to the book, Griffith got into acting and music during his sophomore year at Mount Airy High, when an English teacher named Miss Haymore encouraged him to go all out, if singing and acting were the things he liked to do.

Griffith said she was the kind of teacher that "they used to make movies about" and that she changed his life forever when "She got me to understand that I was really doing something pleasurable, not only for other people but for myself."

As Griffith began exploring his love of music and dramatic arts, he found new confidence in himself, and he also found other loves, including his first love and longest high school romance.

According to the book, Andy’s steady girlfriend was named Angie Marshall, and she was the captain of the girls’ basketball team.

A classmate named Eleanor Powell said the pair went steady for three years and confirmed they were one of the hottest items on campus.

"All the younger students loved to watch as he turned on the school water fountain for her," Powell said.

Although Andy never described himself as popular in high school, this relationship was perhaps his earliest experience being in the public eye, with kids craning their necks in the halls to get a look at the long-time couple.

We’re sure when Griffith was filming "Class Reunion" and acting out scenes where he watched Opie experiencing first love, the TV star couldn’t help but recall striding the halls with his first love, Angie.

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44 Comments

chevy454 18 months ago
I didn't know i had people leaving me messages!! But as usual it's 3:15am and im watching Barney's sidecar!!
bagandwallyfan52 27 months ago
The Fun Girls episode of The Andy Griffith Show is on Tonight with:
Skippy
Daphne
Goober
Gomer
8:30pm


bagandwallyfan52 28 months ago
I liked ALL of Andy Taylor s
(Andy Griffith s)TV Girlfriends
In This Order:
Peggy McMillan (Joanna Moore)
Helen Crump Aneta Corsaut
Ellie Walker Elinor Donahue
Mary Simpson 2 Sue Ane Langdon
Alice Harper (Joanna McNeil)
Mary Simpson 1 Julie Adams
By the way Skippy and Daphne
Were very funny Fun Girls.
cheduff 28 months ago
The sparks were flying and the fire was hot between McQueen and Dunaway in “The Thomas Crown Affair.” Can I get a witness??
cheduff 28 months ago
The only thought that comes to me really is thank God Steve McQueen found Faye Dunaway.
cheduff 28 months ago
Aneta Corsaut also had an affair with Steve McQueen filming “Meet The Blob”. By far he was her best big catch. She must have been a wild one back in the day.
NSpidel06 28 months ago
My grandchildren and I watch Andy Griffith every night. They are 2 and 3 years old.
gb9535 NSpidel06 27 months ago
Me and my grands too. They love the theme song!
chevy454 gb9535 18 months ago
The fishing hole. I think Andy wrote it!!
chrissyvan0133 28 months ago
I absolutely love the Andy Griffith Show 😂🤣🥸
cheduff 28 months ago
In Adam-12 1975 episode “Ladies Night” you see Aneta Corsaut playing Martin Milner’s (Pete Malloy) girlfriend Judy. She really steps up for those law men. Yuck!
cheduff 28 months ago
I think that Helen Crump was more than an on-screen girlfriend to Andy. They were having a torrid real life relationship and that’s why both Peggy and Ellie got the boot.
chevy454 28 months ago
I watch all 130, of my favorite episodes everynight!! And seeing it's after 1am, and im still watching up in barney's room!! Ya im a fan!! 🥰🥰🙏🏼🙏🏼
gb9535 chevy454 27 months ago
There’s an entire Andy Griffith Show channel on Pluto Tv app! I love the oldies you can watch for free on that app!
chevy454 gb9535 24 months ago
I'm watching now at 1:05 am.
Avguy1099 28 months ago
One of the best TV comedies of all times. I still watch it
Avguy1099 28 months ago
One of the best all-time comedies. I still watch them
Zoemarie12 28 months ago
Her name should have been Helen Grump. Always getting jealous and so dramatic. "PLEASE STAY OUT OF MY BUSINESS! "The name is Helen Crump - CRUMP!" Geez!
Coldnorth Zoemarie12 28 months ago
Andy was always in trouble. Think of her poor students
LalaLucy 28 months ago
Like a lot of folks chiming in here, not a Helen fan. Bleah. If Elinor Donahue had been able to stay, she'd have my vote. Miss Peggy was also good.
BillO LalaLucy 28 months ago
If they were willing to give her screen credit, Elinor would have stayed.
TlorDagama 28 months ago
Helen was just a green eyed monster who relished her independence. She didn't need Andy and he certainly didn't need her. I think I stopped watching the show when she became a regular it wasn't fun anymore.
chrissyvan0133 TlorDagama 28 months ago
I totally agree with that. I couldn’t stand her
LoveMETV22 28 months ago
Like the " Class Reunion" episode. Wish they could of expanded the Sharon DeSpain role played by
Peggy McCay. She would have made a good character addition to the series.
Nala92129 LoveMETV22 27 months ago
She looked too old for Andy. And that gummy smile!
Andybandit 28 months ago
The class reunion episode was on Sunday June 13th. I wish Elle could have been Andy's wife.
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MrsPhilHarris dewayne6365 28 months ago
Yes I don’t understand why Helen was the one Andy liked. She seems so bitter at times.
JHP MrsPhilHarris 28 months ago
me too wonder why

I mean people who are cousins stay cousins:)
LoveMETV22 MrsPhilHarris 28 months ago
The Cousin "bit" was used in Season 1 to establish how Barney with his funny guy character potrayal and mannerisms was able to become Deputy. They rewrote the storyline afterwards to portray Andy and Barney as just friends.
MrsPhilHarris LoveMETV22 28 months ago
Yeah that sounds about right.
WordsmithWorks 28 months ago
I usually like deep dives, but this was a bit of a stretch.
Pacificsun WordsmithWorks 28 months ago
More of a shallow water tip toe. Yeah, these two have been reworked many times. The comments are predictable. But I'll repeat my observation. As a the Series' central character, Producers and AG didn't want any any upstaging by the parade of lovely young, talented, independent women who paraded past Andy's door. Else, they saw the handwriting on the wall.
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