''Splash'' (1983) was a mini–Andy Griffith Show reunion

The Tom Hanks vehicle also featured some Mayberry men!

August 27, 2024, 12:39PM By MeTV Staff

Buena Vista Distribution

Ron Howard's Splash was a historical movie for a few significant reasons. First, it proved that the burgeoning filmmaker was a commercially viable voice in Hollywood. Howard's sensibility, as a director, was crowd-pleasing, and Splash displayed his appeal to a wide audience. It was a hit, too, raking in $69 million at the box office, more than six times its budget.

Splash was also where many viewers were first made aware of Tom Hanks' onscreen charm. His palpable chemistry with co-lead Daryl Hannah propelled the story forward, and both actors' talent and charisma gave Splash a ton of replay value. While Hanks is a funny and capable comedic voice, he leaves the wackiest stuff to Canadian greats John Candy and Eugene Levy, who springboarded from Splash to higher-profile roles.

This particular movie is also notable for being the first Touchstone Pictures release. Touchstone was a Disney subsidiary that the mouse-house used to distribute its more adult-oriented fare from then on. Splash certainly isn't overly vulgar, but it wasn't exactly the family-friendly type of film Disney built its brand on.

But, one of the most interesting factoids about Splash is rooted in classic American TV. The movie serves as a kind of Andy Griffith Show reunion, as several actors appear in both that show and then this movie!

First, of course, the movie is directed by Opie himself, Ron Howard. It was the third film in Howard's directorial filmography, as it followed his earlier works, Grand Theft Auto and Night Shift. But, in a series of blink-and-you'll-miss-it cameos, Howard is joined by a few other Mayberry citizens. Eagle-eyed fans will spot a few Andy Griffith Show alums during the movie's runtime.

There's Clint Howard as an unnamed wedding guest. Leon is all grown up and in a tuxedo, here, as Clint acts in his third consecutive Ron Howard-helmed movie.

You'll also see family patriarch Rance Howard, as Mr. McCullough. Rance's character is haranguing Hanks about a recent fruit order that was so far unfulfilled. The eldest Howard frequently acted in his son's films, and Splash is no different. Rance Howard appeared in four episodes of The Andy Griffith Show, where the lifelong anchored starred as four different characters across seasons two, three, and four.

Finally, and most remarkably, is the more prominently featured Howard Morris, who stars in Splash as Dr. Zidell. Morris was, of course, a mountain man from outside Mayberry on The Andy Griffith Show, where he played the lovingly illiterate Ernest T. Bass. Morris also directed a ton of Andy Griffith Show episodes. Maybe Ron Howard was returning the favor after Morris patiently answered young Opie's countless questions about the directing business way back when.