The Ghost and Mr. Chicken was essentially Mayberry on the big screen

Even Wally from Wally's Fillin' Station shows up!

When Don Knotts left The Andy Griffith Show in the mid-'60s, fans immediately felt his absence from the show. Luckily, the very first movie that Knotts did after leaving the show was The Ghost and Mr. Chicken, a hilarious comedy that brought many of our favorite Mayberry faces to the big screen alongside our favorite departing deputy. More than a dozen actors and actresses we met first in Mayberry also show up in the movie, and that's just the beginning of all the ways this feature film (which, by the way, debuted at No. 1 its opening week) connects to the cherished classic TV series.

Both of the writers responsible for The Ghost and Mr. Chicken wrote some of the best episodes of The Andy Griffith Show. You can thank writers James Fritzell and Everett Greenbaum for episodes like "The Bank Job," "High Noon in Mayberry," "Mountain Wedding" and "Citizen's Arrest." And they not only pulled character actors from Mayberry to populate their first hit movie, they also looked to Andy Griffith Show veteran writer Harvey Bullock for inspiration for their plot, citing his screenplay for "The Haunted House" episode as an influence on The Ghost and Mr. Chicken.

To give you an idea of how much like Mayberry the movie really is, we've pulled screenshots of all the actors who played memorable Mayberry characters into this photo series below. Just click on the photo and reveal the actor's best-known Andy Griffith Show role.

Oh, and one more thing: Every time you hear someone holler, "Attaboy, Luther!" throughout the movie? That's writer Everett Greenbaum, spouting the catchphrase that for a while lots of folks everywhere repeated as a joke with their friends, proving the writers on The Andy Griffith Show always knew just how to hit home with audiences.


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40 Comments

MikefromJersey 20 months ago
"Every time you hear someone holler, "Attaboy, Luther!" throughout the movie? That's writer Everett Greenbaum, spouting the catchphrase that for a while lots of folks everywhere repeated as a joke
with their friends"
Actually the catchphrase was inspired by an incident in 1936.
In remembrance of Washington's 2004th birthday and his throwing a silver dollar over the Potomac,
pitcher Walter Johnson threw a silver dollar over the Rappahannock river from behind Washington's
boyhood house.
A wiseguy bellowed out, "Atta boy Walter" to much laughter and it became a "thing" for awhile.
Greenbaum was a teen then, no doubt he recycled the line for The Ghost and Mister Chicken.
Being a good comedy writer means you have a ear for such lines and know when/how to reuse
them. Whereas the average person probably knows two good jokes/lines and tells them badly.

Kiakeeper 20 months ago
What a joke, never get to watch anything in this METV. USER FRIENDLY IT IS NOT IT SUCKS
KirwoodDerby Kiakeeper 20 months ago
Seek professional help.
MikefromJersey Kiakeeper 20 months ago
You wrote
"What a joke, never get to watch anything in this METV. USER FRIENDLY IT IS NOT IT SUCKS"

The above means what, your parents won't let you watch?
Or somehow you should be able to watch episodes here
at this site? You "never get to watch", who is stopping you?

Somebody needs changing and a burping.

Dave 20 months ago
As a kid, the scene with the shears in the painting would make me cover my eyes in terror! And after all these years, this movie is my second favorite horror comedy, right behind Abbott & Costello Meet Frankenstein.
MrsPhilHarris 20 months ago
Love this movie. When I was a kid this was my idea of the quintessential Hallowe’een haunted house. 🦇
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harlow1313 LoveMETV22 20 months ago
>"your free spirited nature is admirable."< No, I'm a hipster doofus, like Kramer. Trust me on this.
LoveMETV22 harlow1313 20 months ago
K we'll leave it at your comments are enjoyed
It would be great if they had Seinfeld on MeTV. I do get it on another network. Love Kramer.
He sure knows how to make an entrance.
MrsPhilHarris harlow1313 20 months ago
Too funny. Earlier today I was thinking about a hipster doofus a la Kramer.
MrsPhilHarris LoveMETV22 20 months ago
That was fun. Loved that show back in the day.
Runeshaper 20 months ago
WOW! They really did bring back A LOT of Mayberry characters for The Ghost and Mr. Chicken! Must have been like a family reunion (-:
LoveMETV22 20 months ago
👻👻 🐔🐔 " The Ghost and Mr. Chicken" 👻👻🐔🐔
Is on Svengoolie this Saturday 7/16
MrsPhilHarris LoveMETV22 20 months ago
I’m tuning in! 🤓
Nala92129 LoveMETV22 20 months ago
I tape the movies so I can FF thru "Sven's" tired, lame shtick.
LoveMETV22 Nala92129 20 months ago
Well that's good for you that you have a strategy. I don't see every Svengoolie movie. Do they promo " Sventoonie" during the movies commercial breaks? I actually enjoy the content for its informational part, similar to a series that VH1 did years ago ( Pop Up Video). They don't need a puppet to narrate ,but oh well, its just how it is.
SgtForever 20 months ago
The Movie is pretty good. I got goosebumps sometimes while watching it but overall I would rate it as one of my favorite movies! Mayberry Always In Our Hearts And Minds!
KirwoodDerby SgtForever 20 months ago
The Andy Griffith Show had a couple of “creepy” episodes that could be considered Halloween worthy.
Michael 20 months ago
When Isaw "the Ghost and", Iinstantly thought of The Ghost and Mrs. Muir, the tv series. It was much lager than I saw there was a much earlier movie.
LoveMETV22 Michael 20 months ago
That was a good show. Here's a behind the scenes photo with some of the cast
Michael LoveMETV22 20 months ago
I'm notsure Iqualifiedto rate theshows. Iwatched be ause they were on. But I did like this one. The kids and the dog, Rita Shaw, Hope Lang interacting with the Captain. And can't forget Charles Nelson Reilly.

Much later, I'd see Edward Mullhare, in Nightrider and probably Murder She Wrote, and he looked so much younger.

I might as well mention Nanny and the Professor a couple of years later. Watched also because it was on.
LoveMETV22 Michael 20 months ago
You are as qualified as anyone to rate any show. Part of the ratings for any show come from user opinions. The reason they were broadcast to begin with was for the viewers not the critics.
Nanny and the Professor was another great show. Very hard to find but here is one episode if you wish to view.

https://youtu.be/r07wQjt4_TU
MrsPhilHarris Michael 20 months ago
I don’t remember much about it to be honest but I’ve watched the Christmas episode annually for 3 years. It’s pretty lame.
MikefromJersey Michael 20 months ago
The great writer/singer Harry Nilsson appeared on The Ghost and Mrs. Muir.
He sang a excellent tune on it that for some reason he never released.
MichaelPowers 31 months ago
The Ghost & Mr. Chicken is a fun & entertaining movie to this day. It should run every Halloween on one of the movie channels.
CraigGustafson 35 months ago
"James Fritzell and Everett Greenbaum ... And they not only pulled character actors from Mayberry to populate their first hit movie..."

Writers don't cast movies. They're lucky if they're invited to the premieres.
Yeah, Hollywood doesn't have a history of respecting writers be it for film or television.
Dave CraigGustafson 20 months ago
I had heard somewhere that Andy Griffith himself came in to write out some rough patches in the script, but went uncredited.
Pacificsun MichaelPowers 20 months ago
Writers generate fiction, and then those ideas are constructed as storylines, to fit the premise and running time of a show. In order to comply with consistency. Why should talent be expected to cross multi-purpose disciplines. Entertainment is a collaborative effort, until egos get in the way.
LittleMissNoName 47 months ago
Next May(berry) celebration, make sure to obtained rights for all the movies listed below.
The Ghost And Mr Chicken
The Reluctant Astronaut
The Incredible Mr. Limpet
No Time For Sergeants (Original inspiration for TAGS and Gomer Pyle USMC)


I LOVE No Time For Sergeants. One of the best movies ever made!
cperrynaples SgtForever 20 months ago
Yep, it started as a live TV play and then a Broadway play, all starring Andy Griffith! But here's a weird twist: In 1964, ABC launched a TV series with Sammy Jackson in Griifith's role! To add insult to injury, it was scheduled Monday nights opposite TAGS!
SgtForever cperrynaples 20 months ago
Oof! That's terrible!
daDoctah LittleMissNoName 20 months ago
Also:

The Shakiest Gun in the West
The Love God?
How to Frame a Figg

After that, Knotts went over to Disney for a run of pictures starting with The Apple Dumpling Gang. Considering it's the Mouse, those are probably not going to be as easy to get.
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