Behind the Scenes of The Andy Griffith Show: Fun Goofs You Might’ve Missed
Little-known mistakes and bloopers in The Andy Griffith Show
I once heard someone say, “Watch every episode of The Andy Griffith Show if you want to be a good parent.”
And to be honest, they may have a point! In addition to being amusing, the program was full of knowledge, generosity, and life lessons that are still relevant today.
Even while The Andy Griffith Show appeared to be flawless, it had mistakes. There are some small idiots that get it past the editing room in even the best TV series.
Devoted viewers may believe they have seen everything, but there are a few unexpected blunders hidden throughout the programs that have been overlooked for years.
Let’s explore some delightful, unnoticed errors from this well-loved classic if you’re prepared to view Mayberry from a completely different perspective.
There were words to the theme song.
The famous whistling theme song is the one song that instantly brings back fond memories of watching The Andy Griffith Show at their grandparents’ house. Fun fact: Everett Sloane actually wrote the words for the theme, “The Fishin’ Hole.”
However, the producers removed the lines because they believed that whistling would better convey the show’s laid-back character. What about the well-known whistling?
It was done by none other than Earle Hagen, who also wrote the music.
Sheriff Andy Griffith Don Knotts as Deputy Barney Fife, Ron Howard as Opie Taylor, Jim Nabors as Gomer Pyle, and Andy Taylor in “The Andy Griffith Show,” c. 1963. (Image courtesy of Getty Images/Silver Screen Collection) )
Even off-set, Ron Howard, who is well-known for his roles in television shows, had a special experience with the show’s catchy theme song.
He subsequently said that as he was lining up for free throws during high school basketball games, his classmates would make fun of him by whistling that well-known song.
The broken glass
The Andy Griffith Show’s charm resides in its simplicity, but its bloopers show the challenges of early television production. Barney is busy teaching Gomer how to draw his rifle like a pro in the episode “The Big House.”
Gomer tries it out in front of Andy, eager to demonstrate his new abilities, but he breaks a glass behind him in the process!
The amusing thing is that the shelf behind them appears to be undamaged when the camera pans back. I suppose that even glass in Mayberry can magically mend itself!
Floyd’s eyewear
In the season 4 episode “The Rumor,” keep a close eye on Floyd’s spectacles – they’ve got a mind of their own!
He is wearing one pair of glasses in one picture, but as the camera angle shifts, he is wearing an entirely different pair of glasses.
It appears like Floyd’s glasses missed the continuity memo.
Barney’s attire
We come upon a humorous continuity error with Barney’s attire in the episode “Barney’s Physical.”
When the camera turns to him seated at the table in one scene, he is wearing a simple plaid shirt, but he is abruptly upgraded to one with a pocket that conveniently stores a pack of cigarettes. It appears that Barney abruptly altered not only his stance but also his approach.
Opie’s bicycle
We come upon a hilarious continuity glitch that will make you laugh in the iconic Season 4 episode “Opie’s Ill-Gotten Gain,” which aired four days prior to the assassination of President John F. Kennedy.
At first, we observe the bell on Opie’s bike proudly positioned on the left side. However, the bike suddenly rotates to the right when the camera returns to it.
The trench coat of magic
Fans are treated to a hilarious show of bloopers in the Season 4 episode “A Black Day for Mayberry.” One scene shows Barney walking dapperly in a trench coat into the Mayberry Hotel.
He is entirely dry for the majority of the sequence, but in a sudden cut, his trench coat looks to be drenched. In the following frame, he is as fast returned to being entirely dry.
Two Treasury agents are shown in the same episode waiting for the sheriff to return inside the courthouse. Rance Howard’s character, the agent on the right, is wearing a lighter-colored outfit. That man is Ron Howard’s father, in case you didn’t know.
However, a funny thing occurs as soon as Opie enters the room! The agents can now be seen in the background as the camera cuts back, but if you freeze the scene, you’ll see that the two actors seated are not the same ones that came in first.
Did any of Griffith’s friends have a stroke while filming?
A YouTube commentator claims that Andy Griffith clarified this in an interview. One of the original performers had a small stroke and was unable to continue filming the scene with the agents arriving.
They made the comical blunder when they outfitted both performers in gray suits instead of black ones when they switched him out for Rance Howard and finished the sequence a few days later.
And it’s not far from the truth. In their book The Boys, Ron and Clint Howard claim that the actor who had trouble on set was actually a buddy of Andy Griffith who had fallen on bad times.
A modest part in the show was provided to him by Andy and his producer. But instead of suffering a stroke, he had what is now known as a panic attack. He rambled on, obviously unable to continue, and kept apologizing because he couldn’t finish his sentences.
Rance, Ron’s father, then entered the scene to finish it. It’s interesting to note that Ron and Rance had rehearsed this particular scene together, as they always did for any script that featured young Ron.
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Speaking of the Howard family, Clint Howard, the real-life brother of Ron Howard, appeared on the show multiple times as “Leon,” the cowboy who eats peanut butter and jelly.
His lighthearted persona added a touch of fun and charm to the series, highlighting the unique relationship between the two brothers both on and off screen.
The Darling Fortune
This is a lovely rerun of The Darling Fortune, a charming episode of The Andy Griffith Show! A humorous little blooper appears as Andy, Aunt Bee, and the Darlings are sharing scenes on the porch.
The Darlings’ reflections remain in the porch glass, visible behind Andy and Aunt Bee even after they are “gone,” as they leave the scene to get to their pickup truck.
This serves as the ideal reminder of the show’s whimsical and occasionally surprising enchantment.
In this final Darling family episode, they strike it rich (with a whooping $300!) and decide to use it for one thing: to find marriages for the boys.
However, things take a turn when the pursuit of love becomes a matter of omens. With a slightly off-kilter omen, Goober, sitting in a tree, tries to ward off a potential match with Helen by dangling a “flying” owl.
Fans still grin when they see Briscoe come to the conclusion that an upside-down owl “must be from out-of-state.”
When Barbara Eden arrived
When Ellen Brown, a charming young manicurist, shows up at Floyd’s Barber Shop in the episode The Manicurist, she definitely makes a big impression!
The men are first a little bashful about the entire situation, but soon they are waiting in line for manicures, much to the chagrin of their spouses.
This is natural given the competition, frankly. And here’s a fun fact: I had no idea Ellen was played by none other than Barbara Eden!
There are also some humorous moments in this episode. Ellen casually applies nail polish to her leg, a cunning tactic to prevent a run in her stockings, while the other guys are ogling her. What about her correspondence with Floyd?
#todayinhistory 🤓 On January 22, 1962, the Andy Griffith Show’s “The Manicurist” episode aired. As many of you are aware,
When she first steps into the barber shop, Ellen quickly convinces Floyd to let her work there. However, Floyd is the one pleading with her to stay at the end,
when she is all packed and prepared to leave town.
This episode also has a humorous story hole: instead of trying her hand at a barbershop, any manicurist would most likely go directly to a beauty salon to open up shop.
Additionally, Mayberry does have a beauty parlor, as viewers of The Andy Griffith Show are aware! However, the charm of Mayberry lies in the fact that things don’t always go as planned.
Noticed these strings?
The Andy Griffith Show’s makers had to be a little creative with their special effects because production equipment in the 1960s was far different from the high-tech wonders of today.
For example, the bank robber’s gun is supposed to fall apart dramatically when he tries to fire it in the episode “The Bank Job.” Unfortunately, if you look closely,
you can see the strings that the crew used to disassemble the rifle. Additionally, you may notice microphone wires protruding from the performers’ legs in a number of episodes, particularly in the Season 3 episode “The Darlings Are.”
However, it all adds to the allure of this timeless program!
A bear in the wild
“Andy and the New Mayor,” a memorable episode from season three of The Andy Griffith Show, includes a real bear.
Even though the bear is the main attraction, if you look closely, you may see something funny: the bear handler is visible peering out from behind one of the trees.
And in a later shot, a chain around the bear becomes visible, reminding us that even in Mayberry, a little behind-the-scenes magic sometimes seeps through.
Aunt Bee was “a prima donna and aloof.”
Frances Bavier was one of the greatest women in television, and she will always be remembered as “Aunt Bee.”
However, did you know that Bavier had a hate-love connection with her well-known character and was extremely unpleasant to her coworkers?
According to others, the actress disapproved of the language and jokes used behind the scenes. She was also known for being “prima donna and distant,” and she had multiple arguments with Andy Griffith.
Before she passed away, she called Andy.
In a 1998 Larry King Live interview, Andy Griffith acknowledged that Bavier had called him four months prior to her passing and apologized for being challenging on the set.
That she would genuinely apologize to someone for what she had done must have required a great deal of bravery and soul-searching.
Because of her advanced age, she was quite sensitive and irritable, so you had to be extremely careful about how you handled her and what you said around her.
I suppose Andy insulted her a few times, but they became very close friends,” producer Richard Linke said.
Ron’s eyes were burning all the time.
It’s definitely not easy being a small boy on a movie set. It entails negotiating a world with many expectations and demands, where technicians, producers, and adult actors all have responsibilities.
Although one may have fantasies of adventure and stardom, the reality sometimes be too much to handle. It entails juggling job and childhood, comprehending the intricacies of acting, and controlling time spent in front of the camera.
The encounter was really special for Ron Howard. At one point, he called the team “salty old characters who drank like fishes and swore like sailors.
” The crew regularly smoked cigarettes on set, and the atmosphere was vibrant but frequently chaotic.
He disclosed, “My eyes were always burning,” underscoring the difficulties he encountered in that busy environment.
Andy’s generosity encouraged Ron’s development.
Because of Andy Griffith’s generosity and guidance, Ron Howard not only developed as an actor but also as a person throughout his tenure on The Andy Griffith Show.
It’s evident from photos of them together on set that they had a connection beyond being co-stars. For young Ron Howard, Andy Griffith took on the role of a father figure, offering support and direction as Ron made his way through a world that few kids ever encounter.
Andy made it a point to help Ron’s family from the beginning because he understood the special difficulties of being a youngster in the entertainment business.
Ron remarked, “I really enjoyed [acting], but other kids might resent it.” “I was really at ease. I got it. It was an environment where I knew I was excelling.”
The odd window
A window to the left of the Sheriff’s office entrance is visible from the outside, which is a minor continuity issue in the early seasons.
But the window magically vanishes as soon as you enter! Fortunately, this oversight was noticed by the show’s creators, who ensured that Mayberry’s endearing constancy was maintained by fixing it in subsequent seasons.
Changed roles
For his iconic portrayal as Deputy Sheriff Barney Fife on The Andy Griffith Show, Don Knotts will always be remembered.
A large portion of the series’ mystique seemed to vanish when he left because of his distinct appeal and comic genius, which gave it so much vitality.
His shocked expression still makes me laugh, and I think he’s one of the funniest actors ever.
At first, it was assumed that Don would play the straight man and Andy Griffith would take the lead as the comic star. But they soon saw that the best course of action was to reverse roles.
According to Andy Griffith’s book Mayberry Memories: The Andy Griffith Show Photo Album, “I knew by the second episode that Don should be funny and I should play straight.”
The show became a classic because of their amazing connection, but Don left the hit series in 1965 because he thought there would be no more episodes.
An iconic farewell
Were you aware? The Andy Griffith Show’s tenure as the top-rated television program came to an end!
Only two other series in history have accomplished this feat: Seinfeld and I Love Lucy, so it’s a prestigious group. What a way to end on top!
These intimate connections, vintage bloopers, and behind-the-scenes stories capture the essence of The Andy Griffith Show’s appeal.
It wasn’t just a TV show—it was a glimpse of small-town life that gave fun, warmth, and a touch of nostalgia to many viewers.
Every moment and error only contributes to the show’s legendary stature, from Andy’s wisdom to Barney’s eccentricities.
So share these interesting facts and experiences, and let others join in the Mayberry magic!
