When “The Andy Griffith Show” crew got back together for a TV reunion movie, one important character was missing. Andy’s baby.
Yes, Outsiders, Sheriff Andy Taylor had a baby. An article from MeTV reminds fans of the famed CBS sitcom where Samuel Taylor, child of Andy and Helen Taylor, appears in the show “Andy’s Baby.” Actress Aneta Coursaut played schoolteacher Helen Crump, who eventually married the sheriff of Mayberry.
So, Samuel Taylor did not appear. This would have been interesting as he would have appeared alongside Opie Taylor, played by Ron Howard. But the would-be, 17-year-old Sam wasn’t there and he even didn’t earn a mention.
“The Andy Griffith Show” was quite a show indeed. “Return to Mayberry” featured Griffith, Howard, Don Knotts, Jim Nabors, and George Lindsey as their characters. It aired on NBC in 1986.
Aunt Bee Had More Appearances on ‘The Andy Griffith Show’ Than A Deputy
When looking over the cast, though, one person was absent from the reunion movie.
Frances Bavier, who played Aunt Bee, had retired from acting by 1986 so she wasn’t there.
But Aunt Bee definitely had an edge on one Deputy Barney Fife on “The Andy Griffith Show.”
We take a look at the IMDb scoreboard and find Bavier appeared in 178 episodes compared to Don Knotts’ 162 total.
Why did she appear more on “The Andy Griffith Show” episodes than Knotts?
Because Bavier was part of the show for all eight seasons. Knotts left after five seasons but did return occasionally as a guest star. Now the question is would Knotts have stayed on the CBS sitcom? That’s a strong possibility.
Knotts left after believing Griffth was going to end after five seasons on CBS.
Well, Andy changed his mind. Knotts didn’t know this and went out to find work. It led him to a movie deal with Universal Studios.
Sitcom Cast Member Would Not Have Minded Regular Gig On ‘M*A*S*H’
Outsiders, you know those actors after “The Andy Griffith Show” ended its run needed other work.
George Lindsey, who played gas station attendant Goober, definitely found himself in need, too.
Anyway, Lindsey would appear in a 1978 episode called “Temporary Duty.” He said that he loved that role so much. Well, Lindsey became a permanent member of the show’s cast. But that first day did not really go well.
He said in his memoir that on the set, no one spoke to him.
“I had worked before with Jamie Farr and Harry Morgan,” Lindsey said. “Jamie had done a ‘Griffith’ episode (“The Gypsies”) and I had appeared with Harry in a movie for Disney called ‘Snowball Express,’ so I knew them and they were friendly.”
But the cast did warm up to Lindsey.
