On This Day: ‘The Andy Griffith Show’ Premiered, Welcoming Viewers to Mayberry in 1960
All the way back in 1960, The Andy Griffith Show blessed television screens for the first time ever and TV history has never been the same. America fell in love with the little town of Mayberry. Now, you can catch reruns on a variety of channels.
So man generations have grown up watching Andy Taylor and Barney Fife. Whether it was live back in the day with new episodes or in the many years of reruns since then, millions know that familiar whistling tune. 61 years is a long time, but people can’t get enough watching the great show on syndication.
When the show debuted, the namesake, Andy Griffith had already proved himself as an actor. When it first launched, the dynamic of Griffith and his deputy, Barney Fife were swapped. Soon, it became clear how the show should run. Taylor the noble sheriff and family man while his deputy Fife played the gullible jester-type.
It worked! The show became a hit. Over the many years, the show was on television, only one actor ever came away with an Emmy. It was Don Knotts for his role as Barney Fife. He took home the Outstanding Performance in a Supporting Role by an Actor. Knotts won that award three times in a row from 1961-1963.
He would win two more, one in 1966 and 1967. That’s an impressive run. It makes sense when you watch the episodes. Fife just makes the show special. Of course, Knotts didn’t stick around for the entire series. He ended up moving on to other projects. Including an appearance on Three’s Company.
Stars from ‘The Andy Griffith Show’ Moved on to Other Roles
While Knotts didn’t make the move from one show directly to another, his role as Ralph Furley in the late 70s sitcom Three’s Company is yet another classic Knotts show. While he wasn’t in the original cast, he is considered a big part of the show’s success.
In his bright and colorful outfits, Furley saw himself as a ladies’ man. The property manager always had a great reaction to something. Those Don Knotts’ faces and stares are never not funny. In a funny turn of events, he wasn’t the only former guest star from The Andy Griffith Show to play a landlord character on another show.
Joanna Moore, the actress who played Peggy in the little town of Mayberry. While Moore only appeared in four episodes, she did have a big part. Any love interest of Andy Taylor is going to be important. After she did her thing in the 1960s, she would be on another popular show.
On a 1974 episode of The Waltons, Moore plays a landlady at a boarding house. John Walton makes a trip to the city and stays for a while. He bonds with Moore’s character, Laura Sue Champion. However, the relationship is short-lived as John-Boy Walton comes to the city to pick up his brother.
