‘The Andy Griffith Show’ Star Ron Howard Reminisces About Time He Acted Alongside Johnny Cash
The Andy Griffith Show’s favorite young actor, Ron Howard starred alongside music icon Johnny Cash in a 1961 crime thriller called Five Minutes to Live.
The film was later re-released under the title, Door to Door Maniac.
And, Ron Howard was excited to tell his fans all about this experience during a recent throwback tweet.
“Before #Mayberry I acted with #JohnnyCash in a grade C thriller called 5 Minutes to Live & later and later re-released as Door to Door Maniac!,” the former Andy Griffith Show star said in the Sunday evening tweet.
The famous actor, producer, and director went on to mention that he reminisces about his time starring with iconic singer Johhny Cash in his upcoming memoir, The Boys: A Memoir of Hollywood and Family.
“It was fun writing about it for our memoir coming out Oct 12,” Ron Howard wrote in the post. The former Andy Griffith Show player then adds a link to the upcoming publication.
Johnny Cash’s Turn As A Murderous Criminal
The 1961 film was one of just two theatrically released films Johnny Cash starred in during his career.
In the film, the late Johnny Cash portrays a man named Johnny Cabot, a murderous outlaw.
Johnny Cash’s Five Minutes to Live character kidnaps the wife of a bank vice president, Nancy Wilson, hoping to score a ransom for the safe return of the woman.
Johnny Cabot commits the kidnapping after monitoring the Wilson home for some time.
When he sees the husband, and the woman’s son (Howard) leave for the day, he approaches the home.
Posing as a door-to-door guitar teacher, Johnny Cash’s Cabot talks his way into the Wilson house. H eventually takes Nancy Wilson hostage and the story progresses from there.
‘The Andy Griffith Show’ Star Ron Howard’s ‘Five Minutes’ of Fame With Johnny Cash
The film is known for its unique premise following the ticking of a clock as the criminal times the response to his ransom request. Interestingly he restarts the clock as elements change the doomed plan.
Ron Howard, who was credited in the film as Ronnie Howard plays Bobby Wilson, the young son of Nancy Wilson in the film.
When he returns home for lunch, young Bobby walks right into the kidnapping.
At the same time, police are closing in on the home, causing Cash’s Johnny Cabot to improvise.
Cabot swoops up the child and runs outside – directly into the waiting police’s gunfire.
The quick-thinking Bobby acts as if he has been shot in the exchange, and he tries to convince his captor to put him down.
Johhny Cabot hears Bobby’s cries for help and reacts in an intense manner, firing back at police in retaliation for injuring the boy. This, of course, leads to more gunfire, ultimately ending in Cabot’s death.
As the criminal lays on the ground, Nancy runs to her son in the hopes of helping him. Bobby, however, is mostly unharmed. Each of the bullets had missed the young man. And he escapes the ordeal without even a scratch.
