When watching The Andy Griffith Show, it looks like everything is simply connected within the friendly confines of Mayberry. You had the sheriff’s office, which really was the courthouse. Toss in the homes of Andy and Barney, along with their different friends. Walker’s Pharmacy was part of the town’s business district area. Of course, you had to go by Goober and Gomer’s gas station to fill up your cars as well.
So many different locations and they all are part of the Mayberry scene. As you sit at home and laugh at the show, it does feel like you are simply in one spot. Cameras surely must have set up pretty easily in a single space. Well, that’s not really the case but, hey, it’s a good look for a classic TV show like this one. Where in the world was the show filmed? All over sunny Southern California.
Some Scenes From ‘The Andy Griffith Show’ Shot at Desilu Studios
Let’s start, though, with the tight shots featuring Andy Griffith and Don Knotts, among many others. Those would be done at the now-defunct Desilu Studios. If the name sounds familiar, then it should because it’s where I Love Lucy, The Untouchables, Star Trek, and other shows were filmed and produced. The studio name is also historic with both Desi Arnaz and Lucille Ball represented in its moniker. Many of your favorite shows were done in these studios. Watch during one of their closing credits and see if Desilu is mentioned.
But there are more spaces for filming Mayberry. Remember seeing Andy and Opie, played by Ron Howard, come up to the lake in the opening scene? What about some ruffians trying to get away from Mayberry yet Barney chasing them down? Some of those scenes were filmed at Franklin Canyon Park, which is just north of Beverly Hills. Other exterior shots were filmed at the old RKO 40 Ares Backlot.
One Scene Involving Dynamite-Eating Goat Comes To Mind
That sounds like a lot of changing, sifting, and sorting to go through for a sitcom like The Andy Griffith Show. Still, everything would come together in the final edits. One of the shots that might have been done out at the park involves Andy, Barney, and a goat. One time, this goat decided to get his fill and eat some dynamite. This situation was a critical one for the sheriff’s office to deal with pronto. As the episode ends, we see Barney, much like a Pied Piper, using his harmonica to lead a goat away from downtown Mayberry. He, Andy, and said goat are walking on a dusty road and it looks like it could have been done at the park.
