About This Quiz
The Andy Griffith Show is one of the most popular shows of the 1960s that continues to air on TV decades later after an eight-season run. Â
A spinoff of long-running "The Danny Thomas Show," it aired on CBS from October 3, 1960 through April 1, 1968 and starred Andy Taylor as the titular character, a widowed sheriff of Mayberry, North Carolina, a fictional community of about 2,000 people. The other major characters include the inept but well-meaning deputy, Barney Fife (Don Knotts); Andy's spinster aunt and housekeeper, Bee Taylor (Frances Bavier), and Andy's precocious young son, Opie played by Ron Howard, who would go on to later star in the successful series, Happy Days.Â
Throughout its 249- episode run it never went lower than the #7 spot in the Nielsen ratings and ended at the number one spot. It is one of only three shows to have its final season be the number one ranked show on television, the other two being I Love Lucy and Seinfeld.Â
The famous theme song entitled "The Fishin' Hole"Â was written in 15 minutes by Earle Hagen, who also provided the now iconic whistling to the track. Something tells us that's the song that'll be playing on repeat in your mind while you test your knowledge of this beloved sitcom so go ahead and get started!Â
Thelma Lou is Barney Fife's longtime love interest in "The Andy Griffith Show." Thelma Lou's last name is never revealed in the series.
In 1967 Bavier won an Emmy Award for outstanding performance by an actress in a supporting role in a comedy for her portrayal of Aunt Bee.
"Mayberry R.F.D." premiered on Sept. 23, 1968 and ran through March 29, 1971. R.F.D . stands for rural free delivery.
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"The Fishin' Hole" was written by composers Earle Hagen and Herbert Spencer. Hagen is the one whistling in the opening/closing sequences and the lyrics by Everett Sloane were never performed on the show.
Actor/Director Ron Howard played Andy's six-year-old son, Opie Taylor.
Ernest T. Bass broke windows throughout Mayberry by throwing rocks. The character first appears in the season three episode "Mountain Wedding."
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Helen (played by Aneta Corsaut) is a schoolteacher in Mayberry and later became Andy Taylor's girlfriend.
Actor Howard McNear played Floyd Lawson in the series. He was reportedly inspired by real-life barbers in Mount Airy, North Carolina.
The 1964 spinoff series "Gomer Pyle: USMC" was inspired by the title character, who had first appeared on "The Andy Griffith Show." Pyle was played by the singer and actor Jim Nabors.
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Otis Campbell appears in 32 episodes of the series. He was played by Hal Smith, making frequent appearances from 1960 to 1967 until sponsors began to worry about the portrayal of excessive drinking.
The last episode of "The Andy Griffith Show" premiered on April 1, 1968. The series ended while still at the top of the Neilsen ratings.
"The Andy Griffith Show" ran for eight seasons, with 249 episodes starting October 3, 1960.
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The fictional town of Mayberry, North Carolina, was based on Andy Griffith's real-life hometown of Mount Airy, North Carolina.
Barney and Andy's police cruiser is a Ford Galaxie. Producers were given 10 different Ford Galaxies throughout the run of the series.
Deputy Barney Fife, played by Don Knotts, was allowed only one bullet, which he kept in his shirt pocket.
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In 1965 Don Knotts left the series, and Lynn did as well, returning only once for a class reunion episode.
The CBS television network aired the series, which was produced by Danny Thomas Enterprises.
"The Andy Griffith Show" premiered in the U.S. on Oct. 3, 1960. The premiere episode is titled "The New Housekeeper."
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Sarah is the telephone operator. The character is never seen nor given a last name.
Andy Griffith plays the character Andy Taylor. Griffith appeared in 249 episodes of the original series.
Although Smith played the town drunk, he reportedly never drank alcohol in real-life.
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Helen was supposed to be a one-time character, but producers decided to make the character a regular after seeing Corsaut's performance.
Opie asked his dad, Andy, for permission to run away in the episode "Opie's Ill-gotten Gain."
The reunion movie premiered on April 13, 1986, on NBC. The outdoor set from the original series had been destroyed, so the crew had to recreate the Mayberry town square in a small California town.
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Morris played the wild Ernest T. Bass. He appeared in eight episodes of the series.
The character Andy Taylor was introduced in the Danny Thomas show "Make Room for Daddy" in an episode titled "Danny Meets Andy Griffith," which premiered on Feb. 15, 1960.
Andy Taylor's middle name is Jackson. The actor's full legal name was Andy Samuel Griffith.
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Leonard was one of the creators of the series. Aaron Ruben and Danny Thomas are also credited as co-creators of the series.
Don Knotts was a regular star of the series for five seasons. After leaving the show, Knotts signed a five-year contract with Universal Pictures.
Beginning with season six, "The Andy Griffith Show" was broadcast in color. An hour-long CBS program titled "Premiere" became the first commercial color television broadcast on June 25, 1951.
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