Return to Mayberry

The Andy Griffith Show is one of the most iconic sitcoms of all time. First airing in 1962, the show follows the life of a sheriff in a small, fictional town called Mayberry in North Carolina. The record setting show came to an end in 1968, and left dedicated watchers wanting more. There were spin off series such as Mayberry R.F.D and Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C., but they never found the same success that the Andy Griffith Show had. And so, in 1986, Andy Griffith reprised his role as the small town sheriff. The made-for- TV movie, Return to Mayberry, is a heartwarming trip down memory lane that will leave fans, new and old, swelling with nostalgia.

As the title implies, Sheriff Andy Taylor is heading home to Mayberry. A familiar tune sounds in the opening scene, as a we watch a car drive through the scenic landscape of North Carolina. The song has been modernized, replacing the traditional whistling with instrumentals, but the melody is unmistakable. The town itself seems to have been preserved in time. Opie (Ron Howard) is an expecting father and head of the local paper, and Otis (Hal Smith), the lovable town drunk, has sobered up and now drives an ice cream truck, but otherwise the mythical town hasn't changed a bit. The entire film is just one big tug at the heartstrings, as it so closely follows the style and structure of the Andy Griffith Show.

It is clear however, that this movie was made especially for long time fans of the TV show. The overlying plot is juvenile at best. A new face in town, a young, aspiring businessman, enlists the help of the infamous Earnest T. Bass (Howard Morris) to rustle up some hijinks and mayhem in order to attract customers to the small town. Their plan? A lake monster. Even in the original show, they wouldn't have had a conflict so childish. If the writers wanted to reach a broader audience, they should've made the main storyline more applicable to older viewers.

The original Mayberry set was long gone by the time of production, but the recreation of the fictional town was remarkable. The scene designers did a phenomenal job at capturing the simplicity and charm of the original set. Mayberry itself may be fabricated, but its viewers familiarity with the town gives it a sense of intimacy that was flawlessly recreated in Return to Mayberry.

This movie is exactly what long time watchers of the Andy Griffith Show wanted to see. Andy is the same wise, cunning, and sweet- hearted man, and the rest of the town, both the people and architecture, are just as they were originally. Sixteen members of the cast from the TV series returned for the reunion movie. The bond between these actors was so prominent, and simply a delight to see.

This 1986 homage to the classic sitcom is a perfect conclusion to the Mayberry storyline. Return to Mayberry is by no means an award winning film, but it gives viewers one last look into the lives of the people of Mayberry - the nicest place on Earth.

When this movie first aired I was 8 yrs. old, now that I'm 23 I can appreciate this movie more. I am a huge fan of Andy Griffith and The Andy Griffith Show and after seeing this movie it was clear that the same magic was still there even 18 yrs. after the original series ended. Andy was still just as wise and sweet as he always was, solving the towns problems and making his deputy look like the hero and Barney was still sweet-talking the unseen Juanita over the phone. The differences were even great to see. Otis had gone sober and was now the ice cream man, Opie was all grown up now married and with a child on the way, and Howard was going through mid life crisis. It was especially great to see that Thelma Lou was now divorced and free for Barney again. There are some things that left me wondering like where was Andy and Helen's child Andrew Jr. that we learned about on RFD? Why didn't Opie marry Mary Alice Carter, the girl he had a crush on since 1st grade? I'm just glad to see all the familiar faces from Mayberry back together again in this outstanding reunion movie! If you ever catch this on t.v. do what I did and tape this movie!!!

I saw this about 3 times and a few things bothered me. Everyone was so surprised to see Andy again, don't you think Andy would have kept in touch during those 20 years? As much as I liked Helen Crump, I think Charlene Darling would have made a much more interesting love interest for Andy. I realize that could never be. And Charlene was very cute. When Andy and Opie leave Opie's office they failed to say goodbye to the receptionist. Isn't that sort of rude? Was this actress Andy's wife in reality? It was great to see most of the old cast reunited. Most of them are no longer with us. Hard to believe it has been 27 years since this was first aired. Time marches on. There will never be a program of this quality again. We are living in different times.

No it is not a classic. But for ANY fan of the Andy Griffith Show "Return to Mayberry" is a sweet movie that reunites almost all of the original cast. The story is somewhat lame but it's fun just to sit back and watch the old gang at work. It is even more bittersweet knowing that 3 of the cast members (Aneta Corsaut, Jack Dodson, and Hal Smith) have since died. And kudos go most of all to Ron Howard who is now one of the top directors in Hollywood. He easily could have thumbed his nose at this movie. It just goes to show that there really are nice people still in Hollywood.

This was quite good for what it was-a nice nostalgic ode to the great '60s series, most of the guys-from Howard Morris, Hal Smith to Denver Pyle and Ron Howard came back to supply some class to the precedings. Plotwise it's Andy coming back to help Barney Fife and set things to rights, nothing more-but that is fine, that is what the audience wants, and gets.

This was #2 for the week when it premiered on NBC back in '86 I remember, with good reason. I have seen it twice, I liked it and so will anyone who liked the show or the stars, esp. Griffiths or Knotts.

*** outta ****, pretty good.