Mayberry R.F.D.

I've never seen more than a couple of episodes of the Andy Griffith Show. But for some reason, I saw probably the entire run of Mayberry RFD in reruns during the mid-70s. Mainly because it happened to be on after I got home from school, most likely.

What surprises me looking back is how good an actor Ken Berry was. Generally a comic actor (and a fine dancer to boot), as Sam Jones he was essentially a straight man and his performances here were always nicely understated (too much so for some people, judging from other comments here) and very believable. From time to time, he showed quite a bit of depth.

I'm thinking right now of a couple of episodes. 1) Sam's struggling with a mild depression after some of his crops fail. 2) He and Millie are in Los Angeles (don't remember why), they have a fight and make up. Something about the emotion Ken Berry delivered in these - not too much, always knowing just how far to step outside his character's ordinary range - made then unexpectedly powerful.

I also remember an episode in which Sam does a very funny eccentric dance as part of a talent show of some kind.

The secret to a really good sit-com is that it convinces us we're watching real people, even when some of the characters are a bit outlandish. Ken Berry in this show always kept me believing I was watching real people.

I was really happy to see that Mayberry RFD is back on the air. I have never really seen this show except for a few episodes but am anxious to start watching it. As a die-hard fan of The Andy Griffith Show I know this show isn't as good but It's interesting to watch the next generation of Mayberrian's. My favorite episode I've seen so far is the Wedding of Andy and Helen.

When TV viewers were introduced to Mayberry in 1960, they were instantly immersed into this idyllic small town. A place to tune out the troubles of the world and easily transport yourself among the "real" characters that became friends. And I've seen real-life friendships made between strangers discussing "The Andy Griffith Show". Most of the country lives "in the country"- rural settings that make the show all the more relatable. Other fans live in bustling cities where their TV connection to Mayberry is the link to escape to that quieter place. I've lived in both... and returned to the rural setting, lucky enough to share similarities to Mayberry.

Fans widely agree that "The Andy Griffith Show" began a steady decline when Don Knotts left the show following the fifth season. But, the ratings never dropped, and it ended it's run as the number one rated TV show on air (a feat only shared with "I Love Lucy" and "Seinfeld"). The characters were less interesting; the plots weaker. But, the viewers kept tuning in. They had long become residents themselves of Mayberry. It was home.

"Mayberry R.F.D." (Rural Farm Delivery) allowed these "citizens" of Mayberry a little longer in their beloved, fictitious escape. The sequel was essentially a continuation of "The Andy Griffith Show". The sitcom follows life in Mayberry after Andy (Andy Griffith), Helen (Aneta Corsaut), and Opie (Ron Howard) depart the spotlight for a new life. Widower farmer and town council president Sam Jones (Ken Berry, "F Troop", "Mama's Family") raises his young son Mike (Buddy Foster) as he grows through life lessons. The father and son are cared for by their housekeeper Aunt Bee (Frances Bavier, and later Alice, played by Alice Ghostley). Sam also balances his love life with his girlfriend Millie (Arlene Golonka). As the series progresses, plots increasingly revolve around Goober (George Lindsey), who now owns Wally's Filling Station, county clerk Howard Sprague (Jack Dodson), and handyman Emmett Clark (Paul Hartman) who still runs his fix-it shop. The series ran for three successful seasons (1968-71) before falling victim to CBS's "rural purge".

"Mayberry R.F.D." had some good episodes, but generally carried on the steady decline. A few episodes stand out for its comedy, namely Don Knott's sole appearance in the very first episode. The tone in the series is much softer than "The Andy Griffith Show". The stories are often light and not very developed, and the laughs few and far between. It's just a sweet little visit with old friends. "Mayberry R.F.D." merely allows us to mingle in the most idyllic town ever created for a little longer, and for that we're appreciative.

I am about to say something that no-doubt will annoy many. While "The Andy Griffith Show" was one of the best shows in television history, after a while it really outlived its usefulness. Without Barney as a series regular, the show tried a variety of either annoying replacements (Warren!!!) or insipid ones (Howard and Emmett)--none of which gave the show the wonderful comedic balance it once had. To make matters worse, after the show limped through three mediocre such seasons, the powers that be at CBS decided to continue the show even when Andy left!!! The 'clever' plan was to introduce a widower, Sam (Ken Berry), who would move to town with his son AND apparently buy Aunt Bee! Talk about a contrived premise--and a poor copy of the original. So now without either leading man, the show was nothing but insipid characters...period. That, in a nutshell, is "Mayberry R.F.D."--like the original show but with none of the humor or interesting characters. Now this isn't to say that the show was bad--it just was bland and inoffensive and that still made it better than some shows. But who wants to live on a steady diet of bland toast--which is, metaphorically speaking, "Mayberry R.F.D.".

Andy Griffith made an end to his TV show but the citizens of Mayberry still had a couple of years of life left in them with Mayberry, RFD.

Sheriff Andy Taylor and school teacher Helen Crump married and moved away from Mayberry. To give the new show a central character Ken Berry fresh from F Troop plays Sam Jones, a farmer just elected to the Mayberry town council is brought in. He's a widower like Andy Taylor was and raising a small son Buddy Foster. He even hires Aunt Bea to be his housekeeper now that Frances Bavier no longer had to keep house for Andy and Opie.

All the other Mayberry regulars and semi-regulars were retained and the show did well for two seasons. But at that point CBS pulled all its rural based shows to get a different market. And at that point those Mayberry characters like Paul Hartman, George Lindsey, Jack Dodson etc. all went to television Valhalla.

Sad the show ran into CBS's determination to get younger viewers. It's the seniors who watched this and other rural type shows and the seniors least likely to respond to advertising pitches.

Other than reunion movies this ended our look into Mayberry, North Carolina.