Another
part of our cultural heritage is gone forever. Andy Griffith, comedian, singer,
and television icon, has died at the age of 86.
The Andy Griffith Show was and remains
one of my all-time favorites. It has a gloriously good nature to it, as simple and
unaffected as any small country town. Small town sheriff Andy Taylor (Griffith)
was the calm eye in the center of a hurricane of crazies, ranging from his
incompetent deputy and best friend Barney Fife (Don Knotts) to slack-jawed
gas-station attendant Gomer Pyle (Jim Nabors). Every week Andy would have to
try to solve some local problem, usually brought on or exacerbated by Barney,
while bringing up his young son, Opie (Ronny Howard) with the slightly dubious
help of his bustling, naïve Aunt Bea (Frances Bavier).
The
joys of the show were manifold, so much that it would take pages and pages to
give it its due. There’s the beautiful father-son relationship between Andy and
Opie, with Andy doing his best to bring up his son right and Opie alternatively
getting into trouble and learning life lessons. There’s the painfully funny
antics of Barney, who takes his job extremely
seriously, despite his almost complete ineptitude at it (Andy only lets him
carry one bullet…which he’s forbidden from keeping in his gun). There’s the easy-going
charm and quirks of small-town life, where everyone knows everyone (a
particularly funny episode has Gomer placing Barney under ‘citizen’s arrest,’
to the cheers of the assembled crowd).
But
at its heart was Andy Griffith’s firm, friendly, and level-headed Sheriff
Taylor. He was a character who was thoroughly admirable without being
idealized; a true man, a loving-though-firm father, a loyal
friend, and, through it all, a delightfully funny and engaging character.
Griffith’s
Sheriff Taylor was a television icon, and had he done nothing else his place in
American history would have been assured. But that wasn’t all he did. He
starred in numerous other works, including the spinoff, Mayberry RFD, and created another iconic television character in
the form of the deceptively-genial southern lawyer Matlock.
Griffith
was a giant of the television art form and The
Andy Griffith Show is one of the finest examples of the medium’s first
golden age. It has a strong claim to be America’s all-time favorite comedy
series. Through it and through his many other works Griffith brought laughter,
joy, and inspiration to millions. We shall not look upon his like again.
Requiescat in Pace.
