# The Andy Griffith Show; where Andy had un-Andy moments.. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 29, 2009, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-andy-griffith-show-where-andy-had-un-andy-moments/519378 "2009-11-29T21:20:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2009, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-andy-griffith-show-where-andy-had-un-andy-moments/519378/41 "2009-11-30T20:07:54Z")
Andy changed a bit. In the beginning Andy, while basically honest, was not above doing something like bending the rules till the almost broke, if it was for a good cause. Now this is not to say Andy was dishonest, but he had “devilish moments,” he didn’t have later on. Andy also had the stereotypical male prejudices, like “a woman pharmacist,” like that was horrible. By the time the series ended, Andy was straight up, alway do the right thing, never bend the rules, totally reasonable, too good to be true. I think this is one reason why people prefer the B&W episodes (OK along with Don Knotts), because Andy had faults. They weren’t huge but he was more human ---
**Author:** ![eleanorigby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee7513/32.png) [@eleanorigby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eleanorigby)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2009, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-andy-griffith-show-where-andy-had-un-andy-moments/519378/42 "2009-12-01T00:16:28Z")
I had forgotten about the black football player. That was cool. But it was so lame that Opie thought playing the piano was “prissy”. Afterall, he payed his friend to do his practicing for him (or they traded something)–and the friend fooled Aunt Bea, at least for awhile. Didn’t the football player do some riff on Rosie Greer and knitting? ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2009, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-andy-griffith-show-where-andy-had-un-andy-moments/519378/43 "2009-12-01T00:31:31Z")
> [@eleanorigby](#): > > It always bothered me that there were no black or other minority people in that town. Creeped the hell out of me as a teen. I always figured Mayberry was a [“sundown town.”](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sundown_town) ---
**Author:** ![rolandgunslinger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/cdc98d/32.png) [@rolandgunslinger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rolandgunslinger)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2009, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-andy-griffith-show-where-andy-had-un-andy-moments/519378/44 "2009-12-01T00:43:00Z")
> [@MPB\_in\_Salt\_Lake](#): > > He also played an innocent (punk) kid, wrongly accused of a break-in, and Aunt Bee (serving on the jury) gets him aquitted, while Andy successfully fingers the Real Criminal. How did that get past the censers? :eek: ---
**Author:** ![randwill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a3d4f5/32.png) [@randwill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/randwill)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2009, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-andy-griffith-show-where-andy-had-un-andy-moments/519378/45 "2009-12-01T00:59:11Z")
> [@eleanorigby](#): > > I had forgotten about the black football player. That was cool. But it was so lame that Opie thought playing the piano was “prissy”. Afterall, he payed his friend to do his practicing for him (or they traded something)–and the friend fooled Aunt Bea, at least for awhile. Didn’t the football player do some riff on Rosie Greer and knitting? Actually, Opie didn’t think playing piano was prissy, he wanted the lessons very much. It’s just that his piano practicing time conflicted with his football practicing time and he was forced to make a choice. At least until the former NFL player demonstrated that it was possible to be proficient at more than one thing, making everyone realize that the piano practice could easily be scheduled at a different time. ---
**Author:** ![eleanorigby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee7513/32.png) [@eleanorigby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eleanorigby)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2009, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-andy-griffith-show-where-andy-had-un-andy-moments/519378/46 "2009-12-01T01:04:12Z")
Ah. I remembered it wrong. Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2009, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-andy-griffith-show-where-andy-had-un-andy-moments/519378/47 "2009-12-01T01:13:18Z")
> [@Markxxx](#): > > Andy changed a bit. In the beginning Andy, while basically honest, was not above doing something like bending the rules till the almost broke, if it was for a good cause. > > Now this is not to say Andy was dishonest, but he had “devilish moments,” he didn’t have later on. Andy also had the stereotypical male prejudices, like “a woman pharmacist,” like that was horrible. By the time the series ended, Andy was straight up, alway do the right thing, never bend the rules, totally reasonable, too good to be true. > > I think this is one reason why people prefer the B&W episodes (OK along with Don Knotts), because Andy had faults. They weren’t huge but he was more human [Flanderization.](http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/Flanderization) See also [Characterization Marches On.](http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/CharacterizationMarchesOn) ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2009, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-andy-griffith-show-where-andy-had-un-andy-moments/519378/48 "2009-12-01T01:25:28Z")
> [@rolandgunslinger](#): > > How did that get past the censers? :eek: The smoke got in their eyes? ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Amazing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@Captain\_Amazing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Amazing)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2009, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-andy-griffith-show-where-andy-had-un-andy-moments/519378/49 "2009-12-01T02:39:08Z")
Just as a note, there aren’t many black people in western North Carolina. Mount Airy, the city that Andy Griffith was born in and the place he based Mayberry on, is 85% white, and Surry County as a whole is 94% white. ---
**Author:** ![Susanann](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7ab992/32.png) [@Susanann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Susanann)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2009, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-andy-griffith-show-where-andy-had-un-andy-moments/519378/50 "2009-12-01T03:58:45Z")
> [@astro](#): > > In my convoluted memory of it wasn’t there one show where a passing through pretty blonde woman outshoots Andy at shooting crows, and he takes it as a dire personal affront (and not in a comedic way). What the hell was that show and what was going on there? That was Gail Davis, who had a television show in the 1950’s called Annie Oakley. In real life Gail Davis, grew up with guns, she did a lot of shooting for recreation and sport, and Gail Davis actually really was a crack shot, and in real life, Gail Davis could easily outshoot Andy Griffith. In other words, Gail Davis was not “acting” in that episode on the Andy Griffith show. ---
**Author:** ![UltraVires](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ecccb3/32.png) [@UltraVires](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UltraVires)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2009, 12:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-andy-griffith-show-where-andy-had-un-andy-moments/519378/51 "2009-12-03T12:03:51Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > Back on topic. 😉 It always bugged me when Andy didn’t use common sense with dangerous criminals. There was one episode where the state police left 3 dangerous felons in Andy’s jail. Andy leaves Barney and Gomer to guard them while he goes to search the woods for another felon. Barney gets locked in a cell, Gomer is on the roof and drops his gun. A total screw up. > > I’d barely trust Barney and Gomer to pick up ice cream at the store. Andy wasn’t supposed to be stupid. I hated it when they made him a dumb country hick. Most of the time Andy was the smartest guy in town. 😉 I just watched that one last night. That was a great episode. Barney: Men, we have two rules here at the rock. Rule one is that you must obey all rules. Rule two is, no writing on the walls. When you write on walls, it is hard to clean off. Great stuff 🙂 The two I’ve seen with Ernest T. Bass drive me crazy this way as well. I know that old Ang’ just wants to keep the peace, but how many windows can a man throw a rock through and how many times can he hold Barney, Andy, and others at gunpoint before he gets some real jail time? ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2009, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-andy-griffith-show-where-andy-had-un-andy-moments/519378/52 "2009-12-03T16:11:46Z")
> [@jtgain](#): > > The two I’ve seen with Ernest T. Bass drive me crazy this way as well. I know that old Ang’ just wants to keep the peace, but how many windows can a man throw a rock through and how many times can he hold Barney, Andy, and others at gunpoint before he gets some real jail time? You’ve got to be firm when people start doing that kind of thing. NIP IT IN THE BUD! ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2009, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-andy-griffith-show-where-andy-had-un-andy-moments/519378/53 "2009-12-03T21:37:52Z")
I couldn’t believe my own memory, but in one episode Andy took a woman to a fancy restaurant and [ordered a BEER!](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J2lcAb-U0bs) (3:54) ---
**Author:** ![bup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6bbea6/32.png) [@bup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bup)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2009, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-andy-griffith-show-where-andy-had-un-andy-moments/519378/54 "2009-12-03T21:43:42Z")
> [@randwill](#): > > Actually, Opie didn’t think playing piano was prissy, he wanted the lessons very much. It’s just that his piano practicing time conflicted with his football practicing time and he was forced to make a choice. At least until the former NFL player demonstrated that it was possible to be proficient at more than one thing, making everyone realize that the piano practice could easily be scheduled at a different time. Still, it strikes me as funny that the two talents they decided to give the black guy were music and athletics. Maybe they could have made him a barbecue master as well. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-andy-griffith-show-where-andy-had-un-andy-moments/519378.md?page=2)