Your
Favorite
World
And
Mine
Our writer examines Ihp
enduring phenomenon of
Ilie Andy Griffith Show
anil the new book about
it.
By FRANK
P. WARD, JR.
Many societies have dreamed of a
past of bucolic innocence. The vision
can be as sublime as the Georgies or
as ridiculous as Marie Antoinette at
Trianon, affecting the costume of a
milkmaid. At least since Thomas Jef¬
ferson eloquently enunciated the vir¬
tues of living in harmony with the land.
Americans have succumbed to the
Lorelei lure of the rustic life.
This vision of simple world, a refuge
from the stormy seas, has seldom been
evoked more effectively than by "The
Andy Griffith Show." one of the most
successful long-running shows in tele¬
vision history and still among the most
watched of all daytime programs in the
country. The appeal of Mayberry and
its memorable denizens has been
thoughtfully analyzed by Richard
Kelly in The Andy Griffith Show (John
F. Blair. 195 pages. S7.95). The author,
an English professor at the University
of Tennessee, developed an affinity for
the show while a graduate student at
Duke. Professor Kelly therefore brings
to his exegesis both scholarly talents
and a passion for a genuinely funny
institution.
Professor Kelly not only adroitly
dissects the appeal of the scries, but he
very knowledgeably discusses the
many factors which made it a model of
popular, artistic, and financial suc¬
cess. Me discusses the craftsmanship
and artistry which underlay all aspects
of the show, its construction, perfor¬
mance. direction, editing, and scoring.
He describes the evolution of the show
and relates how and where it was
filmed and written. He is conversant
with the arcane arts required by the
finances of production and syndica¬
tion. (Although it may have portrayed
bumpkins, the series made millionaires
of several of its principals.)
There may be some readers w ho will
find a good deal more about penguins
than they wish to know. One may pass
over without penalty the author's long
discourse on the relative merits of
using a single camera without a live
audience (which the Griffith show em¬
ployed) or the three-camera technique
with live audience, which — Professor
Kelly claims — destroys the "comedy
of character."
Giggle vs Jiggle
In support of his many observations
and analyses. Professor Kelly uses
many illustrative excerpts from the
scries, both by reference and quota¬
tion. He has included summaries of all
249 shows and the script for an entire
episode. “The Sermon for Today."
What Professor Kelly does best, how¬
ever. is not to narrate how story line
and dialogue were developed, nor de¬
scribe Aunt Bee’s off-camera touchi¬
ness. nor relate how the actors got
chairs for the set. He excels in ex¬
plaining why "The Andy Griffith
Show" has been so immensely and
universally popular for two decades.
Given the lubricious inanity of most
current network fare, it is refreshing to
recall when television comedy de¬
pended on giggle rather than jiggle. It is
even more arresting to reflect that a
program appealing to mass audiences
could be susceptible to intellectual
analysis on some basis other than the
suggestive lines cither spoken or de¬
fined by unquestionably mammalian
actresses. Professor Kelly, however,
presents "The Andy Griffith Show" as
entertainment made simple by a high
degree of sophistication.
According to Professor Kelly, the
show's fundamental appeal was pre
mised upon its ability to produce “out
of the confusing world we have to live
in a vision of a simple world we would
like to live in. namely Mayberry."
Unmistakably N.C.
Mayberry was always unmistakably
North Carolina. There were constant
In on illutlrotion from "The Andy Griffith Show" by
R ichord Kelly (published by John F. Bloir, 195 pp»,
$7.95) Andy, Bomey ond Gomer ducover "spirits” in
"The Hounted Houte". (Viocom photo)
references to Raleigh. Siler City, and
Ml. Pilot, which was really Pilot
Mountain. Even Mayberry itself was
something of an anagram of Ml. Airy.
Andy Griffith's home town. Despite
the constant reminders of our state.
Mayberry had the best qualities of any
small tow n. Although it may have been
localized in North Carolina, the town
achieved a universality.
The fact that Mayberry was not seen
as only regional is borne out by the high
ratings the series continues to achieve
in urban areas of the East. Accord¬
ing to Professor Kelly's explanation.
"Mayberry appears to have charmed
the imagination of those people living
in complex metropolises where the
pastoral view of the small town, w ith
its affection, warmth and honesty pro¬
vides a comforting illusion of society
and human nature,"
Even if Mayberry were intended to
have an appeal without regional defi¬
nition. the si iw is unmistakably
Southern. It hua long been clear, for
example, that the series was heir to the
Southwestern humorists of the 19th
century. Simon Suggs would have felt
at home in Mayberry, even if he might
have been taken to the town line by
Sheriff Andy Taylor and told not to
return.
In addition to geography, the show
— and its success — depended upon
THE STATE. December 19«i
2«
