I first heard Andy Griffith on a record called “What it Was Was Football.” It was about a southern boy in a college town helping an evangelist set up his tent. And he got caught up in a crowd that pushed him up into a football stadium.
The ensuing dialogue was about someone who knew nothing about football trying to place it in context with what he understood. It was hilarious! Griffith went on to personal appearances and to writing other comedy dialogues.
It would lead Griffith to the Broadway show, “No Time for Sergeants,” which, of course, became a movie of the same name and almost identical cast of the Broadway show. (Andy would form a friendship with a former cast member, Don Knotts, who would play a very important role in Griffith’s future.)
Griffith was placed in the leading role of the movie “A Face in the Crowd,” about a small town, southern boy who could sing and was a perfect pitch man for certain products. This rube became an overnight sensation. It was a tour de force in acting and, certainly, if there had been any fairness in Hollywood, Griffith would have won an Academy Award. I do not know what happened during the filming of “A Face in the Crowd,” or what may have happened after the movie wrapped. But Andy Griffith would never get another big-time acting role in Hollywood. He didn’t talk about it very much, but something must have gone awry.
The next time we saw Andy Griffith he was a southern rube again, a sheriff in a small Carolina town on the Danny Thomas Show. That one-time segment would lead to “The Andy Griffith Show.” The producers surrounded Griffith (now Andy Taylor), with a cast of lovable, comedic characters. There was Barney Fife (Don Knotts), who became the somewhat hapless deputy sheriff, a cute kid, Opie (Ron Howard), Aunt Bea (Frances Bavier), a lovable town drunk, the town barber who wasn’t quite all there, and a rock-throwing hillbilly. Add a folk-singing group, and this mixture became a huge success.
It was shortly into this mixture that the sheriff’s character changed … his uneducated southern accent was dropped, and he became a straight man for all of the characters in this show. He changed into a man of wisdom, compassion, and fatherhood. In later times, Andy Griffith would say that Andy Taylor was a much better man than he actually was. That’s the way we remember Andy. Even after another successful TV show (“Matlock”), we remember Andy Griffith as the sheriff who didn’t carry a gun and kept us all smiling while handling the problems of this small town of Mayberry.
Andy Griffith was a much more complicated man than we remember. He was a very competent musician and singer. He was a much better actor then he was given credit for and he was, in many ways, a renaissance man for the 20th Century.
We’re sure going to miss Andy Griffith.
Ronn Mott, a longtime radio personality in Terre Haute, writes commentaries for the Tribune-Star. His pieces are published online Tuesday and Thursday on Tribstar.com, and in the print and online editions on Saturday.
Opinion
Related Photos
-
Ronn Mott
Discussion
RONN MOTT: Andy Griffith
- Opinion
-
-
RONN MOTT: Ernie Pyle
I stepped back in time last week when I visited the Ernie Pyle World War II Museum in Dana.
-
RONN MOTT: Pyle museum in Dana good way to study WWII
I stepped back in time last week when I visited the Ernie Pyle World War II Museum in Dana.
-
FLASHPOINT: Legislative session reflected Hoosier priorities
The 2013 session of the Indiana General Assembly came to an end just a few weeks ago with the final passage of our state’s next two-year budget.
-
The celebration season
Spring has been a bit elusive at times in 2013, which is its nature.
-
RONN MOTT: Frustration
For those who know me well, they can say without contradiction I am not a patient man. But in this hustle and bustle world I’ve been a part of all my adult life, I’ve had to learn a little patience. On occasion, however, I find some experiences extremely frustrating.
-
EDITORIAL: Noteworthy in the news: MVC tourney an event worth having
It’s been a long time since the Missouri Valley Conference chose Indiana State University to host its post-season baseball tournament, but Terre Haute had never been more prepared for an event such as this.
- READERS' FORUM: May 23, 2013
-
EDITORIAL: Cleaning up voter rolls
It’s not a lot of money in the big scheme of things, but the $2 million designated in the recent session of the General Assembly will begin the messy but necessary process of cleaning up Indiana’s voter registration rolls.
-
READERS' FORUM: May 22, 2013
Rich history all along the river
Great work by Duke employees
-
RONN MOTT: Rabid Republicans
The so-called news people at Fox News can hardly sit still long enough to report on the latest gossip or untruth about our sitting President. They can hardly contain themselves.
-
READERS’ FORUM: May 21, 2013
• Great response to annual golf outing
• Doing your part on climate change
-
LIZ CIANCONE: Smell of fresh air gave way to dryers
Remember when clean clothes smelled like fresh air and sunshine rather than fabric softener and dryer sheets?
-
READERS' FORUM: May 20, 2013
The dangers of a little knowledge
Students enjoyed Rose study trip
-
Mark Bennett: High-profile mural connects historical dots from city to river
At 96 feet wide and 2 stories tall, the power, impact and value of the Wabash will be evident.
-
EDITORIAL: Waging the ‘readiness’ campaign
Almost every Hoosier who starts college intends to finish. Unfortunately, those who arrive on campus unprepared in key academic areas are far less likely to fulfill that aspiration.
-
READERS' FORUM: May 19, 2013
• Flawed reasoning on gun checks
• A hint of things yet to come?
• Are the ‘makers’ doing the ‘taking’?
• The ‘Obamination’ is finally revealed
• Pondering effects of Obamacare
• Fantasizing on the ‘Apocalypse’
• Another view of Hinduism
• Great experience for HCMS students
-
FLASHPOINT: A legislative session of missed opportunities
Given the nature of politicians, grand claims of accomplishments and overblown rhetoric about “historic” efforts are to be expected at the close of any legislative session.
-
RONN MOTT: Mushrooms = Hoosier happiness
Someone wrote or said a few years ago a statement that would define the word “Hoosier.” According to this urban legend, a Hoosier is somebody dribbling a basketball around the Indy 500 while eating a fried, morel mushroom. It did not define me, at the time.
-
EDITORIAL: Insult to an independent press
Distrust of government secrecy has been elevated to an exceptional level with the disclosure the Justice Department covertly examined two months of Associated Press phone records to determine who leaked details to the AP about a foiled terrorist plot.
-
READERS' FORUM: May 17, 2013
Hinduism doesn’t deserve ridicule — Shefali Purohit, Terre Haute
-
RONN MOTT: Israel’s Air Force
Recently the Israeli Air Force bombed and rocketed a convoy leaving Syria going to Lebanon with rockets that were going to be used to attack Israel. It did not get there. It was destroyed.
-
EDITORIAL: Noteworthy in the news: Dashing finish for the Sycamores
It’s always thrilling to see Indiana State University’s athletic teams do well in high-level competition, and two specific teams rose to impressive heights last weekend in the Missouri Valley Conference outdoor track and field championships.
-
Readers' Forum: May 16, 2013
Moving Deming folks sounds ‘nuts’
-
Readers' Forum: May 15, 2013
Participants rise to the challenge: I would like to write a letter congratulating all the Wabash Valley Roadrunners that competed in the One America Indianapolis Mini Marathon.
-
RONN MOTT: Media merry-go-round
Round and round it goes, where it stops nobody knows. That isn’t a unique phrase to this writer or to this era in time. But, when it comes to the musical chairs of broadcasting, it certainly applies.
-
LIZ CIANCONE: Courts see a different appearance than cops
Have you ever noticed the transformation between the arrest of an accused lawbreaker and the first appearance in court?
-
READERS' FORUM: May 14, 2013
ISTEP failure exposes flaws
Community hasn’t changed its spirit
Egregious threat to nation’s defense
-
READERS' FORUM: May 13, 2013
• Women’s group criticizes Bucshon
• Let’s hope this doesn’t come true
• Many get thanks for fest success
-
MARK BENNETT: Life at face value: Mom’s simple advice still presents a valuable daily challenge
Most moms don’t base their advice on scientific research.
(Unless, of course, your mother is a scientific researcher. If so, carry a No. 2 pencil and take good notes.) -
EDITORIAL: Better monitoring needed to prevent local environmental messes
The nasty, hazardous messes lurking in the community raise a bottom-line, red-flag question. Could these environmental problems have been monitored and, thus, prevented?
- More Opinion Headlines
-
RONN MOTT: Ernie Pyle
Raw: Trucker Bumps I-5 Bridge Before Collapse
Mayor: Person Killed in San Antonio Flooding
Raw: Train Derails After Overpass Collapse
Raw: Apple 1 Computer Sells for More Than $650k
Raw: French Soldier Stabbed in Throat Near Paris
Raw: Rescues From San Antonio Flooding
High Wire Spectacle Thrills Crowd in Austria
Suspect in Killing of Officer Found Dead in Cell
Raw: Texas Deputy Shot by Colo. Suspect Honored
Major Detours Following Wash. Bridge Collapse
American Held in Grisly Czech Murders
Raw: Jersey Shore Reopens for Summer
Raw: Gay Rights Activists March in Ukraine
Bus Fire Kills 16 Children, Teacher in Pakistan
Hagel Urges Cadets to End Scourge of Sex Assault
Raw Video: Washington State Bridge Collapse
Today in History May 25
UK-bound Pakistan Plane Diverted, 2 Men Arrested
New Wheelchair Lift Promises More Access
Officials: Tsarnaev Friend Linked to Slaying
Massive Flooding in San Antonio Area; Rescue Efforts Underway
Hope For The Boy Who Can't Smile
Young protestor goes viral on Youtube
Toronto Mayor says he's not a crack head
Maine island offers lighthouse getaway
Should We Prepare for Quakes?
Lynn Kindergarten Class Rescues Ducklings
Congressional gold medal awarded to civil rights heroes
Charles Ramsey visits Kentucky
Unique Display Greets Guests At Revel Casino
Cape Cod Train Service Worries Residents
BASE jumper rides snowmobile off cliff to honor dead friend
Bridge Collapse Survivor: 'Rough Day'
SHOCKING: School Guard Throws Girl Down Stairs
Star Wars X-Wing Star Fighter Made of Legos
Actress Amanda Bynes Arrested in New York
Singer Psy Has An Imposter
