Customer Reviews

The Andy Griffith Show

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

First published in 1981, Kelly's book was the first of what has become a groaning bookcase of titles devoted to one of television's most beloved sitcoms. To me, it is still one of the most satisfying. Far from being a gushy trivia tome, Kelly's book takes a scholarly look at the factors - casting, production values, writing style, etc. - that have contributed to TAGS enduring popularity. Fans who don't want to think that hard might find the book, shall we say, dry as dust. Others will find it hard to put down.

The insights of principals on both sides of the camera, from Sheldon Leonard and Aaron Ruben on the production end to Andy Griffith, Don Knotts and Jack Dodson on the performance side, are fascinating. The book even includes a working script (season four's "The Sermon for Today") from Griffith's personal collection, which Kelly presents as good illustration of Mayberry's (usually) unhurried pace and the show's character dynamics. He's right, but a more appropriate script to share would have been "Man in a Hurry" (often cited as the series best episode) from season three.

The book closes with summaries of all 249 TAGS episodes, including official script titles, filming sequence and airing order.

All in all, this is a valuable resource for serious TAGS devotees and anyone interested in the nuts and bolts of television production. Those wanting just another feel-good book about the folks of Mayberry had best look elsewhere.

This book is a very well written and researched volume on the The Andy Griffith Show and Mayberry. Kelly uses extensive primary data (interviews- possibly the last for many cast members) to give an indepth account of the greatest of all TV shows(!). If you are serious about Andy/Mayberry this is the book for you.

This is the first and still definitive study of the show. It contains extensive interviews with the major stars, directors, and producers from the show. It also contains two full scripts: one never seen or performed before and the other "The Sermon for Today" (NOT "Man in a Hurry" as another "reviewer" appears to think!) Also provides concise summaries of all 249 episodes. A terrific buy and a must read!

This is the book I have been searching for to answer those unanswered questions. I wondered what happened to the first Floyd (an older gentleman), why Ellie abruptly left after the first season, why Don Knotts left after season Five, etc... This book explains what happened behind-the-scenes.

The book is broken down into sections: The Production, Developing a Cast, Changes in the Cast, Going Out A Winner, and more. It offers up the thoughts of the producers, directors, and cast members including quotes from Andy Griffith and Don Knotts on their take of a situation. It's an informative, easy read that focuses on the development and inner workings. It brings about a certain personal closeness between the reader and cast.

If you're looking for a book strictly centered on the on-screen characters, check out The Andy Griffith Show by Ken Beck and Jim Clark. You'll find out the Floyd(the on-screen character) is married, has a dog named Sam, a son and so on. Everything you wanted to know about the on-screen folks is in that book. However, if you want to know about the real folks and what went on behind-the-scenes, The Andy Griffith Show by Richard Kelly is the book for you.

This was the first book I ever bought on The Andy Griffith Show. My copy is now dog-eared, with some of the pages almost ready to fall out. I love it!! The comparisons between TAGS and other classic TV shows are a very interesting read, and the two scripts, "Sermon for Today" and the unfilmed "Wandering Minstrel," are the highlight of the book! I could clearly picture the scenes and dialogue in the scripts. If "Wandering Minstrel" had been filmed, it would've been a big hit! Anyway, go buy this book!

This book is a mixed bag: there is much detailed behind-the-scenes information about how the show was written, cast, filmed, and produced. The interviews were excellent, full of insight into the actors behind the characters. These aspects make this book valuable and entertaining.

And then there are the factual errors. Page after page after page. You get no farther than page 4 before hitting your first; not at all a good sign. Clearly alluding to the "Man In A Hurry" episode, Kelly relates Barney's dialogue thus:

"I'm gonna go home, take a shower, go over to Thelma Lou's, and watch a little TV."

And he repeats the error again on the same page. But not just there: turn to page 87 and see this same bogus statement placed in Barney's mouth *again*. Worse, Kelly claims that Barney made this nonexistent statement on two different episodes! Any die-hard fan of TAGS knows that Barney is going to go home and take a nap, not a shower. You want more? On page 50, Kelly has Otis jailed in "The Manhunt" for hitting his wife with a pie. (He was actually incarcerated for hitting his mother-in-law in the mouth with a leg of lamb). On page 183, three of the synopses contain errors. Twice, Kelly states that episode 211, "Floyd's Barbershop," was Howard McNear's last, when in fact it was episode 219, "Goober's Contest." I could go on, but you get the point. If the author gets these things wrong, he cripples his credibility and annoys knowledgeable viewers.

So, be warned. While this book has much to recommend it, it also has enough to aggravate the rabid TAGS fan.

This is Carol Butler's son writing this review. I checked this book out from the library today, and I haven't read it yet, but, I did skim through it a bit. I will have to agree with the other reviewers who mentioned inaccuracies in the book. One picture shows Andy, Opie, Aunt Bee, and Gomer watching TV together. However, the caption for the picture reads "Goober joins the Taylors at home to watch television." If the author can't even get the characters right, who knows how many other things he got wrong. Any true "fan" of TAGS knows all the characters, rather they be major or minor.

I will read this book to see what other things I find wrong. I want facts about the show, not misinformation.

I have the first issue of this book from 1981 and just started paying more attention to the reviews written in the back of the book for each episode. There are so many errors in the storylines; I have red-lined and re-written them so many times I've lost count. Check out the writeups on "The Bed Jacket", "Aunt Bee, the Swinger", "TV or not TV", "Off To Hollywood", "The Hollywood Party", "Aunt Bee Takes a Job", and "Opie Steps Up In Class". All have at least one to several errors in the synopsis. How could someone claim to have watched these episodes? Skip this book. I'm looking for another one. (To give the writer the benefit of the doubt, maybe later versions of the book corrected these errors?)

Who doesn't love this show? The book was a fun read, and I got a kick out of the names of the clubs listed. If you want a book about The Andy Griffith Show, you'll like this.

I love The Andy Griffith Show, and only want to read books on my favorite show written by authors who love it with the same enthusiasm as I feel. This book read like a term paper -- the writing dry and tedious. The only chapter of real interest? -- one containing the complete script of "Man in a Hurry" just as the actors saw it, and then another script that was never filmed for some unknown reason.

There must be other better tributes to this show. Bypass this one and keep looking.