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Opie The Birdman
"Opie the Birdman" is the first episode of the fourth season of ''The Andy Griffith Show''. It aired on CBS on September 9, 1963. In the episode, Opie accidentally kills a mother songbird and bears the responsibility of rearing her three young birds. The episode was #24 in ''TV Guide's'' ''Top 100 Episodes of All Time'' 1997 list, and moved up to #18 when the list was revised in 2009. Plot Barney makes an old-fashioned slingshot for Opie. Looking on, Andy tells him to be careful with it. When Barney demonstrates one of his trick shots, he breaks a window in a bookcase, prompting Andy to remind Opie to never shoot it indoors. Playing outside, Opie is pretending to shoot at various targets with his new toy. Seeing something in the tree in his front yard, he aims and shoots and kills a bird, which falls to the ground in front of him. Opie refuses to believe the bird is dead and pleads for it to fly away. When he realizes what he has done, he runs to his room, sobbing. At the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Andy Griffith Show
''The Andy Griffith Show '' is an American situation comedy television series that aired on CBS from October 3, 1960, to April 1, 1968, with a total of 249 half-hour episodes spanning eight seasons—159 in black and white and 90 in color. The series originated partly from an episode of ''The Danny Thomas Show.'' The show stars Andy Griffith as Andy Taylor, the widowed sheriff of Mayberry, North Carolina, a fictional community of roughly 2,000–5,000 people. Other major characters include Andy's cousin, the well-meaning and enthusiastic deputy, Barney Fife ( Don Knotts); Andy's aunt and housekeeper, Bee Taylor (Frances Bavier); and Andy's young son, Opie (Ron Howard). Eccentric townspeople and, periodically, Andy's girlfriends complete the cast. Regarding the tone of the show, Griffith said that despite a contemporary setting, the show evoked nostalgia, saying in a ''Today'' interview, "Well, though we never said it, and though it was shot in the '60s, it had a feeling of th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dick Crenna
Richard Donald Crenna (November 30, 1926 – January 17, 2003) was an American film, television and radio actor. Crenna starred in such motion pictures as ''The Sand Pebbles'', ''Wait Until Dark'', ''Un Flic'', ''Body Heat'', the first three ''Rambo'' films, ''Hot Shots! Part Deux'', and ''The Flamingo Kid''. His first success came on radio in 1948 as high school student Walter Denton co-starring with Eve Arden and Gale Gordon in the CBS series ''Our Miss Brooks''. Crenna continued with the comedy in its 1952 move into television. He also starred as Luke McCoy in the ABC, and later CBS, television series ''The Real McCoys'' (1957–1963). In 1985, he won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie for his portrayal of the title role in ''The Rape of Richard Beck''. Early life Crenna was born November 30, 1926, in Los Angeles, California, the only child of Edith Josephine (née Pollette), who was a hotel manager in Los Angeles, a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Harvey Bullock (writer)
Harvey Bullock (born June 4, 1921 in Oxford, North Carolina – died April 24, 2006) was an American television and film writer and producer. His work with R.S. Allen included episodes for ''The Andy Griffith Show'', ''Hogan's Heroes'', ''Love, American Style'', and ''Alice'', along with the films ''Who's Minding the Mint?'', ''With Six You Get Eggroll'' and ''Girl Happy''. He graduated from Duke University with a Bachelor of Arts in English. He served with the US Navy in a special operations unit called "Beach Jumpers" during World War II, writing and transmitting false messages over radio in order to deceive the Nazis. After the war, he served stateside in Hawaii. In 1956, he was married to Betty Jane Folker. Together they had four children: Kerry Scarvie, Diana Bullock, Courtney Bullock and Andy Bullock; and three grandchildren: Sean Bullock, Samantha Scarvie and Andrew Scarvie. In DC Comics' Batman series, a police officer sharing Bullock's name was named as such as a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
TV Guide's 100 Greatest Episodes Of All-Time
100 Greatest Episodes of All-Time (1997) and Top 100 Episodes of All Time (2009) are lists of the 100 "best" television show episodes on U.S. television as published by ''TV Guide''. The first list, published on June 28, 1997, was produced in collaboration with Nick at Nite's TV Land. The revised list was published on June 15, 2009. Both lists exclude game shows and variety shows, but include situation comedies and drama series. History and differences About 25 shows from the original list were featured during a special week on Nick at Night on Nickelodeon and TV Land. On the original list several shows, including ''I Love Lucy'', ''The Mary Tyler Moore Show'', ''The Dick Van Dyke Show'', ''Seinfeld'', ''Cheers'', and ''The Odd Couple'' had multiple entries, but none did on the 2009 list. The original list included 35 episodes from the 1950s and 1960s, while the 2009 list only included 10. Over one-third of the new list first aired in the twelve years since the original list, inc ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Andy Griffith
Andy Samuel Griffith (June 1, 1926 – July 3, 2012) was an American actor, comedian, television producer, southern gospel singer and writer whose career spanned seven decades in music and television. Known for his Southern drawl, his characters with a folksy-friendly personality, as well as his gruff but friendly voice, Griffith was a Tony Award nominee for two roles. He gained prominence in the starring role in director Elia Kazan's film '' A Face in the Crowd'' (1957) and ''No Time for Sergeants'' (1958) before he became better known for his television roles, playing the lead roles of Andy Taylor in the sitcom ''The Andy Griffith Show'' (1960–1968) and Ben Matlock in the legal drama '' Matlock'' (1986–1995). Early life and education Griffith was born on June 1, 1926, in Mount Airy, North Carolina, the only child of Carl Lee Griffith and his wife, Geneva (née Nunn). As a baby, Griffith lived with relatives until his parents could afford to buy a home. With neither a c ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sheriff Andy Taylor
A sheriff is a government official, with varying duties, existing in some countries with historical ties to England where the office originated. There is an analogous, although independently developed, office in Iceland that is commonly translated to English as ''sherif''. Description Historically, a sheriff was a legal official with responsibility for a shire, the term being a contraction of "shire reeve" (Old English ). In British English, the political or legal office of a sheriff, term of office of a sheriff, or jurisdiction of a sheriff, is called a shrievalty in England and Wales, and a sheriffdom in Scotland. In modern times, the specific combination of legal, political and ceremonial duties of a sheriff varies greatly from country to country. * In England, Northern Ireland, or Wales, a sheriff (or high sheriff) is a ceremonial county or city official. * In Scotland, sheriffs are judges. * In the Republic of Ireland, in some counties and in the cities of Dublin an ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ron Howard
Ronald William Howard (born March 1, 1954) is an American director, producer, screenwriter, and actor. He first came to prominence as a child actor, guest-starring in several television series, including an episode of ''The Twilight Zone''. He gained national attention for playing young Opie Taylor, the son of Sheriff Andy Taylor (played by Andy Griffith) in the sitcom ''The Andy Griffith Show'' from 1960 through 1968. During this time, he also appeared in the musical film ''The Music Man'' (1962), a critical and commercial success. He was credited as Ronny Howard in his film and television appearances from 1959 to 1973. Howard was cast in one of the lead roles in the coming-of-age film ''American Graffiti'' (1973), and became a household name for playing Richie Cunningham in the sitcom ''Happy Days'', a role he would play from 1974 to 1980.Stated on ''Inside the Actors Studio'', 1999 In 1980, Howard left ''Happy Days'' to focus on directing, producing and sometimes writing a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Opie Taylor
Opie Taylor is a fictional character played by Ron Howard in the American television program ''The Andy Griffith Show'', which was televised on CBS from October 3, 1960, to April 1, 1968. Opie Taylor appeared in 209 of the 249 episodes of ''The Andy Griffith Show'', and appeared in 2 spin-off shows and a TV Movie. There are two explanations of the origin of the character's name. One is that Opie was named after bandleader and radio actor Opie Cates; the other is that he was named for Opie Shelton (1915–1999), a childhood friend of Griffith, who went on to become president of the Atlanta Chamber of Commerce. First appearance Opie first appears in the February 1960 backdoor pilot of ''The Danny Thomas Show''. Ron Howard was 5 years old at the time. "The New Housekeeper" In the first episode of ''The Andy Griffith Show'' (October 1960), Andy's Aunt Bee returns to Mayberry via Morgantown, West Virginia, at her nephew's invitation in order to manage the Taylor household after Andy ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Don Knotts
Jesse Donald Knotts (July 21, 1924February 24, 2006) was an American actor and comedian. He is widely known for his role as Deputy Sheriff Barney Fife on ''The Andy Griffith Show'', a 1960s sitcom for which he earned five Emmy Awards. He also played Ralph Furley on the highly rated sitcom ''Three's Company'' from 1979 to 1984. He starred in multiple comedic films, including the leading roles in ''The Ghost and Mr. Chicken'' (1966) and ''The Incredible Mr. Limpet'' (1964). In 2004, ''TV Guide'' ranked him number 27 on its 50 Greatest TV Stars of All Time list. Knotts was born in West Virginia, the youngest of four children. In the 1940s, before earning a college degree, he served in the United States Army and in World War II. While enlisted, he chose to become a ventriloquist and comedian as part of a G.I. variety show called "Stars and Gripes". After the army, he got his first major break on television in the soap opera ''Search for Tomorrow'' where he appeared from 1953 to 19 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Barney Fife
Bernard "Barney" Fife is a fictional character in the American television program ''The Andy Griffith Show'', portrayed by comic actor Don Knotts. Barney Fife is a deputy sheriff in the slow-paced, sleepy southern community of Mayberry, North Carolina. He appeared in the first five seasons (1960–65) as a main character, and, after leaving the show towards the end of season five, made a few guest appearances in the following three color seasons (1965–68). He also appeared in the first episode of the spin-off series ''Mayberry R.F.D.'' (1968–1971), and in the 1986 reunion television film ''Return to Mayberry''. Additionally, Barney appeared in the '' Joey Bishop Show'' episode "Joey's Hideaway Cabin", and, unnamed, in the first episode of ''The New Andy Griffith Show''. In 1999, ''TV Guide'' ranked him ninth on its 50 Greatest TV Characters of All Time list. Production history According to Andy Griffith, the character of Barney Fife was suggested by Don Knotts himself. At ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Frances Bavier
Frances Elizabeth Bavier (December 14, 1902 – December 6, 1989) was an American stage and television actress. Originally from New York theatre, she worked in film and television from the 1950s until the 1970s. She is best known for her role of Aunt Bee on ''The Andy Griffith Show'' and ''Mayberry R.F.D.'' from 1960 to 1970. Aunt Bee logged more Mayberry years (ten) than any other character. She won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Comedy Actress for the role in 1967. Bavier was additionally known for playing Amy Morgan on '' It's a Great Life'' (1954–1956). Early life and career Bavier was born in New York City in a brownstone on Gramercy Park to Charles S. Bavier, a stationary engineer, and Mary S. (née Birmingham) Bavier. She originally planned to become a teacher after attending Columbia University. She first appeared in vaudeville, later moving to the Broadway stage. After graduating from the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in 1925, she was cast in the sta ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Aunt Bee (television Character)
Aunt Bee is a fictional character from the 1960 American television sitcom ''The Andy Griffith Show''. Played by Frances Bavier, the character migrated to the spinoff ''Mayberry R.F.D.'' (1968–1971) when ''The Andy Griffith Show'' ended its run in 1968, and remained for two years. Though she was the aunt of Sheriff Andy Taylor, virtually every character in Mayberry, even those in her age bracket such as Floyd and Emmett, called her "Aunt Bee." Black-and-white seasons (1960–1965) Aunt Bee, full name BeatriceIn Season 6, Episode 11 "The Cannon", Andy introduces her to the Governor as Beatrice and again in Season 6, Episode 13, Bee introduces herself to prospective employers as Beatrice. Taylor, is the paternal aunt of widower sheriff Andy Taylor and great-aunt to his son Opie Taylor. In the premiere episode of ''The Andy Griffith Show'', "The New Housekeeper," Aunt Bee returns to Mayberry after a five-year sojourn in Morgantown, West Virginia, when Andy's housekeeper Rose marri ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
