Helen Crump is a fictional
dramatic character on the
American
American(s) may refer to:
* American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America"
** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America
** American ancestry, pe ...
television program
Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertising, e ...
''
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 ...
'' (1960–1968). Helen made her debut in the third-season episode "Andy Discovers America" (1963). Helen was a schoolteacher and became main character
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 transla ...
's girlfriend. She also appeared in spinoff program ''
Mayberry R.F.D.
''Mayberry R.F.D.'' (abbreviation for Rural Free Delivery) is an American television series produced as a spin-off continuation of ''The Andy Griffith Show''. When star Andy Griffith decided to leave his series, most of the supporting character ...
'' (1968–1971), as well as the reunion telemovie, ''
Return to Mayberry
''Return to Mayberry'' is a 1986 American made-for-television romantic comedy film based on the 1960s sitcoms ''The Andy Griffith Show'' and '' Mayberry R.F.D.''. The film premiered on April 13, 1986, on NBC, and was the highest- rated televis ...
'' (1986). Helen was portrayed by
Aneta Corsaut.
Character biography
Helen Crump is from
Kansas
Kansas () is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its capital is Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the ...
. She attended college in
Kansas City
The Kansas City metropolitan area is a bi-state metropolitan area anchored by Kansas City, Missouri. Its 14 counties straddle the border between the U.S. states of Missouri (9 counties) and Kansas (5 counties). With and a population of more ...
where she majored in journalism.
Helen takes up residence in
Mayberry and is employed as an elementary schoolteacher. Her uncle, Edward, and her young niece, Cynthia, visit her in Mayberry.
Unlike other Mayberry women, Helen has no special skills in the kitchen.
She enjoys picnicking, and in one episode, directs the high school's senior play.
An independent, self-sufficient, professional single woman, Helen is a wise and thoughtful character who serves on most occasions as the voice of reason on the show. However, at times she can be abrupt, displaying a quick temper and showing flashes of temperamentality, jumping to conclusions without thinking things through.
Helen is first introduced in the third-season episode "Andy Discovers America" (1963). Opie and his classmates take a dislike to their new teacher, referring to her as "old lady Crump". The boys complain about her history assignments. Andy gives Opie some advice about his own experience with school which Opie misconstrues into thinking he doesn't have to do his history schoolwork. Helen appears at the courthouse and acting on her assumptions based on Opie's misinterpretation of his father's advice, proceeds to give Andy a piece of her mind on his interference in her domain. Andy is dumbfounded but finds a way to get the boys excited about their history assignments. Helen is astonished but pleased with the change in Opie and his pals. When she learns Andy played a part in the turnabout, she thanks him and the two become friends. At the end of the episode, Andy shows his attraction to Helen by offering to walk her home and attempting to rid himself of
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 C ...
who wants to discuss history with Helen.
Relationship with Andy Taylor
Andy and Helen have many pleasant social outings: they attend dances, picnic at Myers Lake, and double date with others (usually Barney Fife and
Thelma Lou
Thelma Lou, or Thel by boyfriend Barney Fife, is a character on the American television sitcom ''The Andy Griffith Show'' (1960-1968). The character appeared in 26 episodes, starting with the first-season episode, "Cyrano Andy". Thelma Lou was po ...
). Their relationship however, is not one of complete sweetness and light. The two have frequent disagreements, sudden jealousies (particularly on Helen's part, most often needlessly so), misunderstandings (also mainly on Helen's part) and lover's quarrels. For example, in "Guest in the House", Helen becomes needlessly jealous and starts an argument with Andy when a female friend of the Taylor family comes to stay at Andy's house after an argument with her fiancé. In "
Helen, the Authoress", Helen has written a book and uses her evenings to rewrite the manuscript before its publication by a Richmond firm. When she cancels a dinner date with Andy to work on her book, Andy becomes impatient and tells her that he doesn't have to sit home alone. Helen is indignant, of course, and brushes him off. Andy then calls Mavis Neff (a woman reputed to be "rather forward"), and arranges a date with her. When Mavis gets too close, Andy realizes his mistake and apologizes to Helen. In the episodes "Fun Girls" in Season Three and "The Arrest of the Fun Girls" in Season Four, Helen, along with Thelma Lou, both make assumptions and become unnecessarily jealous and break their dates with Andy and Barney when the "Fun Girls", Daphne and Skippy, both lavish unwelcome romantic attention on Andy and Barney, who both make clear that they have eyes only for their respective girlfriends Helen and Thelma Lou.
In the first episode of ''The Andy Griffith Show'' spinoff, ''
Mayberry R.F.D.
''Mayberry R.F.D.'' (abbreviation for Rural Free Delivery) is an American television series produced as a spin-off continuation of ''The Andy Griffith Show''. When star Andy Griffith decided to leave his series, most of the supporting character ...
'', Andy and Helen marry. Other characters from ''
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 ...
'' make guest appearances in the episode. The episode gave
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...
the highest ratings for a new TV series debut for the decade.
The couple move to
Raleigh, North Carolina
Raleigh (; ) is the capital city of the state of North Carolina and the List of North Carolina county seats, seat of Wake County, North Carolina, Wake County in the United States. It is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, second-most ...
, but return to Mayberry at a later date on ''Mayberry R.F.D.'' to
christen their newborn
son
A son is a male offspring; a boy or a man in relation to his parents. The female counterpart is a daughter. From a biological perspective, a son constitutes a first degree relative.
Social issues
In pre-industrial societies and some current c ...
, Andrew Samuel Taylor.
In 1986, Andy and Helen appear in the reunion telemovie ''
Return to Mayberry
''Return to Mayberry'' is a 1986 American made-for-television romantic comedy film based on the 1960s sitcoms ''The Andy Griffith Show'' and '' Mayberry R.F.D.''. The film premiered on April 13, 1986, on NBC, and was the highest- rated televis ...
''. The couple returns to Mayberry to see
Opie and his wife become first-time parents. In an error of omission, Andrew Jr. who would have been a teenager by then, was not portrayed at all.
Development
* Helen Crump was intended to be a ''The Andy Griffith Show'' one-shot, but
producers
Producer or producers may refer to:
Occupations
*Producer (agriculture), a farm operator
*A stakeholder of economic production
*Film producer, supervises the making of films
**Executive producer, contributes to a film's budget and usually does not ...
liked Corsaut's performance and her chemistry with Griffith. Helen then became a
recurring character
A recurring character is a fictional character, usually in a prime time TV series, who frequently appears from time to time during the series' run. Recurring characters often play major roles in more than one episode, sometimes being the main foc ...
on the show, making a total of 66 appearances.
Appearances
The following is a list of episodes of ''The Andy Griffith Show'' and ''Mayberry R.F.D.'' featuring Helen.
''The Andy Griffith Show''
;Season Three
*Episode 23: "Andy Discovers America"
*Episode 29: "A Wife for Andy"
;Season Four
*Episode 8: "Opie's Ill-Gotten Gain"
*Episode 9: "A Date for Gomer"
*Episode 13: "Barney and the Cave Rescue"
*Episode 27: "Fun Girls"
*Episode 29: "The Rumor"
;Season Five
*Episode 1: "Opie Loves Helen"
*Episode 4: "The Education of Ernest T. Bass"
*Episode 7: "Man in the Middle"
*Episode 13: "Andy and Helen Have Their Day"
*Episode 14: "Three Wishes for Opie"
*Episode 20: "Goober and the Art of Love
*Episode 21: "Barney Runs for Sheriff"
*Episode 24: "Guest in the House"
*Episode 27: "Aunt Bee's Invisible Beau"
*Episode 28: "The Arrest of the Fun Girls"
*Episode 30: "Opie Flunks Arithmetic"
*Episode 31: "Opie and the Carnival"
;Season Six
*Episode 2: "Andy's Rival"
*Episode 4: "Aunt Bee, the Swinger"
*Episode 6: "A Warning from Warren"
*Episode 7: "Off to Hollywood"
*Episode 9: "The Hollywood Party"
*Episode 10: "Aunt Bee on TV"
*Episode 14: "The Church Organ"
*Episode 15: "Girl Shy"
*Episode 17: "The Return of Barney Fife"
*Episode 21: "Aunt Bee Learns to Drive"
*Episode 22: "Look Paw, I'm Dancing"
*Episode 23: "The Gypsies"
*Episode 24: "Eat Your Heart Out"
*Episode 25: "A Baby in the House"
*Episode 26: "The County Clerk"
*Episode 29: "The Battle of Mayberry"
;Season Seven
*Episode 1: "Opie's Girlfriend"
*Episode 4: "The Ball Game"
*Episode 5: "Aunt Bee's Crowning Glory"
*Episode 6: "The Darling Fortune"
*Episode 9: "The Senior Play"
*Episode 10: "Opie Finds a Baby"
*Episode 14: "Goober Makes History"
*Episode 15: "A New Doctor in Town"
*Episode 16: "Don't Miss a Good Bet"
*Episode 17: "Dinner at Eight"
*Episode 19: "Barney Comes to Mayberry"
*Episode 20: "Andy's Old Girlfriend"
*Episode 21: "Aunt Bee's Restaurant"
*Episode 24: "Helen, the Authoress"
*Episode 29: "Opie's Most Unforgettable Character"
;Season Eight
*Episode 1: "Opie's First Love"
*Episode 3: "A Trip to Mexico"
*Episode 4: "Andy's Trip to Raleigh"
*Episode 6: "Howard's Main Event"
*Episode 10: "Aunt Bee and the Lecturer"
*Episode 11: "Andy's Investment"
*Episode 12: "Howard and Millie"
*Episode 13: "Aunt Bee's Cousin"
*Episode 18: "Emmett's Brother-in-Law"
*Episode 20: "The Church Benefactors"
*Episode 23: "Aunt Bee's Big Moment"
*Episode 24: "Helen's Past"
*Episode 26: "The Wedding"
*Episode 27: "Sam for Town Council"
*Episode 29: "A Girl for Goober"
*Episode 30: "Mayberry R.F.D."
''Mayberry R.F.D.''
;Season One
*Episode 1: "Andy and Helen Get Married"
;Season Two
*Episode 2: "Andy's Baby"
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Crump, Helen
Fictional characters from North Carolina
Fictional schoolteachers
The Andy Griffith Show characters
Television characters introduced in 1963