Two Chairs No Waiting

The time between Christmas and New Year is normally a very slow time for podcast listeners so I thought I’d focus on something that you might enjoy but that isn’t part of Mayberry.

The NEW Andy Griffith Show debuted January 8, 1971 and was Andy Sawyer rather than our beloved Andy Taylor.  This was Andy’s second try at returning to television after leaving The Andy Griffith Show/Mayberry R.F.D.

The first being “The Headmaster,” a half-hour drama from the fall of 1970 where Andy played the character Andy Thompson and was headmaster of a prestigious private school located in California. Headmaster ran until January 1, 1971 and was cancelled.

One week later, Andy Sawyer appeared as the focus of The NEW Andy Griffith Show. Sawyer was a man returning home to Greenwood following time spent in state government.  The mayor of Greenwood was retiring and the town wanted Sawyer to return to be the mayor. Andy Sawyer has 2 children and a wife named Lee played by Lee Meriwether.

The pilot episode was written, produced and created by Aaron Ruben how had lead the creation of the first five years of The Andy Griffith Show.  Andy Griffith also brought in Lee Phillips, who had been the director for most of the last two seasons of The Andy Griffith Show, to direct the pilot and Earl Hagen to create the theme song and music for the NEW show.

To kick off the first eisode, they also brought in George Lindsey as Goober Pyle and Paul Hartman as Emmett Clark both of whom were currently a part of Mayberry, R.F.D.  This was confusing because it was Andy “Sawyer” and not Andy “Taylor” yet the two of them knew Sawyer like they were old friends.

Emmett and Goober has traveled to Greenwood to ask Sawyer to try to have the city rezone some land they wanted to use to start a business.

Don Knotts showed up as “an old friend” on that pilot episode as well. It was a nice scene between Griffith and Knotts but one could only wish it was Fife and Taylor rather than Sawyer and “old friend.”

The show was cancelled on May 21, 1971. This was the same year that Mayberry, R.F.D. went off the air and was the first time in eleven years that some form of Mayberry was not on CBS on Monday nights.

Don’t forget to leave comments or ask questions on the Mayberry.com/podcasts website or using the contact information given in the podcast. We’d love to have you be a part of our next feedback episode.

Related Links:

• Mayberry R.I.P. – TVParty.com has a wonderful history of The Andy Griffith Show and all that followed.  Drop by for a look at the several pages of information and a nice history lesson.
• The New Andy Griffith Show – Wikipedia’s entry on The New Andy Griffith Show is a situation comedy broadcast in the United States by the CBS television network in 1971.

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Christmas time is here so I thought I’d discuss the one and only Christmas episode of The Andy Griffith Show.

“Who’s Been Messin’ Up the Bulletin Board?” Chapter member, Janet brought to our attention recently an inconsistency in the Christmas episode that I’d never noticed so I thought I’d share it with you.  You’ll want visit the Photos link over on our Facebook fan page (http://www.facebook.com/twochairs) to see screen shots of the things I’m talking about in this episode when you have a chance. The magical card switch is easy to see (time 1:51 into episode on season DVD) when you watch the episode so pay attention when you watch the episode this Christmas.

Since next week is Christmas week, I’m going to play Miss Ellie singing “Away in a Manger” to close out to the show.

I hope you enjoy it.

Don’t forget to leave comments or ask questions on the Mayberry.com/podcasts website or using the contact information given in the podcast. We’d love to have you be a part of our next feedback episode.

Related Links:

• Who’s Been Messing Up the Bulletin Board? Chapter – Sign up for the WBMUTBB Digest. The Digest is an automated daily mailing list about The Andy Griffith Show and things related to Mayberry.
• Two Chairs No Waitng Facebook Fan Page – Become a fan of Two Chairs No Waiting on Facebook. Photos related to podcast episodes are posted here along with comments from fellow fans.

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I have been looking around the Internet for podcasts to listen to and I found The Great Gildersleeve Replay. Said to be both the first spin-off program, and one of the first situation comedies, The Great Gildersleeve was a spin-off from Fibber McGee and Molly. The radio show ran for 16 years (1941-1957) on NBC Radio.

What does any of this have to do with The Andy Griffith Show? Well, I was listening recently and noticed two names that were used on The Great Gildersleeve that will draw the attention of Mayberry fans.  The Great Glidersleeve is set in the town of Summerfield  and Throckmorton P. Gildersleeve is the main character. I had noticed that one of the supporting characters is Floyd Munson and that he is the barber in Summerfield.  They even call him “Floyd the barber” but while I notice the name and smiled it wasn’t until I heard the episode titled “Sleigh Ride” (Feb 6, 1944) that I really took notice.  It turns out Floyd’s brother is mentioned and his name is Otis.

I started digging to try and see if this show might have been where Andy and the writers of The Andy Griffith Show (TAGS) came up with the names Floyd the barber and Otis.  I spoke with Jim Clark and Ken Beck recently and neither had heard about Gildersleeve being a source for the names.  I checked the writers to see if there were any in common between the Gildersleeve and TAGS but could find none.

I did find that the person who played Floyd on Gildersleeve was Arthur Q. Bryan.  Mr. Bryan, it turns out, was the voice of Elmer Fudd on the Warner Brothers cartoons.  When Mr. Bryan passed away onNovember 18, 1959, Hal Smith (Mayberry’s Otis)assumed the voice of Elmer Fudd in later Looney Tunes productions.

I can’t say for sure what the tie in between the towns of Summerfield and Mayberry might be but there seems to be enought there to make it worth continuing to dig.

Don’t forget to leave comments or ask questions on the Mayberry.com/podcasts website or using the contact information given in the podcast. We’d love to have you be a part of our next feedback episode.

Related Links:

• The Great Gildersleeve Replay – Said to be both the first spin-off program, and one of the first situation comedies, The Great Gildersleeve came a long way from his Fibber McGee and Molly origins. Lets hear these shows once again, and replay 16 years worth of comedy gold!
• The Great Gildersleeve – Wikipedia story with background on The Great Gildersleeve.
• Arthur Q. Bryan – Voiced “Floyd the Barber” on The Great Gildersleeve. Wikipedia has a very nice write-up.

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We’ll be talking about The Andy Griffith Show episode The Bookie Barber this week and we’ll hear some feedback from your fellow listeners.

What got me thinking about The Bookie Barber was the current episode (#67) of the Burke on Mayberry podcast in which that episode was the topic. Kevin Burke, the host, did a fun review of the episode and I thought it would be nice tie in to tell you folks about some strange and curious happenings in Mayberry during that episode.

I hope you enjoy that as well as the feedback about past Two Chairs episodes from listeners.

Don’t forget to leave comments or ask questions on the Mayberry.com/podcasts website or using the contact information given in the podcast. We’d love to have you be a part of our next feedback episode.

Related Links:

• Burke on Mayberry – Dr. Burke provides tidbits, discuss insights into TAGS episodes, and test your knowledge of TAGS with a trivia question at the end of each podcast.
• Mayberry.info – Page at Mayberry.info that contains events that happen in Mayberry that are not as they should be. The events are pointed out not in an attempt to tear apart “our home town” but because we love the show so much that we have studied each episode and have become “trained noticers.”
• Two Chairs No Waitng Facebook Fan Page – Become a fan of Two Chairs No Waiting on Facebook. Photos related to podcast episodes are posted here along with comments from fellow fans.
• The Andy Griffith Show Rerun Watchers Club Facebook Page – TAGSRWC has just opened a fan page on Facebook for another way to keep up-to-date with the goings-on in and around Mayberry.

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Do you remember the story about Myray Lambert?  No…not Myra Koontz, that’s a completely different story.  I’m talking about the “news” Opie and Howie were sharing in the original version of “The Mayberry Sun.”

Frequent listeners will remember that in episode #36 of Two Chairs No Waiting we were discussing “the bomb” comment made in on TAGS episode “Opie’s Newspaper.” (Feel free to pause and go back to give#36 a listen if you missed it.)

While researching that comment, I was re-reading Neal Brower’s wonderful book Mayberry 101 and ran across a nice insight for fan of The Andy Griffith Show and thought it was something you’d want to know or be reminded of if you have Neal’s book.

The quote I read is found on page 427 Mayberry 101: Behind The Scenes of a TV Classic by Neal Brower | John F. Blair publisher

———————–

Q. Were there any TAGS scripts which were written but never filmed?

A. Yes .Paul, I wrote one ..( I don’t know if other writers wrote any.) Our unfilmed episode was THE WANDERING MINSTREL, which I wrote with Ray Allen Saffian for the 1962-1963 season.. It featured a charming footloose guitar player we called “Wally Jordan.” ( based on an actual musician Andy had great respect for, Brownie Mcghee)

Andy had constantly spoken in praise of Brownie, so it was inevitable someone would write the story. We wrote the outline and then the fully completed script. Now the weird part. To this day nobody on TAGS can give a reason why it wasn’t filmed. It’s still a mystery.

If you’d like to read the script, it is printed in its entirety in Richard Kelly’s seminal book THE ANDY GRIFFITH SHOW .. Pickled Tink to hear from you. Harvey B

**You can get Richard Kelly’s book at…you guessed it…Weaver’s Dept Store***  http://WeaversDepartmentStore.com

Please tell folks about our show and don’t forget to share some comments or ask a question or two on the Mayberry.com/podcasts website or by using the contact information given in the podcast. I would love to have you be a part the show.

Related Links:

• Mayberry 101 – by Neal Brower this is must reading for any fan of Mayberry.
• IMDB listing for Harvey Bullock
• Wikipedia entry for Harvey Bullock
• Harvey Bullock bio at Emmy.org
• The eBullet – The Official newsletter of The Andy Griffith Show Rerun Watchers Club and it’s FREE.

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Two Chairs No Waiting

In the episode Opie’s Newspaper when Barney mentions “It must be the bomb,” did you ever wonder what he meant?  We’ll we’re gonna find out on this episode of Two Chairs No Waiting.

For those that don’t remember, Opie’s Newspape is where Opie takes his cue from the adults and spices up a penny newspaper he and his friend Howie publish with gossip he’s overheard. When Barney and the Taylors get a look at the new issue, they have to scramble to collect the copies before they are read by the rest of the town.

In the episode, Opie delivers the first edition of the “Mayberry Sun” to Andy and then to Barney at the courthouse.  Opie reports that he’s having a hard time selling his paper so Barney and Andy try to help by telling him he needs to branch out in his coverage.  Opie & Howie do just that and figure that the adults in town seem to enjoy the “Mayberry After Mid-night” section of the paper the most and set out to make their paper have that type content.

Just after Opie and Howie finish the first run of their revised paper, Opie delivers copies to Barney, Andy, and Aunt Bee in the Taylor’s kitchen at breakfast time.  Opie leaves them with the paper and goes out to place free copies in everyone in Mayberry’s hands or, in most cases, front porch.

The “It must be the bomb” comment comes while they are reflecting on the heat.

Please tell folks about our show and don’t forget to share some comments or ask a question or two on the  Mayberry.com/podcasts website or by using the contact information given in the podcast.  I would love to have you be a part the show.

Related Links:

• Mayberry 101 – by Neal Brower this is must reading for any fan of Mayberry.
• IMDB listing for Everett Greenbaum
• YouTube interview with Everett Greenbaum
• The eBullet – The Official newsletter of The Andy Griffith Show Rerun Watchers Club and it’s FREE.

Two Chairs No Waiting is brought to you by http://WeaversDepartmentStore.com.

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Two Chairs No Waiting

Hello Mayberry!  Thanks for joining us for Two Chairs Now Waiting.  I want to thank Floyd for hosting the show last week for me.  Thank you as well for the positive feedback, all three of them, hahah….about Floyd’s Mayberry Memories.

Let me pull back the curtains a little bit about the stories Floyd told last episode and make sure you know that each of them was a *true* story.  They all really happened.  The names were changed to protect the innocent but they were true none the less.

We have voice mail, e-mail and some of our listeners favorite quotes.

Thank you for listening.  Tell your Mayberry friends about us and don’t forget to leave comments or ask questions on the  Mayberry.com/podcasts website or by using the contact information given in the podcast.  We’d love to have you be a part of our next feedback episode.

Related Links:

• Mayberry On Main – Mt. Airy, NC merchants run by the one e-mailers family
• Who’s Been Messin’ Up the Bulletin Board? Chapter – Online chapter of The Andy Griffith Show Rerun Watchers Club with a daily e-mail newsletter all about our Mayberry friends.
• Emmett’s WAVs – WAV file sound clips from The Andy Griffith Show.
• Two Chairs No Waiting Store – Purchase t-shirts, mugs and other items with the Two Chairs No Waiting logo.
• Donate and Support Two Chairs – Help off-set the cost of hosting and delivering the podcast. $5, $10, or whatever you would like to donate to help with expenses.

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I started out preparing to make an entire episode about TAGS writer Harvey Bullock but became side tracked by watching the “Aunt Bee’s Romance” TAGS episode looking for a sound clip “Did I tell you what the mirror said to the dresser?” Harvey answers that question for us and and then I drifted off into talking about other great quotes from “Aunt Bee’s Romance.”

I hope you enjoy visiting with me in Mayberry as much as I enjoy talking about the people of Mayberry.

Please let me know what YOUR favorite quotes from TAGS are and hopefully a future episode will be able to feature some of those quotes.

Thank you for listening and please remember…..

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Discussion about Myers Lake guest staring in an episode of The Rifleman. The exact location where Andy and Opie walked during the opening of The Andy Griffith Show was where the stars of The Rifleman were spotted strolling.

Help us identify other classic TV series that also used Franklin Canyon..err Myers Lake for filming.

Odd Fact Known by Few
Speaking of the Actor of the Man  I have an interesting bit of trivia for you.

In the episode: Runaway Kid
If you remember, that’s the episode where Andy finds himself in a dilemma after teaching Opie a lesson about the importance of always keeping your word. Opie has made a sacred trust not to divulge that his new friend, George “Tex” Foley (Pat Rosson) is a runaway. Andy must grapple with violating Opie’s trust or returning the boy to his family and explaining that there is always an exception to every rule.

Well, here’s the “odd fact.”

When Andy is talking to George about leaving for Texas, Andy is laying on the couch looking toward George who has the kitchen door wall behind him. Suddenly the double doors from the other side of the room are behind George when he says, “It ain’t?” (time 18:33) then there’s a cut and George is back where he should be. George then walks behind the couch around past the fireplace and then where the double doors are behind him from Andy’s view. Andy “Too bad that ain’t cowboy rations” and THEN Tex says, “It ain’t?” (time 19:49) exactly the same as he had said in the shot just about one minute before. The first occurrence is also a “reversed” image of the second shot. The times are from the season one DVD.

Floyd joins us as well with his Thoughts from Floyd segment.

Related Links:

• Mayberry Historical Society – Runaway Kid episode information contains our episodes odd fact
• Myers Lake is Franklin Canyon Reservoir – Episode #13 of Two Chairs No Waiting

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