DAVID BIANCULLI

Founder / Editor

ERIC GOULD

Associate Editor

LINDA DONOVAN

Assistant Editor

Contributors

ALEX STRACHAN

MIKE HUGHES

KIM AKASS

MONIQUE NAZARETH

ROGER CATLIN

GARY EDGERTON

TOM BRINKMOELLER

GERALD JORDAN

NOEL HOLSTON

 
 
 
 
 
MAKE ROOM FOR DADDY
July 4, 2012  | By David Bianculli

MeTV, 2:30 p.m. ET

 

Several TV networks are commemorating Andy Griffith’s death Tuesday, at age 86, by showing special programming blocks featuring the beloved actor. (For a full rundown, see Christy Slewinski’s Television & Beyond story HERE.) MeTV has a novel approach, showcasing Griffith’s guest-star appearances on other people’s shows – and this one, from 1960, is the most precious jewel in Griffith’s guest-star crown. It’s an episode of Danny Thomas’ long-running sitcom that served as a backdoor pilot for The Andy Griffith Show. Griffith plays Andy, a small-town sheriff who stops Thomas’ driving-through-town nightclub celebrity, Danny Williams, in a speed trap of sorts. Danny demands to take his case to the justice of the peace, then to the press – then finds that in this small town, they’re all the same guy, who’s also the sheriff. You can see, in this pilot, why Thomas and company wanted to build a show and a series around Griffith – and just how instantly, effortlessly charming he was.

 
 
 
 
 
Leave a Comment: (No HTML, 1000 chars max)
 
 Name (required)
 
 Email (required) (will not be published)
 
CHOFI
Type in the verification word shown on the image.