Moreover, many of its fans, like Oprah Winfrey, are African American. The point is that it was Andy Griffith’s intention to entertain people through the stories and characters who lived in Mayberry-not make a political statement about civil rights. And in Mayberry, the worst thing to happen might be a prisoner on the loose from the state penitentiary who, by the end of the show, will be caught by Andy Taylor. The sit-in movement began in Greensboro, North Carolina, just down the road from Mt. It offered a nostalgic portrayal of the region-one that countered the negative images of the region present in the civil rights coverage also being watched by millions on the evening news. Throughout its run on television, The Andy Griffith Show regularly ranked among the top ten most watched shows. What we might all agree on is that Mayberry did not represent the South of the 1960s. This map of Mayberry suggests it could be a real place. If so, then one could say the show was realistic. Yet it could be that Andy Griffith chose to write about the nostalgic South of his youth, in which he grew up in a primarily white community. Therefore, one could argue against realism. Airy has had a black population, albeit a small one. Oprah Winfrey, a self-confessed fan of the show, once asked “Where are the black people?” Historically, Mt. On the one hand, it appears there are no African Americans living in Mayberry. Airy? Here, one could argue both for and against realism. Was it realistic in presenting a small southern town like Mt. Then there is Mayberry, the setting for the show.
So, who are we to argue that what he presented was not an accurate representation of his own experience? Most people associated with TAGS acknowledge that the show reflected Andy Griffith’s vision, which he has repeatedly said was to tell universal stories about goodness that reflected the values he grew up with. Airy, upon which it is believed the show is based. But if we are going to go there, we can think about this from two different angles: one is Griffith’s, the other is about the reality that existed in Mt. Television is meant to entertain people, which TAGS did very successfully. My response is that in some ways this question does not matter. Airy is Mayberry.Ī radio talk show host recently asked whether the show’s portrayal of the region was realistic or accurate. Yet whether it was or wasn’t doesn’t matter much, because diehard fans of TAGS believe it to be true. Certainly, there are numerous references to Mt.
Airy, North Carolina, was the setting for the show. Even if Griffith disagreed with that assessment, which he did on several occasions, it is what fans of the show believe.įans also want to believe that Griffith’s hometown of Mt. And how could it not? Andy Taylor was such an iconic television character it was as if Taylor and Griffith were one. Yet it was his role as Sheriff Andy Taylor in The Andy Griffith Show (TAGS), which received the greatest response from media writers and fans alike. The passing of Andy Griffith last week prompted an outpouring of love and respect for the man and his life’s work in movies, television, and even gospel music.
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