Andy Taylor (The Andy Griffith Show)
Sheriff Andrew Jackson "Andy" Taylor is the lead character on The Andy Griffith Show, an American sitcom which aired on CBS, (1960–1968). He also appears in the Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. episode "Opie Joins the Marines," five episodes of Mayberry R.F.D. (1968–1971), and the reunion television film Return to Mayberry (1986). He made a cameo appearance in the USMC episode "Gomer Goes Home." The character made his initial appearance in an episode of The Danny Thomas Show entitled "Danny Meets Andy Griffith." In the CBS special The Andy Griffith - Don Knotts - Jim Nabors Show (1965), Andy and Barney are featured in a musical sketch about their friendship and recreate some classic moments between the characters. Andy Griffith, as Sheriff Taylor, also has a brief comedy cameo in Rowan and Martin at the Movies (1969), a PSA short subject promoting the purchase of U.S. Savings Bonds. Griffith appeared with costar Ron Howard in character as Andy and Opie Taylor in a 2008 commercial for the presidential campaign of Barack Obama. Andy Taylor appeared in all 249 episodes of The Andy Griffith Show and was played by comedian, musician, and actor Andy Griffith.
For other people named Andrew Taylor, see Andrew Taylor (disambiguation).Andy Taylor
"Danny Meets Andy Griffith" episode The Danny Thomas Show (1960)
Return to Mayberry TV movie (1986)
Male
Sheriff (1952 - 1968; 1986 - ?)
Agent of State Bureau of Investigation (1968 - ?)
Postal Inspector (? - 1986)
Justice of the Peace (? - 1968)
Barney Fife (cousin)
Aunt Bee (Aunt)
Uncle Ollie (uncle)
Aunt Nora (aunt)
Unnamed wife (deceased)
Helen Crump
Opie Taylor (son)
Andrew Samuel Taylor, Jr. (son)
Home life[edit]
Andy Taylor lives in the fictional, sleepy community of Mayberry, North Carolina. Andy is a widower and father to one young son, Opie. In the backdoor pilot episode from The Danny Thomas Show, viewers learn Andy lost his wife when Opie was "the least little speck of a baby." In the first episode of the show Andy has a maid who is getting married and moving away.
Work life[edit]
Andy is Mayberry's Sheriff and Justice of the Peace. He has held the elected job of sheriff since approximately 1952 or ‘53.
As sheriff, Andy is the chief law enforcement officer in the county, yet most of his activity is in and around the town of Mayberry, and there is no evidence of a separate city police force. Both the town and the county are named Mayberry, so Andy is the chief law enforcement officer for both. These working conditions, plus his reliance on a single deputy (and no clerk or jailer), indicate that the county is very small in both size and population; however, in the episode Mountain Wedding, Andy and Barney get up at four o'clock in the morning to get an "early start" on their trip to the Darlings' cabin, which is described as being "up in the mountains." When they arrive, it is full daylight, so it could be inferred that Mayberry County is larger than originally thought and with mountainous areas, but sparsely populated. Andy and Barney both work the courthouse during daytime hours and rotate shifts at night. The length of night duties is never specified; however, it appears the only time either spends all night at the courthouse is when a prisoner, other than regular inmate Otis Campbell, is incarcerated. One confusing aspect of Andy's authority, however, is his apparent subservience to the town mayor, a plot device which is utilized in several episodes throughout the course of the series - including Season 3's "The Cow Thief" - but which makes no sense in real life, since both are elected officials. Additionally, since Andy is elected countywide, while the mayor is a town official, his authority would actually - in most areas - exceed that of the mayor. This apparent dichotomy is never addressed during the run of the show.
In three first-season episodes, "The Manhunt," "A Feud is a Feud," and "Barney Gets His Man," and in one second-season episode, "Aunt Bee the Warden," Andy wears a regular gunbelt. Also, the sixth-season episode, "Aunt Bee Takes a Job" with co-star Jack Burns, Andy fires a gun (which he borrows from Deputy Warren Ferguson) to disable a car in order to capture some criminals. Andy did have an issued sidearm (a Colt Official Police revolver) but rarely saw cause to carry the weapon. He kept it unloaded on top of a shelf in his house. On the rare occasion he needed a weapon fast, he would grab a rifle or shotgun from the rack in his office or from his car.
Famous quotes[edit]
"Well, I'll be." (Spoken by Andy when he's excited or surprised in a good way.)
"I appreciate it and good night." (Spoken by Andy in the sponsor spots, when he's "advertising".)
"You beat everything, you know that?" (Spoken by Andy when Barney makes a bad mistake.)
"Now, now, Opie." (Spoken by Andy when he's trying to explain something to his son, Opie.)
"Simmer down." (Spoken by Andy when someone is overly excited.)
"That was extry good!" (Spoken by Andy when someone performs something well.)
The mystery of Opie's mother[edit]
When the series opens, several years have passed since Opie's mother died. Andy mentions in the backdoor pilot from The Danny Thomas Show that he "lost" Opie's mother when Opie was "the least little speck of a baby." Opie is 6 years old when the show opens (born in 1954), and it is more than likely (based on Andy's testimony) that Opie's mother died at Opie's birth or shortly thereafter. Andy would have been 27 or 28 when Opie was born in 1954. It is mentioned numerous times during the series that Andy is a widower.
Reception[edit]
In polls and editorials, Andy has been routinely ranked as one of the greatest TV fathers, praised for being "the kind of father that every kid deserves—a kind, understanding and compassionate man with a sense of humor and a load of common sense."[1] He placed 8th on TV Guide's list of the "Top 50 TV Dads." On the lists created by About.com's Fatherhood section[2] Sheriff Andy Taylor is named the greatest TV father of all time. Tampa Bay Online's public poll also voted him the greatest father in pop culture history, including both television and film, with 82% of the vote.[1]
In 2018, retired Akron Beacon Journal writer Rich Heldenfels said he believed Andy Griffith was never nominated for an Emmy because he "just made the acting look too easy" and because the character was so much like Griffith that "his timing and other skills did not seem as apparent."[3]