Danny Thomas went for a spin (in more ways than one)

On this day in 1960: On “The Danny Thomas Show,” Sheriff Andy Taylor, played by Andy Griffith, arrests nightclub performer Thomas for speeding through sleepy Mayberry, N.C.

The episode introduces the Taylor character and sets up television’s first series spinoff — “The Andy Griffith Show.”

 

‘Rectify’: ‘Andy Griffith Show’ for 21st century?

“A wise man… once told me there was nothing I needed to know about living life I could not learn by watching ‘The Andy Griffith Show.’

“Watch Sheriff Andy, and you’d learn how to resolve problems through reason and not force…. By today’s standards, certainly, the show can seem quaint or even cornpone, but small-town Southern kids of the 1960s, at least those of us who were lucky enough to grow up in places that resembled Mayberry, recognized the quiet drawls of the parents — or neighbors’ parents — who set us straight when we got out of line….

“I’ve waited in vain on another television series to pull off the Andy trick — to tell universal and human stories and do it in a distinct and authentic Southern voice.

“For 50 years, I never saw it happen.

“Then, two years ago, it did.

“On April 22, 2013, SundanceTV broadcast the debut of a series called ‘Rectify’….”

— From “The Truth, in Mode & Matter” by Chuck Reece at the Bitter Southerner

 

Sheriff Taylor’s story had familiar ring

On this day in 1960: On “The Andy Griffith Show” Sheriff Taylor ends a feud between two mountain families by arranging the marriage of their children. Andy tells Opie the Southern version of “Romeo and Juliet,” which had been on the flip side of his hit record, “What It Was Was Football.” This is the only episode to make use of material from Griffith’s repertoire as a standup comedian.