"The Andy Griffith Show," arguably the greatest television sitcom of all time, is approaching the 50th anniversary of its 1960 debut. And what's remarkable is that in the fifty years since the show premiered, the Mayberry classic has never been off the air in this country -- and the comedy still holds up. The episodes (at least the black & white ones) are every bit as funny now as they were then.
Locally, the folks over at WRAL say "Andy Griffith Show" repeats have run on channel 5 since the mid 1960s, when the show was first offered for syndication. They even ran it in prime time for awhile in 2003 in the place of the seedy (by 2003 standards) reality show, "Cupid." Currently, you can catch it on WRAL on Saturday mornings at 4am.
Andy and Barney and the gang are also 
very much at home on TV Land these days. That network is celebrating the show's golden anniversary with special programming during their "50 Days of Andy," featuring daily marathons and culminating with the airing of the top 50 episodes as voted on by fans (you can vote here).
During TV Land's "50 Days" (we're in the middle of them right now), "Andy" episodes are aired from 3pm to 6pm, Monday through Friday. During each block of shows, TV Land offers up interesting Mayberry trivia.
The final results of the fan voting will air in two sweet sets of marathons: Saturday, September 25 from 8am to 9pm, and on Sunday, September 26 from 8am to 8:30pm.
The show's actual anniversary is Sunday, October 3, and TV Land will also air a marathon of "landmark" episodes that day, beginning at 4pm.
I'm heading over to TV Land now to vote for my favorite. It's awfully hard to choose, though: "The Pickle Story," "Man in a Hurry," "The Haunted House," "Goober and the Art of Love," "Convicts at Large."
In the end, I will probably go with the episode that makes me laugh (Barney: "[Whistle] Gee, I'm feelin' good! [Whistle] Gee, I'm feelin' baaaad. [Whistle] Here comes a cat!"), but also makes me cry (Andy: "But don't the trees seem nice and full?"): "Opie the Birdman."
Voting ends September 22.
Brooke Cain isn't always proud of the number of hours she logs in front of the TV, but her loss of brain cells can be your gain. From reality shows to sitcoms to the more serious stuff, Brooke keeps her DVR smoking so that she can help keep you in the know. Brooke also tweets for Happiness is a Warm TV (you can follow
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The 50th Anniversary of The Andy Griffith Show
Thu, 08/26/2010 - 15:49 — raymondiationBy the way,"The Andy Griffith Show" isn't the only show that is celebrating its golden 50th Anniversary. The other shows that are celebrating milestones on its 50th Anniversary are the following:
1. "The Flintstones"(premiered on September 30, 1960 on ABC) yep,good ole Fred Flintstone is 50. This was at one time the longest-running animated prime-time series on television for years until The Simpsons dethrone it. However,Boomerang and Cartoon Network are setting up also some of the 166 episodes of the Flintstones including some of the funniest episodes ever to come out of the entire series. The show ran for six seasons in prime-time becoming one of the most beloved animated shows ever made. Yabba Dabba Doo!
2. "My Three Sons"(premiered on September 29,1960 on ABC) Who remembers Robbie,Mike and Chip Douglass? Who remembers Bub? Who remembers Uncle Charley? And the adopted son Ernie? And good ole reliable dad Steve Douglass? Fred MacMurray was the star of this wholesome family sitcom that ran for an astounding 13 seasons on television,being second to "The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriett" as one of the longest-running family situation comedy sitcoms ever made. The series ran for five seasons on ABC from 1960 until 1965(and they were in classic black and white,the William Frawley episodes and the early William Demarest episodes).Then in September of 1965,the series switched networks,this time over to CBS where it remained for the next seven and a half years until its final episode in 1972 after 380 episodes.
This will just be a lib advertisement.
Tue, 08/24/2010 - 22:27 — BigMonsterAndys 50th Anniversary.
Tue, 08/24/2010 - 17:36 — henryeWhen I left Raleigh in 1964. to accept an Airline position and had to report to Miami Fl.
One of the first things I was confronted with was where was Mayberry.. I have never seen so many people impressed with any show. I have often thought about it since then .
I really think that is the way many people would want to live... in a small village or Town where every one knows each other and the pace of life is so leisurely without a lot of problems.
I remember when I was about eleven or twelve visiting relatives in Youngsville in the Summer and how quiet and peaceful the Town was . and really thought about living there
until I reached adulthood and realized it was very necessary to make a living on my own.