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One fascinating thing about the show is that some characters are so strong you think they were in scores of episodes, yet, in reality, they were in very few. Ernest T. Bass comes to mind. This character portrayed by Howard Morris was only on five episodes, although Morris appeared on one other as a television repairman. His voice was on two different episodes. The character was so strong people assumed he was on many more.


Of the 249 episodes (250 if you count the Pilot, which I do) filmed, only Andy himself appeared in all of them. Surprisingly, Ron Howard came in second with 202 (plus 41 credits only, plus the Pilot) appearances. Frances Bavier ("Aunt Bee") appeared on 175 (including the Pilot plus 13 credits only), while Don Knotts was on 142 (plus 21 credits only). Surprisingly, no other character reached the 100-show mark. George Lindsey, Howard McNear, and Aneta Corsaut were the only ones to appear in at least 50 episodes. Jack Dodson, Hope Summers, and Hal Smith made over 30 appearances. Betty Lynn made 26 and Jim Nabors 23 episodes. All others were fewer than 20 episodes, including "Emmett Clark," "Ellie Walker" and "Warren Ferguson." Even "Ernest T. Bass" and "The Darlings" made fewer than ten episodes. The writing, casting, and directing were so flawless that it makes you think they were on most of the episodes.


It all started as an episode of Make Room For Daddy with Danny Thomas in an episode entitled "Danny Meets Andy Griffith," which aired on February 15, 1960. This show introduced the world to Mayberry, North Carolina, widower Sheriff Andy Taylor, and his son Opie. Francis Bavier also appeared in this episode but not as "Aunt Bee." She was "Henrietta Perkins." Others later appearing on The Andy Griffith Show include Will Wright, Frank Cady, and Rance Howard. This pilot episode was the true beginning of the show.


During the shows run, many actors and actresses that went on to star in movies and television shows appeared, including Barbara Eden, Buddy Ebsen, Edgar Buchanan, Don Rickles, Bob Denver, Alan Hale, Jr., Frank Cady, Alvy Moore, Sid Melton, Mary Grace Canfield, Hank Patterson, Howard Hesseman (credited as Don Sturdy), James Best, William Christopher, Jamie Farr, Gavin MacLeod, Julie Adams, Dabbs Greer, Rob Reiner, Denver Pyle, Bo Hopkins, Lee Van Cleef, Helen Kleeb, Mary Jackson, Dub Taylor, Richard Bull, Karl Swenson, Ellen Corby, Arte Johnson, Dick Haynes, Terri Garr, Elinor Donahue, and Ronnie Schell, George Nader and Casey Adams (aka Max Showalter). Even Jack Nicholson made two appearances on the show! Actors Howard Morris "Ernest T. Bass" and Richard Crenna directed eight TAGS episodes.


Barbara Griffith, Andy Griffith's first wife, appeared in one episode. Andy's father, Carl Lee Griffith, appears as "The man with the brown paper package" in the episode "The Farmer Takes a Wife." Ron Howard's father, Rance, and brother, Clint, appeared in some episodes.


My list only includes the announcer Colin Male for his appearance onscreen as a forest ranger on the show. Colin Male was the announcer for over 90 of the early episodes. I consider the announcer similar to a crew member, director, etc., but not a cast member. That is just my personal view, and others no doubt will disagree.


Over 600 actors appeared on the show, not counting "Dolly the Horse" or "Old Sam the Fish." Close to 500 had "credited" roles. Scores of "extras" would likely push the list up much higher. Many unknown extras are shown in various group scenes during the show, such as Barney returning and the class reunion show.


The names below with ** after them have exemplars shown herein. The following is a list of cast members on at least five episodes, excluding Colin Male. I thought about Thomas Jacobs and Joe Crehan since they were primarily extras, but I have left them on the list.  Jacobs is listed with 72 episodes but credited in only two of those.  Crehan was in at least 13 episodes, but like Jacobs credited only in two.

The number of episodes below are on screen only.  For example, Don Knotts is credited with 162 episodes but was only seen in 141 of those.  He was named in the credits of 21 episodes that he did not appear in.  I have only used the 141 that he was actually seen.    Ron Howard is more complicated since technically in the opening credits he and Andy appear in all the episodes.   He is credited in 243 episodes but only appears on screen in 202.  He is credit only in 41 episodes.

Andy Griffith "Andy Taylor" 249 episodes**(plus the Pilot)
Ron Howard "Opie Taylor" 202 **(plus the Pilot)
Frances Bavier "Aunt Bee Taylor" 175** (plus the Pilot)
Don Knotts "Barney Fife" 141**
George Lindsey "Goober Pyle" 86**
Howard McNear "Floyd Lawson" 80**
Tom Jacobs "Councilman" and "Mayberry Citizen" (72)
Aneta Corsaut "Helen Crump" 66**
Jack Dodson "Howard Sprague" 38**
Hope Summers "Clara Edwards" 32**
Hal Smith "Otis Campbell" 32**
Betty Lynn "Thelma Lou" 26**
Jim Nabors "Gomer Pyle" 23**
Paul Hartman "Emmett Clark) 16**
Mary Lansing "Martha Clark" 15
Burt Mustin "Jud Fletcher & others" 14**
Robert McQuain "Joe Waters & others" 14
Richard Keith "Johnny Paul Jason" 13**
Joseph Crehan "Mayberry Citizen" 13**
Elinor Donahue "Ellie Walker" 12**
Jack Burns "Warren Ferguson" 11**
Dick Elliott "Mayor Pike" 11**
Joseph H. Hamilton "Mayberry Citizen" 11**
Sheldon Collins "Arnold Bailey" 9**
Roy Engel "Mayberry Citizen" 8**
Allan Melvin "Various Parts" 8**
Dennis Rush "Howie Pruitt" 8 **
Howard Morris "Ernest T. Bass" 8**
Rhonda Jeter "Karen Burgess & others" 8
Parley Baer "Mayor Stoner" 7**
Charles P. Thompson "Old Asa" later "Doc Roberts" 7**
William Keene "Rev. Tucker" 6
Jack Prince "Rafe Hollister" 6**
Janet Stewart (Bernice and others) 6
Forrest Lewis (Cy Hudgins; Mayberry Citizen) 6**
Joy Ellison (Effie Muggins and others) 6
Cheerio Meredith "Emma Brand" 6**
Norman Leavitt ("Wally" and others) 6**
Maggie Peterson Mancuso "Charlene Darling" 6**
Denver Pyle "Briscoe Darling" 6**
Doug Dillard (Darling brother) 6**
Rodney Dillard (Darling brother) 6**
Mitch Jayne (Darling brother) 6**
Dean Webb (Darling brother) 6**
Olan Soule (Choirmaster John Masters/hotel clerk) 5**
Jason Johnson (Mr. Weaver & others) 5
Frank Ferguson (Mr. Foley, Sam Lindsey, Wilbur Pine) 5**
Amzie Strickland (Myra Tucker & others) 5**
Sherwood Keith (Sam) 5 **
Warren Parker (County Fair Judge) 5
George Cisar [NOT the baseball player with the same name] (Cyrus Tankersley) 5
Frank Warren (Art Crowley the grocer) 5
Ruth Thom (Ella Carson) 5
Maudie Prickett (Aunt Nora and Mrs. Larch) 5**
Clint Howard (Leon) 5**
Sam Edwards (Tom Bedlow & others) 5**

These figures change as I find other episodes. To make these autographs a bit easier for people to see, I will make a list of the autographs in the reply section below. That way, if you are looking for a particular individual, you can scroll down to find them in this discussion. The autographs below are people who were on at least two episodes of the show. There is another discussion for those that appeared on only one show and another for "extras."

Jack Dodson "Howard Sprague"
Hope Summers "Clara"
Sheldon Collins "Arnold"
Allan Melvin. Many roles.
James Best. "Jim Lindsey"
Joseph H. Hamilton. "Jase," "Choney," and "Chester Jones"
Mary Treen. "Rose" and "Clara Lindsey."
Jonathan Hole "Orville Monroe" in three episodes.
Richard Keith (aka Keith Thibodeaux)
Margaret Kerry
Ron Howard
Sam Edwards
Burt Mustin
Byron Foulger
Arthur Malet
Denver Pyle
Doug Dillard
Rodney Dillard
Mitch Jayne
Dean Webb
Maggie Peterson
Doodles Weaver (aka Red Marshall)
Joe Crehan
Parley Baer
Rance Howard
Emory Parnell
Joyce Jameson
Amzie Strickland
Jack Burns
Ken Lynch
Thomas Jacobs
Chubby Johnson
Arthur Hunnicutt
Richard Poston
Jon Lormer
James McCallion
Richard Collier
Paul Hartman
Dennis Rush
Sherwood Keith
Tod Andrews (AKA Michael Ames)
Robert Emhardt
Sylvia Lewis
Howard McNear
Dick Elliott
Charles P. Thompson

Tags: Andy, Bavier, Don, Frances, Griffith, Howard, Jack, Ken, Knotts, Lynch, More…Nicholson, Ron

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Replies to This Discussion

BURT MUSTIN EGG THIEF.   One Halloween movie I always watch is THE GHOST AND MR. CHICKEN with Don Knotts.  Burt Mustin is seen prominently in the movie as Mr. Deligondo, and lets Luther (Don Knotts) borrow his flashlight.  There is a funny very scene that many miss, but I always laugh at.   When the boarders are having breakfast, a silent Mr. Deligondo sips his coffee and then spots an uneaten poached egg in front of Mrs. Hutchinson (Jesslyn Fax), who is busy talking.  Without saying a word, he grabs the egg and cracks it open with his knife to eat.  Was his real crime egg thievery or scene-stealing?  I am not sure if this was an ad-lib by Mustin or if the director decided it would be amusing for those that caught it.  With no lines in the movie, it may just have been Mustin's way of getting a laugh.  The outstanding Jesslyn Fax was another TAGS alumni.   Here are some scenes showing Mustin at his best.

AN UNGUARDED EGG

THE CRIME IN PROGRESS

I MUST HAVE EATEN IT.

Fortunately, IMDb accepted my correction for Burt Mustin.  I also put in corrections for Lillian Culver and Dick Elliott that were accepted.  

BYRON FOULGER (1899-1970) is perhaps best known as Wendell Gibbs the conductor on Petticoat Junction.  He also appeared on The Twilight Zone, The Addams Family, Green Acres, The Beverly Hillbillies, Gunsmoke, Bonanza, I Love Lucy, The Abbott and Costello Show and even The Monkees.  He was in several movies including The Guns of Will Sonnett, Might Joe Young and two Jerry Lewis movies.  He was on three episodes of The Andy Griffith Show playing the hotel clerk in two of them.  This is a through the mail index card dated 1968 while on Petticoat Junction.

ARTHUR MALET (1927-2013) a British born character actor who appeared on scores of television shows in his long career.  He was on Bewitched, Barney Miller, Bonanza, The Wild Wild West, Gunsmoke, The Night Gallery, and Dallas.  He was in movies such as Munster Go Home and Young Frankenstein. He was on two episodes of TAGS.  His autograph ls scarce.   This is from a contract.

ARTHUR MALET from the episode "Lost and Found" he was also the desk clerk in the episode "The Battle of Mayberry."

DENVER PYLE (1920-1997) is perhaps best known as "Uncle Jesse" on the Dukes of Hazard and "Mad Jack" on Grizzly Adams.  He made lasting impression in six episodes of The Andy Griffith Show as head of the hillbilly Darling Clan.  He played Doris Day's father on The Doris Day Show.  He also appeared on The Waltons, The Twilight Zone, and almost every television western of the 1950s-70s.  He appeared in movies The Man That Shot Liberty Valance, The Flying Saucer and Return to Mayberry.    This is from a signed card.

THE DARLINGS played by Doug Dillard, Rodney Dillard, Mitch Jayne, Dean Webb, Maggie Peterson and Denver Pyle.  This is signed by all of them except for Pyle and of course Andy Griffith.  

DOODLES WEAVER (1912-1983) also known as Red Marshall was a character actor who appeared in many movies and television shows.  He appeared in two episodes of The Andy Griffith Show perhaps his best known episode was as the "Single Tax" sign bearing "Regis" in the 1963 episode "A Black Day For Mayberry."  He was in the 1961 episode " Aunt Bee's Brief Encounter." along with Edgar Buchanan.  His autograph is somewhat uncommon.  This is a 1975 index card to well known collector Peter Hanson he also signs as his Spike Jones character "Professor Feitlebaum."

DOODLES WEAVER (Red Marshall) in the episode " Aunt Bee's Brief Encounter."  Sadly weaver became depressed because of ill health and shot himself in 1983.  

DOODLES WEAVER (1912-1983). Since I showed a later Doodles Weaver autograph (1975) I thought I would show this one of his earliest. This was one of those unexpected pleasant finds on the reverse of a Mantan Moreland album page. The nice thing about having both Weaver and Moreland on the same album pages it really helps date it. Weaver was an almost unknown extra starting in 1936. He appeared in Topper (1937) and few other movies in the late 30s and early 40s. In 1946 he gained fame with the Spike Jones radio show and his "Professor Feitlebaum." This autograph is likely from the 1946-1949 period since Mantan Moreland was starring in the Charlie Chan series then also. Sadly the ink blotted on his caricature of himself but it is still a great and early Doodles Weaver autograph. Weaver was the paternal uncle of actress Sigourney Weaver! He was in the Alfred Hitchcock movie The Birds. Weaver's autograph is scarce. This from Dr. Brucato's Classic Entertainment Autographs.

JOY ELLISON (1953-     ) was on six episodes of TAGS the most famous being the 1960 Christmas episode.  She appeared in episodes of Gomer Pyle and Andy Griffith's short lived Headmaster series.

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