Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Scott Paul on July 5, 2015 at 2:19pm

That is a very nice photograph is it yours?  The Nabors, Knotts, and Griffith are difficult for me to see, but the others look good so am sure they are too.  Hal Smith was a very generous signer.  I loved the reunion show and consider it the best of such shows.  It really tied up what happened to all the characters with the exception of Andy Taylor, Jr., who was conveniently forgotten.  

Permalink Reply by Jason Strecker on July 5, 2015 at 2:45pm

Not mine, Scott, though I wish it was.

It belongs to the John guy who posted on youtube.

I would imagine the only way to get a full photo like that would be having one of the cast members obtain it. The three mentioned are not signed in the best place but upon close inspection look good. Griffith definitely isn't the "Linke" version.

Permalink Reply by Frank Johnson on July 6, 2015 at 7:50am

While this is a very nice photo , the Griffith autograph isn't Andy's true signature. This one is too loopy and the t in Griffith is not even close to being right. He didn't cross his t. This one is a long crossing t that goes thru way too far. On about 90% of the "True" signatures I have examined he didn't cross the t. There are some that are at the t and maybe 1 or 2 that are across the t but not thru it like this. Also this autograph is too loopy. Like the y in Andy. I bet you this person will tell you they never met Andy. All of the others that signed this appeared at various shows in the early nineties except for Ron Howard. I have personally had all of these wonderful people to sign things for me at these events.

Permalink Reply by Scott Paul on July 6, 2015 at 9:12am

Frank is correct the "t" in Griffith is not right.  I still cannot see the Griffith very well but thanks to a computer savvy intern was able to save a shot of it.  In enlarging it I can see the "th" very well now.   In authentic Griffith signatures the horizontal line that makes the top of the "t" generally either is above the vertical line, teetering on top of it, or in the instances where he did cross the "t" it was usually above the middle towards the top.   In every instance I can recall the horizontal line in an authentic Griffith signed photo or document never crosses both the "t" and "h" like it does in this one.   Some examples of where he did cross the "t" can be seen on The Andy Griffith Signature Study discussion in this group.  So I agree with Frank that this particular photograph was not signed by Andy Griffith himself.  I suspect this is an unknown secretarial rather than an outright forgery.  Jason is also correct that it is not the work of Richard O. Linke with his backward slashing of the "t."  My suspicion is that the Griffith signature was a through the mail and the first signature on this.  The following is just a guess but I suspect that Corsaut, Dodson, and Smith may have been signed close to the same time and the others added at yet a different date.    I still cannot see Nabors and Knotts well enough to opine but generally appear OK.  Lindsey looks good.   I hate when Ron Howard uses a thick felt tip pen.  I bet his was a TTM also.  This is still a nice photograph regardless that Griffith's is not real.  If I owned this and wanted to frame (something I rarely do) I would just add a Griffith personal check below it and you are good to go.  I would not try to remove the Griffith signature since I think that would endanger the overall photograph for little gain.  Thank you Jason for making us aware of this I like it a lot.

Permalink Reply by Jason Strecker on July 6, 2015 at 9:40am

Just going by the small backstory on the youtube, if it were owned by Hal, it's possible a "clubhouse" signature was added by someone associated Griffith and Smith didn't think to question it.

Possible all ttms since signed in different pens or if owned by Smith, it was handed along at various times therefore the different colors.

I don't imagine user is selling it so didn't think to question anything given the Griffith isn't the known fake and given it isn't listed for sale, I tend to believe it may have been owned by Smith.

Permalink Reply by Scott Paul on July 6, 2015 at 10:44am

Of course impossible to really know for certain since Mr. Smith is sadly no longer with us. I sooner think Mr. Smith was given the photo by a fan since I am reasonably certain Smith would have had Mr. Griffith's personal address.  The signatures with the exception of Griffith and Howard I think are in person ones since they often were together at places. The reason for different pens is that usually they are set up at different tables with their own pens.  Just a gut feeling but I doubt Smith actually got the other signatures himself.  I think either a fan gave it to him or perhaps it was left at his table by accident (I did that once got a signature of one person was so happy I walked off leaving another photograph on the table!).  I can see where Smith might give it to someone. There was a photograph of just Griffith, Knotts, Howard, Nabors, and Lindsey that is sometimes found signed by the four.  Griffith is so hard to get on anything that is character related except sometimes from one of his made for TV movies.  

Ted Hake a few years ago had this one signed by all.

http://www.hakes.com/item.asp?Auction=191&ItemNo=54598#pictures