Autograph Live
THE ANDY GRIFFITH SHOW COLLECTORS
This group is for those interested in The Andy Griffith Show and all cast and crew.
EXTRAS WHO APPEARED ON THE SHOW
I have changed the title of this from MR. SCHWUMP THE SILENT ACTOR to the above title. I am going to try to include here actors and actresses who appeared in mostly (but not all) in uncredited roles on the show. If anyone has exemplars for these please feel free to post them. It is a work in progress trying to find out what episodes they were on so help with that is appreciated also. Some appear many times other just once. Any help that can be given will be greatly appreciated by me.
Perhaps the most famous silent actor (or extra) on The Andy Griffith Show was a so far unknown actor who played "Mr. Schwump" the man with the toupee and false teeth. He is acknowledged in the series yet he never speaks. Jack Dodson in an interview mentions the extra as having been very nervous on camera. He is seen in as many as 26 episodes but never speaks. None of the actor's seemed to recall the man's real name and he was not a friend of Andy Griffith as has been suggested. Griffith, Dodson, Knotts and even Richard O. Linke could remember the name. He was probably a member of the Screen Extras Guild and he appeared in two episodes of Gomer Pyle: U.S.M.C. An April Fools joke on Facebook made up the name "Patch S. Wimmers" and many have sited this. One Charles David Forrest (aka David Forrest) had been suggested, and one of his photographs somewhat resembled the TAGS character. He also was a sound engineer on 122 episodes of TAGS, but his grandson confirmed that he is not Mr. Schwump. For those who might want to refresh their memory The Mayberry Historical Society website has a lot on him and others. I call him Mr. Schwump others say Schwamp I with my hearing such as it is I may be wrong. am certain everyone will remember him from the photograph in this link:
http://www.mayberry.info/history/index.php?title=Mr._Schwamp
Tim Henderson
Jan 16, 2017
Scott Paul
MICHAEL DENNIS JEFFERS was born in England in 1899. He rose to become the President of the Screen Extras Guild fighting tirelessly for that nearly forgotten group. Jeffers appeared in at least nine episodes of TAGS as an extra. He also appeared in Mayberry R. F. D. He never had an outstanding scene on TAGS but was one of the stalwart faces that was necessary to give the show realism. Unlike Joe Crehan and Tom Jacobs, he never received a screen credit for any of the TAGS episodes he was in. This is a example of his signature from his World War II draft registration.
Oct 29, 2022
Scott Paul
"NICE DRESS NELLIE" was identified as Marvel Lawrence in an article on The Mayberry Historical Society website a few years ago. To add a bit more detail, Marvel Lawrence acted as a stand-in for Don Knotts and Howard McNear (probably others). She was born Marvel Velma Retter in Kansas in 1914. She is best known for over 30 appearances on The Andy Griffith Show, the most notable being when, along with the rest of the town, she is released from jail and Andy greets her with "Nice dress, Nellie." She was also a stand-in for Marcia Wallace on The Bob Newhart Show. Her first husband was John D. Lawrence, who died in 1974. Her second husband was Richard W. Hughes. She died in Oregon in 2000. She, along with the still unknown "Mr. Schwamp," was among the most recognized of the "extras" from TAGS.
https://imayberrycommunity.com/forum/topics/identity-of-nice-dress-...
Oct 7