Authenticity is Everything
Actors and Actresses That Appeared on The Andy Griffith Show
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, appeared in only five episodes. Morris also appeared in another episode as a television repairman. His voice was on two different episodes. The Bass character was so electric that people assumed he was on many more.
Of the 249 episodes (250 if you count the Pilot, which I do), Andy Griffith was the only actor to appear 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 Mayberry character reached the 100-show mark. George Lindsey, Howard McNear, and Aneta Corsaut were the only ones to appear in at least 50 episodes. Hope Summers, Jack Dodson, and Hal Smith each made over 30 appearances. Betty Lynn appeared in 26 episodes, and Jim Nabors in 23. All others had fewer than 20 episodes, including "Emmett Clark," "Ellie Walker," and "Warren Ferguson," as well as "The Darlings," all of which 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 entitled "Danny Meets Andy Griffith," which aired on February 15, 1960. This show introduced the world to Mayberry, North Carolina, and the widower Sheriff Andy Taylor, as well as his son Opie. Francis Bavier also appeared in this episode, but not as "Aunt Bee." She was "Henrietta Perkins." Others in that episode that would later appear 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, Hayden Rork, 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, Kent McCord, Ronnie Schell, George Nader and Casey Adams (aka Max Showalter). Even Jack Nicholson made two appearances on the show! Richard Crenna, although never appearing on camera, directed eight episodes of TAGS.
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 multiple episodes of the show.
My list only includes the announcer, Colin Male, for his one appearance on-screen 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, or other similar roles, but not a cast member. The announcer was not integral to any storyline.
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. Several unknown extras are featured in various group scenes throughout the show, including Barney's return and the class reunion episode. There are also extras seen walking across the street in background shots or sitting on benches. Most of those people are unknown and difficult to identify because of the distance. They are valuable because they bring an air of authenticity to Mayberry, being a real town, not a set, even though it was.
The names below, marked with **, have exemplars shown herein. The following is a list of cast members who appear in 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 appeared in at least 13 episodes, but was credited only in two, like Jacobs.
The number of episodes listed below refers to on-screen appearances 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 in which he did not appear. I have only used the 141 that he was seen on-screen. Ron Howard is more complicated, since, technically, he and Andy appear in all the episodes in the opening credits. Howard is credited with 243 episodes but only appears on screen in 202. He is credited only in 41 episodes,
The ones in bold face are those that exemplars are requested.
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.
Tags: Andy, Bavier, Don, Frances, Griffith, Howard, Jack, Ken, Knotts, Lynch, More…
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Scott Paul on
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JACK BURNS (1933- ) played Warren Ferguson on TAGS in 11 episodes. He had the unenviable job of replacing Don Knotts as Mayberry's Deputy Sheriff. No one that held that position could live up to Knotts popularity. Jerry Van Dyke had been considered and appeared as such in one episode before accepting his own show ill-fated My Mother the Car, ironically co-starring Burns comedy partner Avery Schreiber. I am actually one of the ones that kind of liked Warren. He did his best at a thankless job and just disappeared much like poor Parley Baer as Mayor Stoner. Of the living stars of the show Burns is perhaps the most elusive as far as autographs. Burns was one of the 22 that appeared on at least 10 episodes of TAGS (not counting some who were extras). He later was the announcer for the comedy show Fridays. His autograph is not easy to come by. This is an album page probably from the 1960s or 1970s.
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JACK BURNS as Warren.
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KEN LYNCH (1910-1990) usually played tough cops or other authority figures. He had a recurring role of Sgt. Grover on McCloud. He was on such shows as Star Trek, The Twilight Zone, Kolchak: The Night Stalker, The Honeymooners, All in the Family, Gunsmoke, The Munsters, The Dick Van Dyke Show, The Lucy Show, Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C., Zorro and many others. In movies he was in North by Northwest, Anatomy of a Murder, tora, Tora, Tora and even I Married a Monster From Outer Space. He was on four episodes of The Andy Griffith Show including of my favorites the second episode "Manhunt" in 1960. His is a very scarce autograph to find.
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KEN LYNCH as the State Police chief in the TAGS episode "The Manhunt."
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DON KNOTTS (1924-2006) was perhaps the greatest television sidekick in history. He won five Emmy's for his work on The Andy Griffith Show. He left the show to do movies. The Ghost and Mr. Chicken,The Reluctant Astronaut and The Incredible Mr. Limpet have become classics. Later he teamed with Tim Conway in The Apple Dumpling Gang movies. His start in acting was actually on the soap opera Search For Tomorrow in the 1950s. He then appeared in several episodes of The Steve Allen Show notably playing his "Nervous Guy." His first movie was a small but memorable role giving Andy Griffith a psychology test in No Time For Sergeants in 1958. He and Andy Griffith formed a close and lasting lifelong friendship. He appeared on Andy's mystery series Matlock. He was a regular on Three's Company playing Mr. Furley. This is a typical signature.
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The above Don Knotts I got from Autograph World Auctions. He was a very obliging signer.
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Don Knotts autograph from the contract for The Don Knotts Show that ran from 1970-71. Signed documents for Knotts are incredibly rare. One was butchered by one of the "card" companies that commonly destroy otherwise rare items to make a stupid collector card. This dated 1971.
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DON KNOTTS signed contract for his television show. One of the very items I have framed. Knotts signed documents are extremely hard to find.
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HAL SMITH (1916-1994) got his start in the 1940's doing bit parts until finding a place as a character actor on television. He would later be prolific as a voice artist doing scores of Disney and other cartoons. He even appeared in the Three Stooges movie The Three Stooges Meet Hercules. His most memorable role is that of lovable town drunk "Otis Campbell" on The Andy Griffith Show. Smith appeared as that character 32 times during the series run and once in the movie Return to Mayberry in 1986. In the latter the repressively politically correct times (it is make believe folks) showed him as having giving up the hard stuff and was now selling ice cream. Sadly his part would have been much funnier had they stuck to the original character. Smith also appeared in a music video as "Otis" not long before his death. He is one of the top 10 as far as number of episodes (for credited role) he is tied with Hope Summers at 32. I usually rank Summers above Smith since she was in every season of the show he stopped in 1966. Ironically his last appearance is the sobered up Otis in the episode "Otis the Deputy" in 1966. He apparently never drank again since he never appeared on the show after that. This is an 8x10 black and white glossy signed in 1990.
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HAL SMITH from a note in the 1980s.
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Permalink Reply by CJCollector on
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He always reminded of the actor Dub Taylor.
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I never thought about it, but they do both play the same kind of scruffy types. Dub Taylor appeared in four TAGS episodes. Both were such good actors.
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