Return to Mayberry

Return to Mayberry was a television movie made in 1986 on NBC. It was directed by Bob Sweeney. The show was a reunion movie for the 1960s American television sitcom The Andy Griffith Show. The movie premiered on April 14, 1986, was one of the highest rated shows in the 1986 season, and was the second most watched program of the week (after The Cosby Show). Sixteen of the original cast members reunited for the movie, and it is generally regarded as one of the best of the "reunion" genre.

Changes

Most of the surviving cast members of The Andy Griffith Show reprised their roles in the reunion movie. One notable exception was Frances Bavier, who played Aunt Bee for all eight TAGS seasons as well as two seasons of Mayberry R.F.D.. Bavier had retired shortly after leaving R.F.D. in 1970. Her absence was explained by a scene in which Andy visits the cemetery where Aunt Bee is buried. Bee had apparently died at some point between the end of Mayberry R.F.D. and the events of this movie. (Bavier herself died in 1989.) Elinor Donahue (Ellie Walker) and Jack Burns (Warren Ferguson) were two other cast members not to be involved in the movie. Some of the main R.F.D. regulars, including Sam Jones, son Mike, and Millie Swanson—who first began on the last TAGS season—were also absent. (Ken Berry, who had played Jones, was forced to decline as he was busy playing Vinton Harper on Mama's Family.) Former series regulars Howard McNear (as Floyd Lawson), Hope Summers (as Clara Edwards), and Paul Hartman (as Emmett Clark) had long since passed away.

Also in the movie, Gomer and his long time sweetheart LuAnn (Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.) had gone their separate ways, as Gomer was shown as being unattached in this TV movie. Barney and Thelma Lou (Betty Lynn) finally married in the movie. In a 1966 episode Barney returned home to rekindle their relationship only to find out that Thelma Lou had married someone else. In the movie, it is briefly mentioned by Andy that Thelma Lou's first marriage had lasted only 18 months, although Barney quickly corrects him stating that they were only married 16 months. There is also no mention of Andy and Helen having any children, although Griffith and Courset's final guest appearance in Mayberry R.F.D. was in the episode "Andy's New Baby".

Since the original outdoor sets from the original Andy Griffith television series had long since been destroyed, the producers had to recreate the town of Mayberry. As a result there were some differences between this version of Mayberry and the one from the TV series. One of the more notable differences was that the main street went past the courthouse rather than ending at the building, and that there was a small island with a flagpole on the street in front of the courthouse.

External links

• Mayberry.com - home of The Andy Griffith Show Rerun Watchers Club w/ Interviews, Episode Guides, newsletters, and forums.
• Behind the Scenes of the Real Mayberry - a behind the scenes look at The Andy Griffith Show and the real Mayberry, includes filming locations, the stars made on the show, and Mayberry trivia.
• Return to Mayberry at The Internet Movie Database

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