Andy meets Barney, well sort of….
We all know that Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. was a spin-off from The Andy Griffith Show. This is a special case though. The actual inspiration for Gomer Pyle was the movie No Time For Sergeants in which Andy Griffith starred as Private Will Stockton. Like the character of Gomer, Will was a country bumpkin that caused chaos and trouble for all those around him. He filmed two versions of the movie the first in 1955 then again in 1958. Even the last version was almost 2 ½ years before The Andy Griffith show would premiere. The 1958 version of the movie is where Andy met Barney, sort of.
The Ballad of Andy and Barney
Or
The Gangster’s Mistake
(To the tune of “Frankie and Johnny”)
Andy and Barney were lawmen,
Bravest you ever did see,
Warned every crook in the record book to stay out of Mayberry,
They were the law (Yes they were the law),
And they didn’t know fear,
Pretty Boy Floyd come a ‘ridin,
Dillinger too, big as life.
They weren’t alone there was Al Capone and a Mack called Mack the knife,
They broke the law (Yes they broke the law)…
Unfortunately, at this point Andy stopped Barney and we will never know that last line.
“The Andy Griffith Show” Crime-Free Mayberry (TV Episode 1961) — IMDb
In the 1958 version of No Time For Sergeants Don Knotts played Corporal John C Brown who was in charge of testing the manual dexterity of the incoming recruits. Cpl Brown was a jittery, jumpy, high strung character. In Andy’s scene with Don Knotts, his character, Will, bent one of the rings that were used for testing dexterity. Cpl Brown became confused and agitated, crying at one point. The scene was short, but the performance was memorable and very Barney Fife.
When Andy was searching for an actor to portray the loyal, bumbling Barney Fife, he thought of Don Knotts. In my humble opinion that was one of the best decisions that will ever go down in the annals of Mayberry history.
There were a few more familiar faces in the movie. Most memorable was actor Dub Taylor. Dub has an unforgettable voice. He made several appearances on “The Andy Griffith show”, but I will only mention my favorite which was when he portrayed the preacher in “The Andy Griffith Show” Mountain Wedding (TV Episode 1963) — IMDb.
Also George Neise the actor who portrayed Roger Courtney in “The Andy Griffith Show” The Clubmen (TV Episode 1961) — IMDb was an unnamed officer in the movie. As well as Jamie Farr who played a gypsy that visited Mayberry in “The Andy Griffith Show” The Gypsies (TV Episode 1966) — IMDb was a pilot. Neither actor gave stunning performances but they are memorable faces to those of us who often escape to Mayberry.
Also, if you enjoy other classic TV you will see Raymond Bailey who eventually became the banker Mr. Drysdale on “The Beverly Hillbillies”. It is always fun to watch old movies and see the stars before they were stars.
The first version from 1955 began with Andy (Will Stockton) playing his mouth harp singing “Kicking Mule” which is a song that can be heard on “The Andy Griffith Show” Mayberry on Record (TV Episode 1961) — IMDb. He was smiling that toothy smile and looking like he knew the punch line before the joke had even been told. It was a flash of how he looks when he is ‘pickin at Barney’.
I have watched it twice and only saw one familiar face to Mayberry. Robert Emhardt portrayed the psychiatrist in the 1955 version. He also tried rushing through Mayberry in “The Andy Griffith Show” Man in a Hurry (TV Episode 1963) — IMDb.
I was able to watch the 1955 version for free on Amazon Prime but had to pay for the 1958 version. Only $2.99 which was a bargain just to see those first moments of the two great actors that would become the crime fighting team of Andy and Barney. Hope y’all enjoy and keep escaping to Mayberry with me.
