the yearn for an unhurried life through the voices of the andy griffith show
i don't want to live in mayberry, just wander around for a bit and eavesdrop
Staring at a screen is mind-numbing. The frequency from devices is agitating and my brain eventually hurts from staring so much… but some shows, I justify.
I grew up watching The Andy Griffith Show, but only the black and white episodes (once they were colorized, the wisdomatic energy through the crackling was lost).
One of the episodes with Joanna Moore happened to be on my screen the other day. She played the town nurse and dated Andy, but only appeared in a whopping four episodes. But she was memorable. She stood out within those four out of 159 episodes that were black and white (249 total).
It was her voice. It was her voice and everyone else’s voice that makes this show memorable and charming. If something absurd was going on in town, it still doesn’t feel as anxiety-ridden as if it had been written and airing today. Everything was low-key mellow and serene, minus the cringey laugh track. There was always a moral learned by the end of every episode.
And there was patience. The actors would sing and everyone would listen. Their voices are gripping and you don’t want to multitask. You don’t want to dink on your phone while you “watch.” If it’s on in the background, you stop what you’re doing. You want to just sit and listen and be engaged and feel unhurried for these brief moments.
Here are a few of my favorite voices from the show, starting with Joanna Moore, who makes me want to sit on the Taylor’s front porch all night long.
Joanna Moore - the town nurse and Andy’s girlfriend, Peggy McMillan, for a few episodes. They allegedly had an affair behind the scenes.
Jack Prince - Rafe Hollister, a farmer/moonshiner, for several seasons.
Jim Nabors - Gomer Pyle, Mayberry’s mechanic and town goofball for several seasons.
Elinor Donahue - Mayberry’s pharmacist and Andy’s girlfriend, Ellie Walker, in season one.
Andy Taylor - the main man, Andy Griffith, himself.
Delos Jewkes - Glen Cripe in four episodes and was a stand in for Barney’s voice in this infamous scene.
Don Knotts - Barney Fife, the one-bullet-wielding deputy.
Hal Smith - Otis Campbell, the town drunk for almost the entire duration of the show.
Ron Howard - oh, lovable Opie Taylor, Andy’s son.
Thank you for reading/listening/watching. No, I did not include the Darlings. No apologies.
Now I want to watch the black and white Andy Griffith show❤️