In short order, the faithful duo come up with a scheme to ‘teach Otis a lesson so he’ll never want to drive again’. Barney is determined to teach him a few safe driving skills (with two toy cars), but when the sheriff and deputy find Otis passed out on the hood of his car, drunk, they assume the worse and take him to jail. Otis Campbell, the town drunk, takes on a second job to raise money so he can buy a car. Yet perhaps my all time favorite episode from ‘The Andy Griffith Show’ came a few months later in February of 1964, Hot Rod Otis. A strong lesson that, we often take too seriously the busyness of life (and that coming from 1963). It aired in October of 1963 and the show was appropriately entitled, The Sermon for Today. Perhaps you’ll remember the episode when the primary focus of the day was on the church. It served as the bedrock foundation for a community built to serve God and support each other. The gospel songs and spiritual focus was a calling card to a life portrayed in North Carolina. Several times in that small town of Mayberry you would see this community of believers gather on Sunday morning for church services. His original climactic description of “the awfullest fight that I have ever seen… in my life!” continues to ring in my mind and bring a recollection of a simpler, more civil time.īut next to his comedy and fun-loving spirit, I remember enjoying his golden voice and God-given singing ability. His accidental admission into the game is portrayed in classic Andy Taylor vernacular. This story comes from a county preacher’s perspective as he watches (for the first time) a college football game. Performed in 1953 and eventually sold to Capitol Records, this skit sold nearly 800,000 copies in it’s first couple of years. My first exposure to this talented comedian came from one of his first monologues named, “What it was, was Football”. He was a talented singer of gospel hymns, as well as traditional songs from our country’s history. During the life of these two TV sitcoms it was not uncommon to hear Andy Griffith take up his guitar and sing while he played. His Southern drawl and unmatched legal abilities set him, Ben Matlock, as the unbeatable attorney. His popularity is noted as the a fore mentioned sheriff, but he also starred in the 1980’s as the country lawyer from Atlanta, Georgia. You never found a more faithful friend and advocate for an over-zealous deputy who tried to keep order (and comedy) for the daily life in the small town of Mayberry.īorn in 1926 in North Carolina, Andy Griffith, the man, lived to the ripe old age of 86. He played the role of a young widower who loved his only son, respected his faithful aunt and selflessly served his community. Andy Taylor was a man who served as the fair and just, level headed sheriff of a small town in North Carolina. Andy Griffith, the man, missed the mark later in life as he embraced, in my opinion, several ‘un-Mayberry’ type policies. Note: Andy Taylor is the man, the icon, from Mayberry.
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