April 1st 1969 - The final episode of "The Andy Griffith Show" aired

I thought it was 1968 that the show ended and Mayberry RFD began. In any case, this is a show that really did go out on top - TAGS finished its final season at #1 in the Nielsons.

I thought it was 1968 that the show ended and Mayberry RFD began.

Correct.

This series is another case of the production order not matching the order the episodes were aired. If I remember correctly, "A Girl for Goober" was the final epsiode of TAGS to be filmed. That's a somewhat underrated episode in my opinion; Nancy Malone and George Lindsey both do very nice jobs with their characters -- and

[spoilers]

at the end, they do see each other again, despite having little in common in intellectual circles. Nice group scene at the end.