I wonder why the show never mentioned Andy or Barney's parents? Why not make Aunt Bea the mother of Andy? Barney's parentage was also never mentioned, although in the Pilot episode, Barney stated that Andy was his cousin, which mean that either their mothers were sisters or one parent was a son/daughter?

No one in Mayberry was married except for Otis Campbell the town drunk. Andy was a widower, Barney basically had a girlfriend (Thelma Lou) and a lover (Juanita). I don't think Bea ever married. Floyd was a widower (I think) because he had a daughter in Mt Pilot. The Darlings, except for the hot Charlene were not married. Ernest T. Bass was not married, but dragged off the lovely Rowena in the middle of the night from Mrs. Wie-Leeeeeeee's social.

Gomer.....well. I think Goober had girlfriends.

No real point. Saw for the first time in my life the pilot of Mayberry RFD when Andy was married, and Helen looked beautiful. Aneta Cordaut was hot too, but almost everyone disliked Helen.

Emmett was married.

Emmett was married.

So was the Mayor...remember the Bedjacket eppy? And that guy Barney syuspected of growing maryjane - his wife was having a baby....and the couple who kept fighting with each other (Mornin' Darlin!, Mornin' Honey!) and there was whole family taht got put in jail during Christmas cuz they couldn't pay their rent...and the guy who Andy let go for a couple of days cuz he had to get his bean crop in - he was married and had a family too...

I wonder why the show never mentioned Andy or Barney's parents? Why not make Aunt Bea the mother of Andy?
She was already his Aunt, she raised Andy. She came to stay to help raise Opie after Andy's housekeeper got married and went away. It's assumed that Andy's parents died, since she raised him from a child.

Don't forget Howard and his mother!

I just saw an episode where Barney claimed his mother taught him how to knit and crochet. He also described his landlady as being 'like a mother' to him.

But I have wondered why they never went into Andy's parents as much. We can only assume they died quite young. He says that Aunt Bee raised him, so he had to be under 10 when both of them died, unless there was a 'deadbeat dad' situation or something.

I could have swore on one episode they did show Barney's mother for like a second. It was probably in the first season but I think I saw it sometime this year. I think it was more for laughs though. lol

Yeah, they did show his mother for a short scene in the first season. In one episode they implied that Barney's father had died, and in another he mentioned buying his parents a septic tank, so it was whatever fit the scene. Most of their parents would've been alive, but probably the bottom line it was another character to cast and maybe get wrong and they had more than enough characters for the show. They did have Howard's mother for awhile. Casting Barney's mother would have been pretty tough, although Jeanette Nolan was perfect and did a great job in one of Don's movies.