why'd they drop him from the show? Did they ever mention him or the next mayor after he left?

I'm just guessing but I think around that time Stoner began to mean something else.

In Richard Kelly's book, "The Andy Griffith Show," he quotes Sheldon Leonard:

"They [Pike and Stoner] weren't enough to us to be put on a continuing contract basis, and so sometimes they were available and sometimes not. If they weren't available, we got somebody else. They had no valuable function on the show. People with a valuable function were those who created complications for Andy."

Mayor Stoner didn't create complications for Andy?? :confused:

I'm just guessing but I think around that time Stoner began to mean something else.


LOL!!!! On an ep of the Brady Bunch there was a Mr. Stoner! He was the guy who lost his wallet that the boys found in "The treasure of Sierra Ave." Watching later in reruns as teenagers my brother and I got a chuckle out of the name" Mr. Stoner" ! :D ;)

LOL!!!! On an ep of the Brady Bunch there was a Mr. Stoner! He was the guy who lost his wallet that the boys found in "The treasure of Sierra Ave." Watching later in reruns as teenagers my brother and I got a chuckle out of the name" Mr. Stoner" ! :D ;)
I wonder if there is a clue in his name as to how he lost his wallet?!? ;)

He got voted out of office. It seems like every episode he was in he ticked people off. :lol: Good example would be Rafe Holister and his wife when he wins the singing contest.

I was on YouTube and Andy said it was a fight between him and Sheldon Leonard to put an authority figure over Andy. Andy never liked the idea and it was out after season 2.

In "real life", Stoner would have no authority over Sheriff Taylor, since Taylor was the County Sheriff and elected by the people of the town. Andy was also seen as the true leader of the community, and again "in real life" if the mayor went against him, the mayor would lose due to the backlash of the majority of the community.

Stoner represented the upper class or the wealthy of the town, so he did have some power and if Taylor was an imbecile, an incompetent or just a crappy officer, like say, Warren, then the elite could have put someone else for election to do their bidding. Andy was actually impeached in one episode (forget the title, but Barney defended Andy on the stand in the courthouse and the charges dismissed, but forget the story.) and failed.

Andy would have had the support of the upper classes anyway because Andy kept the town peaceful and kept the riff raff and criminal element at bay, which protected their business interests. The Raif Hollister story is a good example of this, Andy wanted to keep the elitists happy, but in the end Andy had the people on their side and Andy did not fear them and actually got them on their side. Also, Andy had, mostly the upper classes on his side and were friendly with them. Remember the "Missus Wiiiileeey" episode with Ernest T. Bass. He ran off with the beautiful Rowena (Jackie Joseph) who was a crazy redneck girl who was a daughter of one of the richest families in the town! Andy also protected the interests of the upper classes by forcing out of towners from "peddling" within town limits. Andy was the real politician, playing both sides against the middle.

Not meaning to put too much into an over 50 year old comedy, but this is how small towns, and even large cities work, even today. Andy was just too much of a populist for anyone to go against him. Griffith was a Southerner from a small community and understood how things worked in real life.

In Richard Kelly's book, "The Andy Griffith Show," he quotes Sheldon Leonard:

"They [Pike and Stoner] weren't enough to us to be put on a continuing contract basis, and so sometimes they were available and sometimes not. If they weren't available, we got somebody else. They had no valuable function on the show. People with a valuable function were those who created complications for Andy."

Mayor Stoner didn't create complications for Andy?? :confused:

Zounds... I always thought of Mayor Stoner as the quintessential meddlesome know it all, haughty pretentious small town political figure. Perfect foil for Andy, the real leader of Mayberry, to deflate.

In "real life", Stoner would have no authority over Sheriff Taylor, since Taylor was the County Sheriff and elected by the people of the town. Andy was also seen as the true leader of the community, and again "in real life" if the mayor went against him, the mayor would lose due to the backlash of the majority of the community.

Stoner represented the upper class or the wealthy of the town, so he did have some power and if Taylor was an imbecile, an incompetent or just a crappy officer, like say, Warren, then the elite could have put someone else for election to do their bidding. Andy was actually impeached in one episode (forget the title, but Barney defended Andy on the stand in the courthouse and the charges dismissed, but forget the story.) and failed.

Andy would have had the support of the upper classes anyway because Andy kept the town peaceful and kept the riff raff and criminal element at bay, which protected their business interests. The Raif Hollister story is a good example of this, Andy wanted to keep the elitists happy, but in the end Andy had the people on their side and Andy did not fear them and actually got them on their side. Also, Andy had, mostly the upper classes on his side and were friendly with them. Remember the "Missus Wiiiileeey" episode with Ernest T. Bass. He ran off with the beautiful Rowena (Jackie Joseph) who was a crazy redneck girl who was a daughter of one of the richest families in the town! Andy also protected the interests of the upper classes by forcing out of towners from "peddling" within town limits. Andy was the real politician, playing both sides against the middle.

Not meaning to put too much into an over 50 year old comedy, but this is how small towns, and even large cities work, even today. Andy was just too much of a populist for anyone to go against him. Griffith was a Southerner from a small community and understood how things worked in real life.

You nailed it... well put.

:)