A made-for-TV movie from the early 1980s starring Andy Griffith as a redneck version of Michael Corleone who controls a Georgia county and Johnny Cash as the sheriff who brings him to justice. Matlock gone bad. Supposedly based on a true story.
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0085977/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1

On Tubi for free.

On Tubi for free.

I’ve seen the movie. Definitely a chance for Griffith to play against type.

A made-for-TV movie from the early 1980s starring Andy Griffith as a redneck version of Michael Corleone who controls a Georgia county and Johnny Cash as the sheriff who brings him to justice. Matlock gone bad. Supposedly based on a true story.
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0085977/

Good movie, but I prefer Andy as a bad guy in "Pray for the Wildcats"

"A Face in the Crowd" is my Fav Andy Griffith bad-guy movie.
I saw murder in Coweta County when it first came out. It was worth watching just because it had Johnny Cash and Andy Griffith. But the story itself wasn't the best.

"A Face in the Crowd" is my Fav Andy Griffith bad-guy movie.

Haven't seen that one yet.

Good movie, but I prefer Andy as a bad guy in "Pray for the Wildcats"

That one has its fall-out-of-your-chair moments.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zUSOTtTlsmM

Haven't seen that one yet.

Highly recommend it. It's a great analysis of the "cult of personality" stereotype.

They take a nobody, make him into somebody, and he gains so much popularity that he becomes uncontrollable. Bends everybody around him to his whim...in the end only he is powerful enough to stop him...and he does so in a classic crash and burn.

Supposedly loosely based on Arthur Godfrey

I saw murder in Coweta County when it first came out. It was worth watching just because it had Johnny Cash and Andy Griffith. But the story itself wasn't the best.

If that movie was remade as a mini-series for streaming, it would be a more complicated tale, with Griffith’s character being driven to villainy by child abuse and Cash’s sheriff being a murderous racist.

Andy Griffith could play evil. depsicable characters.

There was a TV movie called "Under the Influence", where Griffith plays an active alcoholic. I have mentioned this movie before on this Board. It played in 1986. You can find the film on YouTube. The Griffith character was so absolutely despicable and sociopathic. The way he treated his wife (who was on pills), the older daughter (also on pills who attempted suicide after being talked down to by her father (Griffith)) and the son played by Keanu Reeves who was also alcoholic. The father (Griffith) would be drunk and be in bars and the early 20's son (Keanu) would try to keep his business together. Then there is a shy high school daughter about to graduate and wanting to go to art school which is her dream with the sociopathic Griffith character disallowing this, wanting her to be in his business when she wants to escape.


Martin Sheen did a similar TV film around this time called "Shattered Spirits" which was of a very similar theme, an alcoholic and his broken family (also on Youtube). At least for myself and most viewers, we wanted the Sheen character to get sober and be well. He was redeemable. The Griffith character in his movie wasn't. The Griffith character died in the end and this was a relief, at least the teenage daughter was free to live her life. The Griffith character had to die because he was not redeemable.