https://www.metv.com/stories/nothing-could-keep-floyd-the-barber-out-of-mayberry

Not even health complications kept Howard McNear away for long.

To paraphrase Frankie Frisch, Oh, those METV articles!

It's hard to credit the staff writer with an interesting piece of information when they spew so much misinformation.

From the article:

"McNear didn't just stick around for that one episode either; he was a regular on The Andy Griffith Show through the remainder of the series. Not even a stroke could keep Howard McNear off fans' televisions. He had no difficulty with his lines"

McNear did not stay for the remainder of the series he left after the 7th season. Jack Dodson indicated that McNear began having difficulty remembering his lines and became anxious and frustrated.

The article does present information that seems to contradict information provided by Andy Griffith. Andy stated that he reached out to McNear and asked him to return and then had accommodations designed to make that possible, the article indicates it was the producers who reached out to McNear. To be honest that seems much more plausible than Griffith's version, but based on the misinformation in the article who knows.

If Andy had stated "we" reached out to McNear, that would have made more sense. It's doubtful Griffith himself would have done that. He could have asked that it be done, though.

In the 7th season, they did make accommodations for Howard McNear. If you follow the scenes he is in closely, they never did show him standing independently, and never showed him walking.

Paul Hartman replaced him in the 8th season. His character, Emmett Clark, opened a fixit shop in Floyd's space. He kept that part in the three seasons of Mayberry RFD.

Once a person suffers a stroke, he/she is at risk of having another one as well as heart attacks. It also causes people to fall unexpectedly. It can greatly affect one's sense of confidence and independence.

I think the producers as well as Griffith reached out to him to encourage McNear to continue the show; likely with consideration of his health. However, McNear probably decided that his health was too frail to continue working.

https://www.metv.com/stories/nothing-could-keep-floyd-the-barber-out-of-mayberry

Not even health complications kept Howard McNear away for long.

I'm having the truly bizarre experience of watching the early episode with the other actor playing Floyd (I don't know the fellow's name), the one when the stranger came to town, acting most peculiar.


Very much like a Twilight Zone episode, aliens kidnapped Floyd and brainwashed the town.

🙂