Props

[Barney Boy]

If you could own one onscreen prop from The Andy Griffith Show, what would it be? My first choice would be the old timey phone on Andy’s desk. Of course, I would rig it to work so I could use it.

[rusty spike]

I want all of those jars of pickles.

[cloggedmind]

That picture that Otis made.

[GentlemanJim]

Originally Posted by Barney Boy

If you could own one onscreen prop from The Andy Griffith Show, what would it be?.

The Manicurist.....and live happily ever after.....

If that is an "out-of-bounds" choice, I'd probably settle for the Thunderbird driven by Baily's Bad Boy.

Strictly limited to sentimental value, probably Mr MacBeevee's "12 hands" toolbelt.

[Hazel Anyday]

I have a "candlestick" phone like Andy uses in his office and I do like BUT as far as reality is concerned it does get really annoying when you actually use it. Why? You are required to use both hands whenever you talk, no more putting the receiver between your shoulder and ear and holding it there like you can with the regular 1960's phones. It can get very tiresome too holding that heavy base in one hand esp. if you're on a long conversation. The good news is it makes you want to make it a quickie when blabbing.

I much prefer my 1960's "500" two tone telephone-

I'm proud NOT to own any cell phone or any phone more modern than my late '60's Family Affair "Slimline" dial telephone-

OK, I do have a push button '70's phone too, necessary to make any calls today to any business, but still all I need that and a 50 ft. cord means I can walk around and not need a cell phone.

[PracTz]

The Map of the Greater Mayberry Area in the back of Andy's desk! That would be awesome to have that in hand so I'd know exactly where the actions of things take place every episode (though I have no idea if the prop artists/cartographers who created it actually had it reflect the show's locale's layout or topography).

[vitoscotti]

Originally Posted by PracTz

The Map of the Greater Mayberry Area in the back of Andy's desk! That would be awesome to have that in hand so I'd know exactly where the actions of things take place every episode (though I have no idea if the prop artists/cartographers who created it actually had it reflect the show's locale's layout or topography).

Wonder if it's for Mt. Airy like a phone directory used?

[stevea]

Originally Posted by Hazel Anyday

I have a "candlestick" phone like Andy uses in his office and I do like BUT as far as reality is concerned it does get really annoying when you actually use it. Why? You are required to use both hands whenever you talk, no more putting the receiver between your shoulder and ear and holding it there like you can with the regular 1960's phones. It can get very tiresome too holding that heavy base in one hand esp. if you're on a long conversation. The good news is it makes you want to make it a quickie when blabbing.

I much prefer my 1960's "500" two tone telephone-

I'm proud NOT to own any cell phone or any phone more modern than my late '60's Family Affair "Slimline" dial telephone-

OK, I do have a push button '70's phone too, necessary to make any calls today to any business, but still all I need that and a 50 ft. cord means I can walk around and not need a cell phone.

Glad to hear there is one other person besides me who doesn't have a cellphone/smartphone. I have a 2500 red Western phone from the 1980s. But I also have a more modern Trimline, which is hunter green.

[Hazel Anyday]

I love those '60's and '70's phones most of all because of the extremely comfortable to hold handle/receiver. It fits perfectly to your ear and mouth and sits comfortable in your hand with no effort and can even be held between your shoulder and ear and not have to use any hands at all. To me this is the most perfect design for a phone, made just right for the ear and mouth and hand. What more can you ask for? I esp. appreciate the mouthpiece right in front of my little mouth, I can gauge just right how the other person is going to hear me, too close you get distortion, too far away you're voice is weak, but held about one inch or so from your mouth and the sound is perfect.

As opposed to these cell phones that have no mouthpiece at all and you're left talking into the air not having any idea whether someone is hearing you well or not. Plus they're uncomfortable in the hand and the sound (if you've ever talked to someone who uses a cell phone) the sound is LOUSY. It's either fading out and then in again or completely cuts off or worse sounds like an AM radio station with an extremely weak antenna. The sound for any listener is HORRIBLE. Seem cell phone users are oblivious to how horrible their phones sound to the guy on the other end, and worse they don't seem to care a whit whether it's good or not. They go right on using these same lousy sounding phones no matter how much you tell them their phones are unlistenable. Talk about taking 20 steps backward when it comes to technology, phones from the 1950's sounded perfect compared to these horrors.

But I really do love the perfect design of these '60's and '70's phones. They came in great colors too and I like exchanging one color phone for another. Those dialing type phones of '60's were called 500's the '70's pushbutton phones are the 2500's. But they both have those great handles.

[Zoneboy]

I'll take the Mr. Potato set that Barney gave to one of the Gordon boys.

[GentlemanJim]

[GentlemanJim]

I'm watching season 4, episode 14 right now - " Andy and Opie's Pal", and the scene is based in the courthouse.. I'd love to have that gun rack full of guns.

Speaking of the courthouse, we all know that the interior setting is located inside a studio building, while the exterior shots are made over at at the 40 acres studio backlot, which while near by is an entirely separate piece of real estate. In the shots for this particular episode, trees are shown right out side the windows on both the front and right hand (opposite the Barber shop)n sides of the courthouse building. Which we know from several other episodes, there are no trees on the sidewalks, no park strip. nothing like that.

[stevea]

That red Trimline in post 5 has a smaller-than-standard rotary dial, smaller than the one on the 500 set. So Western Electric made the finger-stop moveable, so the dial would rotate the proper number of times to activate the switching equipment in the central office.

It would be funny to have Allen Funt still around, and have the candid camera show kids of today trying to figure out what to do with a rotary-dial phone if they want to call someone (duh, how do I text with this thing?)

[SarahBellum]

Briscoe Darling's jug

[SarahBellum]

Originally Posted by Hazel Anyday

I have a "candlestick" phone like Andy uses in his office and I do like BUT as far as reality is concerned it does get really annoying when you actually use it. Why? You are required to use both hands whenever you talk, no more putting the receiver between your shoulder and ear and holding it there like you can with the regular 1960's phones. It can get very tiresome too holding that heavy base in one hand esp. if you're on a long conversation. The good news is it makes you want to make it a quickie when blabbing.

I suppose the wall phone in Andy's kitchen was no better. You had to stand next to it and talk into the mouthpiece.