How Did The Characters Get Their Names?

[crispysdad]

Something that I have always found interesting is how certain TV characters get their "character" names. In other words, why was it Andy Taylor and not FRED Taylor..........or Andy Taylor and not Andy SMITH? I have always wondered about this sort of thing, even when I was a child! I know that Howard McNear played the role of the barber Floyd Lawson....and what a coincidence that Jack Dodson's character was named HOWARD Sprague. So I can pretty much figure out how Howard Sprague got his name.......they probably took it from Howard McNear. Just wondering about the other characters in the show. Do any of you TAGS fanatics out there have any info as to how names for the other characters were chosen? Just wondering, Thanks In Advance!!!!!

[Yong Fang]

Originally Posted by crispysdad

Something that I have always found interesting is how certain TV characters get their "character" names. In other words, why was it Andy Taylor and not FRED Taylor..........or Andy Taylor and not Andy SMITH? I have always wondered about this sort of thing, even when I was a child! I know that Howard McNear played the role of the barber Floyd Lawson....and what a coincidence that Jack Dodson's character was named HOWARD Sprague. So I can pretty much figure out how Howard Sprague got his name.......they probably took it from Howard McNear. Just wondering about the other characters in the show. Do any of you TAGS fanatics out there have any info as to how names for the other characters were chosen? Just wondering, Thanks In Advance!!!!!

TAYLOR was Andy Griffith's mother's maiden name.

OPIE was named after some bandleader or someone Griffith admired. Supposedly Opie was a regional given name. Opie was also a side character on the old show Dennis the Menace, so Ron Howard is not the first one with the Opie name on television.

Everett Greenbaum and Jim Fritzell, writers for The Andy Griffith Show, are credited with creating the character of Gomer Pyle. The character was based on an "incompetent" gas station attendant whom Greenbaum met and named after Gomer Cool (a writer) and Denver Pyle (an actor on The Andy Griffith Show). Gomer is also a name of a minor biblical character in the book of Genesis.

Mt. Pilot as a town does not exist, but there is a place called Pilot Mountain, which is a scenic area in western North Carolina where Mayberry is located (it was in the hill country of the state, which is the western side or Appalachia.)

Dunno about the Howard name, but many people on the show have reported that Howard McNear was basically the same guy as Floyd. I think a few actors are just playing various parodies of themselves anyway.

[crispysdad]

That is awesome! Thank You!

[GrtGzu]

Myers Lake is named after one of the producers/writers/whatever of the show - Frank Myers.(you see his name in the credits)..Persons like Emmett are named after REAL people he knew while growing up in Mt. Airy...

[MacLeaper]

Everett Greenbaum and Jim Fritzell, writers for The Andy Griffith Show, are credited with creating the character of Gomer Pyle. The character was based on an "incompetent" gas station attendant whom Greenbaum met and named after Gomer Cool (a writer) and Denver Pyle (an actor on The Andy Griffith Show). Gomer is also a name of a minor biblical character in the book of Genesis.

Just to expound on this a bit- the Gomer mentioned in Genesis in The Bible is Noah's grandson- he's the son of Japheth. (see Genesis 10:2-3 and 1 Chronicles 1:5-6) He's probably also the same Gomer mentioned in Ezekiel 38:6
However, there is also a more well known Gomer in The Bible. She was a prostitute whom Hosea married in obedience to God's command in the book of Hosea, of course. Gomer wound up running out on Hosea and cheating on him, but he took her back as his wife and forgave her. Their relationship was used as an illustration of the relationship between The Lord and Israel. They were His chosen people but often had strayed away after idols. Yet, even though they were adulterous in their relationship, God was willing to forgive them, and as He notes in Hosea 2, betroth unto Him forevermore.
It's a beautiful picture of the mercy and love of God that is seen in the bonds of His covenant relationship with His people- and that picture carries over to the New Testament, where we see in Revelation 19:7 and 21:1-9 and chapter 22, the same picture of Christ and His church- with Jesus as the groom and the church as the bride of Christ- all those who have joined with Jesus through faith in His death and Resurrection.

However, I'm doubtful as to how much of this, if any, was an influence on the character of Gomer Pyle. But it is interesting to note, as character names in books, movies and TV shows, etc. often do carry a weightier meaning that we might find at first glance.

[Yong Fang]

Then there is Gomer and Goober's cousin Artimus Pyle, who was the drummer for Lynard Skynard (and also was in the USMC as a Sargeant the same time Gomer Pyle USMC was on, which I am sure caused him some humourous grief in the service.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artimus_Pyle

[SarahBellum]

In the episode The Clubmen, club members Roger Courtney, Cliff Britain, Tom Wilson, Jim Baker, John Danby, and George Bronson were all named after teachers who taught at the same school Andy Griffith did during his brief stint as a public school teacher.

[Will Dockery]

Originally Posted by SarahBellum

In the episode The Clubmen, club members Roger Courtney, Cliff Britain, Tom Wilson, Jim Baker, John Danby, and George Bronson were all named after teachers who taught at the same school Andy Griffith did during his brief stint as a public school teacher.

Come to think of it, the Clubmen remind me a lot of the guys up in Walnut Hills.

I notice while watching this episode again that Walnut Hill must not be in the jurisdiction of Andy, since they don't know he's Sheriff, and one of the rich guys says Mayberry is "off the path" or something like that.

I suppose Walnut Hills is up around Mount Pilot?