can't stand Andy in colored episodes - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

jason88cubs · 12-31-2016, 12:01 PM

he's so damn grumpy

hardly smiles or luaghs

it wa slike an "invasion of the body snatchers" situation with a pod

PhoenixAcres · 12-31-2016, 04:57 PM

I try to avoid the color years for those reasons.

Without his bud Barney around, Andy just solidified into a rock.

The show generally wasn't funny anymore, IMO. It had a completely different feel.

Duster76 · 01-06-2017, 12:24 AM

Never in the history of TV has an actor changed a take on a character the way Griffith did with Andy Taylor. This incidentally is a constant, look at Andy Taylor season 1 and Andy Taylor season 3, look at the difference between season 3 Andy and season 5 Andy. What you saw in the last three years was basically angry Andy or tranquil Taylor. I wrote a longer piece on the final seasons several years ago, I believe it was titled the Deconstruction of the Final Three Seasons.

PhoenixAcres · 01-06-2017, 04:07 PM

I've noticed that too, it was definitely a progression. Season 1 Andy was goofy and smiley all the time like a typical country bumpkin. At some point he became more serious and assumed his straight man role in the series, but still up until the end of season 5 he was a really likeable guy.

"Angry Andy" really outstayed his welcome though after season 6. He seemed grouchy and grumpy like he didn't want to be there. Maybe Griffith himself was getting tired with the role? I know he and Don Knotts were good friends in real life so his departure didn't help either.

tdr · 01-13-2017, 10:44 AM

I just turned off TVLand, which was showing the episode in which Andy is alone for a couple of days, but good ol' Goober comes to keep him company, and mixes up phone messages, resulting in Andy eating 3 spaghetti dinners. Not only does this make Andy look like a wuss, who would rather kill himself than tell anybody the truth, but it makes Mayberry appear to be the Capital of Hypocrisy-- or Stupidity. Howard's mother makes a second dinner for her and her 'little boy,' not knowing it's Andy's second spaghetti dinner, because nobody will admit the truth. Then Andy goes for a third spaghetti dinner at Helen's for that same reason. And it all resulted because Andy would not order nutty Goober to leave when he showed up based on nothing but his hearing that Andy was alone in the house.

Misunderstanding is a frequent comedy device, but this takes lies, hypocrisy and idiocy too far. Mayberry should have some sense of honesty, and Andy should have at least one vertebra.

Retro4Life · 01-13-2017, 02:33 PM

Hard to say whether it was Griffith himself or the scripts, but yes, the last three years did see a much different, more prickly and unlikable Andy.

As others have mentioned, I really don't watch the last three seasons. I almost think it might have been better to end the show after Barney left; the few good episodes they aired afterwards might not have been worth the trouble, and the way the show's legacy was soured somewhat.

visaman666 · 01-13-2017, 08:48 PM

Andy was at his worst during the Warren era. Thankfully it was short-lived. Andy was the only lawman in that sin pot after Warren mysteriously disappeared.

scrapple · 01-14-2017, 04:55 PM

Andy did change drastically in season 1. He went from being thecomedian of the show to the straight man. But he always remained likable. I noticed that Andy started becoming grumpier when we started seeing so much of Goober.

kramer · 05-17-2017, 04:08 PM

You are not going to like Metv starting the 29th

Samme · 05-22-2017, 12:36 AM

Andy's been taking a helluva lot of grief for those three seasons for the last fifty years.

visaman666 · 05-22-2017, 01:14 AM

Andy was grumpy in a lot of the b&w episodes, especially with Aunt Bee. When Bee bought that side of beef, I thought for sure that Andy was going to have a stroke.

Mayberry'sBadBoy · 05-24-2017, 02:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by visaman666

Andy was grumpy in a lot of the b&w episodes, especially with Aunt Bee. When Bee bought that side of beef, I thought for sure that Andy was going to have a stroke.

Yes there were times that Andy was grumpy in the Black and White episodes, but there was usually a reasonable catalyist for it. For instance the reason Andy got mad at Aunt Bee for buying that beef was due to them not having a proper refrigerator to store it and her refusal to call the man from Mount Pilot to get it repaired or replaced. Now compare that to the color episode where Aunt Bee brought a wig, that one Andy had no reason to boss her around like he did and looked like a jackass for it.

Something I've noticed about the color episodes is how mean everyone including Andy got. There's a lot more fighting in the color episodes than the black and white ones and it's not the comedic fighting like how Barney would try to get Otis to pass Sobriety or Barney telling Gomer to get down with them spiders. It's a real nasty childish fighting that needs a strong adult to handle it. Since Andy was no longer the adult on the show, there was no one to bring it to a stop or put their foot down over it.

Yong Fang · 06-11-2017, 11:45 PM

Griffith has stated that by the time of the color episodes, he was tired of doing the role and wanted to do something else and not be typecast, and he was basically "phoning it in" the last color years. Griffith wanted to be a movie actor and not be typecast.

A lot of what made the B&W years special were all the characters that were not there anymore or cut back. Not only Barney Fife, but Floyd (who had a stroke) Betty Lynn. Otis, and Gomer Pyle. Their replacements were not as good. Don Knotts leaving was the cliff.

Anna Karenina · 06-28-2017, 05:34 PM

When actors "phone it in" because they are bored they are cheating the audience.

When you get highly paid and are fortunate enough to have a successful show bearing your name you damn well should not take it for granted by just going through the motions.

His poor attitude yielded a shift in the show. It kind of lost its heart in a way.

There were some good, classic episodes here and there in the last 3 seasons but the leading man looked either angry or bored and it took a toll on the show.

Sunshine Cab · 06-28-2017, 06:56 PM

From a distance this thread title sounds a little bit racist.

Just kidding of course.

Yeah, Andy was very hard to take in those years, like his Face In The Crowd character took over the role or something.

Barney's absence really seemed to affect him.

12-31-2016, 12:01 PM	#1
jason88cubs Member Frequent Poster Join Date: Jul 18, 2015 Posts: 103	can't stand Andy in colored episodes he's so damn grumpy hardly smiles or luaghs it wa slike an "invasion of the body snatchers" situation with a pod

01-06-2017, 04:07 PM	#4
PhoenixAcres Member Moderator Forum Veteran Join Date: Jul 26, 2016 Location: United States Posts: 6,824	I've noticed that too, it was definitely a progression. Season 1 Andy was goofy and smiley all the time like a typical country bumpkin. At some point he became more serious and assumed his straight man role in the series, but still up until the end of season 5 he was a really likeable guy. "Angry Andy" really outstayed his welcome though after season 6. He seemed grouchy and grumpy like he didn't want to be there. Maybe Griffith himself was getting tired with the role? I know he and Don Knotts were good friends in real life so his departure didn't help either.
	Last edited by PhoenixAcres; 09-20-2017 at 12:15 AM.

01-13-2017, 02:33 PM	#6
Retro4Life Accept No Substitutes Forum Veteran Join Date: Feb 04, 2009 Location: IL Posts: 6,708	Hard to say whether it was Griffith himself or the scripts, but yes, the last three years did see a much different, more prickly and unlikable Andy. As others have mentioned, I really don't watch the last three seasons. I almost think it might have been better to end the show after Barney left; the few good episodes they aired afterwards might not have been worth the trouble, and the way the show's legacy was soured somewhat.
	__________________ Alex Reiger :[Trying to convince Louie not to antagonize Bobby] "It's not hard to make people feel bad about their lives. What's hard is making people feel good about their lives."

05-17-2017, 04:08 PM	#9
kramer Re-gifter Frequent Poster Join Date: Mar 15, 2003 Posts: 255	You are not going to like Metv starting the 29th
	__________________ Man: Is this going to be in competent hands? Curly: Certainly! We're all incompetent

12-31-2016, 04:57 PM	#2
PhoenixAcres Member Moderator Forum Veteran Join Date: Jul 26, 2016 Location: United States Posts: 6,824	I try to avoid the color years for those reasons. Without his bud Barney around, Andy just solidified into a rock. The show generally wasn't funny anymore, IMO. It had a completely different feel.

01-06-2017, 12:24 AM	#3
Duster76 Member Senior Member Join Date: Mar 01, 2008 Location: New jersey Posts: 1,644	Never in the history of TV has an actor changed a take on a character the way Griffith did with Andy Taylor. This incidentally is a constant, look at Andy Taylor season 1 and Andy Taylor season 3, look at the difference between season 3 Andy and season 5 Andy. What you saw in the last three years was basically angry Andy or tranquil Taylor. I wrote a longer piece on the final seasons several years ago, I believe it was titled the Deconstruction of the Final Three Seasons.

01-13-2017, 10:44 AM	#5
tdr Member Senior Member Join Date: Mar 23, 2001 Posts: 1,454	I just turned off TVLand, which was showing the episode in which Andy is alone for a couple of days, but good ol' Goober comes to keep him company, and mixes up phone messages, resulting in Andy eating 3 spaghetti dinners. Not only does this make Andy look like a wuss, who would rather kill himself than tell anybody the truth, but it makes Mayberry appear to be the Capital of Hypocrisy-- or Stupidity. Howard's mother makes a second dinner for her and her 'little boy,' not knowing it's Andy's second spaghetti dinner, because nobody will admit the truth. Then Andy goes for a third spaghetti dinner at Helen's for that same reason. And it all resulted because Andy would not order nutty Goober to leave when he showed up based on nothing but his hearing that Andy was alone in the house. Misunderstanding is a frequent comedy device, but this takes lies, hypocrisy and idiocy too far. Mayberry should have some sense of honesty, and Andy should have at least one vertebra.

01-13-2017, 08:48 PM	#7
visaman666 Member Forum Regular Join Date: Jan 06, 2007 Posts: 818	Andy was at his worst during the Warren era. Thankfully it was short-lived. Andy was the only lawman in that sin pot after Warren mysteriously disappeared.

01-14-2017, 04:55 PM	#8
scrapple Member Frequent Poster Join Date: Feb 03, 2012 Location: Pennsylvania Posts: 259	Andy did change drastically in season 1. He went from being thecomedian of the show to the straight man. But he always remained likable. I noticed that Andy started becoming grumpier when we started seeing so much of Goober.

05-22-2017, 12:36 AM	#10
Samme Member Forum Regular Join Date: Dec 01, 2001 Posts: 676	Andy's been taking a helluva lot of grief for those three seasons for the last fifty years.

05-22-2017, 01:14 AM	#11
visaman666 Member Forum Regular Join Date: Jan 06, 2007 Posts: 818	Andy was grumpy in a lot of the b&w episodes, especially with Aunt Bee. When Bee bought that side of beef, I thought for sure that Andy was going to have a stroke.

06-11-2017, 11:45 PM	#13
Yong Fang Member Forum 3000 Club Member Join Date: Aug 04, 2009 Location: Memphis Tennessee Posts: 3,073	Griffith has stated that by the time of the color episodes, he was tired of doing the role and wanted to do something else and not be typecast, and he was basically "phoning it in" the last color years. Griffith wanted to be a movie actor and not be typecast. A lot of what made the B&W years special were all the characters that were not there anymore or cut back. Not only Barney Fife, but Floyd (who had a stroke) Betty Lynn. Otis, and Gomer Pyle. Their replacements were not as good. Don Knotts leaving was the cliff.

06-28-2017, 05:34 PM	#14
Anna Karenina Member Forum Fanatic Join Date: Nov 09, 2006 Posts: 10,086	When actors "phone it in" because they are bored they are cheating the audience. When you get highly paid and are fortunate enough to have a successful show bearing your name you damn well should not take it for granted by just going through the motions. His poor attitude yielded a shift in the show. It kind of lost its heart in a way. There were some good, classic episodes here and there in the last 3 seasons but the leading man looked either angry or bored and it took a toll on the show.

06-28-2017, 06:56 PM	#15
Sunshine Cab Member Frequent Poster Join Date: Oct 20, 2016 Posts: 105	From a distance this thread title sounds a little bit racist. Just kidding of course. Yeah, Andy was very hard to take in those years, like his Face In The Crowd character took over the role or something. Barney's absence really seemed to affect him.