9 Things You Missed in the Return to Mayberry Reunion Film

[TMC]

Return to Mayberry is a feature-length romantic comedy based on two of the most popular sitcoms of the 1960s: The Andy Griffith Show and Mayberry R.F.D. The film resurrected the simple folksy life of Mayberry, 18 years after The Andy Griffith Show went off the air on April 1, 1968. While the shows aired on CBS, the film Return to Mayberry was broadcast on NBC on April 13, 1986, with 16 of the original cast members, including Andy Griffith, Don Knotts, Ron Howard, Howard Morris, and Jim Nabors and George Lindsey, reprising their roles. The film was directed by Bob Sweeney, who had directed 80 episodes of The Andy Griffith Show and it was written by Harvey Bullock and Everett Greenbaum who had actively written for the same show. The film became the most-watched film of 1986, getting enough ratings to claim a spot on the 'Top Ten Movies of All Time.' The film also revied Andy Griffith's career and served as the series finale of The Andy Griffith Show as no new episodes were created or released after the broadcasting of this reunion film.

In this video, we take a trip down the memory lane and visit some of our favorite characters from The Andy Griffith Show but more importantly, we highlight the 9 things you failed to notice in the reunion film Return to Mayberry. So, hit the play button and enjoy.

[Hazel Anyday]

Hmm, all I could see was a big black block, the film link doesn't show. But the facts of the making of the show were good.

[vitoscotti]

Any TAGS documentary or trivia is always wonderful. I remember seeing "Return to Mayberry". It was good to see the cast together. But, a lot of comic actors lose it at some time as the get older. The tags group included. I don't think I made through the whole movie when it was first shown . It was even worse than MRFD.
I did like when the cast got together on "Donahue" for a reunion. Not playing characters, but being themselves.

[Duster76]

Originally Posted by vitoscotti

Any TAGS documentary or trivia is always wonderful. I remember seeing "Return to Mayberry". It was good to see the cast together. But, a lot of comic actors lose it at some time as the get older. The tags group included. I don't think I made through the whole movie when it was first shown . It was even worse than MRFD.
I did like when the cast got together on "Donahue" for a reunion. Not playing characters, but being themselves.

I strongly disagree with your critique of Return to Mayberry. I think it was the best TV reunion movie by a "country" mile. To compare it unfavorably to Mayberry RFD is ridiculous! It's a reunion film, not an attempt to recreate TAGS in its prime. The heart of the series was the relationship between Barney and Andy doing their thing, "lawman's work". That had to be the central focus of the film and they did a nice job constructing the plot as well as giving the film a real heart. The scene between Barney and Thelma Lou in the school room felt real, two individuals who made some decisions they lived to regret were given a Mulligan. Played beautifully by all parties it was the highlight of the film. Andy and Opie together again and somehow managing to squeeze in the Darlings in a manner that was consistent with the story. I was surprised and frankly shocked at your comments, take another look at the film (I just recently saw it recently on METV).

[Willbo]

I enjoyed it also.

[vitoscotti]

Originally Posted by Duster76

I strongly disagree with your critique of Return to Mayberry. I think it was the best TV reunion movie by a "country" mile. To compare it unfavorably to Mayberry RFD is ridiculous! It's a reunion film, not an attempt to recreate TAGS in its prime. The heart of the series was the relationship between Barney and Andy doing their thing, "lawman's work". That had to be the central focus of the film and they did a nice job constructing the plot as well as giving the film a real heart. The scene between Barney and Thelma Lou in the school room felt real, two individuals who made some decisions they lived to regret were given a Mulligan. Played beautifully by all parties it was the highlight of the film. Andy and Opie together again and somehow managing to squeeze in the Darlings in a manner that was consistent with the story. I was surprised and frankly shocked at your comments, take another look at the film (I just recently saw it recently on METV).

I agree that it touched the heart, and brought back good memories, the characters are all in my sitcom hall of fame. But, I didn't find it funny. Though, I'll give it another try sometime. You seem like you really enjoyed it which is cool.