Ron Howard reveals the genuine explanation behind an aspect of the show’s iconic scenes in The Andy Griffith Show. Howard played Opie Taylor on the series, debuting on the show when he was only six years old. The Andy Griffith Show was on air for eight seasons from 1960 to 1968, and remains a single of the most beloved series of all time, with various iconic scenes and quotes nonetheless referenced right now.

Speaking on Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend, Howard explains a essential aspect of The Andy Griffith Show’s scenes, which are the slower, drawn out dialogue sequences. Howard explained that “those bits were usually when the show was short.” When the group got to the finish of their planned 3-day shooting week, the showrunner would speak to star Andy Griffith if the episode was coming in shorter than the allotted air time.

As a outcome, Griffith and Barney Fife actor Don Knotts would come in to do a single of these dialogue scenes. Check out Howard’s complete quote under:

Well these bits had been normally when the show was quick. So we would shoot Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, single camera. And we would rehearse on Thursdays, study on Thursdays, rehearse Fridays, shoot Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. And numerous instances, these scenes that, the types that you are citing, normally among Don and Andy, I keep in mind vividly Aaron Ruben, our showrunner, coming down and saying, speaking to Andy. And then Andy would — he constantly referred to as Don Jessie — and he would say ‘Jessie, we’re quick! Come on.’ And the really final point at the finish of the Wednesday evening shoot would be the two of them, and they would have just talked about it a small bit, and they’d wind up undertaking a single of these scenes.

How A Filming Need Became The Andy Griffith Show’s Best Element

The Andy Griffith Show was meant to fill a half-hour time slot through its ‘60s airing time. Accounting for commercials, this meant that each episode had to come in at about 26 minutes in length. For a show that focused on character beats rather than elaborate episode plots, it makes sense why the series would find itself consistently coming in under time. What was most vital to the series was not what was necessarily written, but how characters experienced each other’s existence. Still, it really is fascinating to know that it was timing desires that drove these scenes.

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Based on Howard’s quote, it also seems as if a lot of these Andy Griffith scenes had been improvised. On the a single hand, it is probable that Knotts and Griffith occasionally utilized this additional time to take longer with their person line delivery (which, as imitated by O’Brien in the clip, is characteristically languid) and space among each and every other’s lines. On the other hand, on the other hand, Griffith and Knotts utilized mundane conversations to fill the time. These conversations that seemed unconcerned with pace had been really really intentionally paced as such, top to the show’s one of a kind rhythms.

The scenes also contributed to the feeling of naturalness that so characterized The Andy Griffith show. While Knotts, Howard, Griffith and the other cast members had been playing characters on the show, all of the principal Andy Griffith cast constantly felt like genuine, totally-formed human beings. From Howard’s story, it is clear that stated characterization came about following a extended and difficult day’s perform, with two collaborators and close friends bonding with each other more than a want for elevated run time. This bonding is evident on screen, providing rise to the gorgeous quotidian explored in The Andy Griffith Show.

Source: Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend

The Andy Griffith Show (1960)

Cast

andy griffith , Ron Howard , Don Knotts , Frances Bavier

Release Date

October 3, 1960

Seasons

8

Streaming Service(s)

CBS

Writers

Jack Elinson , Charles Stewart , Arthur Stander , Frank Tarloff

Directors

Bob Sweeney , other individuals

Creator(s)

Sheldon Leonard , Danny Thomas

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