Clash of the Sitcoms: Round 1, Heat 25.

[blaise]

Originally Posted by LiveSteam

I think she was Andy's aunt & Opie's great aunt. Least thats the way I always figured it. Then again Andy's wife died. So she could be the older sister of the deceased wife. Good question I really have know idea

yeah, Andy's aunt. In one of the first ones she comes to stay with them because some other housekeeper/nanny had to move away. I think she got married. Opie doesn't like Aunt Bea at first because she can't play baseball or fish, and she's all set to move out. Then Opie comes running out, crying, and says something like, "Don't go! You gotta stay! Who's gonna show you how to catch a fish? You'll never survive!'

The show itself actually spun off from the Danny Thomas show, "Make Room For Daddy" Thomas was driving through Mayberry and was speeding or something, and refuses to pay a fine. Then he's rude to Andy so Andy locks him up. While he's in jail Opie comes in and talks to him about his dead turtle. It's a really great sitcom episode.

[Rain Man]

Originally Posted by blaise

The show itself actually spun off from the Danny Thomas show, "Make Room For Daddy" Thomas was driving through Mayberry and was speeding or something, and refuses to pay a fine. Then he's rude to Andy so Andy locks him up. While he's in jail Opie comes in and talks to him about his dead turtle. It's a really great sitcom episode.

The Andy Griffith universe is confusing to me. So he was born from this appearance on the Danny Thomas show, but then Andy also basically played Gomer Pyle in some old movie, which seems like it could have been the genesis for either this series, or Gomer Pyle, or both. And then the real Gomer Pyle was on Andy Griffith as Gomer before Gomer joined the marines, so Gomer was playing a civilian who later joined the marines, while Andy was a civilian who had previously played more or less the same character as Gomer did, but much earlier.