Greetings Andy Griffith Show Friends/Family, I have some comments about 4 topics that y'all have been talking about.
1 - I have had the (Mt.) Pilot episode on VHS for years, but someone mentioned that theirs was edited/shortened. How would I know if mine is also? I recorded all 249 + 1 episodes in 1984 & 85 when I lived in Nashville and they are uncut, with epilogues and commercial free, but a few are faster. The station had a player that would actually speed up the episodes to give more time for ads! In one, Barney did one of his high pitched phrases, and in my recording, he really screams! I visited with Doug Dillard a few times and he really disliked the sped up versions because it changed the pitch and key of their music. My VHS tapes are holding up fine, and they have been played countless times, and now that I have Opie, we watch then even more. I will be getting the DVD's because the quality is a bit better, and the speed will be correct on those few episodes, but I still wonder if the pilot episode is uncut? Does anyone have an idea how I can tell? 2 - Which brings me to #2. Yes I can watch uncut episodes anytime. Actually, I cannot watch them on TV because so much is missing. If I come across the show, I will watch for a few minutes until I notice something missing. Then I have to turn it off! So it will not bother me, but I do understand that for the less fanatic viewer, it is important for the show to be on, & in prime-time. Networks usually rotate these shows every few years to keep them fresh I suppose. So for the good of the show, and the newer viewers, and the future fans, let's try to keep it on! 3 - Somebody mentioned Jim Clark & Allan Newsome. Yes, they are princes, but don't forget Ken Beck! He is Jim's partner in writing. And a great writer he is! Also, Jim would not be the same without Mary, his partner in life. And she is such a wonderful partner for him, perfect is what she is. I think she is even better with a shotgun than he is. In some ways, Mary has to put up with all of us. Jim, Mary, Ken and Allan & his wife Jan are all such fine folks, just like the good folks in Mayberry. They are not the kind to draw attention to themselves, and I know personally that Jim has spent so much money on promoting TAGSRWC and related things, without even mentioning it. He could have MADE tons of money from events, etc. but has chosen not to. We are all so blessed to have these people helping us still enjoy The Andy Griffith Show, let's let them know! 4 - The wedding talk has been fun, but did I miss the mention of an actual wedding in one of the very best episodes? The wedding of Dud & Charlene in "Mtn. Wedding", the only one with ETB & The Darling's. It was ETB's first episode, and has so many great lines and scenes. Howard Morris said that after a couple of episodes, the producers realized that ETB was such a strong "character", that they needed to be careful to not let him be in too many episodes for fear that he would become the focus too often. I sort of think that did happen in the "Return To Mayberry" movie. Yes, I been thinkin again. Opie's Dad, Martin _______________________________________________ WBMUTBB mailing list WBMUTBB@wbmutbb.com http://mail.wbmutbb.com/mailman/listinfo/wbmutbb_wbmutbb.com http://www.mayberry.com/tagsrwc/wbmutbb/
