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thecurseofchris's review against another edition
5.0
4.75/5. A wonderful tribute to the two men that make up one of my favorite TV shows. It's incredibly readable with its pace, and only slightly brought down by the handful of times that the author repeats information. Otherwise, any fan of The Andy Griffith Show should read this excellent book, because friendship always wins.
blevins's review against another edition
4.0
The Andy Griffith Show is one of my favorite shows of all-time. I was once a member of the Andy Griffith Show Rerun Watchers Club pre-internet. That's right, I got stuff in the mail, newsletters mostly, with things about the show. That's my deep roots on the subject. Let me also add that I think Don Knotts is one of the greatest comics of all time and his character of "Barny Fife" is my favorite ever. Yes, ever. I've been to Knotts star on the Hollywood walk of fame AND his grave...so, needless to say, I really enjoyed this book.
orangefan65's review against another edition
4.0
Excellent history of the background of the TV show and the long-standing friendship through ups and downs and troubled lives. Recommended.
kimberwood's review against another edition
4.0
A great read for any fans of The Andy Griffith show! I remember watching episodes as a kid, but I didn't know much about the actors or their careers once the show ended. I liked reading about their relationship - I was glad to see their chemistry was real and that Andy and Don really were close friends! - and was surprised to read of them involved in various other projects that I knew or had heard of but wasn't aware of their involvement. The author did a great job researching and presenting the info in a way that made me want to keep reading while having Andy and Barney playing on tv in the background.
kmg365's review against another edition
4.0
The Andy Griffith Show is one of those rare programs that never, ever gets old. If I'm flipping channels and find an episode playing, I nearly always stop and watch. (Unless it's in color, which means it's the post-Barney era. Then it could go either way.) It holds a special place in my heart, and episodes that I've seen dozens of times can still make me laugh. Just show me a picture of Floyd the barber waving a banana, and I dissolve into giggles.
It was a little troubling to learn how complicated both men were, since the public image of both men was seated so firmly in the simplicity of Mayberry. Not surprising, though, since the nature of actors seems to lean toward insecurity and harboring the fear of never working again. Actors make a lot of money, but I'm not sure that's worth the emotional toll that the profession seems to take on so many practitioners.
I appreciated the fact that this was a dual biography. It's difficult to think of one of these men without thinking of the other, so it worked very well. I was taken aback by the pronunciation of several names of actors by the audio reader-- Aneta Corsaut and Francis Bavier chief among them. Now I'll wonder what the correct way is every time I watch the show.
I can't finish this review without mentioning a plan concocted with a friend years ago. We decided that if we ever found ourselves in a position of having to decide whether or not someone was a foreign spy pretending to be an American for nefarious purposes, we would casually say to the person, "Goober says hey." If the response was not "Hey to Goober," we would call the CIA.
mullinstreetzoo's review against another edition
4.0
An interesting insight into two men who have entertained me for so long.
cantrememberthedreamthatihad's review against another edition
5.0
A wonderful piece of work that chronicles the lives, careers, and enduring friendship of two American treasures. There is triumph, tragedy, laughter, tears, beauty, ugliness, and hope within these pages
socraticgadfly's review against another edition
5.0
Interesting.
First, to qualify myself, I'm not old enough to have seen the Andy Griffith show live, but am old enough to have seen it not too long after reruns started.
Second: I wasn't big on it ... or other late 50s-mid 60s reruns. When I was growing up, my after school TV was Looney Tunes, then Flintstones, maybe Jetsons, then Lost in Space. I watched Andy, as well at Leave it to Beaver, etc., but on occasion. (We had cable, and got, IIRC, early TBS and WGN as well as a couple of LA stations plus the Albuquerque network ones that serviced most of New Mexico.)
Nonetheless, one couldn't be ignorant of either Knotts or Griffith.
Without too many spoilers? Knotts off the screen was much like on — neurotic, with the additional touch of being hypochondriac.
Andy Griffith was nothing like Andy Taylor though. He WAS a fair amount like Lonesome Rhodes from A Face in the Crowd, or then some. Bent his elbow a fair amount. Had a temper. And, thoroughly documented in the book? A lifetime holder of grudges.
First, to qualify myself, I'm not old enough to have seen the Andy Griffith show live, but am old enough to have seen it not too long after reruns started.
Second: I wasn't big on it ... or other late 50s-mid 60s reruns. When I was growing up, my after school TV was Looney Tunes, then Flintstones, maybe Jetsons, then Lost in Space. I watched Andy, as well at Leave it to Beaver, etc., but on occasion. (We had cable, and got, IIRC, early TBS and WGN as well as a couple of LA stations plus the Albuquerque network ones that serviced most of New Mexico.)
Nonetheless, one couldn't be ignorant of either Knotts or Griffith.
Without too many spoilers? Knotts off the screen was much like on — neurotic, with the additional touch of being hypochondriac.
Andy Griffith was nothing like Andy Taylor though. He WAS a fair amount like Lonesome Rhodes from A Face in the Crowd, or then some. Bent his elbow a fair amount. Had a temper. And, thoroughly documented in the book? A lifetime holder of grudges.
shantastic's review against another edition
4.0
I liked this book a lot more than I expedted to. I've watched the Andy Griffith show growing up, of course, and I had no idea Don Knotts had so many other memorable TV roles. What I didn't anticipate was how riveted I'd be by the lives of these two men. This was supposed to be my nighttime book, the one I read to relax before sleep. Instead, I kept staying up late to read just one more chapter. I'd definitely recommend this for anyone who enjoys celebrity biographies, as it's even-handed and not nearly as gossipy as it could have been.