Sheriff Andy Taylor
Return of Television Legends
July 03, 2010
by David Krell
david@davidkrell.com
In the 1986 song Modern Woman, Billy Joel sings, And after 1986, what else could be new?
Nothing if you consider the return of two television legends to the small screen
Their television personas were extraordinarily familiar to us.
Andy Griffith appeared as Atlanta-based attorney Ben Matlock in Matlock. The show aired on NBC from 1986 to 1992 and then switched to ABC where it aired from 1992 to 1995.
Matlock was a Harvard-educated but folksy defense attorney who had strong friendships with his staff and opposing counsel.
In the spring of 1986, Griffith reprised his hallmark role of Sheriff Andy Taylor in the NBC tv-movie Return To Mayberry. Its tremendous success, nostalgic appeal, and safe familiarity undoubtedly influenced NBC and Griffith to find a new but familiar television vehicle for him.
Simply, Matlock is Perry Mason by way of Sheriff Andy Taylor.
Former Andy Griffith Show co-stars Aneta Corsaut and Don Knotts made guest appearances on Matlock.
Unfortunately, Lucille Ball did not fare so well in the Fall of 1986.
She returned to television with the sitcom Life with Lucy on ABC. Co-starring with Ball was her familiar foil, Gale Gordon. He played her in-law. On the show, the daughter of Ball’s character was married to the son of Gordon’s character.
Life With Lucy only lasted a couple of months.
Aaron Spelling produced Life with Lucy with Douglas Cramer and E. Duke Vincent. The sitcom starring an aging but appealing legend contrasted with Spelling’s shows based in adventure, glitz, and glamour. Vega$. Charlie’s Angels. Hotel. The Love Boat. Hart to Hart.
During the mid-1980’s, nostalgia abounded. In the 1985 box office blockbuster Back to the Future, the story recaptured a slice of life in 1955, complete with fashion, music, and popular culture indicators.
Return to Mayberry recalled a simpler time when a transistor radio was the groundbreaking technology achievement for teenagers compared to the 1980’s Sony Walkman or today’s iPod.
Life with Lucy brought back the biggest comedienne of the 20th century in a pre-TGIF family sitcom.
Lucy was a grandmother in the show, not the young or middle-aged housewife or mother we remembered fondly from decades past. Was the show a mistake? Were the physical antics of a 75 year-old woman frightening rather than entertaining for the audience?
Maybe. Maybe not.
But there’s nothing wrong with bringing back a legend to recapture previous glory. The failure of Life With Lucy doesn’t make Ms. Ball’s work on the program any less significant compared to her other work on more popular shows.
She was, indeed, the same Lucy. She gave 1000 percent for her fellow castmates and the audience.
As Peter Allen once sang, Quiet please. There’s a lady on the stage. She may not be the latest rage. But she’s singing. And she means it.
david@davidkrell.com
In the 1986 song Modern Woman, Billy Joel sings, And after 1986, what else could be new?
Nothing if you consider the return of two television legends to the small screen
Their television personas were extraordinarily familiar to us.
Andy Griffith appeared as Atlanta-based attorney Ben Matlock in Matlock. The show aired on NBC from 1986 to 1992 and then switched to ABC where it aired from 1992 to 1995.
Matlock was a Harvard-educated but folksy defense attorney who had strong friendships with his staff and opposing counsel.
In the spring of 1986, Griffith reprised his hallmark role of Sheriff Andy Taylor in the NBC tv-movie Return To Mayberry. Its tremendous success, nostalgic appeal, and safe familiarity undoubtedly influenced NBC and Griffith to find a new but familiar television vehicle for him.
Simply, Matlock is Perry Mason by way of Sheriff Andy Taylor.
Former Andy Griffith Show co-stars Aneta Corsaut and Don Knotts made guest appearances on Matlock.
Unfortunately, Lucille Ball did not fare so well in the Fall of 1986.
She returned to television with the sitcom Life with Lucy on ABC. Co-starring with Ball was her familiar foil, Gale Gordon. He played her in-law. On the show, the daughter of Ball’s character was married to the son of Gordon’s character.
Life With Lucy only lasted a couple of months.
Aaron Spelling produced Life with Lucy with Douglas Cramer and E. Duke Vincent. The sitcom starring an aging but appealing legend contrasted with Spelling’s shows based in adventure, glitz, and glamour. Vega$. Charlie’s Angels. Hotel. The Love Boat. Hart to Hart.
During the mid-1980’s, nostalgia abounded. In the 1985 box office blockbuster Back to the Future, the story recaptured a slice of life in 1955, complete with fashion, music, and popular culture indicators.
Return to Mayberry recalled a simpler time when a transistor radio was the groundbreaking technology achievement for teenagers compared to the 1980’s Sony Walkman or today’s iPod.
Life with Lucy brought back the biggest comedienne of the 20th century in a pre-TGIF family sitcom.
Lucy was a grandmother in the show, not the young or middle-aged housewife or mother we remembered fondly from decades past. Was the show a mistake? Were the physical antics of a 75 year-old woman frightening rather than entertaining for the audience?
Maybe. Maybe not.
But there’s nothing wrong with bringing back a legend to recapture previous glory. The failure of Life With Lucy doesn’t make Ms. Ball’s work on the program any less significant compared to her other work on more popular shows.
She was, indeed, the same Lucy. She gave 1000 percent for her fellow castmates and the audience.
As Peter Allen once sang, Quiet please. There’s a lady on the stage. She may not be the latest rage. But she’s singing. And she means it.
A Face in the Crowd
April 05, 2010
by David Krell
david@davidkrell.com
A Face in the Crowd is a 1957 film about corruption rooted in ego, power, and fame. Budd Schulberg wrote the screenplay based on his short story The Arkansas Traveler.
Andy Griffith stars as Larry “Lonesome” Rhodes, a southern storyteller and singer with an abundance of charm.
Griffith’s portrayal reveals his deep acting talent. Lonesome Rhodes is an upside down and backwards version of Griffith’s iconic character, Sheriff Andy Taylor.
Marcia Jeffries discovers Rhodes and soon helps catapult him to stardom. Patricia Neal plays Jeffries.
Rhodes is also helped by Mel Miller, an intellectual writer. Walter Matthau plays Miller.
Anthony Franciosa plays an agent who puts Rhodes on national television.
While charming in public, Rhodes is egocentric to the point of being abusive in private.
He advises a presidential candidate on communications and image but his comments in private belie his true condescending feelings about the candidate.
Jeffries cannot help but fall in love with the star she helped create. But she feels betrayed because he is not divorced from his first wife and he marries a teenage baton twirler played by Lee Remick.
Jeffries brings down the Frankenstein monster that she nurtured, inspired, and built.
During a live television performance when Rhodes thinks the broadcast has ended, Jeffries keeps the microphones live so the national television audience can hear Rhodes’ caustic comments about the audience. Now revealed as an egomaniac with no respect for his fans, Rhodes faces an incredible plunge in popularity.
He breaks down at his apartment and pleads for Jeffries’ help. Miller tells her that Rhodes will never have the acclaim or fame that he once enjoyed but his career may be somewhat salvageable.
Nevertheless, despite the shouts and pleas from Rhodes, Jeffries leaves with Miller and leaves the audience wondering what ever became of Lonesome Rhodes.
david@davidkrell.com
A Face in the Crowd is a 1957 film about corruption rooted in ego, power, and fame. Budd Schulberg wrote the screenplay based on his short story The Arkansas Traveler.
Andy Griffith stars as Larry “Lonesome” Rhodes, a southern storyteller and singer with an abundance of charm.
Griffith’s portrayal reveals his deep acting talent. Lonesome Rhodes is an upside down and backwards version of Griffith’s iconic character, Sheriff Andy Taylor.
Marcia Jeffries discovers Rhodes and soon helps catapult him to stardom. Patricia Neal plays Jeffries.
Rhodes is also helped by Mel Miller, an intellectual writer. Walter Matthau plays Miller.
Anthony Franciosa plays an agent who puts Rhodes on national television.
While charming in public, Rhodes is egocentric to the point of being abusive in private.
He advises a presidential candidate on communications and image but his comments in private belie his true condescending feelings about the candidate.
Jeffries cannot help but fall in love with the star she helped create. But she feels betrayed because he is not divorced from his first wife and he marries a teenage baton twirler played by Lee Remick.
Jeffries brings down the Frankenstein monster that she nurtured, inspired, and built.
During a live television performance when Rhodes thinks the broadcast has ended, Jeffries keeps the microphones live so the national television audience can hear Rhodes’ caustic comments about the audience. Now revealed as an egomaniac with no respect for his fans, Rhodes faces an incredible plunge in popularity.
He breaks down at his apartment and pleads for Jeffries’ help. Miller tells her that Rhodes will never have the acclaim or fame that he once enjoyed but his career may be somewhat salvageable.
Nevertheless, despite the shouts and pleas from Rhodes, Jeffries leaves with Miller and leaves the audience wondering what ever became of Lonesome Rhodes.