Andy loved his practical jokes. As the undisputed boss of the Andy Griffith Show, he set a festive, frolicsome tone. And he loved to stage practical jokes, particularly when they targeted Don Knotts. In fact, Andy teased Don daily simply by calling him “Jess,” which was short for Jesse, Don’s first name, because he knew Don didn’t like it. For all his on-screen energy, Don Knotts was surprisingly dignified and reserved off camera, and Andy delighted in shattering his friend’s calm. He sometimes interrupted Don’s nap by dropping a metal film canister onto the floor.
Andy Griffith may have inspired others to partake in his jokester antics, because the cast and crew always tried to respond to his pranks with pranks of their own. One of the most legendary examples was when the crew stole his shoes from the set, forcing him to wear his sheriff boots home. They did eventually return his shoes to him at the end of the season… bronzed.
Mayberry Was Mount Airy
The Andy Griffith Show was filmed at Desilu Studios, with exteriors filmed at Forty Acres in Culver City, California. Woodsy locales were filmed north of Beverly Hills at Franklin Canyon. However, Mayberry, the quaint hometown made famous on The Andy Griffith Show, has long been considered a fictional place, but the real Mayberry does exist. The TV-show town was actually based on Andy Griffith's hometown of Mount Airy, NC.
Though Andy Griffith denied it for years, in the episode “A Black Day For Mayberry” you can clearly see the words Mount Airy on the side of a phonebook sitting on the sheriff’s desk.
Don Knott’s Favorite Episode Was the Pickle Episode
“The Pickle Story” is a regular fan favorite, and for good reason. In fact, this episode was also voted the #1 favorite of the entire series. Aunt Bee may have been a good cook, but her batch of pickles was a far removal from her regular work. She just couldn't seem to make a tasty pickle. According to Clara Johnson, twelve-time pickle champion, she blames the offensive qualities of Bee’s pickles on too heavy a brine, not enough parsley in the vinegar, old, soft cucumbers, stale spices, and not boiling the vinegar enough.
Barney and Andy are forced to eat and get rid of as many jars as possible since they never had the heart to tell her they tasted terrible. Don Knotts stated how much fun it was to film that episode, which undoubtedly played into all the laughs they got from it!
Nickname On and Off the Screen
Nicknames– they’re common in the entertainment industry. Not even Andy himself could escape the nickname train. Throughout the show, Barney commonly referred to Andy as “Ange”.
Don Knotts allotted that nickname to him as a mashup of his first and last names “Andy” and “Griffith”, and he was so fond of it that he would just habitually use it during filming, honoring the actor for who he truly was. This little-known tidbit only became obvious if you knew what you were looking for, with many fans confusing “Ange” for “And.” While Barney often called Andy “Ange” on the show as his nickname, what’s really interesting is that Knotts also called Griffith that in real life.
A Stroke of Brilliance
Howard McNear, who played Floyd the Barber, required a great deal of assistance on-set after suffering a devastating stroke mid-way through the series. Because he had suffered a stroke, Howard had trouble standing. The show’s creators decided to come up with a clever way to aid him in his role. They constructed props for Howard to lean on during his scenes, giving the illusion that he was in an upright position. A special stool was built to make it appear Floyd was standing when he was in fact half-sitting or leaning. Floyd was also often seen sitting in his barber chair or sitting on a bench outside his shop.
Howard's stroke also left his left side paralyzed. Watch Floyd closely in later episodes, you'll notice he will never move his left hand.