I recently became involved in a discussion on Facebook about the overuse of the word "iconic" in our everyday language. One Loyal Reader in particular constantly bristles when the term is used, and I don't disagree, but, really, is there any other word that can be used in describing Andy Griffith, who passed away today at the age of 86?
"The Andy Griffith Show" (1960-68) stands as one of televisions all-time classic sitcoms. That alone confers, sorry, iconic status on Griffith. That series produced one of THE all-time great characters in TV history, Don Knotts' Barney Fife (full disclosure: I pretty much stopped watching this show once Knotts left the cast), and other classic characters like Gomer Pyle, Floyd the Barber, Otis Campbell the town drunk, and many others, and it also introduced the talent of Ron Howard to the world. Pretty good blood lines, I'd say.
Griffith went on to star in another popular series, "Matlock" which ran from 1986-95.
Before series television, Griffith made a name for himself as a story-telling comedian, and many of those routines can be found on YouTube and are surfacing on Facebook today. He also made a most impressive debut in Hollywood in 1957 in a movie called "A Face in the Crowd", which I saw for the first time a few months back. This is what I had to say about it back in February:
I watched a movie last night called "A Face in the Crowd" from 1957, directed by Elia Kazan, and starring Andy Griffith and Patricia Neal. Good movie. All about the power of the media and it's cultural and political influence. Still very timely, and, from the viewpoint of 2012, this was one way ahead of its time. Griffith was really good in this dramatic role, but don't expect the folksy, friendly Andy of Mayberry if you watch this. Andy, playing a guy named Lonesome Rhodes, was not a very likable guy in this one. As Robert Osbourne observed on TCM, he never played another character like this again.
A native of North Carolina, Andy died in his home on Roanoke Island, a house that was pointed out to us many years ago on a boat tour of Manteo Sound in the Outer Banks many years ago.
RIP "Ange".
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