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The Andy Griffith Show is considered to be one of the most wholesome, beloved sitcoms in television history — unless, of course, you subscribe to the theory that Sheriff Andy Taylor secretly murdered his wife.

But, oddly enough, the classic series owes its existence to the demands of a conservative breakfast cereal company.

Before appearing in his own show, Andy Griffith’s lovable sheriff character first popped up in an episode of The Danny Thomas Show (formerly Make Room for Daddy), a sitcom starring the nightclub comic as a fictional version of himself. Griffith was written into an episode after producer Sheldon Leonard caught Griffith in the Broadway show No Time for Sergeants.

In the episode, appropriately titled “Danny Meets Andy Griffith,” Thomas’ character Danny Williams and his family are driving through the quaint town of Mayberry, when he’s pulled over and arrested by Sheriff Taylor for running a stop sign.

The competition is hot and heavy this year for the Emmy for guest actor and actress in a comedy series. Will Maya Rudolph win her third Emmy in this category for NBC’s “Saturday Night Live?” Or will Jamie Lee Curtis win her first Emmy for her powerful turn in “The Fishes” episode of FX’s “The Bear”? Veteran Christopher Lloyd is looking to receive his first Emmy in 32 years for his role as Larry Arbuckle on Max’ “Hacks.” While Bob Odenkirk, who won two writing Emmys over 30 years ago, may finally earn one for acting as Uncle Lee on FX’s “The Bear.”

Over the years everyone from Colleen Dewhurst (“Murphy Brown”), Carol Burnett (“Mad About You”), who at 91 is up for the Emmy for supporting actress in a comedy series for “Palm Royale,” Jane Lynch (“The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”), John Cleese (“Frasier”) and Mel Brooks, who received the...

Nicolas Coster, the British-American actor who played an evasive lawyer in All the President’s Men, a fiendish kidnapper in All My Children, zany businessman Lionel Lockridge on Santa Barbara, and the father of Lisa Whelchel’s Blair Warner in The Facts of Life, died Monday at a hospital in Florida. He was 89.

His death was announced by his daughter Dinneen Coster on social media. “There is great sadness in my heart this evening, my father actor Nicolas Coster has passed on in Florida at 9:01 pm in the hospital,” Dinneen Coster wrote on Facebook. “Please be inspired by his artistic achievements and know he was a real actor’s actor!”

A cause of death was not given.

A prolific actor whose career spanned decades on television and encompassed both leading and character roles,...

Andy Griffith and Don Knotts worked together as Andy Taylor and Barney Fife on The Andy Griffith Show. As their chemistry suggested, the two were the best of friends in real life. But who was older between the two famous comedic actors?

Andy Griffith and Don Knotts | Ron Galella via Getty Images Don Knotts was two years older than Andy Griffth

Knotts was born on July 21, 1924 in Morgantown, West Virginia. He had a trying childhood, born to William Jesse Knotts and Elsie L. Moore-Knotts. Knotts’ mother had him when she was 40. His father had schizophrenia and alcoholism, and was reportedly violent towards his son. The actor’s older brother, William, also suffered from alcoholism and tormented Knotts. The actor thought of show business as his way out of a hard life. Though even after he got famous, Knotts struggled with his mental health. He was depressed and went to therapy for years.

Andy Griffith and Don Knotts made ‘The Andy Griffith Show’ what it was—hilarious and beloved by many. The actors were best friends while filming, playing pranks and never failing to make the other laugh. But did they keep in touch once the show was over?

Don Knotts and Andy Griffith | CBS Photo Archive/Getty Images Don Knotts and Andy Griffith were friends for life

Griffith and Knotts had undeniable chemistry on The Andy Griffith Show. And there’s a reason for that — the two were extremely close in real life.

Author Daniel de Visé wrote in his book Andy and Don, The Making of a Friendship and a Classic American TV Show, that the actors were “drawn to each other instantly.” They had similar backgrounds and childhoods. And they made each other laugh, easily and heartily.

That chemistry stayed with them their whole lives.

“Though their Mayberry partnership lasted...

Kevin O’Neal, the younger brother of actor Ryan O’Neal who for a time built a steady, if less widely known, performing career of his own died in his sleep of natural causes in Thousand Oaks, California, on Saturday, Jan. 28. He was 77.

His death was announced by his nephew Patrick O’Neal, Ryan O’Neal’s son.

“Kevin had a wicked sense of humor, just like his older brother, and we have his stories to keep him in our hearts forever,” Patrick O’Neal wrote on Instagram, adding, “When Kevin walked into a room you heard him before you saw him. That energy and personality is an old O’Neal trademark. Heaven better be ready for him!”

Kevin O’Neal began his television career in the early 1960s, making guest appearances on such series as The Danny Thomas Show, The Donna Reed Show, The Twilight Zone, My Tree Son and Wagon Train.

Kevin O’Neal, the younger brother of Oscar-nominated actor Ryan O’Neal and a regular on the 1960s ABC comedy No Time for Sergeants, has died. He was 77.

O’Neal died Saturday in his sleep of natural causes in Thousand Oaks, a family spokesperson told The Hollywood Reporter.

O’Neal also appeared as the character Yale in one of Elvis Presley’s final films, The Trouble with Girls (1969).

O’Neal portrayed Private Ben Whitledge on No Time for Sergeants, which lasted one season. The 1964-65 comedy was produced by George Burns’ production company and Warner Bros.

Based on a novel by Mac Hyman, No Time for Sergeants premiered on Broadway in 1954 and was adapted a year later for an ABC U.S. Steel Hour production and then for a 1958 feature. All three starred Andy Griffith.

Geoffrey Garrett O’Neal was born in Los Angeles on March 26, 1945. His parents were novelist-screenwriter Charles “Blackie” O...

Beverly Hills, 90210 star Joe E Tata has died aged 85.

The actor is best known for his role as Nat Bussichio in the hit show, which ran from 1990 to 2000.

News of Tata’s death was announced by his long-time co-star Ian Ziering on Instagram.

Ziering – who played Steve Sanders in the show – shared a photo of Tata from his time on 90210 as well as a more recent picture of the pair together.

Alongside the post, he wrote: “In the last few months we’ve lost Jessica Klein, one of 90210’s most prolific writers and producers, Denise Douse, who played Mrs Teasley, and now I’m very sad to say Joe E Tata has passed away.”

In 2018, Tata was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. His daughter, Kelly, launched a GoFundMe campaign asking fans for contributions to the actor’s medical bills.

Sharing the news of Tata’s death on Instagram,...

Joe E. Tata, the character actor best known for playing Nat Bussichio in the popular teen drama series “Beverly Hills, 90210,” died on Wednesday, his daughter Kelly announced on their GoFundMe page. He was 85.

He had long been suffering from Alzheimer’s disease, having been officially diagnosed in 2018, according to Kelly’s GoFundMe fundraiser.

“The remaining funds raised from this campaign will be donated to the Alzheimer’s Association,” she wrote.

“90210” star Ian Ziering posted on Instagram a heartfelt account of his experiences working with Tata.

“Joey was truly an Og, I remember seeing him on the Rockford files with James Garner years before we worked together on 90210. He was often one of the background villains in the original Batman series,” Ziering said in his post. “One of the happiest people I’ve ever worked with, he was as generous with his wisdom as he was with his kindness.

Click here to read the full article.

Joe E. Tata, who portrayed the endearing Peach Pit diner owner Nat Bussichio on all 10 seasons of the original Beverly Hills, 90210, has died. He was 85.

Tata died Wednesday night, his daughter, Kelly Katharine Tata, announced on a GoFundMe page. Earlier, she wrote that he was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in 2018 and that he had been moved in April to the Motion Picture & Television Country House and Hospital in Woodland Hills.

In what has to be some kind of record, Tata played henchmen to three supervillains — Frank Gorshin’s the Riddler, Burgess Meredith’s the Penguin and Victor Buono’s King Tut — on the 1966-68 ABC series Batman.

He also appeared in the ’60s on a trio of Irwin Allen-produced sci-fi shows — ABC’s The Time Tunnel (once as Napoleon) and Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea and CBS’ Lost in Space...

Joe E. Tata, the prolific and versatile TV actor whose most enduring role was as Nat Bussichio, the owner of the Peach Pit on “Beverly Hills, 90210,” has died. He was 85.

“90210” castmate Ian Ziering relayed the news on Facebook, and TMZ later confirmed his death, saying Tata had battled Alzheimer’s since 2014 (the year of his last credited role).

Ziering, who played Steve Sanders on the ’90s show, wrote: “Joey was truly an Og, I remember seeing him on the Rockford files with James Garner years before we worked together on 90210. He was often one of the background villains in the original Batman series. One of the happiest people I’ve ever worked with, he was as generous with his wisdom as he was with his kindness. Though the peach pit was a 90210 set, It often felt like the backdrop to the Joe E Tata show. The...

The director of Palmer helps us kick off our new season by walking us through some of his favorite movies.

Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode

Bloodhounds Of Broadway (1989)

Salvador (1986)

True Believer (1989)

Palmer (2021)

Wonder Wheel (2017)

A Face In The Crowd (1957)

On The Waterfront (1954)

No Time For Sergeants (1958)

The Confidence Man (2018)

Lolita (1962)

Dr. Strangelove (1964)

The Ghost Of Peter Sellers (2018)

The Marrying Man (1991)

The Ruling Class (1972)

The Krays (1990)

Let Him Have It (1991)

The Changeling (1980)

On The Border (1998)

Murder By Decree (1979)

Bigger Than Life (1956)

The Night of the Iguana (1964)

Fat City (1972)

Angel (1984)

Animal House (1978)

My Science Project (1985)

Lucía (1968)

Paper Moon (1973)

Sullivan’s Travels (1941)

The Great McGinty (1940)

I Married A Witch (1942)

Do The Right Thing (1989)

Raging Bull (1980)

Once Upon A Time In America (1984)

The Rider (2017)

The Mustang (2019)

Nomadland (2020)

Murmur of the Heart (1971)

Sweet Smell Of Success (1957)

Mr. Smith Goes To Washington (1939)

Apocalypse Now (1979)

The Conversation (1974)

The Godfather (1972)

The Godfather Part III (1990)

The Magnificent Ambersons...

Devo’s Gerald Casale joins us for a discussion of the movies that made Devo!

Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode

The Truth About De-Evolution (1976)

Island Of Lost Souls (1932)

Akran (1969)

Dr. Strangelove (1964)

Fail Safe (1964)

Valley Of The Dolls (1967)

Beyond The Valley Of The Dolls (1970)

The President’s Analyst (1967)

The Atomic Cafe (1982)

The Day The Earth Stood Still (1951)

Village Of The Damned (1960)

Children Of The Damned (1964)

20,000 Leagues Under The Sea (1954)

Planet Of The Apes (1968)

A Clockwork Orange (1971)

The Parallax View (1974)

Soylent Green (1973)

Sweet Smell Of Success (1957)

Rocky (1976)

A Face In The Crowd (1957)

Whisky Galore! (1949)

No Time For Sergeants (1958)

Network (1976)

JFK (1991)

Natural Born Killers (1994)

Lost Highway (1997)

Mulholland Drive (2001)

Expresso Bongo (1959)

Gremlins (1984)

I Was A Teenage Werewolf (1957)

Other Notable Items

Paul McCartney

Slash

Willie Nelson

Devo

Elliot Roberts

Lorne Michaels

Saturday Night Live TV series (1975- )

Michael O’Donoghue

The Muppets

Neil Young

Walter Williams

Mr. Bill

Richard Myers

George Kuchar

Mike Kuchar

John F.

Pairing wine with movies! See the trailers and hear the fascinating commentary for these movies and many more at Trailers From Hell. This week, a look at Media Darkness – what makes news, what makes entertainment and what’s the diff? Brought to you by White Ford Bronco Wine. Keep your mask on. It muffles your complaining about having to wear a mask.

Newsmakers aren’t always news. Think about Donald Trump. He is angered when he feels underappreciated and takes to an early morning Twitter rant to air his grievances. That is his default state, so is it really news? Cops use their police cars to chase suspected criminals. It happens all the time. Is it really worth live coverage simply because a TV station was able to get a helicopter overhead? Think about Joe McCarthy. If the name doesn’t ring a bell, he was a senator – but don’t hold that against him.

John Cassavetes springs forth as a major 1950s talent in these two ‘Primetime Special’ dramatic plays broadcast live on ABC and CBS. Crime in the Streets is the Reginald Rose classic directed by Sidney Lumet; No Right to Kill is a ‘culture for the masses’ adaptation of Crime and Punishment. Cassavetes’ co-stars are Robert Preston, Glenda Farrell, Terry Moore and Robert H. Harris.

Television’s Lost Classics

Volume One John Cassavetes

Crime in the Streets; No Right to Kill

Blu-ray

Vci

1955-’56 / B&W / 1:33 Kinescope / 2 x 60 min. / Street Date September 11, 2018 / 18.99 (Amazon)

Starring: John Cassavetes, Robert Preston, Glenda Farrell, Mark Rydell, Terry Moore, Robert H. Harris.

Directed by Sidney Lumet and Buzz Kulik

Remember the movie Network, when William Holden’s character says he’s going to write a glowing memoir about his ‘good old days’ in the Golden Era of Live TV in New York? That was in 1975, just...

By Lee Pfeiffer

Don Knotts came to fame with his trademark comedy style of portraying a meek, excessively nervous character. He was Woody Allen before Woody Allen was Woody Allen. Knotts honed his skills on Steve Allen's show in the 1950s, with his "man on the street" Nervous Nellie routine sending audiences into fits of laughter. He co-starred with fellow up-and-comer Andy Griffith in the hit Broadway production of "No Time for Sergeants" and the subsequent film version. When Griffith landed his own TV series in 1960 in which he played the sheriff of fictional small town Mayberry, Knotts imposed upon him to write a small, occasional part he could play as Barney Fife, Griffith's inept but loyal sheriff. Griffith complied and the role made Knotts an icon of American comedy, allowing him to win an astonishing five Emmys for playing the same character. Five years into the series, Knotts...

Acting on The Andy Griffith Show felt a lot like living in Mayberry, Nc, the idyllic burg where the classic 1960 to 1968 sitcom was set. "It was warm and funny, like the show," Ron Howard, who played Sheriff Andy Taylor’s adorable son, Opie, exclusively told Closer Weekly in the magazine's latest issue, on newsstands now. "I learned hard work and fun were not diametrically opposed. In fact, they could work hand in hand." But off camera, star Andy Griffith’s life wasn’t as bucolic. The actor endured failed marriages, allegations of alcoholism and infidelity, a debilitating disease, and the tragic death of one of his children. And he didn’t always deal with crises in the cool, calm manner of Sheriff Taylor or lawyer Ben Matlock. "He could have this explosive temper," Daniel de Visé, author of Andy & Don: The Making of a Friendship and a Classic American TV Show,...

Back in the 1960s, the line between TV and movie stars was never more clearly defined, with actors from television seldom being able to make it on the big screen while film actors turned their noses up at the small screen. Don Knotts, however, was an exception, not only dreaming of movie stardom, but actually achieving it. In some ways, that's pretty surprising when you consider just how successful he was as Deputy Sheriff Barney Fife on The Andy Griffith Show. He played the character with the understanding that series star Andy Griffith only intended to stay with it for five years, giving himself a deadline of sorts by which he needed to parlay that show's success into something bigger. Andy ended up changing his mind because of financial incentives thrown his way, while Don didn't, having been offered a five-film deal with Univeral. He chose to leave the show,...

Barbara Dodd Remsen, an actress turned casting director who helped boost the careers of Tom Selleck, Tea Leoni, Kevin Costner, Pierce Brosnan and others, has died. She was 88.

Remsen died March 8 in Los Angeles, her daughter Kerry Remsen Cates announced.

Her late husband was Bert Remsen, a character actor who entered the casting profession after he suffered severe back and leg injuries when he was struck by a crane while on the set of the 1964-65 ABC comedy No Time for Sergeants.

Bert Remsen had an office at Raleigh Studios, where he worked as the head of Aaron...

There’s nothing worse than revisiting one of your favorite comedies from the past, a movie that’s brought you nothing but joy and laughter time and time again, only to realize in the cold light of adulthood…it kind of sucks. Have you changed so much over the years? Have you lost some spark of innocence and levity that once burned bright within? Or is it the movie that’s changed? Maybe that super questionable joke or character or premise isn’t holding up like it once did? Who were you to ever laugh at these things? Why did you ever like this???

Well, thanks to FilmStruck, you don’t have to worry about answering any of these questions. These timeless comedies, available to stream now, not only hold up, but have gotten even better with age. Let go of the fear and rediscover some of your old favorites.

Veteran’s Day is November 11. While we all try to escape from the most exasperating Presidential Campaign in our history let me pay tribute to the Men and Women who have served in the military to insure we keep our electoral process and our freedoms.

Having served in the Navy four years (there he goes again!) I have a keen interest in any movie about the military, especially the sea service. I did serve during peace time so had no experience with combat but still spent most of my tour of duty at sea on an aircraft carrier, the USS Amerca CV66. Among other jobs I ran the ship’s television station for almost two years. Movies have always been important to me and so providing a few hours of entertainment every day when we were at sea was just about the best job I could have had.

The author...

A few weeks ago HBO and then CBS announced that they would launch stand-alone online services in U.S. in 2015. Before that, Netflix had made known that it would start producing features, crushing theatrical release windows once and for all, after it had contributed to the change of the patterns of attention and the way TV series are made by releasing its House of Cards episodes all at once, as a 13-hour movie. ‘Now the real shakeout begins’, wrote Ted Hope in Hollywood Reporter. ‘We are witnessing the march from once lucrative legacy practices built around titles to a new focus on community.’ Michael Wolff, writing also in the Hollywood Reporter, disagrees: ‘Streaming services from the two networks don’t signal television’s capitulation to Netflix and the web; it’s actually the opposite, as the medium expands yet again to gobble up more revenue.’ And in that sense, he says,...

The world of cinema certainly has had its share of sympathetic bumbling and stumbling characters rich in both comedic and tragic layers and anything else in between. Some of these movie misfits are misunderstood and actually more aware then they appear. The combination of being slow-witted, clumsy, awkward, inept, unstable–it all has its entertaining points in the hapless scheme of things. Importantly, these bumbling and stumbling film figureheads generate a kind of loose-minded and in some cases underlying poignancy that resonates so soundly for global moviegoers to observe with embraced enthusiasm.

So let us take a look at a selection of klutzy candidates (both in seriousness and silliness) that inspire us to chuckle and root for in the column Whoops…Did I Do That?: Top 10 Film Bumblers and Stumblers (Note: the listing of the choices below are not in any particular order of preference):

1.) Forrest Gump from...

On TV this Wednesday: Dallas is saddlin’ up for a whodunit, Andy Griffith is A Face in the Crowd, Futurama is on the juice and Around the World in 80 Plates is ready to pick a champ. Here are 10 programs to keep in mind today.

3 pm General Hospital (ABC) | Blair’s back! One Life to Live favorite Kassie DePaiva returns to Port Charles to support daughter Starr – and share a scene or two with Todd (watch an exclusive sneak peek). Daytime fans, what news do you think Ms. Cramer and her ex might have for each other? Sound off in the comments!

Andy Griffith was understandably defined by his most popular role: Sheriff Andy Taylor on the early 1960s series, The Andy Griffith Show.

Because of that, it sometimes seemed, in the years after – at least to those of us who’d grown up watching Sheriff Andy — Griffith was working awfully hard to show there was more to him than the genial, sage, small-town sheriff on what was easily one of the gentlest and most sweet-natured (without being saccharine) shows in TV history. I remember his racist murderer in the true crime-inspired Murder in Coweta County (1983), still defiant and unapologetic as he’s being strapped into an electric chair for execution; his caustic, hard-drinking, and ultimately thieving Hollywood cowboy extra in the overlooked cult favorite, Hearts of the West (1975); his neo-fascist general in the 1979 TV mini-series redo of From Here to Eternity.

This was, in fact, the reason he’d left Andy Griffith...

Yesterday a true entertainment legend passed into the great beyond. Andrew Samuel Griffith, best known as Mayberry’s humble sheriff Andy Taylor, passed away at 7:00 am on July 3, 2012. Born in Mount Airy, North Carolina on June 1, 1926, Andy lived a true working class life. Although a shy student that didn’t immediately fit in, he soon learned how to make his fellow schoolmates laugh. He always had an interest in music, and originally studied to be a preacher at Unc, but changed his major to music and joined a theatre group. His early showbiz experience was as a monologist, his most famous story being “What it Was, Was Football”, told from the point-of-view of a backwoodsman trying to understand the sport. It was released as a single and reached number nine on the charts.

His first television appearance was in “No Time for Sergeants”, a teleplay on The United States Steel Hour,...

Television icon Andy Griffith, best known for the '60s sitcom "The Andy Griffith Show" and '80s/'90s drama "Matlock," has passed away today in North Carolina. He was 86 years old. Griffith began his career as a comedic monologist with the 1953 release of "What It Was, Was Football," a massive hit both on radio and in stores. On Broadway, he earned Tony nominations playing a country bumpkin in the Army-based comedy "No Time for Sergeants" and a sheriff in the musical "Destry Rides Again." He then moved to Hollywood and starred in such films as "A Face In the Crowd" and "No Time for Sergeants." Outside of "The Andy Griffith Show," the actor endured several short-lived series in the '70s and then suffered temporary leg paralysis from Guillain-Barre syndrome in the '80s before enjoying an unlikely career renaissance in the title role of the legal drama "Matlock,...

If Andy Griffith had left show business after creating the role of Will Stockdale in No Time for Sergeants, on stage and screen, and “Lonesome” Rhodes in A Face in the Crowd, he would have earned his stripes, before gaining TV immortality as Sheriff Andy Taylor on The Andy Griffith Show. Instead, all most people are thinking and talking about today, upon hearing of his death at age 86, is that indelible half-hour TV series set in Mayberry, U.S.A. and patterned after Griffith’s real-life home town of Mount Airy, North Carolina. I suspect that viewers thought Andy Griffith was Andy Taylor, which isn’t true. Yes, the sheriff and single father reflected...

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The world of television and film lost a true great this morning. The lovable ol' Andy Griffith passed away at the age of 86. Although best known for series like The Andy Griffith Show and Matlock (two TV programs I never really watched), the movie fans still have a few great films and performances worth pointing to. A Face in the Crowd (1957) -- Elia Kazan's fascinating story of a nobody's rise to fame is probably more pertinent today than it was in the late '50s. Griffith portrays a man called "Lonesome" who goes from an aimless bum to a media darling, and that's when the man's true colors start to show. (This movie was produced 40 years before "reality:" television celebrities existed.) No Time for Sergeants (1958) -- Military...

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Andy Griffith, the likable and versatile star who famously played a small town sheriff in The Andy Griffith Show, has died. He was 86 years old.

"Andy Griffith passed away, after an illness, during the early morning on July 3 at his home in Manteo, N.C., with his wife Cindi at his side," the star's family said in a statement to Et. "Mr. Griffith has been laid down to rest on his beloved Roanoke Island. His favorite causes were Outer Banks Conservationists and the Griffith Scholarship Fund at Unc-Chapel Hill," the statement added. The TV icon had suffered a heart attack in the past and underwent quadruple bypass surgery in 2000.

In the 911 call released by authorities in Dare County, Nc, Griffith's wife Cindi reports, "He has lost consciousness, he's drooling out of his mouth..." Another woman then takes the phone and indicates the star's grave condition. "I think he's pretty much... um, he might...

To some he will forever be Sherriff Andy Taylor, the wise father of Ron Howard’s Opie in The Andy Griffith Show. Others may remember him as Matlock, his other iconic TV role. But Andy Griffith was more than just two TV parts – he conquered screens big and small, and also won acclaim on the stage. He has died at the age of 86 in North Carolina.Born in the state in 1926, Griffith gravitated early on to performance, music and the arts. Though he went to college studying to be a preacher, he shifted his major to music and joined the Carolina Play Makers. After graduation, he taught English for a few years at a local high school, while also indulging in his passion for writing.Griffith began his career proper as a comedy monologist, with a keen ability to deliver long, amusing stories, which led to a successful comedy album.

A beloved TV legend has died at the age of 86. Andy Griffith, best know for his roles on The Andy Griffith Show and Matlock, passed this morning around 7am at his home in Dare County, North Carolina. Close friend and former University of North Carolina President Bill Friday confirmed the death.

Born in Mount Airy, North Carolina (supposedly the inspiration for the fictional town of Mayberry), Griffith began acting while in grade school. He attended Unc in Chapel Hill, played roles in several student operettas and graduated with a bachelor degree in music. He taught English for a few years and began to write and perform monologues, giving voice to rural backwoods characters. That led to a monologue record release which became number nine on the charts in 1954.

In 1955, he starred in a a one-hour teleplay version of No Time for Sergeants...

Andy Griffith, who died Tuesday at the age of 86, will be remembered with tributes on Turner Classic Movies and TV Land. TCM will air four of Griffith's more prominent movies on July 18, starting at 8 p.m., beginning with the 1957 Elia Kazan film "A Face in the Crowd," which also starred Patricia Neal, Anthony Franciosa, Walter Matthau and Lee Remick, and featured Griffith as drifter-turned-villainous media sensation Larry "Lonesome" Rhodes. Also read: Andy Griffith Dead at 86, Friend Says The 1958 film "No Time for Sergeants" will air at 10:15 p.m.,...

The world of television and film lost a true great this morning. The lovable ol' Andy Griffith passed away at the age of 86. Although best known for series like The Andy Griffith Show and Matlock (two TV programs I never really watched), the movie fans still have a few great films and performances worth pointing to. A Face in the Crowd (1957) -- Elia Kazan's fascinating story of a nobody's rise to fame is probably more pertinent today than it was in the late '50s. Griffith portrays a man called "Lonesome" who goes from an aimless bum to a media darling, and that's when the man's true colors start to show. (This movie was produced 40 years before "reality:" television celebrities existed.) No Time for Sergeants (1958) -- Military...

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Andy Griffith died on Tuesday at his California home at the age of 86. Though the late actor was most famous for his roles on television shows like "Matlock" and, fittingly, "The Andy Griffith Show," he made his splash in Hollywood with "A Face in the Crowd." The 1957 film was Griffith's big-screen debut.

Directed by the legendary Elia Kazan, "A Face in the Crowd" told the story of a charismatic country man, Lonesome Rhodes (Griffith), who gets plucked from obscurity by a local radio show producer and becomes a media sensation and political pundit. While "A Face in the Crowd" received mixed reviews upon its release, the decades since have been kind to the film -- especially with how it relates to the current cable news climate. Glenn Beck has been compared to Griffith's Lonesome Rhodes on more than one occasion.

In the ensuing years, Griffith focused on his television pursuits,...

TCM Remembers American actor Andy Griffith Wednesday, July 18. Their tribute will include A Face in the Crowd (1957),No Time for Sergeants (1958), Hearts of the West (1975) and Onionhead (1958) Turner Classic Movies (TCM) will remember the life and career of actor Andy Griffith on Wednesday, July 18. Griffith passed away this morning at the age of 86. TCM.s four-film memorial tribute is set to begin at 8 p.m. (Et) with Griffith's brilliant performance in Elia Kazan's A Face in the Crowd (1957). The night also features the hilarious service comedy No Time for Sergeants (1958). The following is a complete schedule (all times Eastern): A Face in the Crowd (1957)8 p.m. . A Face in...

A father figure to several generations, he was best known for his TV work of course, but Andy Griffith had quite a few big screen roles. The tall actor from Mount Airy, North Carolina most notably played Lonesome Rhodes in Elia Kazan’s ahead-of-its-time satire A Face In The Crowd (1957) and as Private Will Stockdale in No Time For Sergeants (1958 – where he met his costar and lifelong friend Don Knotts). Other movie credits included Angel In My Pocket (1969), and as ‘Old Joe’ in Waitress (2007). Griffith was 86.

From The Fox News Website:

Legendary television actor Andy Griffith, who made a name for himself with his self-titled comedy “The Andy Griffith Show” and later on the long-running series .Matlock,. has died at the age of 86, according to multiple reports.

Griffith was rushed to a North Carolina hospital by an Ems team after they were called to his Roanoke home Tuesday morning. The actor.s close friend,...

Legendary multihyphenate Andy Griffith has died, his close friend and Unc president Bill Friday told North Carolina’s Witn-tv. Griffith was found in his Dare County, N.C. home on Tuesday morning; he was 86.

Television viewers first met Griffith through his 1950s appearances on variety programs such as The Ed Sullivan Show and The Steve Allen Show, but it was the role of Sheriff Andy Taylor in The Andy Griffith Show, which ran from 1960 to 1968, that made him a household name. Watch the opening:

Ron Howard, who played Sheriff Taylor’s son Opie, remembers Griffith for “his love of creating,...

Say the name Andy Griffith, and you've said something about America. Griffith, who, as Sheriff Andy Taylor on the actor's namesake 1960s TV comedy, kept the peace, and represented a heartland ideal, died Tuesday, the actor's friend Bill Friday told WITN News. He was 86.

In addition to The Andy Griffith Show, Griffith created a darkly iconic character in the 1957 film, A Face in the Crowd, and won fans in the long-running whodunit series, Matlock. But, in the end, it was Mayberry that put him on the map. From 1960 to 1968, Griffith's kindly sheriff raised a son, Opie, played by Ron Howard, and a high-strung deputy, Barney Fife, played by Don Knotts. That Taylor, a white lawman in the Civil Rights-era South, became a model of fairness was a tribute to the series. And to Griffith. "We—everyone on the show—have a real sense of community, of kindness, toward one another," Griffith told The New York Times in 1965. "The basic rule by which we live comes through...the kindness comes through."

Born June 1, 1926, in noplace else but North Carolina, Griffith tapped his country roots for laughs in a popular 1950s comedy monologue that begat TV appearances, which begat Broadway and film work, via the Army comedy No Time for Sergeants. Griffith traded on his aw-shucks persona as two-faced populist Lonesome Roads in Elia Kazan's A Face in the Crowd. Now considered a classic, the film "didn't make a dime" back in the day, its star once recalled. "I'd struck out on Broadway, and I'd struck out in the movies, so I kinda had to go to television," Griffith said in 2008.

From the start, The Andy Griffith Show, with its classic, catchy whistling theme, was an audience and critical favorite. Griffith, however, never won an Emmy for the series, nor was he ever nominated for it. Knotts, who won five straight Emmys as the fumbling Fife, would say people thought mistakenly that Griffith wasn't acting, that he was just acting natural. Griffith would return the compliment, saying the show owed its early success to Knotts, who died in 2006.

Television icon Andy Griffith, best known as the sage town sheriff in the ’60s sitcom The Andy Griffith Show and as a cantankerous defense attorney on 1980s-’90s drama Matlock, died today in Roanoke Island, N.C. He was 86 years old. Friend and former University of North Carolina president Bill Friday confirmed the news to Witn News, an NBC affiliate in Washington, N.C.

Born an only child in Mount Airy, N.C., Griffith spent his boyhood listening to music. He aspired to be an opera singer before turning his attention to acting after college at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill.

Andy Griffith, the beloved Sheriff Andy Taylor of TV's iconic The Andy Griffith Show and dramatic defense attorney on Matlock, died at his North Carolina home Tuesday morning. He was 86. Andy's close friend, former Unc President Bill Friday, broke the news to North Carolina's Witn News, saying Griffith died at his Dare County home around 7:00 a.m. A native of Mount Airy, N.C., Griffith originally wanted to be an opera singer, then a preacher, before turning to acting in college. In the late '40s, he and his new bride, the former Barbara Edwards, set out with song-and-dance...

The sheriff of Mayberry has passed away. Legendary actor Andy Griffith died Tuesday morning at his home in Dare County, N.C. at the age of 86. Griffith had a remarkable life-long television career starting with playing the lovable sheriff on The Andy Griffith Show, which aired from 1960-1968. Of course, the show launched the career of Ron Howard, who played Griffith's son Opie. Howard took to Twitter to pay tribute to Griffith. "His pursuit of excellence and the joy he took in creating served generations & shaped my life. I'm forever grateful. Rip Andy," Howard tweeted.

Griffith found success later in life on the legal drama Matlock, which was on air for 11 years.

In addition to acting, Griffith was a director, producer, and Grammy-award winning Southern-gospel singer. He received a Grammy Award for 1997's "I Love to Tell the Story: 25 Timeless Hymns." Griffith also had a career on Broadway. He earned...

Netflix has revolutionized the home movie experience for fans of film with its instant streaming technology. Netflix Nuggets is my way of spreading the word about independent, classic and foreign films being made available by Netflix for instant streaming. Important Note: There may be some films that do not become available on the specified dates. This is merely a report of the most accurate release dates I can find, but is not directly confirmed by Netflix themselves.

American: The Bill Hicks Story (2010)

Streaming Available: 06/29/2011

Synopsis: Since his tragic death from cancer at age 32, comedian Bill Hicks’s legend and stature have only grown, and this unique documentary tells his story, blending live footage, interviews and animation to fill in the details of a life cut short. A comic’s comic and unflagging critic of hypocrisy and cultural emptiness, Hicks was one of a kind, a Lenny Bruce for the late 20th century,...

There are many shows which are described as "beloved" but only a few which truly deserve that description. The Andy Griffith Show is one of those precious few. The long running series, which inspired two spin-offs (Gomer Pyle Usmc; Mayberry Rfd), has been rerun consistently since its initial run (1960-1968), always on the air somewhere. The series celebrated it's 50th anniversary in 2010. While it's true that many shows are still remembered decades after they aired, how many are remembered as fondly as the Andy Griffith Show?

The Andy Griffith Show 50th Anniversary: The Best of Mayberry collects 17 of the most popular episodes of the series, as well as several other bonus treats. One of the best extras in the set is "Danny Meets Andy Griffith", an episode of the popular 1950s series Make Room for Daddy (Aka The Danny Thomas Show) which served as the prototype for Griffith's own show.

There are many shows which are described as "beloved" but only a few which truly deserve that description. The Andy Griffith Show is one of those precious few. The long running series, which inspired two spin-offs (Gomer Pyle Usmc; Mayberry Rfd), has been rerun consistently since its initial run (1960-1968), always on the air somewhere. The series celebrated it's 50th anniversary in 2010. While it's true that many shows are still remembered decades after they aired, how many are remembered as fondly as the Andy Griffith Show?

The Andy Griffith Show 50th Anniversary: The Best of Mayberry collects 17 of the most popular episodes of the series, as well as several other bonus treats. One of the best extras in the set is "Danny Meets Andy Griffith", an episode of the popular 1950s series Make Room for Daddy (Aka The Danny Thomas Show) which served as the prototype for Griffith's own show.

Filed under: Reality-Free, Where Are They Now?

'The Andy Griffith Show' is one of the most beloved TV sitcoms of all time. Originally televised on CBS from Oct. 3, 1960 to Apr. 1, 1968, the show ended its final season at No. 1 and consistently ranked in the top 10. More recently, the show has taken on a new life in TV Land reruns.

Andy Griffith had already made a name for himself in movies like 'A Face in the Crowd' and 'No Time for Sergeants,' when he agreed to star in his own TV show as the widowed Sheriff Andy Taylor, who didn't have to carry a gun in the small country town of Mayberry, N.C.

To celebrate the 50th anniversary of 'The Andy Griffith Show,' we thought we'd catch up with the cast members -- arguably the best character actors in the business -- who...

The weekend’s here. You’ve just been paid, and it’s burning a hole in your pocket. What’s a pop culture geek to do? In hopes of steering you in the right direction to blow some of that hard-earned cash, it’s time for the Fred Weekend Shopping Guide - your spotlight on the things you didn’t even know you wanted…

(Please support Fred by using the links below to make any impulse purchases - it helps to keep us going…)

The epic films of David Lean are an essential part of any cinematic library, and the first to make the transition to high definition is the sweeping Doctor Zhivago (Warner Bros., Rated PG-13, Blu-Ray-$35.99 Srp), and it looks and sounds absolutely incredible. Just to add icing to the cake, it’s packed with bonus materials, including an audio commentary, a new retrospective, a making-of documentary, vintage featurettes and interviews,...

We've got a pretty bland line-up of new releases on DVD this week with such middling films as Leap Year, Tooth Fairy and Nine hitting store shelves, but there are a few other odds and ends that may be of interest to Film Junk readers including Francis Ford Coppola's Tetro, Kiyoshi Kurosawa's Tokyo Sonata and Never Sleep Again, a feature-length documentary on the A Nightmare on Elm Street series. Also out this week is a re-issue of Joe Dante's long out of print Matinee, new editions of Rock 'N' Roll High School, Doctor Zhivago and Dirty Dancing, and on Blu-ray, Steven Spielberg's Saving Private Ryan, Kathryn Bigelow's K-19: The Widowmaker, and John Carpenter's Escape from L.A.. See anything worth picking up? Tooth Fairy [1] (+ Blu-ray [2]) Leap Year [3] (+ Blu-ray [4]) Nine [5] (+ Blu-ray [6]) Tetro [7] (+ Blu-ray [8]) Hamlet [9] (+ Blu-ray [10]) Tokyo Sonata [11] Preacher's Kid [12] (+ Blu-ray [13]) Rock 'N' Roll High School...

Grizzly Bear

The week's new DVDs are all over the map, but there are lots of options for indie music fans.

Read on for more!

The curated All Tomorrow's Parties is an annual gathering of the coolest bands your mom has never heard of, and this new documentary of the same name—co-directed by gay filmmaker Jonathan Caouette (Tarnation)— features a staggering lineup, including The Gossip, Nick Cave, Iggy Pop, Grizzly Bear (the gay-inclusive band is pictured above), Sonic Youth, Portishead, Daniel Johnston, The Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Belle and Sebastian, Patti Smith, The Mars Volta and many more.

Queer-inclusive British band Placebo tells their story in the new documentary The Sun Also Rises, which weaves together news reports, exclusive interviews, performance footage and other archival footage of the glam pansexual trio.

You can't get much sexier than a group that releases a new CD box that comes complete with, uh,...

Here are the new TV DVDs, in stores tomorrow.

Finally, season 4 of Alfred Hitchcock Presents is on DVD. I say finally because this season contains one of my favorite episodes of any TV series ever, "Man with a Problem," with Elizabeth Montgomery, Gary Merrill, and Peter Mark Richman. It has a great twist ending (you can watch it here). I have to start buying this show on DVD.

The Golden Age of Television DVD is a Criterion Collection set and includes some great live TV episodes, including "Marty," "Days of Wine and Roses," "The Comedian," "Requiem for a Heavyweight," "No Time For Sergeants," "A Wind from the South," and "Bang The Drum Slowly." Also comes with extensive commentaries and interviews and a booklet.

Continue reading New TV on DVD releases this week

 

Filed under: TV on DVD, Reality-Free

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