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Andy and Opie Immortalized in Statue
AJC ^
| 10/28/03
| AP
Posted on 10/28/2003 2:01:49 PM PST by Tumbleweed_Connection
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP)--Andy and Opie are on a permanent fishing trip--immortalized in a bronze statue unveiled Tuesday by Andy Griffith, whose portrayal of a genial Southern sheriff has become a television staple. The sculpture depicts the scene in the opening credits of ``The Andy Griffith Show'' in which Sheriff Andy Taylor walks to a fishing hole with his son, Opie, to the tune of the jaunty, whistled theme song.
``That beats anything. I kind of wish I looked like that now,'' the white-haired, 77-year-old Griffith told hundreds of fans who gathered next to a pond in Raleigh's Pullen Park for the morning ceremony.
The cable network TV Land agreed to build and maintain the statue at no cost to the city, similar to deals over the past two years that placed a Mary Tyler Moore statue in Minneapolis and a statue of Jackie Gleason's ``Honeymooners'' character, Ralph Kramden, in New York City.
Griffith, who's from Mount Airy, now lives on the North Carolina coast in Manteo. Some in Mount Airy--considered a model for Mayberry--have grumbled that their town is a better spot for the statue.
The actor said the Raleigh park was a great location, but added ``I hope they'll do something for Mount Airy in the future.''
TOPICS: Culture/Society; US: North Carolina
KEYWORDS: dixielist; northcarolina; oldnorthstate; opie; sherifftaylor; statue
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To: stainlessbanner
Thanks for the ping!!
Great show! I still watch it every-time I can.
One of my favorites,,,Andy to Aunt Bea,,,,"Just call the man!"
81
posted on
10/29/2003 9:38:38 AM PST
by
SCDogPapa
(In Dixie Land I'll take my stand to live and die in Dixie)
To: 4ConservativeJustices
Life as it was. Too bad today's life is still not that simple.
Ahh,,the good ol' days!
82
posted on
10/29/2003 9:43:07 AM PST
by
SCDogPapa
(In Dixie Land I'll take my stand to live and die in Dixie)
To: carton253
"Did your Freeper name come from Stonewall Jackson?"
I would have liked to have had the Stonewall handle but it was already taken......so Stonewalls was as close as I could get......the only time it ever caused me consternation was when a guy asked me if the name was in reference to a bunch of queers rioting in a New York bar....that question didn't go over too cool with me.
To: Graybeard58
Didn't the "Dillards" play the Darling family? The father was Denver Pyle (Briscoe Darling) and they had a daughter Charlene who had a crush on Andy. Those were great episodes! May husband loves Blue Grass. I have to ask him about the Dillards. Some of his favorites are-The Stanley Brothers, Jim and Jesse, and the Osborne Brothers.
84
posted on
10/29/2003 9:49:41 AM PST
by
TracyPA
To: yarddog
Underneath it all, Eddie was really ok. They actually had a couple of episodes in which they showed it. Yes. Wasn't there one episode in which Eddie had a date with a girl who really wanted to go out with Wally, and Eddie found out and begged off their date so she and Wally could get together? Or something nobel like that?
To: truthkeeper
I am not sure about that one but I do recall one where Eddie actually treats the Beave ok.
Can't recall the exact situation but Beaver says he always suspected that Eddie was ok but he didn't really expect to see it. Then Eddie warns him not to say anything because he doesn't want to lose his reputation.
Eddiy Haskell really was a character.
86
posted on
10/29/2003 10:27:07 AM PST
by
yarddog
To: STONEWALLS
I wanted the Stonewall handle also...
He was a very great man...
87
posted on
10/29/2003 10:46:33 AM PST
by
carton253
(To win the War on Terror, we must, at once, raise the black flag!)
To: crude77
My favorite episode was one of the first ones, when Aunt Bea came to live on a trial basis, just to see if she could get along with Opie and run the household. Well, over the 2-3 days, one thing after another went wrong, and Aunt Bea decided to leave, concluding that Opie didn't like her. As Aunt Bea steps into the car to go back home, Opie runs downstairs from his bedroom and out, and cries, "Paw, she can't leave!" Andy: "Why not, Ope?" Opie: "Because she'll be lost out there; who'll take care of her, she doesn't know how to do ANYTHING."
88
posted on
10/29/2003 10:55:11 AM PST
by
Remole
To: Tumbleweed_Connection
I was at the ceremony in Raleigh. Andy was very gracious and seemed quite humbled by the statue.
I think that if the ceremony had been held in the middle of the day instead of at 8:30 AM they'd have had to have closed Pullen Park.
89
posted on
10/29/2003 11:01:35 AM PST
by
Chunga
To: Graybeard58
Yeah, they ought to combine them... "Dude! You're gettin' a mortgage from Ditech!"
90
posted on
10/29/2003 11:16:03 AM PST
by
Sloth
("I feel like I'm taking crazy pills!" -- Jacobim Mugatu, 'Zoolander')
To: BansheeBill
Nice post. But I am offering...
1000 BONUS FREEPER POINTS
...for anyone who can post the words to Ernest T.'s rap classic from the show.
I can only remember one line of it, "Stove too hot...jump in the pot."
To: Tumbleweed_Connection
Some in Mount Airy--considered a model for Mayberry--have grumbled that their town is a better spot for the statue. Raleigh, where Barney goes to party!
92
posted on
10/29/2003 11:31:24 AM PST
by
TC Rider
(The United States Constitution © 1791. All Rights Reserved.)
To: Remole
Well, over the 2-3 days, one thing after another went wrong, and Aunt Bea decided to leave, concluding that Opie didn't like her. As Aunt Bea steps into the car to go back home, Opie runs downstairs from his bedroom and out, and cries, "Paw, she can't leave!" Andy: "Why not, Ope?" Opie: "Because she'll be lost out there; who'll take care of her, she doesn't know how to do ANYTHING." Oh, I remember that one too. Loved it. Man, did I ever cry at the end! (Not that it takes much for me...)
To: TracyPA
I loved the Darling family! But my all-time favorite episode is when the choir director gets somebody else to sing Barney's solo at the choir concert, only Barney doesn't know it. Classic.
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