I still watch episodes of the original Andy Griffith Show 6 nights a week, in the middle of the night on my plain old MSM TV (no cable).
I'm on about my 2nd and 3rd go-round of a lot of the episodes, but not all. They just started over from the beginning again a few weeks ago and Elinor Donahue had come to town as Ellie Walker, the pharmacist and Andy's supposed girl friend.
I wondered last time that series of shows played why she disappeared all of a sudden. Then I happened to read the other day on an Andy-watching forum or somewhere an interview with them both, where they asked the question outright.
Andy said he wasn't comfortable with showing affection publicly or on TV, so he wasn't as warm as he could've been with "Ellie." She said they didn't have the chemistry they needed to take the relationship another step, so she felt she needed to leave the show and did.
I wasn't too crazy about her on the show, but it might be because I knew Helen Crump would come later and she was so perfect for Andy.
I always thought Andy shoulda hooked up with that hot county nurse, Miss Peggy (Joanna Moore), or the Darling girl, Charlene. She was a hell cat!
Helen was too high maintenance and always pouting about something!
I just kept thinking that Father might show up and tell her that Andy was too old for her! ;)
susie