As we roll into the 4th of July holiday, let’s take a nostalgic look back at Andy Griffith as he tells the story of the American Revolution on his classic 1960s TV program, “The Andy Griffith Show.” Griffith died Tuesday at the age of 86. In the eight years “The Andy Griffith Show” was broadcast–from 1960 to 1968–Griffith was a humane and rational presence in American homes. His character, Sheriff Andy Taylor, was surrounded by eccentrics yet always managed to keep things in perspective, embodying what the show’s producer, Aaron Ruben, once described as “this Lincolnesque character.” It’s a fitting phrase, and a good way to remember Griffith as we enjoy the holiday.
It’s odd how sad you can feel about the loss of someone you never really knew.
I respected his late-life politics, too. It’s always nice when they turn kind instead of crazy.
He will be sorely missed since even younger people today watch the Andy Griffith Show. It was truly americana and the small town that everyone wanted to be from.