Q. While watching the episode tonight about Frank Myers and his $100 savings bond I noticed during the credits there was a "production assistant" also named Frank Myers. Was this character named after the production assistant?

A. Yes, the character of Frank Myers was named for crew member Frank E. Myers. The TAGS crew joked that actor Andy Clyde (who played the part) looked just like the real Frank Myers. When that episode (Mayberry Goes Bankrupt) was finished, Frank Myers the crew member kept the prop mailbox with "his" name on it. Myers' Lake (actually California's Franklin Canyon Reservoir) was named after Frank Myers as well, since it was his idea to film at that location.

Frank also had two sons who served the studio in various capacities. Tom Myers appeared as an extra in several episodes of Gomer Pyle - USMC, and Charles Myers served as assistant director on that series. Charles also appeared a marine recruit in the Gomer pilot episode. --Paul Mulik

Q. Can you get a blue and gold sleeve patch like the one's Andy & Barney had on their uniforms anywhere?

A. I'm not quite sure why the ones commonly found nowadays are brown. Perhaps whoever made them has never seen a color episode? A few years ago, correct blue and gold Mayberry sleeve patches were available at The Last Precinct, a police museum in Eureka Springs, AR. They were made by a guy who can duplicate any patch or badge. However, the last few times I've been there, they are always out of the patches. It seems that once the initial supply was sold out, they didn't get any more made. If enough people request them, maybe they'll get some more done.

Phone: 501/253-4948.

The museum is maintained by Jim Post, president of the Police Car Owners of America. There is a web site at www.policeguide.com. BTW, I recommend the museum highly. If you ever visit Eureka Springs (a GREAT little town for a romantic getaway), be sure and stop in. -Paul Mulik

Q. Wasn't there more than one Wally?

A. There were not one, not two, not three, but FOUR different Wallys throughout the run of the series, as follows:

Norman Leavitt appears as Wally in "Lawman Barney" and "Man in a Hurry." Leavitt had previously appeared as Cal in episode 2 "The Manhunt," as Gil in "Andy the Marriage Counselor" and as the coffee shop owner in "Barney Gets His Man."

Wally was played by Trevor Bardette in "Gomer the House Guest."

Cliff Norton assumed the role in "Goober's Replacement."

...and finally, Blackie Hunt plays Wally in "The Barbershop Quartet." However, it's not clear if the Wally we see in "The Barbershop Quartet" was supposed to be the Wally from the filling station, or just some other guy named Wally. -Paul Mulik

Q. Who was the first female that wore pants on TAGS?

A. I'm fairly certain Peggy was the first female resident of Mayberry to wear pants in public (but then, I could be wrong, it happened once before, tick-a-lock.) Later on, after Mayberry turned to color, Goober's girl Flora would wear slacks when she filled in at the filling station, and Helen appeared in some snug-fitting "dancing" pants in "The Senior Play" (or perhaps those were leggings? Anyway, it definitely wasn't a dress.) --Paul Mulik

Q. After watching quiet Sam plant his fields at night, did I hear Barney make a suggestion that maybe Sam's planting a little "happy weed," or marijuana. I know they cut some of our favorite scenes from every episode, but now I'm wondering if the scene I described ever took place or if I'm just imagining it.

A. You didn't dream it, the line was cut out. Now that we're on the subject, most folks know that the original epilogues to the 249 episodes are almost never shown on TV these days. What many fans DON'T know is that there are LOTS of other scenes missing too, not just the epilogues. Many episodes also have opening scenes which have also been cut out, and just about every episode has a couple of scenes missing from somewhere in the middle. Some episode have as many as TEN cuts!

Each episode originally ran 24 minutes and 30 seconds in length, not including credits or commercials. Nowadays, the versions shown by most stations run about 21 minutes each. Add those lost minutes up, and it's the equivalent of more than ONE ENTIRE SEASON of The Andy Griffith Show! Terrible, ain't it?

I've done my best to catalogue all of these "lost" scenes in my upcoming book. It's not been an easy process, since in some cases I've been unable to locate complete copies of some episodes, despite years of searching. For them that don't know, most of the episodes available on store-bought videos are NOT uncut, despite claims on the packaging (if you don't believe me, the next time you watch one, set the timer and see how long it is. I'll betcha it won't come out to be 24:30.) The manufacturer just takes the episodes as they air on TV and sticks the epilogues on the end, without bothering to restore any of the other missing scenes.

Sorry I got kinda carried away back there, I hope I didn't get into any trouble with the head Mountie.-Paul Mulik

Q. Aunt Bee speaks these lines in an episode (I think I have the quote right): "Mum's my name. Silence is my game. Tick a lock!" I want to find those lines but cannot remember in which episode she speaks them.

A. Those lines come from episode 118 "Andy's Vacation" when Andy decides to head up to the mountains by himself for a few days. The dialogue goes something like this:

Andy: Remember now, not a word about where I've gone. Aunt Bee: Silence is my game, Mum's my name, tick-a-lock! Barney also says "tick-a-lock" in "High Noon in Mayberry," and Otis says it in "Hot rod Otis." --Paul Mulik

Q. Is Jack Dodson (Howard Sprague) still living?

A. Jack Dodson passed away September 16, 1994, just a few days before Mayberry Days of that year. I remember hearing a radio program as we were driving to Mt. Airy. The announcer supposedly placed a phone call to Howard Sprague in heaven! Whoever did Jack Dodson's voice was dead-on perfect. Did anybody else catch that? I don't remember what station we were listening to; it was probably somewhere in Kentucky or West Virginia. -Paul Mulik

Q. What is Don Knotts "real" name?

A. Don Knotts' real name is Jesse Donald Knotts. --Paul Mulik

Q. How old were Andy and Barn 'supposed' to be on the show?

A. In "The Darling Baby" Barney says that he's 35. That episode aired midway through the fifth season, which means that Barney was 31 when the series premiered in October of 1960 (in real life, Don Knotts was 36 at that time.)

Andy Taylor's age is never given (at least not that I can remember) but we learn in "Andy and Opie's Pal" that Andy and Barney were in the fourth grade together. Also, the episodes "Class Reunion" and "The Return of Barney Fife" imply that the two graduated from Mayberry Union High at the same time. Therefore, they must be the same age, or perhaps one year apart (In real life, Andy Griffith is two years younger than Don Knotts.) -Paul Mulik

Q. Where would Mayberry be located geographicaly?

A. It's impossible to pinpoint it precisely since the writers were not always consistent, but here are a few clues:

1. In "Barney and Thelma Lou, Phfftt!" Barney says it's 12 miles to Mt. Pilot (the fictional "Mt. Pilot" is presumably in the same place as the real town of Pilot Mountain, NC.)

2. In "The Luck of Newton Monroe" Goober says it's 60 miles to Raleigh. In "Andy's Rich Girlfriend," Barney says it 55 miles to the capital.

3. In "The Rehabilitation of Otis" and "The Battle of Mayberry" Mayberry is said to be in the northern part of the state.

By consulting a map of North Carolina and using these clues, it's possible to get a pretty good idea of where Mayberry is. It's roughly in the same geographic location as Mt. Airy.-- Paul Mulik

Q. Aunt Bee one time said Opie was coming down with the "pip." What's the "Pip?"

A. Dear Allan, a dedicated TAGS person wrote you referring to the scene at the dinner table in OPIE THE BIRDMAN wherein Opie seems to have lost his appetite (He's actually distraught about the bird he killed) Aunt Bee does her best to minimize, saying Opie "probably just has the pip."QUESTION .. WHAT'S THE PIP?

I first heard the word from my wife who grew up in Michigan. I thought it was a hoot, couldn't wait to get it into an episode. She says it is a catch-all word for any general malaise, lethargy..etc .almost anything. If there wasn't a medical term for anyone's ails, you could say your sick friend had the PIP and you had the situation covered nicely..

It's also in the lyrics of a good ol country song "LIFE DO GET TEEJUS, DON'T IT" - Harvey Bullock (writer of "Opie the Birdman")

Q. Has anyone noticed the tv commercial for Pledge furniture polish? They are using a piano playing a song that is the exact same thing that Flip Conway, Opie's football coach, played in Episode 215 "Opie's Piano Lesson".

A. Shucks, you just ruined my next trivia question! All is not lost, though: who can name the composer and the title of the work?

BTW, for those who have not seen it, the commercial is for Pledge floor polish. A woman dressed entirely in white is cleaning her floor, and she keeps looking at the bottom of her white socks to see if the floor is really clean, sort of like the old "white glove" test.

The piano piece in question is "Grand Valse Brilliante" by Frederic Chopin.--Paul Mulik

Q. Was there ever a mention of a deputy before Barney?

A. No, unless you count the pilot episode. In the pilot, Andy had deputized town drunk Will Hoople so that Will could arrest himself every time he got drunk (which happened every single day.) This, of course, was before the character of Otis joined the series in episode #2.

Other episodes mention the fact that Andy has had temporary deputies, but we don't know for sure if they came BEFORE Barney. For example, Floyd tells us in episode #150 that Andy once deputized him so that he could be the color-bearer in the Veterans' Day parade. In that same episode, we learn that Goober serves as deputy every Halloween so that he can guard the cannon in the park. --Paul Mulik

Q. Aunt Bee was Andy's father's sister, because they have the same last name. Since Barney's last name is different, but he still calls Bee "Aunt", his mother was probably their sister, as well?

A. Not quite. We learn in "Aunt Bee's Invisible Beau" that Aunt Bee is not Barney's aunt. He says, "Boy, for the life of me, I can't figure you out, Andy. If Aunt Bee was my aunt, I wouldn't be staring out of windows. I'd get in the car, I'd drive straight over to Mt. Pilot, I'd get that Hendricks out in the alley and POW!"

In other episodes, Barney refers to his mother's side of the family as if Andy does not know any of them. An example is in "Cousin Virgil," when Barney says, "You're really gonna like my cousin Virgil. He comes from my mother's side of the family; they're the fun ones."

So, the correct relationship must be: Andy's mother is the sister of Barney's father (assuming that they are FIRST cousins.)

Q. How many other characters (besides Opie, of course!) call Bee "Aunt"? Don't Goober and Gomer call her Aunt?

A. Just about everyone in Mayberry who is younger than Aunt Bee calls her "Aunt Bee." Most folks who are close to her own age, such as Clara, Floyd, and Mr. Foley, usually just call her Bee, or once in a while, Beatrice. --Paul Mulik

Q. Has anyone noticed that the stove in Aunt Bee's kitchen never has all the burners turned off when she is not cooking. In last night's episode, "Romeo & Juliet", she was not cooking anything, but the knobs on the stove were turned on.

A. Now how come I never noticed that? That's a good observation. Aunt Bee must have one of them special combination stoves. In "The Pickle Story" Andy and Barney smell something suspicious, which prompts Andy to ask "You don't reckon that gas stove's leakin'?" In episodes in which the stove can be seen, it is clearly electric.

The courthouse is also equipped with some sort of prototype multi-fuel heating system. In some episodes, they heat with steam, while in other episodes, they use a gas heater. We learn in "Opie and the Spoiled Rich Kid" that there is a woodshed behind the courthouse, which seems to indicate that they have an unseen fireplace or wood stove somewhere on the premises. Then in "The Luck of Newton Monroe," Barney sends Newton down to the basement to clean the furnace. Judging by the huge clouds of black smoke that pour from the vent, they must have a coal-burning furnace, too. --Paul Mulik

Q. Does Earle Hagen, the composer of The Andy Griffith Show Theme, still be royalties every time the theme song is played?

A. Not long ago, we got to talking about whether or not Earle Hagen still receives royalty payments every time The Andy Griffith Theme is played (BTW, that is the correct original title, NOT "The Fishin' Hole.") To settle this issue once and for all, I went straight to the source and asked The Maestro himself. Here's what he had to say:

"Composers don't receive royalties but they do get performance money. The difference is that royalties are determined by a guild negotiating re-use payments with the producers. These payments diminish over time by the number of repeat plays of the program. Performance money is paid by the broadcasters who have to secure licenses to perform the music under the copyright laws of the world. It amounts to pennies per minute, but with 3000 shows of all kinds that I have written, it adds up. I'm delighted that you have an interest after all these years."

Sincerely, Earle Hagen

Thanks to Earle for taking time to answer that question for us. --Paul Mulik

Q. How many times did TAGS made the cover of TV Guide?

A. Here's what I have; surely someone can add a few more to this list? I assume we're talking about nationwide TV guides only.

Jan 28, 1961 -- Ronnie (sic) Howard and Andy Griffith -- Photo shows Andy with his hands folded under his chin. Ronny's hands are folded on top of Andy's head; his chin rests on his hands.

May 12, 1962 -- caption reads "Don Knotts of 'The Andy Griffith Show' " -- Head and shoulders photo of Barney staring in an indignant pose.

April 24, 1965 -- head and shoulders shot of a smiling Andy in uniform.

May 20, 1967 -- Andy Griffith and Aneta Corsaut -- Andy in tan shirt, Helen behind him wearing pink blouse (to my knowledge, this is the only TV Guide cover to feature one of the main women from TAGS.)

July 13, 1968 -- "The Wondrous Andy Griffith TV Machine" -- cartoon caricatures of Barney and Gomer carrying Andy on their shoulders.

April 4, 1998 -- includes small photo of Jan 28, 1961 cover photo.

I know there are at least three more that I don't have -- One shows Andy, Don and Ronny (Andy is holding Opie up by his belt loops and tickling him), one depicts Andy alone, seated with his guitar in his lap, and the other shows Andy, Don and Jim Nabors laughing it up.

There were also at least 2 Gomer Pyle covers, and one Mayberry RFD cover. --Paul Mulik

Q. Did anybody see Jeopardy yesterday? One of the questions was about a fella named Duncan Phyfe who made furniture. I wonder if this is the same fella that Barney thought was his kin in #25 A Plaque for Mayberry?

A. Duncan Phyfe was a famous cabinet and furniture maker from the Boston area. He lived, I think, during colonial times, about 200 years ago (someone will no doubt correct me if I'm wrong.)

I was watching a show on The Learning Channel awhile back. I forget the name of the show, but it's hosted by two silly guys who talk about furniture and home repair. One day, one of them said he had an old piece made by Duncan Phyfe. The other guy said he had one like it, but his was made by Barney Fife. --Paul Mulik

Q. Barney says something like, "That kid of yours cost me $3,478 samoyas, or something that sounds similar to that. Does anyone know what Barney is saying, and what the term means? I wondered if it might be a foreign currency?

A. The term is "semolians," a slang term for cash. -Paul Mulik

Q. In episode #117 The Shoplifters, Weaver's store is losing merchandice to shoplifters. When Barney and Ben are scuttling around in Weaver's store at night Barney bumps something that makes a specific and distinctive noise. Can anyone identify the source of the noise?

A. I believe it's a talking Bozo the Clown doll. The toy's recorded voice says "Just keep laughin'!" followed by kooky laughter. --Paul Mulik

Q. How many times DOES ole' Barn sleep on the job?! Anyone care to name them?

A. Let's see:

In "The Clubmen" Andy hides Barney's shoes while he sleeps in the back room.

In "The Merchant of Mayberry" Barney is sleeping in a chair in front of the market. Andy puts some of Aunt Bee's lipstick on him (this scene isn't shown anymore.)

In "Mountain Wedding," Andy is ready to head up to the Darlings cabin at 4 a.m., but Barney won't wake up (this scene is also cut.)

In "A Deal is a Deal" Opie and his pals go to the courthouse for some legal advice, only to find Barney asleep at Andy's desk.

In "The Darling Baby" Barney is asleep on a bench. Andy wakes him, and Barney claims he was not asleep, just watching traffice with his eyes scrunched up so they couldn't see him looking (yet another missing scene.)

In "The Lucky Letter" Andy secretly switches hats with his sleeping deputy.

In "If I Had a Quarter-Million" Barney passes out after drinking non-fat milk laced with knockout drops. This one isn't Barney's fault, of course.

Then there was the time in "Sermon for Today" that Barney fell asleep on Andy's porch while they tried to decide who would go get ice cream, but they weren't on duty then. --Paul Mulik

Q. What does R.F.D. stand for in Mayberry, R.F.D.?

A. In 1896, the U.S. Congress approved Rural Free Delivery or R.F.D. for short. People were becoming increasingly concerned taht a growing country needed to provide postal service to as many citizens as possible, an dthe villages of Charles Town, Halltown,m and Uvilla, West Virginia were the "test markerts" for the project. Postmaster General William S. Bissel was outraged that Congress would charge him with such a ridiculous idea and he refused to spend the $20,000 appropriation stating it was clear that such a move would bankrupt the nation.

Q. There's a man that's on a bunch of episodes but they never tell his name? 1) He slammed his front door in Opie's face when Opie tried to sell him Miracle Salve. 2) He was the bull dozer operator in the episode of Mr. Frisbee's still, with the drunk rooster. 3) He was the grocer painting his window "Hollywood style" when the Hollywood producer came to make a movie, and the whole town acted start struck. 4) The one line that I can remember him uttering was: How'd he do it, sheriff? When a crowd was standing outside the courthouse watching Goober take the car apart. Who was this guy?

A. You're thinking of Johnny Coons. He was in dozens of episodes, almost always as a crowd member of some other type of extra. The folks in the WBMUTBB Chapter have taken to calling him "The Unknow Extra" or TUE for short. --Paul Mulik

Q. Where was Helen Crump from?

A. Helen was from Kansas. This is mentioned in a couple of color episodes, such as "Helen the Authoress" and "The Hollywood Party." Later, in "Helen's Past" we learn that she went to college in Kansas City, but we don't know for sure if it was Kansas City, KS or Kansas City, MO. Speaking of Kansas City, that's where I'm from myself, originally (I bet you thought I was from Ancient Greece!) TAGS stars born in KC include Betty Lynn and Allan Melvin. --Paul Mulik

Q. Last night I was looking at the map in the courthouse, and somewhere it was said on the TAGS site, that it was upside down..How can you tell? I could barely see it.

A. There were actually several different maps used throughout the run of the series. In a couple of episodes, there are two maps hanging there. According to the book "Inside Mayberry," one of the maps was actually an upside-down map of the Idaho/Montana border, but I studied and studied that map and I couldn't make head nor tail out of it. Perhaps there's a distinctive river or lake on the map that identifies it?

Q. There were several references to Mrs. Clara Edwards (she was the pickle champion, so we know she was married) but not many to Miss Flora Edwards...Anybody know the story, or is there one?

A. The character of "Clara," portrayed by actress Hope Summers, first appears in the first season episode "Andy and Opie, Housekeepers." However, in that episode she is called Bertha Edwards. She is also called Bertha a few episodes later in "Andy Forecloses" (in a scene that was later cut out, Aunt Bee tries to sell Bertha her own toaster at the rummage sale.) Beginning with the second season, the character came to be known as Clara. In "The Pickle Story," she refers to her late husband as Mr. Johnson, therefore we know that Johnson is her married name. Before too much longer, though, she came to be known as Clara Edwards. Obviously, some time after her husband's passing, she went back to using her maiden name. The never-seen Flora Edwards mentioned in "Andy's English Valet" was probably not supposed to be the same person as Clara. Perhaps she was supposed to be Clara's sister, or maybe they were not related at all. --Paul Mulik

Q. Ernest T Bass (Howard Morris) must do cartoon voices because I sure thought I heard him talking on some cartoon I was flipping past. I forget what cartoon it was, but it was that his voice?

A. He's done lots and lots of characters' voices of the years, including the McDonald's Hamburglar, Wade the Duck (from Garfield and Friends), the Quantas Airlines koala, and Gopher (in the early Winnie the Pooh films.) He's also done voices of minor characters and many Hanna-Barbera cartoons like the Flintstones, Beetle Bailey and many others. --Paul Mulik

Q. In the episode where the English tourist, Malcom, stays with Andy to pay off his fine, whose car does he use to drive Andy to the courthouse?

A. At the beginning of the episode (#89, Andy's English Valet), Aunt Bee says that the car belongs to Miss Edwards. She wants Andy to drive it while she is out of town so that the battery will stay charged. Later, when Barney stops by at suppertime, Andy refers to the vehicle as "Flora's old car" --therefore, the car belongs to Miss Flora Edwards. --Paul Mulik

Q. How far is Mt. Pilot? I've heard 12 miles and I have also heard it's an hour away.

A. That's one of those little incosistency glitches. There were so many different writers over the years that it was difficult (if not impossible) for them to know what some other writer may have already established in an earlier episode. The mistakes would never have been noticed during the show's original run, when it was possible to watch just ONE episode per week, but such bloopers are easier to spot nowadays, what with reruns and videotapes and all.

In episode 90, Andy says the drive takes about an hour (it takes Ms. Lesch 4 hours.) Later, in episode 124, Barney says it's 12 miles. Both could be correct; if it's a REALLY bad road, it might take an hour to drive 12 miles.--Paul Mulik

Q. There was a little trivial triality that was a blooper in the episode "Family Visit" dialogue by Andy, do you know what it was?

A. In the middle of the episode, the radio announcer (voiceover by Howard Morris, BTW) declares that three prisoners have escaped. Later, Andy gets a call informing him that "both of them" had been caught. --Paul Mulik

Q. Are there any animated TAGS characters out there?

A. Andy Griffith played a cartoon version of himself for the Christmas cartoon "Frosty's Winter Wonderland." Don Knotts was actually in 2 Scooby Doo cartoons: "The Spooky Fog of Juneberry" and "Guess Who's Knott Coming to Dinner?" He also played a Barney-type character in a "Garfield and Friends" episode. In another Garfield episode, Jack Burns played a Warren Ferguson-like character (huh? yeah. huh? yeah. huh?) and in others, Howard Morris does the voices of characters who talk and act like Ernest T. Bass.

Gomer Pyle appears in a Pinky and the Brain cartoon (the voice was not done by Jim Nabors, though.) Gomer was the guard at the secret Roswell "ufo" site.

Now to my favorite cartoon, the Animaniacs! I have spotted Barney Fife in two episodes. One is "Three Tenors and You're Out" (Andy and Barney appear brifely on the big screen TV in Dodger Stadium) and the other is about TV censors (I can't remember the title). Atilla the Hun is chasing the Warners through the TV studio, and the guard at the front desk is Barney Fife. Don Knotts did not provide the voice, though.

There are also many other Animaniacs episodes in which Don Knotts, who apparently is a great favorite of Wakko Warner, is mentioned, but not seen. In "Garage Sale of the Century," Yakko tells Wakko he'll have to sell his collection of Don Knotts videos (apparently the entire collection is worth only two cents); In "Chairman of the Bored" Wakko asks Pip if he has ever met Don Knotts; in "You Bet Your Life" Wakko guesses Don Knotts as the answer to a quiz question; and on the second sing-along tape, Mostly in Toon, there is a bit of dialoge that goes like this:

Yakko: Now, we'll sing about an exquisite beauty who works at the studio. Dot: Finally, a song about me! Wakko (disappointed): I thought he meant Don Knotts! (The song turns out to be "Hello Nurse.")

In the last few months, animation cels depicting a cartoon version of Andy Griffith have turned up. Very little is known about these cels, but one rumor has it that at some point in the late 1970s or early 1980s, an animated version of The Andy Griffith Show was in the works, with the voices to have been provided by the original cast members. Of course, such a series was never actually produced, but the surviving cels are fascinating nonetheless. --Paul Mulik

Q. Well, nobody came up with the answer to the extry-tough trivia quesiton I posed the other day (the one about voices being heard in the background before the words were spoken aloud), so here is the long-awaited answer.

A. Remember in the episode "Mayberry on Record" when Mr. Maxwell asks Barney to say a few words into his tape recorder? A moment later, Maxwell rewinds the tape, and a series of squeals erupts from the machine, which prompts Andy to warn him not to play it too loud, as it would round up every hog in the county. Supposedly, then, the sounds we hear while Mr. Maxwell rewinds the tape should be Barney's voice played backwards and at high speed, but I got to wondering what was REALLY on that tape! I recorded those "squeals" as a .WAV file on my computer, then reversed it and slowed it down a bunch. The squeals on the tape turned out to be the following lines of dialogue:

Andy: Mr Maxwell, I don't reckon you'd be interested in a small local band, bunch o' young fellas and myself, got banjos, guitars, and mandolins and such as that in it?
Maxwell: Oh, it sounds great!
Andy: Oh, well, good!

In the episode, this dialogue comes LATER in the same scene. Now how do you suppose those words got on that tape before they were ever spoken? Maybe Count Istvan Teleky was behind this one! --Paul Mulik

Q. Did Andy ever use friends names on the show as a kind of "hey" message to them?

A. For starters, in episode #42, some of the fellows in the Esquire Club (Roger Courtney, Cliff Britton, Tom Wilson, Jim Baker, John Danby, George Bronson) were named for teachers who taught at the same school Andy Griffith did during his brief stint as a public school teacher.

In "Opie Loves Helen," Andy Taylor mentions he once had a crush on a schoolgirl named Barbara Edwards. That was the name of Andy's real-life wife at that time. This same real-life Barbara appeared on TAGS (as an adult, of course) as a choir member named Sharon in "The Song Festers."

Mr. Twiford (Helen's principal) was the name of someone Andy really knew. It is likely that Andy got the name of Mayberry handyman, Emmett Clark, from his friend Emmett Forrest. --Paul Mulik

Q. What is the history of Andy Taylor before we met him as Sheriff of Mayberry?

A. In the first episode, Andy says that Aunt Bee raised him when he was no bigger than Opie was at the time (about 6 years old.) This seems to indicate that Andy's mother died when he was very young.

There are a few more hints here and there, but they're all in scenes that are always cut out. In "Class Reunion" Andy says he used to strike matches on the soles of his daddy's boots, and in "Keeper of the Flame," Andy tells his son that he too used to be keeper of the flame for a secret club, until his (Andy's) daddy indicated that he ought to give up the job. Andy adds, "...and he indicated it REAL good, right back there" (he pats his rear end.) There's also a scene in "A Plaque for Mayberry," that sort of fits this category. Opie asks if it's barely possible that Nathan Tibbs could have been his grandpa. Andy says it's not even remotely possible, because that would have made Nathan Tibbs his Paw, and that would make him out to be at least 170 years old.

BTW, Aunt Bee must be the sister of Andy's father. If she were the sister of Andy's mother, her last name would not be Taylor (unless Andy's mother's maiden name also happened to be Taylor.) --Paul Mulik