PHOTOS OF THE DAY: MORE PATRIOTIC HOLLYWOOD

 o celebrate the 4th of July/Independence Day, here is some more photos from classic Hollywood celebrating the holiday...

Jane Russell

Liberace

Anita Page

Shirley Jones

Andy Griffith

Debbie Reynolds

THE LAST DAYS OF FRANCES BAVIER

One of the most iconic television shows of all time was The Andy Griffith Show. The show may seem dated now, but in the 1960s it showcased an easy going surburban life that all of middle America dreamed of. The star was Andy Griffith but one of the most endearing characters was Aunt Bee, played by character actress Frances Bavier. After the Andy Griffith Show ended in 1968, Bavier played a few more roles before retiring. Her final years is mostly a mystery as she became a recluse.

According to her obituary from the Associated Press, which appeared thousands of miles away in the Los Angeles Times, she almost never left her house. The Studebaker in her garage had four flat tires. The obituary also said her cats used a downstairs shower stall as a litter box, but Vickie Russell, who lives with her husband in Bavier’s former house, says that’s just not true. The Russells bought the house six months after Bavier died and Vickie Russell said there was never any sign that the shower was used as a litter box — or that the cats were anything but well cared for. The hardwood floors in the house, she adds, were not stained in the least.

Shortly after taking up residence in Chatham County in 1972, Bavier did charity work for both Christmas and Easterseals, wrote Chip Womick of the (Asheboro) Courier-Tribune in the early 1980s. But she soon dropped out of sight, declining interviews, keeping fan mail in a pair of trunks.

Frances Bavier liked her privacy, but even in the little town she moved to people would harrass her. A visit to the town center meant all eyes casting judgment, the ladies at the beauty parlor never forgave her for not joining one of their churches. There were unceasing invitations to Sunday services wherever she went. “Don’t forget, you went to church in Mayberry,” passers-by would say with a sickly-sweet, curt grin. That was one of Bavier’s signature moves on the show!

Week after week the same goobers would bump into her asking, “Was that Opie I saw mowin’ yer grass on Sadiddy?” She’d want to scream, “Why are you fixated on my yard?!?” Young couples followed her down the aisles of the Piggly-Wiggly, “Yer not makin’ pickles this summer are ya, Aint Bee?”

Small wonder that, by the 1980s, the former television star was living out of her back bedroom, curtains pulled tight, with 14 devoted kitties for company. She loved her feline companions so much she converted a 250-square-foot bathroom into a sprawling cat box with kitty litter inches deep. What few visitors she had in her final years, store clerks and deliverymen mostly, were overwhelmed by the peeling paint, filthy living conditions and an atmosphere steeped in soft-cream clouds of ammonia that hung over everything like a suffocating umbrella.

In 1986, three years after she’d stopped venturing out in public, Andy Griffith and Ron Howard made a surprise visit to Siler City’s reclusive cat lady. Bavier refused to allow her decade-long coworkers inside, speaking to them only momentarily through the closed front door. This was after declining repeatedly to be part of their Mayberry reunion movie. Why would she participate? She never liked Andy Griffith from the very beginning.

“She wasn’t the woman you saw on TV,” said Floyd Bowers, who worked at an Exxon station near Bavier’s grave and spoke to press about her in 2004. “She liked her privacy, and she was hard to please. My wife worked at the hospital, and she was what the nurses call a hard patient.” There were reports that Bavier suffered a chronic heart condition and neighbors described her as senile, saying she didn't like to wear clothing and had to be prevented from leaving home in a state of undress.

Frances Bavier, forever Aunt Bee, died on December 6, 1989 at the age of 86...

Last known photo of Frances Bavier - c. 1983

RIP: JIM NABORS

Jim Nabors, who gave popular culture its most enduring image of a wide-eyed, good-natured if none too bright hayseed in a character whose very name – Gomer Pyle – would become synonymous with lovable rube, died Thursday in Hawaii. He was 87.

Nabors’ husband, Stan Cadwallader, confirmed the death to the Associated Press, noting that the actor had been in failing health for a year, with his immune system diminished by a liver transplant 20 years ago. Cadwallader was at his side, at their home in Hawaii, when Nabors died.

With catchphrases “Shazam!” and “Gollllly!” (the latter drawn out to four or five lilting syllables), Nabors debuted his downhome, gas station attendant character in 1962 on The Andy Griffith Show, where the slow-going, dim-witted Gomer was a constant irritation to Don Knotts’ officious, high-strung Deputy Barney Fife.

The Gomer character, and Nabors’ odd-couple chemistry with Knotts, proved so popular with audiences that he was given his own spin-off series in 1964. Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C, co-starring Frank Sutton as his ever-yelling drill sergeant Vince Carter (“I can’t heeearrrr youuu!”) ran until 1969 on CBS. (The Gomer character was replaced on Andy Griffith with cousin Goober Pyle, played by George Lindsey in a Jughead-style cap).

Gomer Pyle U.S.M.C.was an instant smash when it debuted in September 1964. The series finished No. 3 among all primetime shows that season with a 30.7 rating –- ahead of Andy Griffith – and was No. 2 behind Bonanza for the following 1965-66 season. The series slipped in the ratings after its move from Fridays to Wednesdays for the 1966-67 season, but CBS returned Gomer Pyle to Fridays the following season and it ranked No. 3 and No. 2 in primetime during the next two seasons.

Nabors got his start as a cabaret act at Santa Monica’s The Horn, appearing in a musical comedy routine that included his performance as a Gomer-like character. He was noticed by Andy Griffith and hired for a one-episode appearance as Mayberry’s gas station attendant.

Nabors’ comic persona, with his natural Alabama accent stretched to a near-cartoon drawl, evaporated when switched gears to sing, utilizing a baritone that sounded both formal and trained, a dichotomy used to great effect as far back as the Griffith show.

His 1966 LP Jim Nabors Sings with All Your Heart, made the Billboard Top 25 and went gold. He charted a dozen albums through 1972 and though he never matched that initial chart success two more were half-million-sellers. One of those was Jim Nabors’ Christmas Album, which topped the holiday albums chart in 1967 and again two years later.

His singing made him a frequent guest of variety shows in the 1960s and ’70s, including The Johnny Cash Show, The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour, The Dean Martin Show, The Flip Wilson and, most notably, The Carol Burnett Show, where his appearance on each season premiere became an annual tradition. He hosted his own variety show, The Jim Nabors Hour, from 1969-71.

Nabors even became a Indianapolis 500 tradition with his rendition of Back Home Again in Indiana performed during the race’s opening ceremonies since 1972. He would do this every year until 2014.

On the big screen, Nabors made appearances in a string of moving starring friend Burt Reynolds, including The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, Stroker Ace and Cannonball Run II...

FIVE UNUSUAL THINGS ABOUT DON KNOTTS

The lovable Don Knotts passed away from lung cancer in 2006 with his best buddy and co-star,Andy Griffith, by his side. The actor was best known for his role as Barney Fife in “The Andy Griffith Show,” but he has also given his talents in other projects as well such as Disney’s “The Apple Dumpling Game” and of course, the fun-loving landlord in the 1980’s comedy, “Three’s Company.” No matter what role he took on, Don Knotts always made us laugh. He had a way about him that was unique and a pleasure to watch. Here are five things that you may not have known about this lovable funny man.

1. His Real Name is Jesse

We all know him as Don Knotts, but his real name is actually Jesse Donald Knotts. That was how he was known to his close friends and family. He was born in Morgantown, W. Va. and seemed to love comedy when he was quite young.

2. He started out as a Ventriloquist

In his early days growing up, Knotts decided to try out ventriloquism and seemed to be quite good at it. His wooden companion’s name was Danny. However, he didn’t make a long career out of it as he loved comedy so much that he ended up doing that instead. We are so glad that he did.

3. He Was a Ladies Man

You wouldn’t think that Don Knotts would be a chick magnet but it seems that he was quite a ladies man, according to his daughter, Karen Knotts. Even though he was married three times during his full life, his daughter says that he wowed the ladies in between those marriages.

4. He and Andy Griffith Used to Add Their Own Lines

Some of the classic quips back and forth between Sheriff Andy Taylor and his deputy, Barney Fife, were quite natural. The pair got together to add in their own lines into the show and it worked perfectly. Comedy and humor seemed to come so natural to them that their talent showed on screen.

5. His Legacy Lives On

The legacy of Don Knotts is still going strong thanks to his daughter. Karen Knotts has taken to the road to share some of her special memories of her dad. The intimate show is called “Tied Up in Knotts” as she reminisces about her childhood and also growing up with the beloved actors of “The Andy Griffith Show."

SOURCE

THE PASSING SCENE OF 2012

I say this every year, but it is hard to believe that another year is over with. On a personal note, 2012 was a pretty good year for me - but I just wish time would stand still for a second so I can catch my breath. Unfortunately with every year we lose more and more great stars. Many of those stars were icons of the golden age of entertainment. Here are some of the talents in enterainment that passed away in 2012...

Andy Griffith

ANDY GRIFFITH, 86, actor - Andy Griffith was one of the true talents in television, and his two TV shows - The Andy Griffith Show (1960-1968) and Matlock (1986-1995) spoke to generations of television viewers. In 1957, Griffith made his film début, starring in the film A Face in the Crowd. Although he plays a "country boy," this country boy is manipulative and power-hungry, a drifter who becomes a television host and uses his show as a gateway to political power. Of all of the entertainment people who died in 2012, I think Griffith's death made me the saddest. Mayberry might have been a fictional place, but I wanted to escape to there because of Griffith. (July 3rd)

ETTA JAMES, 73, singer - Etta James had a long career as a jazz singer, and nothing stopped her from singing except for ill health in the last couple years of her life. What wedding party would not be complete without the strains of James' "At Last" being played. (Jan. 20th)

HARRY CAREY JR, 91, actor - Harry was a character actor best known for Western roles in films directed by John Ford. In a more than 50-year career, Carey made over 90 films and was a member of the John Ford Stock Company, making several films with the legendary director. Many of those starred John Wayne and included: She Wore a Yellow Ribbon, The Searchers, 3 Godfathers, and Rio Grande. (Dec. 27th)

DAVID BRUBECK, 91, jazz musician - David Brubeck was considered to be one of the foremost exponents of progressive jazz. He wrote a number of jazz standards, including "In Your Own Sweet Way" and "The Duke". Brubeck's style ranged from refined to bombastic, reflecting his mother's attempts at classical training and his improvisational skills. His music is known for employing unusual time signatures, and superimposing contrasting rhythms, meters, and tonalities. (Dec. 5th)

PAULA KELLY JR, age unknown, singer - Paula Kelly Jr was born into a musical family. Her mother Paula Kelly (1920-1993) was an original singer with the Glenn Miller Orchestra. When her mother retired in 1978, Paula Jr took over in the Modernaires. (Apr. 26th)

MAX BYGRAVES, 89, entertainer - British born Max Bygraves never made it big in the United States, but he was a favorite entertainer in England for years. He was known for his singalong albums, as well as popular singles like "Things Ain't What It Used To Be". (Aug 31st)

Tony Martin

TONY MARTIN, 98, SINGER - Tony Martin was one of the last original vocalists from the 1930s. He made his first recording in 1932 and would spend nearly the next 70 years entertaining audiences. Some of his hit songs included: "Why Did You Leave Heaven", "You Stepped Out Of A Dream", "There's No Tomorrow", and "Kiss Of Fire". He never became a major Hollywood actor but he appeared in some popular films like: Ziegfeld Girl (1941), Til The Clouds Roll By (1946), and Hit The Deck (1955). He was married to actress Alice Faye from 1936 to 1940, and to dancer Cyd Charisse from 1948 until her death in 2008. They had one son together Tony Martin Jr, born in 1950 who sadly died in 2011. Tony Martin continued to sing until literally he was not able to sing anymore. (July 27th)

DOROTHY MCGUIRE, 84, singer - Dorothy was one of the trio of McGuire Sisters, who along with Christine (1926-2017) and Phyllis (born 1931) had numerous hits during the 1950s like "Sugartime" and "Sincerely". The group broke up in 1968 but reunited in 1986 to perform mostly in Las Vegas. The last time the trio appeared together was on a PBS special in 2004. (Sept. 7th)

IRVING FEIN, 101, agent - Irving Fein was the long time friend and manager of Jack Benny and George Burns. Fein was responsible for Benny's lucrative television contracts as well as for getting Burn's role in "The Sunshine Boys" (1975) which wone Burns an Oscar. Fein managed Jack Benny until Benny's death in 1974, and he managed George Burns until Burn's death in 1996. (Aug 10th)

SUSAN LUCKEY, 74, actress - Susan Luckey was most famous for the role of Mayor Shinn's daughter Zaneeta in the 1962 classic The Music Man. Besides her role in The Music Man, Luckey starred alongside Shirley Jones in the 1956 film Carousel … and was one of the Native Americans in the original Broadway production of “Peter Pan.” (Nov.29th)

CHARLES DURNING, 89 - actor - Not only was Charles Durning a great actor, but he was one of the soldiers that stormed the beaches at Normandy on June 6, 1944. With appearances in over 100 films, Durning's memorable roles include police officers in the Oscar-winning The Sting (1973) and crime drama Dog Day Afternoon (1975), along with the comedies Tootsie, To Be Or Not To Be and The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, the last two of which earned him Academy Award nominations for Best Supporting Actor. He won a Tony award for his portrayal of Big Daddy in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof in 1990. (Dec. 24th).

VERONIQUE PECK, 80, widow of Gregory Peck - Veronique Peck was a French born American model who was married to actor Georgory Peck from 1955 until his death in 2003. The couple had a son and a daughter together. (Aug. 17th)

Ann Rutherford

ANN RUTHERFORD, 94 ACTRESS - Ann Rutherford was one of the last surving cast members of Gone With The Wind. (Olivia DeHavilland is still alive). She made her last movie in 1976, but she remained a favorite among movie fans.  In the 1970s, Rutherford made two guest appearances on television as Aggie Harrison, the mother of Suzanne Pleshette's character Emily Hartley on The Bob Newhart Show. During the 1990s, Rutherford was offered the role of Rose Calvert in the film Titanic (1997), but turned it down. The role instead went to actress Gloria Stuart. (June 11th).

GEORGE LINDSEY, 83, ACTOR - George Lindsey was a popular actor on television starring on The Andy Griffith Show from 1964-1968,  Mayberry RFD from 1968 to 1971, and Hee Haw from 1972-1992. His character of "Goober" was the cousin of Jim Nabor's character "Gomer Pyle". He published his autobiography in 1995 and last appeared on television in 2009. (May 6th)

LARRY HAGMAN, 81, ACTOR - Larry Hagman was best known for playing ruthless oil baron J. R. Ewing in the prime time television soap opera Dallas from 1978 to 1991, and befuddled astronaut Major Anthony "Tony" Nelson in the sitcom I Dream of Jeannie from 1965 to 1970. Hagman had supporting roles in numerous films including Fail-Safe, Nixon, and Primary Colors. His television appearances also included guest roles on dozens of shows spanning from the late 1950s up until his death, and a reprisal of his signature role on the 2012 revival of Dallas. He was the son of legendary singer and actress Mary Martin (1913-1990). (Nov. 23rd)

ANDY WILLIAMS, 84, SINGER - Andy Williams was a popular crooner for generations beginning in the 1940s. He started out with his brothers in a singing group, and soon became one of the most popular entertainers in the 1950s and 1960s. He starred on his own variety show from 1962 through 1971, and his recording of "Moon River" is a beloved classic. (Sept 25th)

MARVIN HAMLISH, 68, SONGWRITER - Marvin Hamlish composed some of the most popular movie and pop songs of the 1970s like "The Way We Were", "The Entertainer", and "Nobody Does It Better". Shortly before his death, Hamlisch scored the musical version of The Nutty Professor, based on the 1963 Jerry Lewis film. (Aug 6th)

HERB REED, 83, SINGER - Herb Reed  was a founding member of The Platters, who were known for their hits during the 1950s and 1960s. Reed, who was the last surviving original member of the group, which he co-founded with four other musicians in 1953, is credited with creating The Platters' name. (June 4th)

Jack Clugman

JACK KLUGMAN, 90, ACTOR - Jack Klugman was one of the truly gifted character actors. He was the last remaining cast member from the movie Twelve Angry Men (1957). Klugman also showed off his acting skills in four memorable episodes of The Twilight Zone on television in the late 1950s and early 1960s. He was most widely known for his hit television series The Odd Couple from 1970 to 1975 and Quincy from 1976 to 1983. (Dec. 24th)

RUSSELL ARMS, 92, SINGER - Russell Arms was best known as a  vocalist on Your Hit Parade, an NBC television series that reviewed the popular songs of the day and on which a regular cast of vocalists would perform the top seven songs of the week from 1952 to 1957. Arms and Eileen Wilson were the only surviving lead performers from the show. (Feb 10th).

JOAN ROBERTS, 95, ACTRESS - One of the original and last stars of the broadway musical "Oklahoma", which debuted in 1943. She originated the role of "Laurie". Roberts was in retirement for many years on Long Island, New York, when she appeared as Heidi Schiller in the 2001 Broadway revival of Stephen Sondheim's Follies. (Aug. 13th)

MARIA COLE, 89, WIDOW OF NAT KING COLE - Maria Cole was a one time singer with the Duke Ellington Orchestra, who retired from the limelight when she married singer Nat King Cole in 1948. They have three children together and remained married until Cole's death in 1965. She never remarried. (July 10th)

RICHARD ZANUCK, 77, FILM PRODUCER - Richard Zanuck was a legendary film producer who produced some of the greatest blockbusters in modern movies from Jaws (1975) to Alice In Wonderland (2010). The last movie he produced was 2012's unsuccessful Dark Shadows remake. Richard was also the song of movie mogul Daryl F. Zanuck (1902-1979). (July 13th)

PEGGY AHERN, 95, CHILD ACTRESS - Peggy was best known for her appearance in eight of the Our Gang series of films released between 1924 and 1927. The Our Gang series, which were also known The Little Rascals or Hal Roach's Rascals, were a series of comedic, short, silent films created by director and producer Hal Roach. Ahern was one of the last surviving cast members from a Hal Roach film. (Oct. 24th)

Celeste Holm

CELESTE HOLM, 95, ACTRESS - Celeste Holm was a legendary actress of Hollywood's golden age. Holm won an Academy Award for her performance in Gentleman's Agreement (1947), and was Oscar nominated for her roles in Come to the Stable (1949) and All About Eve (1950). She originated the role of Ado Annie in the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical "Oklahoma" in 1943. Holm's last role was in a movie that will not be released until 2013 - College Debts. (July 15th)

GLORIA LLOYD, 87, DAUGHTER OF HAROLD LLOYD - Gloria Lloyd, also known as Gloria Lloyd Roberts, was an American actress and model. She was the eldest child of the silent film comedian Harold Lloyd (1893-1971) and actress Mildred Davis (1901-1969). Gloria appeared in the 1946 film Temptation, and in a number of documentaries about her father. (Feb 10th)

PHYLLIS DILLER, 95, COMEDIAN - Phyllis Diller was a legendary funny woman who was pratically discovered by Bob Hope. She created a stage persona of a wild-haired and eccentrically dressed housewife who made self-deprecating jokes about her age and appearance, her terrible cooking, and a husband named "Fang", while pretending to smoke from a long cigarette holder. Diller's signature was her unusual laugh. (Aug. 20th)

MARJORIE LANE, 100, SINGER - Marjorie Lane was best known for dubbing the voice of actress Eleanor Powell in the movies Born to Dance (1936), Broadway Melody of 1936 (1936), Rosalie (1937) and Broadway Melody of 1938 (1938). Lane was married to actor Brian Donlevy from 1936 to 1947, and they had one child. Her career in film did not extend beyond the 1930s. (Oct. 2nd)

FRANK CADY, 96, ACTOR - Frank Cady was best known for his recurring and popular role as storekeeper Sam Drucker in three American television series during the 1960s — Petticoat Junction, Green Acres, and The Beverly Hillbillies. (June 8th)

ERNEST BORGNINE, 95, ACTOR - Ernest Borgnine was one of the most active movie and television star of his generation. Like the late Celeste Holm, Borgnine worked until the end as well. He was an unconventional lead in many films of the 1950s, winning an Oscar in 1955 for Marty. On television, he played Quinton McHale in the 1962–1966 series McHale's Navy and co-starred in the mid-1980s action series Airwolf, in addition to a wide variety of other roles. Borgnine earned an Emmy Award nomination at age 92 for his work on the series ER. (July 8th)

Ernest Borgnine

These great and talented people who left us in 2012 are gone, but are they ever truly forgotten. We have their movie legacy on film or their signing voices on record. All lives eventually end, but their memories live on in their works and creations...

THE PASSING SCENE OF 2011

THE PASSING SCENE OF 2010

WHAT A CHARACTER: FRANCES BAVIER

I was not even born when the legendary television series "The Andy Griffith Show" first aired. However, reruns of the landmark show were a big part of my childhood. There was something appealing and heartwarming about the little town of Mayberry on the show. (Even though there was never anyone other than white people in the town!)

With the death of the show's namesake, Andy Griffith, I have rediscovered the show. The characters and the actors that played them made the show from Andy Griffith to Ron Howard to Don Knotts. Not to be forgotten is the great Aunt Bee - played to countryspun perfection by actress Frances Bavier. Bavier was a complex woman who was much different than her easy going character on television.

Born in New York City in 1902, Bavier attended Columbia University and the American Academy of Dramatic Arts before embarking on a career in acting. She first appeared in vaudeville, later moving to the Broadway stage. Bavier had roles in more than a dozen films, as well as having played a range of supporting roles on television. Career highlights include the play Point of No Return, alongside Henry Fonda, and her turn as Mrs. Barley in the classic 1951 film The Day the Earth Stood Still. In 1957 she played Nora Martin, mother to Eve Arden in the short-lived series The Eve Arden Show.

Bavier had a love-hate relationship with her most famous role, Aunt Bee, during The Andy Griffith Show. As a New York actress, she felt her dramatic talents were being overlooked. At the same time, she played Aunt Bee for eight seasons and was the only original cast member to remain with the series in the spin-off Mayberry R.F.D., staying two additional seasons. In contrast to her affable character Aunt Bee, Bavier was easily slighted and the production staff would often appease her by "walking on eggshells." She won the Primetime Emmy Award Outstanding Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Comedy in 1967. Series star Andy Griffith addressed the fact that the two sometimes clashed during the series' run. According to Griffith (Larry King Live, April 24, 1998), Bavier phoned him four months before she died, and said she was deeply sorry for being "difficult" during the series' run.

In 1972, Bavier retired from acting and bought a home in Siler City, North Carolina. On choosing to live in North Carolina instead of her native New York, Bavier stated in an interview that, "I fell in love with North Carolina, all the pretty roads and the trees." She briefly returned to acting in 1974 in the family film Benji. Bavier never married or had children. Seemingly awkward in one-on-one relationships, she seemed to be charitable to the needs of organizations and fans.According to a 1981 article by Chip Womick, a staff writer of The Courier Tribune, Bavier enthusiastically promoted Christmas and Easter Seal Societies from her Siler City home, and often wrote inspirational letters to fans who sought autographs. Overly zealous fans however, often invaded both her property and privacy, and Bavier became reclusive.

Bavier's medical condition prevented her from taking part in the 1986 television movie Return to Mayberry.

Frances Bavier had been a fan of Studebaker cars since the thirties. In Mayberry R.F.D., she drove her own 1966 Daytona 2 door Sports Sedan (which was the last model of the South Bend factory, though produced in Canada from 1964 to 1966). She kept this car in perfect state while alive and refused to purchase a new car when her driver suggested it. As her health failed it sat idle in her garage and was found with four flat tires, and a ruined interior from her many cats. . It was auctioned for $20,000 one year after her death, and is still in the same condition as it was found. The new owners felt if it was restored, then it would no longer be Aunt Bee's Studebaker. She was also a member of the Studebakers Drivers Club.

On November 22, 1989, Bavier was admitted to Chatham Hospital. She was suffering from both heart disease and cancer and was kept in the coronary care unit for two weeks. She was discharged on December 4, 1989, and died at her home two days later of a heart attack. Bavier is interred at Oakwood Cemetery in Siler City. Her headstone includes the name of her most famous role, "Aunt Bee" and reads, "To live in the hearts of those left behind is not to die"...

RIP: ANDY GRIFFITH

Andy Griffith, a television legend who starred in two iconic series that debuted a quarter-century apart, has died. He was 86.

Bill Friday, former UNC president and a close friend of Andy Griffith confirmed to North Carolina NBC affiliate WITN-TV that he died this morning. The death has not been independently confirmed by NBC News.

Emergency Medical Services responded to an early morning call Tuesday from Griffith's home in Roanoke Island, N.C., according to reports.

Griffith was already a star of Broadway, comedy recordings and film when "The Andy Griffith Show" debuted on Oct. 3, 1960. Griffith starred as Sheriff Andy Taylor of Mayberry, North Carolina, a widower with a young son known only as Opie, played by Ron Howard, who would go on to star as Richie on "Happy Days" before becoming an award-winning director.

With its earworm of a theme song and a cast of eccentric supporting players, including Don Knotts and Jim Nabors, "The Andy Griffith Show" was an instant hit with ratings perennially in the top 10 during its eight-season run.

The show's popularity was so enduring that it spawned a pair of spin-offs, "Mayberry R.F.D." and "Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C."

Nearly 20 years later, Griffith would emerge anew in 1986 on network TV as "Matlock," an aged country lawyer from Georgia with a southern drawl, a winning smile and an unblemished record in the courtroom.

Though the show isn't viewed with the same esteem as "The Andy Griffith Show"—it was a frequent punch line on shows like "The Simpson"—it would run for nine seasons.

Born on June 1, 1926, in Mt. Airy, N.C., Griffith first gained famed as a monologist, on the strength of his recording "What It Was, Was Football," which is told from the perspective of a backwoods yokel telling of setting eyes on the game for the first time. The recording would be a hit in some parts of the country, earning Griffith an appearance on "The Ed Sullivan Show," and was later turned into a feature in Mad magazine.

In 1996, Griffith would return to the recording studio to cut an album, "I Love to Tell the Story, - 25 Timeless Hymns," which would earn him a Grammy for Best Southern, Country, or Bluegrass Gospel Album.

Griffith is survived by his third wife, Cindi Knight, whom he wed in 1983, and his daughter Dixie Nan, from his first marriage, to Barbara Bray Edwards.

Perhaps no one better captured Griffith's legacy than President George W. Bush.

“TV shows come and go, but there’s only one Andy Griffith,” said President Bush upon awarding Griffith the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2005. “And we thank him for being such a friendly and beloved presence in our American life.”

SOURCE

RIP: GEORGE LINDSEY

George Lindsey, Andy Griffith Show Costar, Dies
By Stephen M. Silverman

George Lindsey, best remembered for his role of Goober Pyle – cousin of Gomer Pyle – on CBS's rural sitcom The Andy Griffith Show, died Sunday morning in Nashville, where he lived, after a lengthy hospitalization, reports The Tennessean. He was 83.

Andy Griffith, 85, said in a statement that accompanied the Lindsay family's announcement of the death, "George Lindsey was my friend. I had great respect for his talent and his human spirit."

Griffith also said the two often spoke by phone. "Our last conversation was a few days ago. We would talk about our health, how much we missed our friends who passed before us and usually about something funny. I am happy to say that as we found ourselves in our 80s, we were not afraid to say, 'I love you.' That was the last thing George and I had to say to each other. 'I love you.' "

An Alabama native who was raised by his grandparents, Lindsey got the acting bug at 14 when he saw a performance of the musical Oklahoma!. He was a school athlete who also displayed a sharp sense of humor, and he went to college to become a teacher, according to the Tennessean.

While in the Air Force stationed in Orlando, Fla., he met and, in 1955, married Joyanne Herbert, and they had two children. The marriage lasted until 1991.

Before his long TV career, which also included another comic stint on CBS's Hee Haw, Lindsey studied acting in New York and played in stage productions there.

His survivors, the newspaper reports, include son George Lindsey, Jr., daughter Camden Jo Lindsey Gardner, two grandsons and his companion of many years, Anne Wilson...

SOURCE

MOVIE REVIEW: NO TIME FOR SERGEANTS

I was a young movie fan when I first saw No Time For Sergeants. I grew up a rereuns of The Andy Griffith Show, and at the time I thought Griffith was one of the best actors out there. Griffith's performance as Will Stockdale reminds me a lot of Gomer Pyple, which would be a spinoff from Griffith's show in the 1960s.

No Time For Sergeants is a 1958 American comedy film directed by Mervyn LeRoy starring Andy Griffith and featuring Myron McCormick, Don Knotts and most of the original Broadway cast. Warner Brothers contract player Nick Adams joined the cast as Stockdale's fellow military draftee Benjamin B. Whitledge, as did Murray Hamilton as Irving S. Blanchard. The film is based on a play inspired by the original novel.

Will Stockdale is a backward, backwoods rube from Georgia who may or may not be smarter than he looks. Accused by the government of being a draft dodger, it turns out that Stockdale's draft notices have been hidden from him by his father, who doesn't want the boy to leave home and be ridiculed.

Wrongfully shackled by handcuffs, Stockdale joins a group of new U.S. Air Force draftees being transported to basic training. They include the obnoxious bully Irving S. Blanchard, who having undergone ROTC training, volunteers to be in charge. (Stockdale hears that Irving had ROTC and thinks it's a disease.)

They report to boot camp, where Stockdale and his equally dim, but smarter friend, Ben Whitledge, begin the struggle to join the infantry (In real life, the Air Force does not have an infantry.).

Stockdale is incredibly strong and can drink any man under the table, but beyond that he is a hayseed who makes one idiotic mistake after another. He proceeds to make life miserable for the man in charge, Sergeant King, who is approaching retirement and likes his barracks to be quiet and calm. In exasperation, the sergeant places the country bumpkin on full-time washroom duty. Stockdale believes his new position of "P.L.O." (Permanent Latrine Orderly) to be a promotion.

The happy-go-lucky Stockdale feels that King must be "the best dang sergeant in whole dang Air Force." The totally unhappy Whitledge wants no part of it, lamenting that the rank of "Airman" is "like something from a funny book." Ben wants to be assigned to the infantry instead. He says, "In the War Between the States, it was the infantry that did the fighting," which is understandable, airplanes not having been invented yet.

A company inspection takes a surprising turn when Stockdale's immaculately clean latrine is what impresses King's superiors most. King gets into hot water, however, when Stockdale opens his big mouth and reveals that the sergeant kept him on bathroom duty on a permanent basis while also neglecting to have the recruit complete all the required military exams and paper work.

Rushing him through testing, King bribes Stockdale by promising to give him his wristwatch if he can pass. Stockdale flummoxes and frustrates the various officers who make him take a manual dexterity test (conducted by Don Knotts), a psychiatric test, and an eye exam, amazingly managing to get by after driving them all crazy. Stockdale gets the wristwatch as a reward.

Blanchard tells King to get three passes to go to a local bar, "The Purple Grotto" where Sgt. King and Pvt. Blanchard try to get Stockdale drunk in order to make him look bad and King look good. He admits he has never drank...store bought liquor. King and Blanchard are inebriated, but Will is still sober. Stockdale says the only alcohol he previously had was what his father made with corn, grain and kerosene. Blanchard buys Lighter Fluid from a cigarette girl. Mixing gin and bourbon with kerosene ... Will drinks it and says "it's familiar." Then a drunken Army infantryman walks by and a barroom brawl begins. Stockdale leaves behind a fighting Blanchard and King; as he walks past the Air Police, he tells them that upstairs is the bar.

The colonel and captain later inspect the latrine and barracks. Will has mechanically rigged all the toilet seats to open simultaneously in a "salute". While Blanchard is arrested and detained by the Air Police, M/Sgt. King is found filthy in a torn uniform, later in the latrine, and is summarily reduced to private rank, while Whitledge was blamed for King's appearance and is also placed in disgraced status. As King goes back to his office dejected, he admits to Stockdale that he and Blanchard had been trying to trick Stockdale to get him out of the way so that King would not look bad, but their effort backfired. King also admits he had grown to like Stockdale and became his reluctant and inadvertent mentor to success in the Air Force.

The story ends with Stockdale and Whitledge (who now has disdain for Stockdale for ruining his image in front of the captain back in the barracks) flying to Denver in an obsolete B-25 medium bomber. Stockdale's assignment is tail gunner on the bomber. After putting the plane on Autopilot, the lazy pilots fall asleep, and the airplane soon becomes lost at night over what the navigator thinks is the Gulf of Mexico. They really are flying over Nevada Test Site|Yucca Flats, Nevada during an A-bomb test called "Operation Prometheus". The radio operator on the plane was left behind at the base, so Stockdale and Whitledge must radio to obtain their real position, however, the radio is inoperatable. Stockdale remembers that back home in Georgia, his father would spit into the radio and smack it to make it work. Stockdale repeats the method, and the radio works. Military radiomen on the ground, confused by Stockdale's folksy, clownish speech, frantically rouse a general from his sleep to confirm that Stockdale is not a prankster, and to give Stockdale emergency flying instructions. Meanwhile, a fire breaks out in the aft of the plane. The Air Force and Army are put on full alert. Stockdale and Whitledge bail out of the plane just before it crashes, and are declared dead by the promoted-back-to-Sgt. King. During an Air Medal ceremony honoring them as fallen heroes, they reappear, and the Air Force has to cover up that the pair are alive to avoid an international public humiliation.

Stockdale suggests both he and Ben (who finally forgives Stockdale for his unintentionally innocent flaws, as he thought he and Stockdale were to be executed for being deserters, inadvertently faking their deaths and for perpetrating a public fraud at the ceremony) be transferred to become infantrymen. An agreement is reached by two former West Point classmates, General Vernon I. Pollard, USA and General Eugene Bush, USAF, who also heartily approve of Stockdale's last request—to have Sgt. King transferred with them to the infantry.

The movie, which is shown on TCM from time to time, is a just good old clean old funny comedy. It's a great movie to watch on a rainy Sunday or a lazy Saturday afternoon. The movie made the careers of Andy Griffith and Don Knotts, and No Time For Sergeants is one of the movies that Hollywood can not or do not make anymore...

MY RATING: 8 OUT OF 10

WHERE ARE THEY NOW: CHARLES LANE

You may not know the name Charles Lane, but you definitely know the face. Throughout the 1940s and 1950s he was in hundreds of movies and in the 1960s and 1970s he moved on to television. Despite have mostly small roles, he had a great prescence. One of the roles I remember him most in was his appearance on "The Andy Griffith Show".

Lane appeared in many Frank Capra films, including You Can't Take It With You(1938), Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939), Arsenic and Old Lace (1944) and It's a Wonderful Life (1946). He was a favored supporting actor of Lucille Ball, who often used him as a no-nonsense authority figure and comedic foe of her scatterbrained TV character on her TV series I Love Lucy, The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour and The Lucy Show.

Lane was born Charles Gerstle Levison in San Francisco, California, to Alice G. and Jacob B. Levison and was, prior to his death, one of the last remaining survivors of the San Francisco Earthquake of 1906. In 1932 Lane married Ruth Covell and they remained together for 70 years until her death in 2002. They had a son named Tom and a daughter named Alice.

In 1990, Lane at age 85, was rushed to hospital after having difficulty breathing. A doctor asked if he was still smoking, and Lane replied that he had kicked the habit 45 minutes earlier. He never smoked again.

Despite his stern, hard-hearted demeanor in films and television, friends and acquaintances seem to unanimously describe Lane as a warm, funny and kind person. On January 26, 2007, Lane celebrated his 102nd birthday. A documentary about his life and career, entitled You Know the Face, is currently in production. He continued to live in the Brentwood home he bought with Ruth for $46,000 in 1964 until his death. In the end, his son Tom Lane, said he was talking with his father at 9 p.m. on the evening of Monday, July 9, 2007,"He was lying in bed with his eyes real wide open. Then he closed his eyes and stopped breathing." Charles Lane was 102. Lane was not the only person in his family to have a long life - his mother Alice died in her San Francisco home in 1973 aged 100...