DAILY DIRT: Look closer at some of those old reruns of ‘The Andy Griffith Show’

Daily Dirt for Thursday, May 22, 2025

You’ll spot more than one or two stars of the future who had minor roles alongside Andy and Barney … Welcome to today’s three thoughts that make up Vol. 1,291 of The Daily Dirt.

1. Granted, when we think of “The Andy Griffith Show” I think it’s safe to say our thoughts automatically drift toward a few specific characters.

There’s Andy and Barney, of course. But I think it’s safe to say Floyd the Barber and Otis the drunk are close behind. And then there’s Thelma Lou, Aunt Bea and a host of others. They’re all what helped make this show a classic for the ages.

What gets lost, however, in a roll call of “Andy Griffith” regulars are all of the future superstars who appeared on the program early in their careers. It’s kind of surprising who some of those individuals were. The show was a virtual breeding ground for TV and movie stars of the future. In today’s conclusion of our two-part series on “The Andy Griffith Show,” we present 10 examples of those who used the program as a stepping stone:

• Jack Nicholson: He appeared in two episodes in the mid-1960s, not long before he became a big name in Hollywood, thanks to “Easy Rider” in 1969.
• Gavin MacLeod: Before he became a household name through roles as Murray Slaughter on “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” and Capt. Stubing on “The Love Boat,” MacLeod was seen in two early roles on “Andy Griffith”.
• Rob Reiner: We all grew to love him as Michael Stivic on “All In The Family,” but before that he had one appearance with Andy. He also showed up in several other old programs, including “Batman,” “That Girl,” “Room 222,” “Gomer Pyle” and “The Beverly Hillbillies”.
• Buddy Ebsen: Speaking of “The Beverly Hillbillies,” where Ebsen became famous as Jed Clampett, he made it to Mayberry once as, of all things, a con man. Yep, Andy made short work of him.
• Lee Van Cleef: The famous character actor — who was normally a villainous type in old westerns — Van Cleef played the role of “Skip” in a famous episode of “Andy Griffith”. Van Cleef appeared in what was the final black-and-white episode of the show.
• George Kennedy: He became a Hollywood regular in the late 1960s, eventually appearing in more than 100 films, including “Cool Hand Luke”. Before that, Kennedy helped out Andy and Barney in one episode, portraying a state police detective.
• Howard Hesseman: He became famous as Johnny Fever” on “WKRP in Cincinnati,” but prior to those days he once found in his way to Mayberry in two separate episodes. In at least one, his name on the credits was Don Sturdy.
• Alan Hale Jr.: Most famous as The Skipper on “Gilligan’s Island” and a number of films, Hale first appeared on our TV screens as country bumpkin Jeff Pruitt, who had a crush on Thelma Lou.
• Bob Denver: CBS inserted Denver into one episode in the early 1960s, partly to showcase him for his upcoming role in “Gilligan’s Island”.
• Barbara Eden: The future “I Dream Of Jeannie” superstar appeared in “The Manicurist” episode in 1961, setting up shop in Floyd’s barber shop.

2. Did you know (Part 370)

• That the Statue of Liberty’s sandal size is equal to a human shoe size of 879.
• That farting in a New York City church is classified as a misdemeanor.
• That the population of New York City alone exceeds that of 39 U.S. states.
• That the world was not better when you were young. You were just too young to notice its flaws.
• That you have only one true birthday. The rest are congratulations for surviving.

3. The only player ever to record a QUINTUPLE double in NBA history was the incomparable Wilt Chamberlain.

On March 18, 1968, Wilt provided these numbers:

• 53 points.
• 32 rebounds.
• 24 blocks.
• 14 assists.
• 11 steals.

Interestingly, Chamberlain’s performance is not recognized as an official record by the league because blocks and steals were not officially tracked by the NBA until the 1973-74 season.

Steve Thought O’ The Day — With apologies to Michael Jordan, Chamberlain was (and will always be) the most dominant force in NBA history.

Steve Eighinger writes daily for Muddy River News. Had it not been for the dominance of Bill Russell’s Celtics, Chamberlain would be considered the greatest player of all time over Jordan or Lebron James.