Donahue - "Andy Griffith & Friends" (Part 2, 1986)

Here's Part 2 of an installment of Donahue that aired on WBBM Channel 2, hosted by Phil Donahue, with Andy Griffith, Don Knotts, Jim Nabors and George Lindsey reminiscing about their days on The Andy Griffith Show and promoting their upcoming reunion TV-movie, Return to Mayberry, which would air on the NBC Network on April 13th 1986; this was also a few months before Griffith began a nine-year run on TV as crafty defense lawyer Ben Matlock. (By this time, Donahue had moved its base of operations to New York City, where the show aired on WNBC Channel 4 from 1971 to 1972 and, more successfully, from 1977 to 1995.) Includes:

Donahue bumper with street scene outside Macy's department store on West 34th Street between Broadway and 7th Avenue in midtown Manhattan, looking west from Broadway on 34th Street

Phil asking about whether Thelma Lou (played by Betty Lynn) would be part of the new Return to Mayberry TV-movie, with Don revealing that she and Barney marry, and Andy chipping in that Jim's character, Gomer Pyle, sings at the wedding, and following up by speaking of a community choir that also appears in the reunion film. A woman in the audience asks if Jim, as Gomer, ever sang on the original show (though she mentions the Griffith show's successor, Mayberry R.F.D., which ran from 1968 to 1971), and Jim brings up "The Song Festers" episode (originally aired February 24th 1964) in which Gomer and Barney are vying for a spot in the choir. (During the 1960s and early '70s, Nabors had a reasonably successful singing career contemporaneous with his runs on the 1964-69 series Gomer Pyle - U.S.M.C. which was a Griffith show spin-off, and his 1969-71 variety show.)

Another lady (who looks almost but not quite like Elaine Mulqueen) asks Andy whether he planned to do any romantic comedies, and Andy responds that it isn't really his bag, bringing up former Father Knows Best co-star Elinor Donahue's (no relation to Phil) one-season stint as Andy's first girlfriend Ellie Walker in the show's first season in 1960-61 (saying that the reason for her run ending was his fault, not hers), and leading up to the time when Aneta Corsaut joined the show in 1963 as Opie's teacher, Helen Crump.

Phil then asks George about his Broadway career, and the onetime "Goober" speaks of appearing in the musical All American in 1962 at the Winter Garden Theater, working alongside Ray Bolger (a.k.a. "The Scarecrow" in the 1939 movie "The Wizard of Oz") and director Joshua Logan - then adds that it didn't take much intellect to play Goober.

Another audience member thanks the cast for giving such great memories and asks where they're all from. Andy explains that he was born in Mount Airy, NC, went to school in Chapel Hill, was a teacher in Goldsboro, and now has a home on Roanoke Island; Don was a native of Morgantown, WV; Jim came from Sylacauga, AL, and once worked in New York as a typist for the United Nations ("the fastest typist at the U.N.") - and was paid so little in that job that, as he put it, he ended up looking like the starving children in CARE ads; and George was from Jasper, AL, and came to New York to study at the American Theater Wing.

Another lady speaks of having seen Don on The Steve Allen Show in his "nervous man" character in the "man-on-the-street" sketches; he couldn't even remember what his character's name was, and after this exchange Phil notes how Don isn't all that talkative, and Don explains how he likes to listen. George then chimes in with some more comments on his hometown.

Another audience member compliments Andy for roles on TV where he played characters "you love to hate," and he goes on about how his career went down the toilet after he left his successful TV show in 1968, and took acting jobs as heavies "in order to survive"; he confesses that heavies "are kinda fun to play," after which Jim mentions, "I played a killer once" (a reference to an episode of The Rookies, "Down Home Boy," originally aired on ABC on November 19th 1973, in which he played a man hired as an assassin after the death of his sister). Andy brings up an upcoming TV-movie which he refers to as "Not Far from the Tree" (but aired on CBS on September 28th 1986 under the title "Under the Influence") in which he plays an alcoholic father - a role which he considers "the most difficult role I've ever attempted."

Phil then introduces a clip from "The Return of Barney Fife" episode (originally aired on January 10th 1966) where Andy and Barney are on the front porch singing the high school song. This leads into a discussion on singing, with Andy explaining how he can keep a tune, and complimenting Don's "wonderful musical ear" - and going into a story about him and Don at Harrah's in Lake Tahoe, NV, with Jim also being booked - before anyone knew Jim could sing. Phil notes that Andy, Don and Jim could "pack 'em in" if they were to perform together today, then signals for the next commercial break.

Donahue "More to Come" bumper

"That is the first time I ever saw you blush."

This aired on local Chicago TV on Friday, March 28th 1986 during the 9am to 10am timeframe.

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