Weaver’s Newsletter
An Online newsletter of
“The Andy Griffith Show” Rerun Watchers Club (TAGSRWC) February 2015

 

**** Merchandise Update ****

Things have settled down a little at our Weaver’s Department Store after the big holiday rush.  Ol’ Ben has restocked his shelves.  He has a few rare gems to highlight, plus some items that are especially popular during the winter months.

Words of Wisdom T-Shirt

$20.00

This newest licensed T-shirt design arrived last fall. It captures a special sentiment between Andy and Opie. Kind and wise words from a father to his son.

The image on the shirt is deliberately distressed and splattered to give it an old, family scrapbooky feel. (Or maybe more like Newton Monroe spilled some paint on it.) Anyway, that’s a cool look these days, so if you want to be hip, you gotta have a shirt with some roughness, even if the photo itself is charming. All on a charcoal-colored shirt. It’s the color of choice of the Ankrums and other families around Mayberry

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Featured Items:

Original “Andy Griffith Show” Script

“Aunt Bee the Crusader”
$400.00

The only handwriting on this script is “Hal Smith” (it was his script) written in blue ink at the top right of the cover. We don’t think it’s Hal’s handwriting. Also, “#4” is written on the cover.

This is a revised version, dated October 28, 1963, of a script written by John Whedon, one of Mayberry’s best and the grandfather of current writer/director/producer sensation Josh Whedon.

The script includes additional pages of revisions dated 11/7/63 that are paperclipped together in the script, but have not yet been substituted for the previous versions of the pages. There is one note in pencil on one page, but we’re not convinced it’s in Hal’s handwriting.

WHITTLE MEN–An especially lively scene from “Otis Sues the County.”

 

NOTE: We also have an especially interesting original script for “Otis Sues the County”  and  a great collection of Hal Smith’s scripts from other TV shows and movies.  And even better, many are on sale right now!

All proceeds from the sales of these scripts go toward Weaver’s and TAGSRWC’s support of Mount Airy’s annual Mayberry Days festival and other Mayberry events and causes.

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Complete Set of 8 “Andy Griffith Show” Collector Plates

$420.00

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For a good cause that we work to support, Ben Weaver has decided to sell this set of Hamilton Collection plates.

This rare Complete Set of officially licensed “Andy Griffith Show” Collector Plates from the Hamilton Collection was produced as a Limited Edition beginning in 1992 and through the mid-1990s.

The numbered porcelain plates measure about 8 inches in diameter and feature popular Mayberry scenes painted by artist Robert Tannenbaum.  The 8 plates are:

* Sheriff Andy Taylor (Andy seated at desk with hands folded)
* A Startling Conclusion (Barney with dipper full of Jubal Foster’s moonshine)
* Mayberry Sing-Along (Andy holding guitar, seated by a tree with Opie)
* An Explosive Situation (Andy and Barney with Jimmy, the Loaded Goat)
* Aunt Bee’s Kitchen (Aunt Bee standing by Andy, who is seated at kitchen table)
* Surprise! Surprise! (Gomer standing in front of filling station)
* Meeting Aunt Bee (Andy, Aunt Bee and Opie in driveway w/ pickup truck)
* Opie’s Big Catch (Andy and Opie in fishing boat)

Many of these plates are hard to find individually, and even more so as a Complete Set.  We have only one set of the 8 plates.

Most of the plates are in their original protective styrofoam containers. The others are carefully protected in bubble wrap. Some contain their original paperwork, but some do not. Though 20+ years old, all the plates are preserved in new condition.

All proceeds (not just the profits) from the sale of this collection are going toward our support of the Surry Arts Council’s Mayberry Days festival in Mount Airy, N.C.

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Screening Room

Weaver’s has individual Season sets of “The Andy Griffith Show,” as well as The Entire Series  (now only $109.00!) and a 50th Anniversary Collection of TAGS on DVD, Season 1 of TAGS on Blu-ray plus DVD sets of  “Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.”  “Mayberry R.F.D.” and favorite movies and other features starring Andy Griffith, Don Knotts and the Dillards.

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Assorted Tin Signs
$14.00

The six Mayberry signs available are Mayberry Law (featuring Barney looking fierce and measuring 16″ x 12.5″), Fife Security Agency (featuring Barney looking tough and measuring 11″ x 16″),  Bloodhound of the Law (featuring a great color picture of Barney in the foreground surrounded by five classic black-and-white Barney images in the background and measuring 11.5″ x 16″), Aunt Bee’s Kitchen (featuring Opie, Aunt Bee and Andy in full color and measuring 11″ x 16″), Andy Griffith Show Tribute (featuring Opie and Andy going fishing in full color and measuring 16″ x 13″), and Men of Mayberry (featuring Opie, Gomer, Andy and Barney in full color and measuring 12.5″ x 16″).

Andy Griffith Tribute	Aunt Bee’s Kitchen	Bloodhound of the Law
Fife Security Agency	Mayberry Law	Men of Mayberry

Each of these high-quality signs has a matte finish and a tiny hole in each corner for mounting, if desired. Decorate your home or workplace in Mayberry style with these super signs!

Remember what Barney says about the decision to decorate with these signs, “Don’t be square…be RECTANGULAR!”

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 Mayberry Choppers and Mayberry Union High designs–each available as a T-shirt, Sweatshirt and Hoodie.

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Fife Security Thermometer

$21.00

Want to know how hot or cold it is and provide a sense of security for your home or office? Well, here’s the man for the job.  He’s a hot shot, because he’s always cool under pressure!

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**** News of Cast & Crew ****

Ron Howard was presented the Louis XIII Genius Award by actor Chris Hemsworth at the 20th Annual Critics’ Choice Movie Awards, which were held at the Beverly Hilton in Los Angeles on January 15.  The award honors “unprecedented excellence in the cinematic arts.”  (Now that Ron has set the precedent, we feel sorry for next year’s honoree!)

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That same week, Warner Bros. announced that it has strategically delayed the release date for the highly anticipated In the Heart of the Sea, Ron’s next film release for which he recently finished post-production work. The movie had been scheduled for release on March 16, but early screenings for audiences were so positive that the studio is saving the release for December 11, in the heart of the holiday season, when more people might have a chance to see it on the big screen.

That timing may also keep the movie fresher on the minds of nominators and voters for next year’s Academy Awards.  And Ron’s pal George Lucas may now lose some sleep, knowing that Star Wars: The Force Awakens hits theaters in the tidal-wave aftermath the week after Ron’s whale of a movie opens.

Ron begins directing Inferno, the latest movie adaptation in author Dan Brown’s Da Vinci Code series) and now in preproduction, as early as this April. The movie will again star Tom Hanks as lead character Robert Langdon. The film had been slated for release in theaters during the 2015 holiday season, but, with In the Heart of the Sea now coming out then, Inferno has been moved to October 2016.

Side note:  Jim Clark was recently revealed to be the person who bought Ron and Cheryl Howard’s 32-acre New York estate for $27.5 million last summer.  It goes without typing that that Jim Clark (also the founder of Netscape) is not the same Jim Clark as one of TAGSRWC’s founders.  But for the less Esquire-type Jim Clark, it was reportedly fun to imagine the possibility, even if just for a moment.

Betty Lynn once again had a large crowd of adoring fans at her monthly meet-and-greet at the Andy Griffith Museum in Mount Airy last month, and she’ll be back the 20th of this month.

Maggie Peterson and Rodney Dillard were joined by David “Mayberry Deputy” Browning for several well-received performances of their Mayberry Christmas show in North Carolina and Tennessee during the holidays.  Maggie and Rodney already have several bookings for Mayberry events this year, including Mayberry in the Midwest and Mayberry Days.

Maggie had been planning to do some performances of Love Letters with Ronnie Schell in Colorado and Nevada this month, but an exclusivity clause for a recent Broadway run of the play stipulated that other productions couldn’t be done anywhere else while the show was running on Broadway.  That same legal wrinkle also knocked out a planned production with Barbara Eden and Hal Linden. (Ironically, the Broadway run ended earlier than expected, so the other productions could’ve run after all, if Count Istvan Teleky would’ve only shared his knowledge of the future with everybody!)

Ken Berry was interviewed by Jim Longworth (founder of TAGSRWC’s Miracle Salve chapter) for a nice story now on the TVParty.com website. TV Party rotates its stories pretty often, so, if you’re interested, be sure to check out the story soon.  Especially now that he’s retired, Ken Berry doesn’t do many interviews. This story is a rare chance to catch up with the talented “Mayberry R.F.D.” star.

Writer Sam Bobrick (19 TAGS episodes, including “The Shoplifters” and “A Deal Is a Deal”) reports that he spends most of his time these days writing plays.  (He has written dozens, mostly comedies, including Norman, Is that You? which Don Knotts performed in a couple of times.) His plays, which run the full gamut of lengths, are popular choices by dinner and community theaters all across the country. Publisher Sam French (www.samfrench.com) carries many of his plays for those who want to read or perhaps perform some of them.

Joy Ellison worked last year as a dialect coach on The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge out of Water, which is cleaning up at the box office this month .

 

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Floyd’s Barbershop
Bulletin Board & Event Calendar

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The Andy Griffith Museum, featuring the late Emmett Forrest’s amazing collection of Andy Griffith memorabilia, is open daily in Mount Airy, N.C. For info, visit the website at www.andygriffithmuseum.org or call (336) 786-1604.

The following information is from “The eBullet“: Official E-mail Newsletter of “The Andy Griffith Show” Rerun Watchers Club (TAGSRWC).

* Feb. 13: The Roland White Band performs at the Joe Val Bluegrass Festival in Framingham, Mass.  For more info, visit www.bbu.org/events/joe-val-festival.

* Feb. 15: Karen Knotts performs “Tied Up in Knotts at the Howard Performing Arts Center on the campus of Andrews University in Berrien Springs, Mich. Show time is 7:30. For more info, call 888 467-6442 or visit www.howard.andrews.edu.

* Feb. 20: Betty Lynn (Thelma Lou) greets fans at the Andy Griffith Museum 12:30-3:30 p.m. She will have autographed 8×10 photos available ($10). For info, visit the website at www.andygriffithmuseum.org or call (336) 786-1604.

* Feb. 27: The Roland White Band performs at the Station Inn in Nashville, Tenn.  Show time is 9 p.m. Tickets are $12.

* Mar. 5: Barbara Eden presents “An Evening with Barbara Eden” at the Arcada Theatre in St. Charles, Ill.  Show time is 7:30.  Reserved seating prices vary. For more info, visit www.oshows.com.

* Mar. 5-7: The 18th Annual George Lindsey UNA Film Festival in Florence, Ala. Details TBA.  For updates go to www.lindseyfilmfest.com.

* Mar. 14: Barney Google and Snuffy Smith cartoonist John Rose will be doing a “Snuffy Smith” Chalk Talk and book signing at 1:00 p.m.  at the Public Library in Mount Airy, N.C.  John is also an editorial cartoonist and will show examples of his editorial cartoons, including his touching editorial cartoon tributes to George Lindsey and Andy Griffith that he drew upon their deaths.

In his chalk talk, John will talk about his career as the Barney Google and Snuffy Smith cartoonist, show samples of his cartoon work and draw some of the comic strip’s most popular characters for the audience.

* Mar. 20: Betty Lynn (Thelma Lou) greets fans at the Andy Griffith Museum 12:30-3:30 p.m. She will have autographed 8×10 photos available ($10). For info, visit the website at www.andygriffithmuseum.org or call (336) 786-1604.

* Apr. 17: Betty Lynn (Thelma Lou) greets fans at the Andy Griffith Museum 12:30-3:30 p.m. She will have autographed 8×10 photos available ($10). For info, visit the website at www.andygriffithmuseum.org or call (336) 786-1604.

* Apr. 23-25: Maggie Peterson is a featured guest for the Missouri Cherry Blossom Festival in Marshfield.  For more info, visit www.cherryblossomfest.com.

* May 1 and 2: Fifth Annual Mayberry Comes to Westminster festival in Westminster, S.C.  Special guest star is Dobro wiz and TAGS alum LeRoy McNees.  In addition there will other Mayberry-related music venues, parades, arts and crafts, food booths, a car and tractor show, trivia and whistling contests, a Bible study, a silent auction and more.  And Mayberry favorites the VW Boys and David “Mayberry Deputy” Browning will present their “Memories of Mayberry” show Saturday afternoon.  For more info, visit www.mayberrywestminster.com or check out Mayberry Comes to Westminster, S.C., on Facebook.

* May 2: 28th Annual Uncle Jesse Big Bass Classic (founded by Denver Pyle) in Paris, Tex.  For more info, visit: www.unclejessefishing.com.

* May 5-8: Memories from Mayberry: Timeless Truths from America’s Hometown offers a fun TAGS experience in another one of America’s hometowns, lovely Clarksville, Tenn. (about an hour north of Nashville). The event features fun-filled Bible studies based on favorite episodes, uplifting preaching and worship, gospel concerts, a visit to Fort Campbell, and more. The all-inclusive price includes three nights, seven meals, and program fee. Contact Frances at frances@clarksville.tn.us for more info.

* May 9: David “Mayberry Deputy/Honest Abe” Browning performs his one-man From Gettysburg to Mayberry show as a fundraiser at the Lincoln Theatre in Marion, Va.  Show time is 7 p.m.  Tickets are just 1,500 pennies or three fins. For more info, visit www.thelincoln.org.

* May 12 and 13: Dean Webb and Missouri Boatride perform at the Bluegrass and BBQ Festival at Silver Dollar City in Branson, Mo.  For more info, visit www.silverdollarcity.com.

* May 15: Betty Lynn (Thelma Lou) greets fans at the Andy Griffith Museum 12:30-3:30 p.m. She will have autographed 8×10 photos available ($10). For info, visit the website at www.andygriffithmuseum.org or call (336) 786-1604.

* May 15-17: Mayberry in the Midwest returns to Danville, Ind. Among the festival’s highlights are the parade, the Mayberry Squad Car Nationals, and performances by the Mayberry Tribute Artists. The special guest stars this year are Maggie Peterson (Charlene Darling) and her Darling TV brother, Rodney Dillard, and the Dillard Band, who will do a concert on Saturday. Karen Knotts will also perform her “Tied Up in Knotts” show on Sat. and Sun.  Other details TBA.  Visit www.mayberryinthemidwest.com for more info and updates.

* June 13: Neal Brower, author of Mayberry 101, presents a lecture on the “Bailey’s Bad Boy” episode of TAGS, featuring Bill Bixby, starting at 2 p.m., in the Andy Griffith Museum Theatre in Mount Airy, N.C.  Admission is included with an Andy Griffith Museum admission.  For info, visit the website at www.andygriffithmuseum.org or call (336) 786-1604.

* June 18-21: Roland White performs as part of a Kentucky Colonels tribute at the Father’s Day Bluegrass Festival in Grass Valley, Calif.  For more info, visit www.fathersdayfestival.com.

* June 19: Betty Lynn (Thelma Lou) greets fans at the Andy Griffith Museum 12:30-3:30 p.m. She will have autographed 8×10 photos available ($10). For info, visit the website at www.andygriffithmuseum.org or call (336) 786-1604.

* July 4: James Best joins fellow “Dukes of Hazzard” stars and a bunch of country music stars for the Party in the Park at Livingston Fairgrounds in Livingston, La.  For more info, visit www.cajuncountryjam.com.

* July 11: Neal Brower, author of Mayberry 101, presents a lecture on the “Briscoe Declares for Aunt Bee” episode of TAGS, starting at 2 p.m., in the Andy Griffith Museum Theatre in Mount Airy, N.C.  Admission is included with an Andy Griffith Museum admission.  For info, visit the website at www.andygriffithmuseum.org or call (336) 786-1604.

* Aug. 8: Neal Brower, author of Mayberry 101, presents a lecture on the “Andy and Opie, Housekeepers” episode of TAGS, starting at 2 p.m., in the Andy Griffith Museum Theatre in Mount Airy, N.C.  Admission is included with an Andy Griffith Museum admission.  For info, visit the website at www.andygriffithmuseum.org or call (336) 786-1604.

* Aug. 21: Betty Lynn (Thelma Lou) greets fans at the Andy Griffith Museum 12:30-3:30 p.m. She will have autographed 8×10 photos available ($10). For info, visit the website at www.andygriffithmuseum.org or call (336) 786-1604.

* Sept. 20-23: Life Lessons From Mayberry: It’s All There in Black and White in Ridgecrest, N.C. (just outside Asheville) is a Bible study event drawing on the biblical truths and life applications found in “The Andy Griffith Show.” The event is $300 per person (based on double occupancy), and includes three nights of on-campus lodging, eight meals, Bible study sessions based on favorite TAGS episodes, dynamic preaching, worship, bluegrass concert, and special guest Margaret Kerry (Bess Muggins in “Christmas Story” and Helen Scobey in “Andy Forecloses”). To register, call Ridgecrest Conference Center at (800) 588-7222 or visit www.lifeway.com/mayberry.

* Sept. 24-27: 26th Annual Mayberry Days in Mount Airy, N.C.  Mayberry Days started in 1990, so this 26th annual festival marks its 25th Anniversary, and also the 55th Anniversary of “The Andy Griffith Show” itself.  The festival already shows signs of being more chock-full of fun than ever before.  If that’s even possible!

Tickets are already available online for key parts of the weekend, including the Mayberry Days Golf Tournament (aka The Emmett) and banquet show; a concert by Rodney Dillard and the Dillard Band, with special guest Maggie Peterson;  the comedy show of James Gregory (“the funniest man in America”); the VW Boys Tribute to Mayberry; Neal Brower’s Lecture; Colonel Tim’s Talent Time, and more.  For info, updates and tickets, visit www.surryarts.org .

* Oct. 8: Karen Knotts performs “Tied Up in Knotts” at 2 p.m. in Columbus, Ohio.  Venue and other details TBA.

* Oct. 12-17: Ronnie Schell is the special guest star on the Cruise to Mayberry 10 to the Caribbean aboard Carnival’s Conquest cruise ship.  The cruise departs Ft. Lauderdale for Grand Turk, Half Moon Cay, Nassau and a “Fun Day” at sea.

Activities include a Mayberry trivia contest, whistling contest, Mayberry bible study, variety show, concerts, and entertainment by Tim White of the VW Boys and Mayberry Tribute artists, including  Allan “Floyd” Newsome, Kenneth “Otis” Junkin, Ronnie “Barney” Felker, Bob “Briscoe” Mundy, Christie “Andelina” McLendon, Jeff “Howard Sprague” Branch, Elease “Thelma Lou” Felker, Tim “Goober” Pettigrew and Keith “Colonel Harvey” Brown.  “Elvis” tribute artist Wayne Euliss will also be a featured performer.   For more info, visit www.allaboutcruisesnc.net/mayberry.php.

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 **** Mayberry on the Web ****

The iMayberry Community
This TAGSRWC online group is organized and overseen by webmaster Allan “Floyd” Newsome.   You can check it out and sign up for free at: http://imayberrycommunity.com.

The iMayberry Community complements our other online activities, including our main www.imayberry.com page, podcasts, Facebook page, online newsletters (such as The eBullet!), weaversdepartmentstore.com and chat rooms.  Combined with TAGSRWC chapters and the various Mayberry events for all fans (from Mayberry Days to ocean cruises), not to mention enjoying the sites of Mount Airy year-round, the world of Mayberry fun keeps expanding.

And best of all, it’s all rooted in watching the show itself.  Whether through DVDs and Blu-ray, streaming video, local stations, MeTV, or TV Land, loving to watch the show continues to be the energy that feeds all the other Mayberry fun and activities that we enjoy.  What a wonderful thing Andy Griffith and his talented team of actors, musicians, writers and crew people created 55 years ago–for us and generations to come!

Two Chairs, No Waiting is our weekly podcast of TAGS news, interviews and pretty much whatever happens to be going on in and around Mayberry. It’s hosted by Allan Newsome. There’s a new episode every Tuesday (and you can watch and listen live while the show is being recorded on Monday evenings). Past episodes are in an online Archives in case you want to listen to or view episodes you’ve missed. (There have been 316 episodes since Allan started the podcasts six years ago.)

There’s a lot of info and discussions that you simply won’t find anywhere else, including rare interviews (vintage and new) with cast and crew members of TAGS. If you’ve got sound on your computer or have an iPod or similar device, you can easily tune in live or download these and other podcasts.

TAGSRWC’s official page on Facebook now has more than 118,000 friends! You can find us at www.facebook.com/tagsrwc. There’s a variety of comments about Mayberry, and a lively stream of thoughts from fans about TAGS, plus photos. And our Facebook page is also one of the first places we post announcements and breaking news about TAGS. If you haven’t already dropped by the page, we hope you’ll check it out sometime when you have the chance. We invite you to become a TAGSRWC Facebook Friend!

**** Post Note ****

Between issues of Weaver’s Newsletter, keep up with the happenings in Mayberry with the daily “Who’s Been Messin’ Up the Bulletin Board?” Digest. It’s a free subscriber list that consists entirely of comments, news flashes, and questions and answers from subscribers. You can sign up for that list by going to the “Mailing Lists” link at www.tagsrwc.com.

TAGSRWC also publishes The eBullet in more or less alternate months to Weaver’s Newsletter. The eBullet is the online successor to our longtime printed newsletter, The Bullet. Like Weaver’s Newsletter, The eBullet is free. It includes some of the same news as Weaver’s Newsletter, but with more features and depth and a little less emphasis on merchandise news. To sign up, go to:www.tagsrwc.com/ebullet/joinebullet.htm.

TAGSRWC’s other main vehicle for Mayberry information is simply our website at www.tagsrwc.com (and its sister site www.iMayberry.com). Both sites have extensive content and links for just about everything a Mayberry fan might be looking for.

The next issue of Weaver’s Newsletter is scheduled for April, with the next eBullet planned for March.

**** Epilogue****

Here’s a fun Flashback to top off this edition.  It’s 2007’s catchy “Find Me a Man Like Goober” music video by country duo Moore & Moore, and featuring George Lindsey and cameos by a host of country music legends.  (Six of the stars in this video are sadly now deceased, but thank goodness for the memories…and video!)

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