海角大神

In the remembrances and appreciations of Andy Griffith 鈥� who died Tuesday at his home in Manto, N.C. 鈥� Americans are discovering a man of far more breadth and depth than the on-screen persona he displayed in his incarnation as Sheriff Andy Taylor in 鈥�The Andy Griffith Show,鈥� which ran from 1960 to 1968.

First off, he was a singer and musician whose 1996 album, 鈥淚 Love to Tell the Story: 25 Timeless Hymns,鈥� went platinum. He also had an early career in theater. He could also play very dark with great credibility. That was evidenced by his first film, 1957鈥檚 鈥淎 Face in the Crowd,鈥� in which he played a Machiavellian media manipulator with a cackling, Snidely Whiplash laugh. It was directed by Elia Kazan on the heels of Kazan鈥檚 鈥淥n the Waterfront鈥� and 鈥淪treetcar Named Desire.鈥� Some call it the best film ever on the power and dangers of the media.

But instead of going the route of a street-smart Marlon Brando, James Dean, or other heavies of his time, Griffith turned the corner and became one of the all-time American TV icons for his portrayal of America鈥檚 sheriff, Andy Taylor.

鈥淣ot many people remember this [dark, street-smart] side of Griffith, but I think it shows the consummate actor he was and that he understood the power of that laid-back, folksy, homespun character and chose that intentionally instead,鈥� says Kathy Newman, an English professor at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh.

She and others say "The Andy Griffith Show," which was never out of America鈥檚 Top 10 for its eight seasons, was a landmark for transitioning the country from its love of movies to the introduction of TV in the postwar era.

鈥淢ayberry presented an idealized portrait of rural, small town life during the turbulent 1960s,鈥� says Charles Coletta, who teaches the history of popular culture at Bowling Green University in Ohio. 鈥淢ayberry was an oasis that was largely unaffected by all the era's social and cultural changes.鈥�

Mr. Coletta says his history classes discuss, for example, why there were no African-Americans on the show.

鈥淓ven in the early 1960s, the Mayberry seen each week was a creation of nostalgia," he says. "It was one of the best written, produced, and cast series ever on TV, and Griffith should receive much of the credit for setting the tone."

In a 2004 interview with Matt Lauer of the "Today" show, Griffith said that he loved playing the straight man to all the eccentric crazies on the show. He thinks the show was a major hit because it evoked the innocence of America in the 1930s and聽'40s, he didn鈥檛 carry a gun, and 鈥渘obody got killed.鈥�

Matt Whitfield, features editor for Yahoo.com鈥檚 entertainment sites, says that Griffith was both lucky and talented enough to attract a whole generation of viewers for that show, but then did it again with Matlock, from 1985 to 1995. He says it was due to Griffith鈥檚 charm, affability, and signature drawl. 鈥淗e was America鈥檚 Sheriff in the first series and became America鈥檚 Lawyer in the second,鈥� says Mr. Whitfield.

鈥淭his is almost unheard of that America falls in love with a man so deeply they are willing to follow him closely for four decades,鈥� says Whitfield. 鈥淗e drew people in from the get go with his personal appeal and family values over decades. There is no other figure around like this with this kind of appeal and talent.鈥�

In a word that quality is 鈥渞elatability."

鈥淎ndy Griffith was successful on television because average viewers could connect with him. He demonstrated qualities that people could identify with and appreciate. His television characters were both kind and strong,鈥� says Jeff McCall, professor of media studies at DePauw University in Greencastle, Ind., via e-mail.

鈥淗e demonstrated a concern for others. He was not profane, selfish, or boorish," he added. "Viewers appreciated that a good guy could win the day with common sense and inner strength. Viewers had the sense that Griffith was not acting his parts, but that he really was that kind of person.鈥�

Professor McCall and others say the television environment of today 鈥� with hundreds of channels 鈥� would prove much harder for a figure like Griffith, who came on the scene when there were only three.

鈥淚t is quite likely that Andy Griffith would never be given a show in today's television world,鈥� he says. 鈥淗is regular-guy looks and slow, plain-talking style would never catch the eye of a producer today. And I doubt if Andy would saturate a program with violence or off-color language just to try to boost ratings.鈥�

McCall says it鈥檚 good to analyze his legacy to be able to contrast television of that era to today. 鈥淪ure, 'The Andy Griffith Show' was slower-paced, and featured neatly packaged moralizing,鈥� says McCall. 鈥淏ut it served the interests of that time."