One evening this past winter, the wife happened to have the television tuned to the METV network. (ME stands for Memorable Entertainment, if you’re not familiar.)
She was watching the Andy Griffith Show. Our six-year-old boy walked into the room and was instantly captivated. That whistling intro theme caught his ear and seeing a black and white show was a new experience.
He now adores the show and is especially fond of the episodes featuring the shenanigans of Ernest T. Bass, The Darlings, and Otis Campbell. Any episode focusing on Opie is appealing to him of course, and he really likes the ones where Opie takes a bully to task or learns a valuable life lesson.
While we don’t watch a ton of TV in our house, it has become a standard for us to tune in together. Reminds me of my own youth, back when we had just three networks in the nation and I had to wait all week to sit with the family and watch Marlin Perkins send poor Jim to be menaced by some toothsome beast on Wild Kingdom. But I digress …
Over the course of a few months now, I have noticed one constant theme running throughout the Andy Griffith Show: the responsible ownership and use of firearms. The theme is addressed in more episodes than I can count – it’s practically part of the overall storyline!
Naturally, the lawmen need their guns for their work, but there are plenty episodes where guns are being responsibly and safely used for the sheer fun of it. To wit:
We saw one the other night where Thelma Lou’s cousin from Arkansas comes to visit. She and Andy hit it off. Andy invites her on a shooting date and picnic, which she warmly accepts. Once there, Andy presumes the little lady has never been around a shotgun before, then unsuccessfully tries to show off his clay bird skills.
Unbeknownst to Andy, the gal is the current national skeet champion. After a lot of back and forth in the script about miscommunication and being judgmental, she shows up and cleans his clock in the Mayberry weekend trap and skeet match. Andy has to eat a big serving of crow.
All is well as the episode ties up, when they all go out for some informal target shooting. Thelma Lou’s cousin pops six pop bottles off a fence with six rounds from a revolver, shooting double action!
Now, I remember the Andy Griffith Show from my own childhood, though I saw it in syndicated reruns as it was well into its original run when I was born. I don’t recall noticing much about guns in the show in my youth, probably because I grew up in a shooting family and it was as natural and common as can be for a TV show to depict same.
Shame this part of our culture and heritage are no longer considered the sort of subject matter suitable for wholesome family entertainment in the sitcom format.
Anyway, thanks for listening. If you haven’t seen the Andy Griffith Show in a while, tune in and be reminded of the America that once was. She was a real honey.
She was watching the Andy Griffith Show. Our six-year-old boy walked into the room and was instantly captivated. That whistling intro theme caught his ear and seeing a black and white show was a new experience.
He now adores the show and is especially fond of the episodes featuring the shenanigans of Ernest T. Bass, The Darlings, and Otis Campbell. Any episode focusing on Opie is appealing to him of course, and he really likes the ones where Opie takes a bully to task or learns a valuable life lesson.
While we don’t watch a ton of TV in our house, it has become a standard for us to tune in together. Reminds me of my own youth, back when we had just three networks in the nation and I had to wait all week to sit with the family and watch Marlin Perkins send poor Jim to be menaced by some toothsome beast on Wild Kingdom. But I digress …
Over the course of a few months now, I have noticed one constant theme running throughout the Andy Griffith Show: the responsible ownership and use of firearms. The theme is addressed in more episodes than I can count – it’s practically part of the overall storyline!
Naturally, the lawmen need their guns for their work, but there are plenty episodes where guns are being responsibly and safely used for the sheer fun of it. To wit:
We saw one the other night where Thelma Lou’s cousin from Arkansas comes to visit. She and Andy hit it off. Andy invites her on a shooting date and picnic, which she warmly accepts. Once there, Andy presumes the little lady has never been around a shotgun before, then unsuccessfully tries to show off his clay bird skills.
Unbeknownst to Andy, the gal is the current national skeet champion. After a lot of back and forth in the script about miscommunication and being judgmental, she shows up and cleans his clock in the Mayberry weekend trap and skeet match. Andy has to eat a big serving of crow.
All is well as the episode ties up, when they all go out for some informal target shooting. Thelma Lou’s cousin pops six pop bottles off a fence with six rounds from a revolver, shooting double action!
Now, I remember the Andy Griffith Show from my own childhood, though I saw it in syndicated reruns as it was well into its original run when I was born. I don’t recall noticing much about guns in the show in my youth, probably because I grew up in a shooting family and it was as natural and common as can be for a TV show to depict same.
Shame this part of our culture and heritage are no longer considered the sort of subject matter suitable for wholesome family entertainment in the sitcom format.
Anyway, thanks for listening. If you haven’t seen the Andy Griffith Show in a while, tune in and be reminded of the America that once was. She was a real honey.
