The Museum of Classic Chicago Television (www.FuzzyMemories.TV) | Donahue - "Andy Griffith & Friends" - WBBM Channel 2 (1986) @FuzzyMemoriesTV | Uploaded 8 months ago | Updated 1 hour ago
Here's a mostly complete edition (with about the first 10 or so minutes missing) of Donahue as aired over WBBM Channel 2, with Andy Griffith and three members of the cast of his 1960-68 sitcom - Don Knotts, Jim Nabors and George Lindsey - as relating to the coming reunion film "Return to Mayberry" (and a few months before Griffith's lawyer series Matlock began a nine-year run). By this point, Donahue was taping from New York City; some shots show RCA TK-44A/B cameras which were nearing the end of their service life.

All commercial breaks are edited out of this recording. Also a couple of the Andy Griffith Show clips had to be pared down to avoid Copyright issues.

Includes:

Recording coming in as Andy explains why show was successful, showing of clip from episode "The Legend of Barney Fife," Andy and Jim discussing the making of "Return to Mayberry," and one audience member saying she grew up "with Opie and Aunt Bee"

In the next segment, topics include whether Thelma Lou is in the new reunion movie, "The Song Festers" episode, Andy's attitudes about acting in romantic comedies, George's Broadway career, where each of the four cast members grew up, Don's "nervous man" character from The Steve Allen Show, Andy playing "heavy" roles in the years when his career was down in the dumps post-1968 (and Jim playing a killer in a 1973 episode of The Rookies), and a coming TV movie where Andy plays an alcoholic

The segment afterwards touches on whether Aunt Bee would be in the reunion (she wouldn't), the first jobs of each of the four, the evolution of the show in terms of the relation of the writing staff to the actors, how the show was spun off from a 1960 episode of The Danny Thomas Show, how Barney became an integral part of the show, a Cosby Show fan wondering whether all this augurs a return to "wholesome entertainment," Andy's work on the pilot for Matlock, the show's eschewing any current fads in their episodes, what their aims on what they wanted to do in life were when they were young, followed by a clip from the episode "The Return of Barney Fife," one female audience member identifying with the Southern lifestyle of the show, another more liking Three's Company when Don played landlord Jack Furley, another audience member remembering the Griffith show spinoff Mayberry R.F.D., and whether Ron Howard sought directorial input on this reunion film (he didn't; he deferred to the first three seasons' director, Bob Sweeney, who helmed the reunion)

The penultimate segment, which begins with a still from the Griffith show's opening titles, deals with how Jim went from being a typist for the UN to an actor, what roles each actor aspired to play (for George, it was Gandhi), a clip from "Return to Mayberry," how Opie fared in the 18 years since The Andy Griffith Show ended, the "magic" between "Ronny" and Andy onscreen and who cast him, the relationship between Goober and Gomer, whether any of the actors felt typecast after the show was over, where the reunion film was made, how Otis' drunkenness was handled due to standards and practices of the time, the parallels between Opie and Ron in marriage and children, whether Jim still sings in nightclubs, the contrast in the offscreen relationship in the Griffith cast to those of more recent TV shows which were making headlines, Jim running a macadamia nut farm, whose idea it was to make the reunion film, George's years with Hee Haw, more on Andy's post-Griffith Show career slump, and whether Don is married

Bumper slide showing where to send for transcripts

More Q&A, after Phil plugs "Return from Mayberry's" coming air date, from audience members on such topics as whether they are all fathers (only Jim said no), its continuing popularity in reruns vs. when first aired and the contrast to current shows' reliance on sex and violence and such programs' impact on children, as the end credits roll, followed by promotional consideration plug (for True Value Hardware and Volvo)

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

Note: This video replaces these old videos kept here as unlisted videos to preserve the comments: youtu.be/N0QY0cij0pU, youtu.be/8ssMqJ11Qic, and youtu.be/W_Tw4D5xuSg)

About The Museum of Classic Chicago Television:

The MCCTv (FuzzyMemoriesTV) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit whose primary mission is the preservation and display of off-air, early home videotape recordings (70s to early 80s, mostly) recorded off of TV (in Chicago or other cities now too); things which would likely be lost if not sought out and preserved digitally. We preserve the entire broadcasts in our archives - the complete programs with breaks (or however much is present on the tape), for historical preservation. For information on how to help in our mission, to donate or lend tapes to be converted to digital, please e-mail tapes@fuzzy.tv Thank you for your help!