‘The Andy Griffith Show’ on path to become North Carolina’s official state television show
Published 8:58 am Tuesday, April 29, 2025
- From left are Ted Womack (Mr. McBevee tribute artist), Rep. Brian Biggs from Randolph County, Joy Dodson (portraying nurse Mary), James Dodson (Andy Griffith tribute artist), Jeff Branch (Howard Sprague tribute artist), Phil Fox (portraying Ernest T. Bass), Rep. Jeff Zenger of Forsyth County and Rep. Neil Jackson of Moore County. (Contributed)
|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
North Carolina may soon have an official state television show, and there is a connection to Stanly County.
N.C. House Bill 557, which was passed earlier this month and is now headed for the Senate, calls for “The Andy Griffith Show” to have such honor.
Griffith grew up in Mount Airy, which the fictional town of Mayberry from the show was based upon. The town has its Mayberry Days festival on the third weekend of September each year.
Jeff Branch of Oakboro, who has portrayed Mayberry’s town clerk Howard Sprague at events locally and nationally for several years, attended the vote in Raleigh (where Barney goes to party) with his fellow Mayberry tribute artists.
Locally, Branch is known for bringing in The Dillards (TV’s The Darlings and Maggie Peterson) for performances in Oakboro and Troy. He even had a Mayberry-themed restaurant at one time in Oakboro.
“It was an honor to be asked to bring the Andy Griffith car to the General Assembly. My friends in the car were able to make a lot of legislators very happy,” Branch said. “It makes us happy to see how much this show has had an impact on a lot of people not only from North Carolina but across the United States.”
“The Andy Griffith Show aired originally on CBS for 249 episodes from Oct. 3, 1960 to April 1, 1968.
B.J. Drye is general manager/editor of The SNAP.
