#Barney andy griffith archive#
#Barney andy griffith series#
#Barney andy griffith tv#

However in at least one case, he is commended for his apparent overzealousness, after he tickets the state governor's car for being parked illegally ('Barney and the Governor'). In one case when Andy was briefly summoned away, as acting sheriff, Barney proceeded to book and lock up everyone in town for various minor infractions ('Andy Saves Barney's Morale'). An emotional powder-keg, Barney often overreacts to challenging situations with panic, despair or bug-eyed fear.īarney panics when he and Andy need to deal with a goat who has eaten dynamite.Īs a law enforcement officer, Barney is overly officious and insistent on doing things 'by the book' to the point of absurdity. His attempts to impress others sometimes cause him to accidentally reveal both personal and police secrets, often with dire consequences. Although he believes himself a skilled singer, he has a tin ear, as highlighted in 'Barney and the Choir' and 'The Song Festers', although at other times, when he's not trying to show off, he has a pleasant singing voice, performing duets with Andy and his guitar. This gullibility is evident when, for example, he is conned into buying a lemon from a crafty old widow ('Barney's First Car'). He wishes to be perceived as 'a man of the world', but he is quite naïve, and his fear of appearing ignorant leaves him easily duped. He frequently tries to impress others with his knowledge or skill in areas where his expertise is quite limited.

He presents himself as an expert on such diverse subjects as firearms, martial arts, women, singing, wilderness survival, psychology and American history. By then, Fife had moved back and become the town's acting sheriff.Ĭharacter overview Personality īarney Fife is outwardly smug and self-important, covering up his insecurities and low self-confidence with a display of bravado. Fifteen years would pass before the character was again reprised in the reunion film Return to Mayberry in 1986. In 1971, the character, whose name is not explicitly mentioned, appears in the premiere episode of The New Andy Griffith Show, visiting the mid-sized city of Greenwood to catch up with Mayor Andy Sawyer, who looks exactly like Andy Taylor and shares some of Taylor's earlier mannerisms and friendships with Fife, Goober Pyle and Emmett Clark.

episode, in which Andy and Helen Crump marry. Barney also appeared in the inaugural Mayberry R.F.D. Knotts reprised the character in guest appearances each season until The Andy Griffith Show left the air in 1968. It is explained that Fife had left Mayberry to take a job as a detective in Raleigh, North Carolina. That made all the difference.'įife appeared on The Andy Griffith Show from the show's beginning in 1960 until 1965, when Knotts left the show to pursue a career in feature films.

#Barney andy griffith archive#

In an interview with The Archive of American Television, Griffith admitted, 'The second episode was called 'Manhunt' and I knew by that episode that Don should be the comic and I should play straight for him. Griffith later recalled that Don Knotts' contribution was the show's saving grace because he was uncomfortable with the original concept to have Andy Taylor being the comic lead. Griffith liked the idea and suggested that he call Executive Producer Sheldon Leonard. When he saw the episode of The Danny Thomas Show featuring Andy Taylor, he called Griffith suggesting that his sheriff character might reasonably need a deputy.

At the same time The Steve Allen Show was ending, Knotts was looking for work. Production history Īccording to Andy Griffith, the character of Barney Fife was suggested by Don Knotts himself.

#Barney andy griffith tv#

In 1999, TV Guide ranked him ninth on its 50 Greatest TV Characters of All Time list. Additionally, Barney appeared in the Joey Bishop Show episode 'Joey's Hideaway Cabin', and, unnamed, in the first episode of The New Andy Griffith Show. (1968–1971), and in the 1986 reunion television film Return to Mayberry.

#Barney andy griffith series#

He also appeared in the first episode of the spin-off series Mayberry R.F.D. He appeared in the first five seasons (1960–65) as a main character, and, after leaving the show towards the end of season five, made a few guest appearances in the following three color seasons (1965–68). Barney Fife is a deputy sheriff in the slow-paced, sleepy southern community of Mayberry, North Carolina. Bernard ' Barney' Fife is a fictional character in the American television program The Andy Griffith Show, portrayed by comic actor Don Knotts.