The Essential Mayberry

An encyclopedic behind-the-scenes look for fans of The Andy Griffith Show.

In October 1960, The Andy Griffith Show began its eight-year reign as one of the top-ten television shows in the country. Now, more than 60 years later, the original 249 episodes still remain among the most frequently watched television shows—and its stars, Ron Howard, Don Knotts, Jim Nabors, and of course, Andy Griffith, live on in popular culture. Neal Brower, long time superfan and show expert, has been writing and even teaching courses about The Andy Griffith Show for over thirty years. He has made it his mission to gather the lore about the show and especially about the writing and production of the scripts. Brower interviewed many of the show’s writers including Harvey Bullock, Everett Greenbaum, Sam Bobrick, and their partners and collected his findings in his 2011 book, Mayberry 101. As Gomer would say, “Well, golly!”

In this second edition of this iconic and popular book, now called The Essential Mayberry: Behind the Scenes of The Andy Griffith Show, Brower has added the scripts written by Jack Elinson and his writing partner Charles Stewart and the rewrites of producer and story consultant Aaron Ruben, as well as material from the annotated show scripts donated by Andy Griffith to UNC Libraries. “Shazam!” Fans of The Andy Griffith Show will receive a long-awaited and more complete picture of the classic television show and its creation.

Neal Brower has acquired a wealth of knowledge about The Andy Griffith Show from his years of correspondence and contact with the show’s cast and crew members. He has taught The Andy Griffith Show: An In-depth Study at community colleges in North Carolina for many years. He lectures at the Andy Griffith Museum in Mt Airy, NC and at the annual Mayberry Days celebration.