I ordered this book for my father's birthday - sight unseen. When it arrived in the mail, I was initially very disappointed. The cover is an ugly green and looks like it's 30 years old at least! It truley looks like one of those old reference books you find at the library! But after skimming through it, I decided this was a pretty good buy after all. It contains TONS of info on all of the episodes and the cast. My father loved it as well and said that it even came in really handy when he played the Andy Griffith trivia game with some relatives!

This book has everything you would need to know and most fans of this show NEED to know a lot! Buy one for you and another for a gift. Then check out the authors book about Mayberry RFD! Again very very good. You can tell the author loves the show and thats the kinda guy I want to read, because so do I!!

First published in 1981, Kelly's book was the first of what has become a groaning bookcase of titles devoted to one of television's most beloved sitcoms. To me, it is still one of the most satisfying. Far from being a gushy trivia tome, Kelly's book takes a scholarly look at the factors - casting, production values, writing style, etc. - that have contributed to TAGS enduring popularity. Fans who don't want to think that hard might find the book, shall we say, dry as dust. Others will find it hard to put down.

The insights of principals on both sides of the camera, from Sheldon Leonard and Aaron Ruben on the production end to Andy Griffith, Don Knotts and Jack Dodson on the performance side, are fascinating. The book even includes a working script (season four's "The Sermon for Today") from Griffith's personal collection, which Kelly presents as good illustration of Mayberry's (usually) unhurried pace and the show's character dynamics. He's right, but a more appropriate script to share would have been "Man in a Hurry" (often cited as the series best episode) from season three.

The book closes with summaries of all 249 TAGS episodes, including official script titles, filming sequence and airing order.

All in all, this is a valuable resource for serious TAGS devotees and anyone interested in the nuts and bolts of television production. Those wanting just another feel-good book about the folks of Mayberry had best look elsewhere.

This was the first book I ever bought on The Andy Griffith Show. My copy is now dog-eared, with some of the pages almost ready to fall out. I love it!! The comparisons between TAGS and other classic TV shows are a very interesting read, and the two scripts, "Sermon for Today" and the unfilmed "Wandering Minstrel," are the highlight of the book! I could clearly picture the scenes and dialogue in the scripts. If "Wandering Minstrel" had been filmed, it would've been a big hit! Anyway, go buy this book!

This is the first and still definitive study of the show. It contains extensive interviews with the major stars, directors, and producers from the show. It also contains two full scripts: one never seen or performed before and the other "The Sermon for Today" (NOT "Man in a Hurry" as another "reviewer" appears to think!) Also provides concise summaries of all 249 episodes. A terrific buy and a must read!

Given that Andy Griffith is a private person with seemingly little interest in talking about himself or his career, this book met my expectations. The author did what he could to gather information about Andy in spite of Andy's apparent unwillingness to participate in the creation of this biography. His absence is a handicap, certainly, as I'm sure he could lend some depth to the anecdotes and old interviews. I was pleased to see that the author made an effort to avoid making this book another Mayberry-themed puff piece, though, and was glad to be reading about Andy Griffith instead of Andy Taylor.

The reader should also be aware that The Andy Griffith Story was published prior to the end of Matlock, and before several other key events in Andy Griffith's life. Illustrations are rather disappointing hand-drawings because, I presume, photo rights could not be obtained. Though I did enjoy this book, I am still hoping for an authorized - or, at least, more authoritative - biography to complete the portrait of Andy.

I just finished reading the biography on Andy Griffith and as a fan of this man I was pleased to learn about how he got started in show biz and all the movies he was involved in post Andy Griffith Show. I was surprised to hear about his temper but pleased to hear he is a thoughtful and caring man. If you want a biography that covers Mr. Griffith's whole career I would recommend you buy this book.

The test of any good bio is learning something new about the subject. Information about Andy Griffith isn't easy to come by, but in this instance, the author has succeeded in collecting quotes, facts, and events from private sources and turning it into a readable narrative that illuminates the subject while respecting the privacy of the man. I bought two copies: one for my mom as a gift, and one for me. If you have ANY interest in the life and career of Andy, you'll want to add your own copy to your library too.

As everyone knows, Barney Fife was a high-strung bundle of pride, petulance and braggadocio, an infuriating but lovable man-child. On the other hand, Don Knotts, the comedic genius who created one of the funniest characters in television history, is apparently the nicest, least complex actor of all time. The man doesn't have a discouraging word to say about anyone or anything, and nothing earthshaking to say about himself.

This book is slighter than either Knotts or his alter ego, and that's saying something. Sure, it's interesting to read about Knotts' upbringing in depression-era Morgantown, West Virginia, his years in the service, his first taste of the limelight as a ventriloquist, and his glory years on "The Andy Griffith Show." But the book doesn't make even a token attempt to try and figure out what makes Knotts tick.

After a while, the barrage of ho-hum anecdotes and warm/fuzzy show biz acknowledgements gets mighty old. Even the chapters devoted to TAGS are rather dull. Undue attention is paid to Knotts' so-so movies for Universal, particularly "The Ghost and Mr. Chicken," which Knotts dissects as if it were a screen classic.

It's to his credit that Knotts didn't seize the opportunity to dish the dirt on the amazing galaxy of stars he's worked with in over fifty years as an entertainer. One gets the heartwarming impression there's nothing fake about Knotts' humility and niceness.

Still, you'll find yourself wishing Knotts had lapsed into his reckless Barney persona to write a few pages he might regret.

This is a very charming, simple book filled with fun stories. Nothing earth-shattering, but then it really shouldn't be. You can almost imagine this as a transcript of Barney Fife and Andy Taylor on the porch, shooting the breeze.

This is a very pleasant read from a marvelous talent. Don Knotts is so good, but there is not a drop of ego to be seen, which also makes this quite refreshing.

Barney Fife and Other Characters I Have Known reveals much more about Don Knotts by what is left unsaid, displaying real character so absent in today's "tell all" market. Early life and influences are nicely detailed and personalized though most of the book centers on his professional career. An anecdotal approach makes this a fun, fast, satisfying read. It's like winning a contest where first prize is a long lunch with Don Knotts at Schwab's. More than anything else, this book is one of the best lessons I have ever read on the "drive" and creativity it takes to succeed in show business.

It's impossible not to admire the tremendous effort that went into collecting the mementoes for this book, but someone obviously took the term "scrapbook" too literally. The layout is surprisingly amateurish, with far too many blurry or grainy photos occupying two-page spreads and, at the opposite extreme, pages that are almost empty. The hodgepodge of memorabilia, clippings, magazine covers, movie posters, etc. (not only from TAGS, but also relating to the show's stars at various stages of their careers) is more wearying than diverting. It doesn't help that the entire book is in black and white, that the type is miniscule or that most of the photos are of reject quality.

This "scrapbook" does have one huge thing in its favor: enthralling interviews with stars Andy Griffith, Don Knotts, Ron Howard and many of the supporting players, some of whom are no longer with us. For diehards, the interviews alone might justify the purchase price.

To his credit, Lee Pfeiffer is enthusiastic and knowledgeable about his subject, as evidenced in his introduction and interesting episode critiques. It's not his fault that his publisher entrusted a chimpanzee to organize his hard work.

The premise of this book is great. However, it was poorly done. Many of the references make incorrect references to the show and are simply wrong (e.g., quotes attributed to the wrong people, references to story lines that really didn't happen that way, etc.). I started keeping track of these errors and got so disgusted I simply quit reading.

The concept for this book is excellent. The Andy Griffith Show is full of life lessons to be drawn and shared. The content of the book, however, was miles short of Mayberry. Many of the "lessons" lacked a clear connection to an episode, leaving me to figure it out for myself. To quote Briscoe Darling, this book "ain't worth the pain."

Any fan of The Andy Griffith Show will absolutely love this book. Content is inspirational and very well done. Cover photo is beautiful.