Andy Griffith (1926-2012), Actor and Comedian

Mikl-em
July 3, 2012

Actor Andy Griffith died today at age 86. He is best known now for his eponymous TV show of the 1960s and for playing the lead in the legal drama Matlock when he was in his 60’s. But Griffith started out as a standup comedian and this monologue about a country fella watching a college football game was the routine that made him famous and led to everything else. This video combines a 1953 performance of the story with illustrations by George Woodbridge from a version for Mad Magazine in 1958. There’s also an original short film that recreates the routine.

In a very different turn from his television work, Griffith starred as the manipulative Larry “Lonesome” Rhodes in the film A Face in the Crowd, one of the great critiques of the power of mass media. Here’s a clip:

Mikl-em

Actor, nerd, poet, producer, writer mikl-em made his name short so you wouldn't have to. In addition to his blog you can find his writing in "Hi Fructose" magazine and witness him almost life-sized in various plays at The Dark Room Theater in SF's Mission district.

He tends to write about theater, humor, San Francisco culture and history, and stuff that's just plain weird. He thanks Scott for sharing the keys to the Laughing Squid virtual HQ and promises to uphold whatever it is that the mirthful cephalopod would prefer to be uplifted.