This amazing video simultaneously brought me feelings of great happiness and great sadness. Part of me wants to believe that Mayberry, or maybe just the Mayberry set, still exists somewhere, fully intact and the characters still live there frozen in time.
It does, it’s 2 hours from where I live in mt airy North Carolina, Andy’s real hometown and where the show is based on. It’s a new time though so don’t expect Mayberry from that era.
@@james-he7xv Unfortunately, Mount Airy is just a tourist trap of the worst kind. In the area, however, the view from the top of Mount Pilot is amazing.
If the "40 acre backlot" had not been demolished and redeveloped it would have become the most famous piece of TV history and today would have been such a big visitor attraction and would have been used for many more productions. It's a sad that it's not around today.
On the air from 1960 to 1968- still on in 2022. That tells you what you need to know about how good that show was. I went to college in Raleigh NC in the mid 80’s and had a group of friends that would recant the last night’s syndicated episode almost every day at lunch. We would laugh and talk about all the great lessons that show would teach and how funny it was. In 1988, I moved to the DC area and actually saw the Darlings (Dillards) at a venue called the Birchmere. After the show, I was able to go backstage and actually meet them. I can’t even begin to tell you how wonderful that moment was.
You did a WONDERFUL JOB, I am 61 and to this day I can watch Andy Griffith, I Love Lucy, Gomer Pyle, and get so much enjoyment and laughter out of watching these classics. I will never get to go to those places myself, so thank you for taking me.
My Dad is 70 and I "lent" him the Blu-Ray Box set some years ago. I love to go over to his house and watch it with him... sh!t. I think I'm gonna cry now. Carry on...
@@leesagrrl you made me tear up , I look at these shows and think everybody that brought me so many great memories, and to this day can make me laugh is now passed away except Ron Howard , and I still watch I LOVE LUCY and the the main 4 cast has passed away . The fact that these shows were on 50 years ago and I have seen them more time that I can count, they still bring me happiness. Rock on
Growing up watching all these shows was far better than anything today. As mentioned below, it is sad that most all of these places are now gone, but they were very real to me and still exist when I watch these shows. Thank you for such a well put together history.
Well, we have an unprecedented number of great shows on the air, movie quality. These shows were good, but you don't think "The Sopranos", "Mad Men", "Breaking Bad", "Yellowstone", "Homeland", "24", "Billions" or "Game of Thrones" can stack up to Andy Griffin and Batman?
@@prestonbealle8632 I made mention of growing up watching these shows. I do think it’s a shame that young kids now won’t have the same opportunity to watch shows like Andy Griffin that focus on good wholesome characters. I never cared for Game of Thrones but Breaking Bad, the Sopranos, and Lilyhammer are completely kick ass but that is a comparison of apples and oranges. Shows for kids and shows for adults. Kids don’t need to grow up on the Sopranos.
@@finallyitsed2191 Fair comment. There are still wholesome, upbeat shows but perhaps not with the true life lessons that Andy Griffith delivered in almost every episode. Also such fare as "Leave it to Beaver", "Ozzie and Harriet", and "Father Knows Best" would teach you something while being entertaining.
In 1972 a few of my classmates (me included) were lucky enough to visit Paramont Studios. We got to play in the prop dept. look inside for the labels of costumes to see who wore them. We saw part of an episode of Mission Impossible. Very tall men. We saw Jack Dodson (Howard Sprague) and got his autograph. At the end of the day we had a late lunch where we saw a few actors and actresses but our teacher would not let us interupt their meals. What a great memory
@@wadestevens5659 I should have been more detailed but I am heading for my twilight years but Mayberry RFD and I do believe it was at Paramount. No Andy No Barney No Opie. I did however get the year wrong. 1971 to correct it. I could have been still shaken up over Sylmar Quake
Very well done. I worked at Desilu and MGM back in the day, 1964-1965 in the lighting and electrical department on many of the shows you mentioned. I grew up and lived in Alhambra, CA. Went to Mark Keppel High School. This was a very nice trip down memory lane. I also love StarTrek! Thank you.
Wow! This is so great to read. I provided some history in my comment. Please feel free to correct anything I said that is incorrect. I just wanted to add some details, as I understand them, to the stories told in this video. (At one time in the 90s I worked in home video and our company controlled home video rights to the RKO film library, which is now owned by Warner Media.
Franklin Lake was a popular site for many different TV shows and movies. It is instantly recognizable to anyone who watched the ABC WWII show, Combat! I can still see Sergeant Saunders and his patrol walking down the different paths through the Franklin Lake area. Truly nostalgic.
Awesome video! My dad worked at Desilu as a set medic, told stories of patching up Lucy's knee after a fall on stage. He also works at Ziv Television and various other production companies. I love learning about the history of all this, I was too young at the time he worked there to appreciate it all.
As a lifelong SoCal resident and historic preservation activist (as well as an Andy Griffith Show fan), it makes me sad to see the changes Greater Los Angeles has undergone over the course of my 63-year old life. Because high real estate values here attract developers and Wall Street/foreign investors, many of what made LA a tourist attraction and source of local pride has disappeared. Thanks for your video. Well done!
Thank you for bringing back so many pleasant memories. As a child of the 1960's, I remember " The Andy Griffith show" and the characters of Mayberry. Most of them have passed on as have so many of my family members. We didn't know how good we had it back then. I wish I could get in a time machine and travel back to those days!!!
Exceptional video!! I shared it to the TAGS Andy Griffith Show group, I know they’ll love it like I do! 😁👍🏻 I’m such a nerd for classic tv and film locations!
A friend of mine asked me to work on an independent film she was making. Imagine my surprise when I pulled into the old Desilu studio. It was an honor to just walk around the lot and take in all of it's history.
This is by far THE best video I’ve seen regarding the “then & now” areas of The Andy Griffith Show. The editing, narration, and everything that went into this is “First Class” all the way. There’s no nonsense or wordiness and it gets right to all of the interesting features people clicked on this link to see in the first place. Great historical footage (and obvious knowledge) to compare to current day conditions, as well as some great Star Trek humor. I wish more “RU-vidrs” used this as their standard when making videos. Truly an awesome job…well done!!
To me the Andy Griffith show was the greatest ever. You recreated everything beautifully. We felt like we were on a professional tour of the studios. Great job. You’re very talented. Thank you.
It was on all the time in my house - my 5 young children loved it and as teenagers we still watch episodes frequently - they will go on to watch Andy Griffeth throughout their lives just as I still do in my 50's
I work in the industry and I have worked at every one of these major studios at one time or another, including Warner Bros. Every time I step foot onto these lots, I always take a moment to reminisce on all of these great movies and shows of a classic and wholesome time and place from which they were conceived and flourished. Albeit they were reruns, I watched every single one you mentioned. Andy Griffith was probably my favorite, but really it's hard to pick just one because they were all great. Excellent video, thank you.
Great job on putting this all together. I've seen several good coverages of the old studio'(s), but none as fine as this one. I got to visit a few studio's back in 1969 and loved the tours. Always amazed me the "illusions" they could do making movies and tv shows. Like walking into a building, but in reality they stopped filming once the door opened, and then perhaps days later, picked it up in the studio as they came through the door. Most folks had no idea this was the way it was done. Thanks again for the great memories.
Thank you so much for this. As a 69 year fan of Superman, this has always been hallowed ground. I have the old 40 acres map but had no idea of what it looked like today - until today . Just a great video and history you created. Thanks very much again!
Such a great job. You have such an easy way and your attention to cool details like manhole covers and trees for reference points really gets me excited.
Andy Griffith and Star Trek were two of the best shows ever made. Both were about love. Yes love. And justice. Unfortunately there’s not a lot of that to go around today especially when it comes to television. But we can still enjoy the memories. Thanks for this amazing retrospective. ❤
That was fascinating to see being a fan of those old time shows especially Andy Griffith.. You did a great job with the narration (great voice also) and pointing out a lot of the facts
Eat this stuff up. Often, I'll do the same thing (wander around some historic area that is generally overlooked) pondering what once was. You do a very good job piecing together those things here for Andy Griffith, with an overview of the Desilu Studios facilities, which I have always had a strong interest in. Thank you for doing this, it's actually a benefit to not only fans but people interested in history of the business. Hope you'll take some deeper looks at Desilu operations in the future. Thanks much.
I am glad that you highlighted the scene in “City on the Edge of Forever” where Bill Shatner and Joan Collins stroll past Floyd’s Barber Shop. It always brings a smile to my face!
You've done an excellent job of presenting this information both clearly and with humour. I dearly love the Andy Griffith show and often watch it when I grow nostalgic for innocent times and want to "visit" Mayberry. 😊 Thank you.
Hey Greg! I’m really glad you did this. After living in several California cities, I once again live in Culver City. This Comment was written before I watched most of your video, so there’s some information that’s not quite duplicated, but it covers some of the things your video does, albeit a little more in-depth. I was born in Culver City, Ca. I’ve lived in a number of California cities, and I’m very happy to once again be living in my home town. There were SO many studios here! Starting in the “Silent” era of the 1920’s, there was The Mack Sennett Studios (home of gazillions of two-reel comedies, starting the the silent days, and LOTS of Laurel and Hardy two-reelers came from there), Keystone Studios (home of the Keystone Kops), and of course Desilu Culver (more about that later… and as of this writing, that lot, where Stalag 13 once was, and where HUNDREDS of movies and TV shows were filmed, now has a sign out front that reads “Amazon Studios”). Sennett and Keystone are no longer there. But just drive a couple of blocks West of what was Desilu Culver (also known as the “Forty Acres” lot), and you’ll find SONY Pictures (and Columbia Pictures - SONY owns them both). That property was originally something called “Triangle Studios”, but it’s most famous for having been LOT #1 of M-G-M Studios. Did I say Lot #1? They once had SIX separate lots that ran West of what’s now SONY. Well, FIVE of then did… they ran West between Washington and Culver Boulevards. Lot #6 was where West L.A. College and many condos are now. It’s a couple of residential blocks South of Culver Boulevard on Overland Avenue. Just turn left on Overland when you’re headed past SONY. It’s several residential blocks South of Culver Blvd. And that little shopping center on your right as you’re headed South down Overland Avenue - the one with the Ralphs Supermarket in it, along with the Denny’s in the Northeast corner of that shopping center was once the home of “The Ben-Hur Stables”, where horses for Westerns and exotic animals for the Tarzan movies that were made starting in the 1930’s were housed. M-G-M had so much property, parts of it could look like ANYWHERE on Earth. Hundreds of movies were made there, including those great Musicals M-G-M was famous for. There are a lot of soundstages on Lot #1, and they’ve been named after famous movie stars. The Gene Kelly stage is right next to the Fred Astaire stage. They are identical to each other… just to prevent complaints from the stars, such as “HIS stage is ONE FOOT longer than mine!” There are a million stories about the great studios of Culver City. But those will have to do. I want to see this video!
For years, the geographical concepts of Desilu-Cahuenga/Desilu-Gower and 40 Acres were all conflated into one locational lump. Thank you so much for carefully and happily delineating each location with its own history in the Golden Ages of Film and Television. It was not only informative but exciting to see each location with its own history and character and how they served needs of the industry. Great detective work and we appreciate the service you've done to people like us invested in our cultural legacy.
…I can tell that a lot of thought (and work) went into making this video. I’ve produced (mostly) commercials and recognize most of the locations, so I really enjoyed the history lesson. Thank you for producing and uploading!
I was born in1956 and still live in San Fernando Valley and didn't know most of these locations, it was a fun time for us kids watching these shows when they were first aired.
Really good video. This took a lot of time and effort. The 40 acres back lot was also used on The Green Hornet. On almost every car chase scene, you can see they pass the Mayberry Courthouse over and over. If anyone knows, did Bruce Lee and Andy Griffith ever meet? They shared the same filming location during that time. Andys house in Mayberry was also used on a Gomer Pyle episode. In the episode "I'm Always Chasing Gomers", Gomer accidently gets stuck on Carters plane to "Wichita" while going home to see his Mother. While there, Carter sees Gomer everywhere he looks. It's a funny episode. The exterior shots of the house in this episode is the AG house from the AG show. Some great still pics here also. The pic of Barbara Eden kissing Andy on the cheek is cool. She was drop dead gorgeous back then. Who was the guest star in the pic at 18:32? Looks a little like Bill Bixby from his episode, but may not be. Pluto TV has an AG channel. All Andy all the time. I watch a couple of episodes almost every day. We need a Gomer Channel now! Thanks for the video. I really enjoyed it.
I believe that is Mark Miller who played Bob Rogers the attorney sent to Mayberry for training but who Barney thought was going to replace him in the episode "Barney's Replacement."
Excellent video! I am so grateful that Lucy & Desi made so many shows possible! ✨Thank you for taking the time to show us these important places! They remain very dear to us, as new generations discover them for the first time. 😊
Thanks so much for this wonderful video. Your efforts are greatly appreciated. Incredibly, The Andy Griffith Show is still popular on those nostalgic TV channels. It reminds us boomers of a simpler time in our lives! I love these types of videos to the sets of tv shows and movies. A few years ago we visited Monument Valley and when I returned home, I watch all those John Wayne movies filmed there and paused the movie each time I recognized a rock or cliff I'd just visited! Thanks so much again.
As a huge Andy Griffith and Star Trek TOS fan, I want to thank you for making this. Incredible job to you. Also, I have never seen the flyover video of the back 40. Soooooo cool. A time gone by that will live with me until I'm gone. Thanks again!!!!!!
Nicely done coverage. Brings back awesome memories from my career working as a cinematographer at Paramount Studios for 24 years. I’ve gone thru the Ball entrance on Gower Street having lunch at Astro Burger on the corner of Melrose Ave.
This is a great production Greg and brought back a lot of memories since I grew up here from 1954 to today and watching all these transformations take place. Thank you for sharing your talent.
Those were all my favorite TV shows from the 1960's and '70's. You provided such an interesting and amazing tour and so well done! I will be watching it again. Much thanks
I bought the Blu-Ray Complete Collection a while back. I dearly LOVE watching it. These wonderful Characters were wonderful in Standard Def (and even the bad 6-Hour Mode Recordings I made decades ago on my VCR) and are now so much more vivid and alive in high-def. It's so glorious and sad at the same time. GodSpeed Andy and Don, and the rest who have left us. I may watch Pleasantville tonight... sniff, sniff...
Amazing video! You did a fantastic job. Favorite part was Lucy and Desi leaving the studio…you can see a newspaper box by the door that says papers are .10 cents. This was a wonderful trip down memory lane. Definitely bittersweet.😊❤️
What a great blast from the past. "sneaking" in the Star Trek clips was too cool. I can appreciate the time & hard work you put into this. Great job! Thanks!
I just love watching clips like this. Comparing the places from the 60's and present. Breaks my heart that all these stars are gone. Thank you for this wonderful clip.
Very entertaining. Thanks! Star Trek TOS is my all-time favorite TV program. Followed closely by The Andy Griffith Show. Interestingly, I went on to make Andy's acquaintance several times during the Matlock years, as I did work for him. Always nice to us. Thanks again for posting.
Television has shaped and molded many a young child's mind. Showing the history of how it is and was done brings back so many memories. This is how history should be taught. Thanks so much!!
Great video... I'm 61 and these shows were a big part of my childhood...Lots of memories. Been to Andy's hometown and the museum in Mt. Airy NC twice. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks Greg, I’m 64 now and have come to treasure the Andy Griffith Series that I enjoyed as a child. I appreciate the efforts You’ve gone through to provide this background which while bittersweet (that the Mayberry set is all gone) I loved the way you showed and explained where the locations were. Mayberry will always be real and have a place in my heart.
Great Video. I also have seen all the other videos on Mayberry but you have included lots of photos and some interesting insight to the Andy Griffith show that I had not seen or heard before. Well done. Thank you.
Wonderful video. Thank you. This is amazing. Mt. Airy, NC is a very fun place to visit for Andy Griffith Show fans as well. We loved it. My 12-year-old son had a blast. He and we love the Andy Griffith Show.
This is beyond fabulous and doesn't exist anywhere else. I got a private tour in 1965 when "Batman" and "Star Trek" were in production and hung out on each set with the stars for a day. Mr. Spock gave me one of his ears right off this head, and Robin tried to pick up my 17 year old sister. I though he was being so kind to her until I read in his book that he and Adam West had a rented "sex house" where they took different girls every night before heading home. My sister was about 5 minutes from agreeing to see him after the production day was finished! Also I believe "Mission Impossible" might've been that day but we went to more than one studio that week. My father was in television advertising and the networks were happy to treat him well, since he was their source of revenue.
Thank you Sir. Watching from the Philippines and Sharing with everyone I know. This is THE BEST video presentation I have seen about Desilu and Mayberry
