Howard McNear Movies

It is time for the annual Mayberry Founders Day celebration, and the committee has decided to hold a beauty contest. Sheriff Andy is all for the idea-until he is appointed to judge the contest. Making matters worse, Andy's girlfriend Ellie is one of the contestants. How is the Sheriff going to get out of this predicament without hurting everyone's feelings-and messing up his own love life? The solution provided by scriptwriters Jack Elinson and Charles Stewart is in keeping with the warmth, humanity and insight that always set The Andy Griffith Show apart from its sitcom competitors. "The Beauty Contest" was originally telecast on January 23, 1961. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Andy infuriates Aunt Bee with his assertion that all the Mayberry women are gossips. To get even, she fabricates a rumor that a travelling shoe salesman is really a talent scout for the TV series Manhattan Show Time. Five points to anyone who guesses what happens next! Like many first-season episodes, "Those Gossipin' Men" was written by Jack Elinson and Charles Stewart. The program first aired on January 16, 1961. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Jean Hagen guest-stars as beautiful but reckless motorist Liz Crowley, who is arrested for doing 70 in a 45-mile zone by Mayberry sheriff Andy Taylor. Using her considerable charm-and her seemingly limitless monetary resources-Elizabeth manages to coerce witnesses Opie, Floyd and Barney into changing their testimony in court. But upon realizing the extent to which she has humiliated Andy, Liz decides to set things right. Written by Jack Elinson and Charles Stewart, "Andy and the Woman Speeder" originally aired on October 16, 1961. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In need of a new sheriff, the nearby town of Greendale offers the job to deputy Barney, on the basis of a newspaper story praising the efficiency of the two-man Mayberry police department. Realizing that Barney would be in way over his head, Andy contrives to make himself scarce so that Barney can experience first-hand the awesome and daunting responsibilities of High Sheriff. The guest cast includes Ralph Dumke as Greendale's Mayor Purdy and Dabbs Greer as Councilman Dobbs. Written by Ben Gershman and Leo Solomon, "Sheriff Andy" was originally telecast on December 25, 1961. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The citizens of Mayberry are duly impressed when an FBI man and a press photographer arrive in town to celebrate Sheriff Andy for making Mayberry the most crime-free city in the county. Andy is likewise impressed-until he notices that the FBI agent allows himself to be photographed. Sure enough, the two strangers turn out to be crooks, who have breezed into town to rob the local bank. Best bit: Barney making a great show of locking up that "mad killer" Otis Campbell. Scripted by a pre-Beverly Hillbillies Paul Henning, "Crime-free Mayberry" originally aired on November 20, 1961. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The title character in this standard comedy about the foibles of military life is Archie Hall (Robert Mitchum), a puffed-up dandy whose strutting personality makes the other privates in a Civilian Pilot Training program absolutely certain he is a spy. They figure him for a multiple-star general, out to entrap a Japanese spy by the unlikely name of Cindy (France Nuyen). A series of enlisted men and officers contribute to the misadventures due to the misunderstanding, including comics like Don Knotts as Captain Little and Louis Nye as Private Sam Beecham. Jack Webb directs, and plays the role of Archie's sidekick. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide

Walter Pidgeon is the nominal star of Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, portraying Admiral Harriman Nelson, the designer of the submarine Seaview, a glass-nosed research submarine. The sub embarks on her shakedown cruise under the polar ice cap as the movie begins. Upon surfacing, however, the crew discovers that the entire sky is on fire -- the Van Allen radiation belt has been ignited by a freak meteor shower, and the Earth is being slowly burnt to a cinder. Nelson and his colleague, Commodore Lucius Emery (Peter Lorre), devise a plan to extinguish the belt using one of the Seaview's nuclear missiles, but they are denounced at an emergency meeting of the United Nations. Disregarding the UN vote against him, Nelson decides to go forward with his plan before the Earth is destroyed, hoping to get the approval of the president of the United States while his ship races from New York to the Marianas in the Pacific to launch its missile on time and target, with the world's navies hunting her down and communication with Washington impossible because of the fire in the sky. Nelson must combat not only the threats from other ships but also the doubts of his own protégé, Commander Lee Crane (Robert Sterling), the captain of the Seaview, about his plan and his methods, and the growing suspicion -- being spread by Dr. Susan Hiller (Joan Fontaine), a psychiatrist who was visiting the vessel -- about his sanity, as well as the growing discontent of the crew, who would like to see their families before the end of the world, and the presence of one religious fanatic (Michael Ansara) who thinks the fire in the sky is God's will. Worse still, there appears to be a saboteur -- and possibly more than one -- aboard. The plot is episodic in pacing and features elements that were clearly derived in inspiration from Disney's 1954 production of Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, such as Nelson's eccentricity and the "outlaw" status of his ship; but the undersea maneuvers to tap the trans-Atlantic telephone cable (in order to reach Washington), the battle with a giant squid, a duel with an attack submarine, and a harrowing tangle with a WWII mine field would become standard elements of the series of the same name that followed this movie two years later. Pidgeon brings dignity if not a huge amount of energy to the role of the admiral, and Lorre, Fontaine, Ansara, and Henry Daniell (playing Nelson's scientific nemesis) add some colorful performances, and Barbara Eden, as Nelson's secretary, is pretty to look at; and there are some excellent supporting performances by Delbert Monroe (aka Del Monroe, who appeared later in the series, as Kowalsky), Mark Slade, John Litel, Howard McNear, and Robert Easton. The real "star" of the movie, however, is the submarine Seaview and the special effects by L.B. Abbott, which, to be fully appreciated, should be seen in a letterboxed presentation of the movie. ~ Bruce Eder, All Movie Guide

One of a handful of Elvis Presley vehicles for United Artists release, Follow That Dream is a leisurely comedy/musical with a homey appeal that will delight even non-Presley fans. Based on Richard Powell's novel Pioneer Go Home, the film casts Elvis as Toby Kwimper, the most responsible member of an itinerant rural family comprised of Pop Kwimper (Arthur O'Connell) and nubile cousin Holly Jones (Anne Helm). Claiming "squatter's rights," the Kwimpers set up housekeeping, much to the dismay of local gamblers Carmine (Jack Kruschen) and Nick (Simon Oakland). In an attempt to force the family off their land, social worker Alicia Claypool (Joanna Moore) tries to prove that Toby is "degenerate," but succeeds only in making a fool of herself. Beyond a handful of pleasant songs, the film's highlights include Elvis' unwitting breakup of the local gambling casino, and the climactic trial scene featuring Roland Winters as a dyspeptic but basically likeable judge. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Fred tries out his hypnotic skills on Wilma, but she only laughs at his efforts. However, Fred's mesmerizing does have a unique effect on Barney--who is now convinced that he's a dog! Howard McNear, better known as Floyd the Barber on The Andy Griffith Show, is heard as an aphorism-spouting doctor, and there's a terrific punchline gag in the climactic dog-pound scene. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

When someone takes a shot at wealthy Diana Dangerfield (Diana Millay), Bart (Jack Kelly) gallantly comes to her rescue. Alas, Diana is convinced that Bart himself faked the shooting merely to meet her--and now he finds himself accused of robbery and murder. Cast as the ineffectual sheriff of Dangerfield is Howard McNear, who had originated the role of Doc Adams on the radio version of Gunsmoke, and who later entered the Valhalla of TV-sitcom icons with his portrayal of Floyd the Barber on The Andy Griffith Show. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

When a man collapses and apparently dies on the street, the wallet he is carrying is stolen by impoverished Joe Helmer (Jeremy Slate). Examining the wallet's contents, Joe finds a card indicating that the wallet's owner is suffering from a disease that causes a deathlike state. Consumed by guilt over his failure to check if the man was truly dead, Joe makes a full confession to the police -- little knowing that he is in for the surprise of his life! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The pilot for the long-running CBS sitcom The Andy Griffith Show was seen on February 15, 1960, as an episode of The Danny Thomas Show, "Danny Meets Andy Griffith." As originally conceived, Andy Taylor (Andy Griffith) was not only the sheriff of the sleepy North Carolina town of Mayberry, but he was also the mayor, justice of the peace, and newspaper editor. Child actor Ronny Howard (who, as Ron Howard, would in adulthood enjoy a spectacularly successful career as a film director) was seen in the pilot as the widowed Andy's son Opie, but Frances Bavier played an entirely different role than she would in the actual series, while Frank Cady rather than Hal Smith was cast as town drunk Otis Campbell. While there would be changes in concept and casting, the laid-back character of Andy Taylor "clicked" with TV audiences, ensuring that The Andy Griffith Show would join the Monday night CBS lineup come October 3, 1960. Introduced as regulars during season one were of course Andy Griffith, Ronny Howard, and Frances Bavier (now as Aunt Bee, housekeeper for Andy and Opie Taylor), with the significant and salutary addition of Don Knotts as Andy's tightly wound deputy Barney Fife. The rapport between Andy and Barney contributed mightily to the series' success during its shakedown season, with nominal leading character Andy often voluntarily taking a back seat to Barney's overzealous antics. Subsequent additions to the cast included Jim Nabors as bucolic gas station attendant Gomer Pyle (later spun off into his own series, Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.); George Lindsey as Gomer's cousin, Goober Pyle; Howard McNear as dithery barber Floyd Lawson; and Hal Smith as the aforementioned Otis Campbell. Taking advantage of Andy Taylor's widower status, the series' writers tried to pair the character off with a number of eligible young ladies, beginning in the first season with Elinor Donahue as drugstore sales clerk Ellie Walker. But only when Aneta Corsaut joined the cast as Opie's schoolteacher Helen Crump did Andy find the "right" girl. Indeed, Andy and Helen would become engaged during the series' final season. Conversely, Barney Fife had but one steady girlfriend, Thelma Lou, played by Betty Lynn.
Don Knotts left the series at the outset of its sixth season (the show switched from black-and-white to color at the same time); it was explained that Barney had accepted a deputy position in Raleigh, permitting Knotts to make a handful of memorable return guest appearances. Barney was briefly replaced by Deputy Warren Ferguson, played by Jack Burns; later on, Goober Pyle became Andy's unofficial deputy. The post-Don Knotts episodes brought forth several other new recurring characters: Jack Dodson as town clerk Howard Sprague, Paul Hartman as handyman Emmet Clark, and Hope Summers as Aunt Bee's best friend, Clara. During the Emmy-winning series' eighth season, Andy Griffith decided to leave the show. At this point, Ken Berry was added to the cast as widowed farmer and later town councilman Sam Jones, with Buddy Foster as Sam's son Mike and Arlene Golonka as Sam's girlfriend, Millie Hutchins. After the final telecast of The Andy Griffith Show on September 16, 1968, the series continued for three additional seasons under the title Mayberry RFD, with Ken Berry taking over as star and with most of the familiar Andy Griffith Show supporting characters still in attendance. One of the most consistently popular sitcoms of all time, The Andy Griffith Show lasted 249 half-hour episodes, and also spawned the high-rated 1986 TV movie Return to Mayberry. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide