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HTF REVIEW: The Andy Griffith Show - The Complete Second Season (1 Viewer)

David Von Pein

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Here's an interesting little (semi)-blooper I noticed in the first-season "Andy Griffith" episode, entitled "Ellie For Council".

There's a scene when Andy enters the drugstore, and a magazine rack is visible in the background. And one of the easily-discernible magazines being displayed on this rack is this "TV Guide" featuring Lucille Ball on the cover.....



The 'gaffe' being: That TV Guide is from October 1954. The Andy ep. is from Dec. 1960.

This brings up a quite unique thing about "TAGS" -- I'd never really thought about this before -- but I can think of literally ZERO instances where any part of an 'Andy' episode has been "dated" or "time-stamped" in any manner to show just WHEN it was filmed. (With perhaps the exception of "Man In A Hurry", when Mr. Tucker exclaims "Men are orbiting the Earth".)

There is not a single reference to "President Eisenhower" or "President Kennedy" or any other real-life topical inferences at all. Can anyone think of any?

Rather interesting. Perhaps that's part of the reason the series has a "timeless" quality to it. Much like "The Dick Van Dyke Show" as well; but in Dick's case, there are a few references that "date" the material. But in Andy's case, I can't think of a one (except that "Malcolm Tucker" quote).

Of course, that TV Guide 'blooper' begs the next question -- Why would the "TAGS" crew have a 6-year-old copy of TV Guide lying around the studio to use as a drugstore prop? But, quite obviously, they did.

I recall, however, that as a young-un I used to collect boxes full of old TV Guides. Wish I still had 'em today -- including this January 1961 issue with Andy & Opie (the first-ever "TAGS"-related TV Guide cover)........

 

Joe Lugoff

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I could guess at the reason. Although not produced by Desilu, the show was filmed at Desilu studios, and maybe the prop department only had TV Guides with Desilu shows on the cover.

I know Mayberry is a slow-moving town, but six year old TV Guides still on the magazine racks are a little ridiculous! :D

I still have some of my old TV Guides from back then. In fact, I have this one:

 

David Von Pein

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Yes. Good point. I hadn't thought of the "Desilu" tie-in. You could be correct, sir.

Although I'm sure Lucy donned the cover of a TV Guide well after 1954. In fact, Lucy's pic was on the cover of TV Guide in July 1960, which would come much closer to the time of "Andy-Season 1" than would the '54 cover. Here's the 1960 cover, promoting the "Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour"......



One other thing I did notice about that TV Guide cover that is shown on-camera in the drugstore on TAGS -- The word "Guide" is 'blacked-out' from the cover. It just says "TV" with the familiar TV-Guide "circle" around it.

This is similar to when TV programs show Pepsi-Cola cans and have the word "Pepsi" covered up by a piece of paper (as if the familiar can design wouldn't give it away).

Also: In that same drugstore scene I mentioned which shows the Lucy cover -- there's yet another place in the drugstore where we can also see the "TV Guide" logo (with, again, the word "Guide" conveniently blacked-out). There's some kind of TV Guide display on one of the counters behind Ellie in that very same scene, although no actual magazine can be seen.

(I notice way too much background stuff in these shows I think -- well, just blame it on Paramount, for creating such crystal-clear DVD transfers. :))
 

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