RIP Ken Berry

[Jake from State Farm]

With Capt. Parmenter gone, Larry Storch, at 95, is the last one standing from F-Troop

Ken Berry, TV Actor in ‘F-Troop,’ ‘Mayberry R.F.D,’ Dies at 85

 

[Michael_ Gee]

For my money, the best TV theme song/opening credits combo ever.

 

[garrow]

That headline left off Mama's Family for a reason. RIP.

 

[Azrael]

Tremendous, shamefully under-rated physical comedian.

Pretty good song-and-dance man.

Everywhere on TV in the 60s and 70s.

Rest.

 

[heyabbott]

“ Born in Moline, Ill., Berry started out as a singer and dancer. He served in the U.S. Army special services under Sergeant Leonard Nimoy, entertaining the troops and winning a slot on the “Ed Sullivan Show.”

 

[micropolitan guy]

Mayberry RFD.

And a pretty good CF for the ChiSox in his spare time.

 

[cyclingwriter2]

Having grown up in the 1980s with “mamas family” in syndication and f troop in reruns, I had the image of berry as kind of a lame mamas boy. Years later when seeing Mayberry rfd for the first time, it took me awhile to recognize him because he was playing a confident character. Actually, I remember thinking how big his arms looked and wondering how much he lifted then realizing he was the nerdy guy from other shows. Kind of blew my mind.

 

[goalmouth]

Saw him in The Music Man in local theater early 70s.

 

[heyabbott]

For my money, the best TV theme song/opening credits combo ever.

Great theme songs then, Petticoat Junction, Beverly Hillbillies, Green Acres
Just musically, Hawaii Five 0, Mission Impossible, Hogan’s Hero’s

 

[BadgerBeer]

My God Mayberry RFD was a horrible ****ing show.

 

[BTExpress]

Roughly the same cast as the forgettable post-Don Knotts Andy Griffith Show, minus Andy and Opie.

Danny Bonaduce and Jodie Foster actually had three appearances apiece on the show, however.

 

[DanOregon]

It was AfterMash before AfterMash. Let's keep the show, but dump all the characters you really like and fashion a show around the characters you soon realize were supporting actors for a reason.

 

[Starman]

Having grown up in the 1980s with “mamas family” in syndication and f troop in reruns, I had the image of berry as kind of a lame mamas boy. Years later when seeing Mayberry rfd for the first time, it took me awhile to recognize him because he was playing a confident character. Actually, I remember thinking how big his arms looked and wondering how much he lifted then realizing he was the nerdy guy from other shows. Kind of blew my mind.

He was awful in Mayberry RFD, too.

 

[Starman]

Roughly the same cast as the forgettable post-Don Knotts Andy Griffith Show, minus Andy and Opie.

Danny Bonaduce and Jodie Foster actually had three appearances apiece on the show, however.

Andy had been mailing it in the last several seasons, too.

I think he saw **** Van Dyke get the smash film role in "Mary Poppins," and figured, "why not me?", and as a result got bored and lazy with the teevee show. Remember, Andy had been a fairly substantial up-and-coming movie actor prior to the teevee show.

Ken Berry, I suppose, didn't do a bad job in his role, but his role was just boring as all hell.

 

[poindexter]

This doesn't relate to Ken Berry, RIP, but Warren replacing Don Knott's character may have been the worst replacement character in sitcom history.

 

[Slacker]

It was AfterMash before AfterMash. Let's keep the show, but dump all the characters you really like and fashion a show around the characters you soon realize were supporting actors for a reason.

The "Howard Sprague Tries a Beer" episode was noteworthy, though.

 

[Starman]

This doesn't relate to Ken Berry, RIP, but Warren replacing Don Knott's character may have been the worst replacement character in sitcom history.

Jim Nabors as Gomer could have stepped in, but they spun him off into his own show almost the same time Don Knotts left.

Since "GPUSMC" became quite a substantial hit in its own right, I
imagine the producers were ok with the tradeoff in the long run.

Andy himself had hit comic gold with "No Time For Sergeants" before the start of the teevee show, and TAGS was originally planned to showcase Andy as the comic star, before they discovered Knotts, made him the comic lead, and turned Andy into the avuncular straight man.

By 1965 Andy probably figured it was too late to go back and make Andy Taylor the wild and crazy guy he was originally supposed to be. Or he didn't feel like trying.

Maybe ... they should have married him off to a sexy witch or a genie!

Having Barbara Eden (or the equivalent) bouncing around Mayberry in a harem outfit would certainly have livened up the storylines.

 

[poindexter]

Jesus... Howard Sprague, Ken Berry, the Warren character.

Someone on the 'talent recruiting side' should have been fired.

Gomer and Goober were terrible as well.

That shows just how strong the main set of Andy Griffith characters were.

 

[Starman]

Ehhh, Nabors was pretty good as Original Gomer, playing a version of the hillbilly-yokel character Andy had hit big with in "No Time For Sergeants."
Goober was ok but a less focused knockoff.

 

[BTExpress]

Even taking away the obvious horrible Barney/Warren trade . . .

Floyd and Otis and Gomer > Howard and Emmett and Goober