Of course Andy Griffith, who died today at the age of 86, will be best known for the Andy Griffith Show which ran for eight years, but which might live on via reruns forever, or possibly for the nine years of the folksy legal drama Matlock. However, if you have the opportunity, check out A Face in the Crowd, the 1957 film by Elia Kazan that made Griffith a star playing a character wildly unlike the kind, thoughtful men he would later be known for portraying. Someone is going get wise and remake this look at the nature of celebrity someday and probably do a terrible job, but Griffith is great in the role.

This article appears in Jun 28 – Jul 4, 2012.

The editor of the Tucson Weekly. I have no idea how I got here.

4 replies on “RIP, Andy Griffith”

  1. A Face in the Crowd was one his dramatic roles which he performed very well. I agree that it deserves a remake although as you say it will probably be a pale impersonation of the original. And may never happen because Hollywood wouldn’t want to touch anything by Elia Kazan. Griffith also became famous long before his Sheriff Andy days by starring hilarously in No Time for Sergeants both on the Broadway stage and later in a film version. Matlock often suffered from mediocre writing that Andy managed to make plausible. A long life and a pretty good person. RIP and amen.

  2. One of the greatest movies of all time…unforgettable…especially for those of us who have experienced the “show business” jungle…

    Also check out his comedy albums from the 50s…very funny stuff… My favorite was his description of attending a “game of football”…

    RIP…

  4. A Face in the Crowd was a stunning cultural & social critique couched in a engaging drama. It is a study of fame ambition & greed so we know that andy griffith understood these perils (Reminiscent to me of the career of folksy ambitious Jesse Helms – the powerful fundamentalist far right senator from N Carolina who began his career as a reporter).
    Griffith was outstanding in the role, but what made him turn 180% so soon after the film? He certainly had the depth & talent to pursue better venues.. A Face in the Crowd is an entertaining way to discover how media elevates & destroys its “stars”

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