Before he was an actor, a writer, and a producer, Andy Griffith was a proud Southern man. Even after he became all of those things and had enough fame and money to last a lifetime, he was still proud of his Southern roots. This pride was so overwhelming that Griffith made an effort to inject a bit of his past into nearly every role he played.

Griffith had previously based the town of Mayberry in The Andy Griffith Show on his southern hometown. This included extensive work to ensure that the town of Mayberry felt like a real town to viewers, and Griffith was determined to pay his home the respect it was due.

Griffith's drive didn't end with The Andy Griffith Show. During an interview with The Birmingham News, Griffith confessed that he shared more than a few similarities with his character, defense attorney Ben Matlock.

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"I am from a little town in North Carolina," said Griffith. "I have chosen to keep one foot in that life and my other foot in this life, and I've had success with that. This man does the same thing. He is from a little community outside of Atlanta, and he had chosen to keep one foot in that life and the other foot in this other life. And as far as his being a country lawyer, a down-home fellow, he's the kind of guy who will let you believe anything you choose to believe as long as it works in his corner."

Griffith was proud of where he came from and was determined to set the record straight on those from the South who had a less-than-impressive reputation on television.

"I'm glad I got a chance to say this," said Griffith. He's [Ben Matlock] a Southerner, and I'm glad I got a chance to tell Jane Pauley on the Today show that there are a lot of Southerners who are very bright."