Aneta Corsaut named this Mayberry character after a friend, who turned around and sued the show

The real Phil Sunkel was a hip trumpet player, too.

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The Mayberry Band
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Mayberry is about the last place you'd expect to find a hipster, but sure enough, a hep cat strolled into town once and again. In the Andy Griffith Show episode "The Mayberry Band," Mayor Roy Stoner finds the Mayberry Band to be in a despicable state. He considers the marching band the worst in the entire state of North Carolina — and a disgrace to the good name of Mayberry. In Mayor Stoner's defense, the musicians do stumble through "Stars and Stripes Forever" in a rather atonal manner.

But Andy has a plan. You see, traveling rock-and-rollers Freddy Fleet and his band happen to be passing through town on tour. So Sheriff Andy enlists them as ringers in the Mayberry Band.

One of the touring musicians, in particular, gets a good amount of screen time (and laughs). Like Maynard G. Krebs of The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis, the fellow is a certain breed of beatnik jazz head. This trumpet player sports a Van Dyke goatee and spouts lines like, "Don't worry about it, daddy." When Barney meets him and offers to shake his hand, this city slicker gives Barney "some skin." That's a musician's handshake, though it looks more like a complicated palm massage.

Anyway, this hipster trades in his cardigan for epaulets and joins the Mayberry Band. When the assembled band with its ringers lines up to practice in the street, this dude needs no sheet music. He tells Andy he'll "read his lips" instead.

The name of this horn blower is Phil Sunkel. Aneta Corsaut, who portrayed schoolteacher and love interest Helen Crump on the show, named the character. She suggested the name to screenwriter Jim Fritzell in tribute to a friend of hers. 

You see, Corsaut happened to know a cool jazz horn player named Phil Sunkel. Wouldn't it be a cute honor to have this television character named after him?

Well, the real Phil Sunkel did not find it so amusing. Actually, according to sources, Sunkel sued The Andy Griffith Show for $20,000 (about $180,000 today) for using his name without permission. The producers ended up settling with the jazz musician for $5,000. We suppose that's what you call a "Sunkel" cost. Corsaut, reportedly, was in anguish over the ordeal.

The real Phil Sunkel was a trumpet player from Ohio, who recorded swing and cool jazz predominantly in the 1950s. Phil Sunkel's Jazz Band released its lone LP, Every Morning I Listen To...., in 1956. Two years later, jazzers Gerry Mulligan and Bob Brookmeyer collaborated on an album called Play Phil Sunkel's Jazz Concerto Grosso. Sunkel also played trumpet alongside such greats as Gil Evans and Stan Getz.

He did not, however, ever join a community marching band headed for Raleigh. His loss. Well, his gain, we suppose. Five grand, to be exact.

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22 Comments

KeithBowman 55 months ago
They don't always show the episodes in the order in which they are shot.
Dario KeithBowman 42 months ago
That's true with a lot of classic TV shows that are rerunned(sp?) a lot, but for the most part, most shows are shown in chronological order.
anscaf 60 months ago
I guess she was associated with somebody on the show to tell them about the name, imdb.com says the episode you are talking about aired on 11/19/1962, and Ms. Corsaut was not on the show until 03/04/1963. It is possible that imdb is wrong, tho.
rycki1138 anscaf 42 months ago
The IMDb trivia page for that episode says that Aneta Corsaut was a friend of the episode writer, Jim Fritzell.
Craigg 60 months ago
"The Mayberry Band" was the 8th episode of the 3rd season, airing in November 1962. The first episode with Helen Crump was episode 23 of that season, airing in March of 1963. I guess Ms. Corsaut could have been hanging around months earlier, but seems unlikely.
anscaf Craigg 60 months ago
Ha, I swear I did not see your comment until after I posted mine!
Connor 64 months ago
So if she was in anguish over this she must have really been hurting over doing her married boss
Jacqueline05478 Connor 64 months ago
What are talking about? This is so disrespectful.
jomo Jacqueline05478 60 months ago
According to Wikipedia she and Andy had an affair while she was on the show.
Jacqueline05478 jomo 60 months ago
Thanks jomo, I had never heard or read about that rumor. I hate to sound so naive but I'm really surprised but I guess I shouldn't be.
Xsquid Jacqueline05478 24 months ago
Wouldn’t disrespectful be what her and Andy was to his wife?
Stephen 64 months ago
"reportedly, was in anguish over the ordeal " ... LOL

Probably the only break, he ever got.
64 months ago
Never could stand "Aneta" Corseaut.
DeborahRoberts Pilaf 60 months ago
Wow. Did you know her well, "Pilaf"?
CourtenayRoutt Pilaf 42 months ago
She was good in "The Blob" but I never thought she was right for Pete Malloy.
* In THE BLOB Aneta & Steve McQueen (both newcomers at the time) seemed to be doing their dialog in bored monotone with a kind of "We're just doing this shlock sci-fi for easy $$$" attitude. She was also an orthodox Jewish man's daughter on a Bonanza episode. A very good actress beyond the Helen character. ☺
Fred_Clampett 64 months ago
When the gigs are slow, marijuana and espressos don't come cheap.
Eye4truth 64 months ago
what a di**
jvf Eye4truth 64 months ago
Agreed!
RedSamRackham Eye4truth 37 months ago
* I've seen the episode numerous times and do not even recall the name of the character even mentioned. ♣
ndebrabant 64 months ago
Not much of a friend, was he?
jvf ndebrabant 64 months ago
Exactly what I thought.
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