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Ron Howard explained why The Andy Griffith Show wasn't as simple as everyone assumed
It takes a lot of work to make something look easy.
While the sitcom is a well-loved genre, it’s rarely given the credit it deserves. Making people laugh isn’t just spur-of-the-moment improvisation; it’s the product of keen determination and hard work.
Even at a young age, Ron Howard understood the considerable effort that went into creating a comedic television series. Today, Howard is known as a talented film director. But when he was just a child, Howard was offered the rare opportunity to learn production at the foot of the master, Andy Griffith.
Howard portrayed little Opie Howard on The Andy Griffith Show. The performer recently spoke about his experience during an interview. Howard acknowledged that as a child actor, he was afforded various privileges that plenty of children could only dream of, and he had no intention of taking that for granted.
Watch The Andy Griffith Show on MeTV!
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*available in most MeTV markets“Look, I tried not to screw things up, and I was given a lot of advantages, including growing up on that show,” Howard said during an interview with Vulture. “The environment was super-creative.”
Howard emphasized that what made The Andy Griffith Show was its deceptively plain nature.
“The show looks so simple, but it was all about this very precise problem-solving,” said Howard. “I would see scenes suddenly become funny or work. Because it wasn’t done in front of an audience, and even though we were working quickly, what Andy wanted was a truthfulness. But it still required perfect timing and exactly the right tone. Andy was always annoyed that the media didn’t really embrace the show.”
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