Return to Mayberry

Return to Mayberry is an American television reunion movie for the 1960s American sitcoms The Andy Griffith Show and, to an extent, Mayberry R.F.D. as well. The movie premiered on April 13, 1986, on NBC, and was the highestrated telemovie of 1986. Sixteen of the original cast members reunited for the movie and its success could have led to additional Mayberry programs, but Griffith was committed to Matlock for the 198687 season.

Andy Taylor Andy Griffith, now living in Cleveland as a US Postal Inspector, returns to his native Mayberry to see his son Opie Ron Howard become a firsttime father, and also to run in the soontobe held sheriffs election, as he has already asked county clerk Howard Sprague Jack Dodson to prepare the paperwork. But when Andy learns that his old deputy and cousin Barney Fife Don Knotts, now back in Mayberry working as acting sheriff, announced his own candidacy while Andy was on the road back to town he quietly tells Opie, I wont run against Barney.Andy goes to visit Barney at the sheriffs office. Barney tells Andy that he decided to run for sheriff because nobody else would, and then his opponent Ben Woods decided to run shortly afterward. Andy then mentions that Barneys old girlfriend Thelma Lou, newly divorced after less than two years, is back in Mayberry staying with her sister Barney nonchalantly says hell eventually go and see her. As Barney leaves to teach a safety class at school, theyre accosted by Ernest T. Bass standing on the base of the town flagpole, and who gives them a cryptic rhyme Your hair was brown but now its gray make that monster go away. The monster is revealed to be an elaborate publicity stunt orchestrated by young businessman Wally Butler Richard Lineback, who bought an oriental restaurant outside of town and added a hotel. Butler found some old dragon artifacts, presumably left by the restaurants former owners, and hired Ernest T. to perpetuate a hoax at Myers Lake to attract customers by stealing some neighbors chickens and dogs to make people think they were eaten by the monster. ........

Source: Wikipedia