Ron Howard on The Andy Griffith Present stars
Ron Howard is remembering a time, way back.
American director and movie producer took a nostalgic journey down reminiscence lane on February 15, sharing a candy throwback photograph of himself with The Andy Griffith Present legends Andy Griffith and Don Knotts.
The Oscar-winning director posted the image on Instagram, revealing that the 2 sitcom icons shocked him on the set of Ransom again within the late ‘90s.
“A fun photo of the day in ‘97 when #AndyGriffith and #DonKnotts surprised me with a visit to the set of #Ransom in #Queens,” Howard, 70, captioned the post. “It was recently confirmed that Don and I were actually distant cousins!”
Howard, of course, played Opie Taylor on The Andy Griffith Show from 1960 to 1968, landing the role at just 5 years old.
He starred as the adorable son of Griffith’s Sheriff Andy Taylor, while Knotts played the hilariously overzealous Deputy Barney Fife—a performance that earned him five Emmy Awards.
While Howard later became known for his role as Richie Cunningham on Happy Days, he ultimately followed his childhood dream of becoming a filmmaker.
The Apollo 13 director once told PEOPLE that even as a young actor, he had his sights set on working behind the camera. “Andy was like a beautiful uncle to me,” he shared. “He created an environment of onerous work and enjoyable that I attempt to convey to my films.”
Howard, Griffith, and Knotts reunited for one final Mayberry journey within the 1986 TV film Return to Mayberry, the place Opie turned a first-time dad and Barney (briefly) took on the function of sheriff earlier than handing it again to Andy.
Sadly, each Griffith and Knotts have since handed away—Knotts in 2006 at age 81 and Griffith in 2012 at 86.
However their affect on Howard stays robust.
In a June 2024 dialog with Conan O’Brien, Howard mirrored on why The Andy Griffith Present was so beloved. In accordance with him, it was all because of Griffith’s artistic instincts.
“It was so much a function of kind of a singular creative voice,” he stated. Whereas Griffith wasn’t formally credited as a producer, Howard defined, “It was his show, it was tailored to his sensibility.”
And when it got here to comedic selections, Griffith had a transparent imaginative and prescient.
“Andy used to kill jokes if they were too broad. He just kept saying, ‘The South is plenty funny on its own,’” Howard recalled. For Griffith, authenticity was key—one thing that made The Andy Griffith Present stand out from different slapstick-heavy sitcoms of its time.
Howard’s throwback submit is proof that whereas many years have handed, his time in Mayberry—and the friendships he made there—will at all times maintain a particular place in his coronary heart.