In a recent interview on Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend, Ron notes that his father believed that the character of Opie had the potential to be a much sweeter and well-mannered boy. He says that his father “took it upon himself to just go up quietly to Andy at one point and say, ‘Now I see they’re writing Opie kind of the way they write the Rusty Hamer character on Danny Thomas.’ And like so many shows, where he’s a wise ass. And he said, ‘You know, Ronnie can do that and everything, but what if he actually respected his father?’” Griffith took his suggestion under consideration and realized this switch-up would be incredibly beneficial for the show and the heartwarming, family-friendly story they were trying to tell. Ron didn’t even know about this interference from his father until years later, when he and Griffith were shooting a Mayberry-related project, and Griffith described the behind-the-scenes process to him.
Changing Opie from a brat to a sweet boy (who still makes mistakes but owns up to them) created what the show needed to portray an endearing and believable connection between father and son. With this alteration to his personality, Opie is a much more realistic child. He might get into trouble in pretty much every episode, but he looks up to his father and is never willfully misbehaving. Without Rance’s push, the relationship between Andy and Opie would have been far less loving, and the air of kindness and heart running throughout the series would have been lacking. It’s also a sign that the creative process for the series was allowed to be collaborative, where thoughtful suggestions were taken into account and incorporated in an authentic way.
Perhaps this edit to Opie’s character is also why Ron Howard was able to escape the dreaded child actor curse. He was permitted to act as a child with respect and deference onscreen and off, which could be why he has gone on to have such an illustrious career. After the show ended when Ron Howard was 14 years old, he went on to star in other projects such as Happy Days and American Graffiti. He has also earned Hollywood’s respect by directing acclaimed movies such as Apollo 13, A Beautiful Mind (for which he won an Oscar), and Frost/Nixon. Although he started as a young Opie, Ron Howards’s father’s intuition about what he was capable of changed the trajectory of his career, as well as that of The Andy Griffith Show itself.
The series showcased one of the most touching father/son relationships onscreen, but now, with these remarks from Ron Howard, fans can see that the real-life connection between a boy and his dad also impacted the show in a major way. Ron Howard’s remembrances of The Andy Griffith Show are a fascinating insight into how this classic television show was brought to life. The behind-the-scenes details about his father’s contributions to his character (and the series at large) offer a clue as to why it’s still so beloved many years later.
