Andy and Don: The Making of a Friendship and a Classic American TV Show

I just read a little each day. I thought I will hate to see it end. I just got to the end, reading the final chapters of each of these Great Men's Life. I wept. It was so emotional and so beautifully written. If you are a fan of Mayberry or Andy and Don themselves this is an Excellent read. Truly a must have.

This is a great book for anyone who like the Andy Griffith show. Very interesting from the beginning and behind the scenes of Andy and Don.

I found this to be exactly as the title suggests "Andy and Don". It is a general biography of both men and a celebration of their life long friendship on and off the stage. If you think that Andy was really Andy Taylor and Don was really Barney Fife, you may be disappointed to find out that they were in fact flawed, just like the rest of us. The book didn't try to hide these things but didn't dwell on them either. Both had a wondering eye, married three times each, drank a fair amount, Andy had a temper...etc. Nothing to me was scandalous, unless you live in Mayberry, but in Hollywood they seemed to be pretty stand up guys that mostly paid for their mistakes.This is a very well written book and I found it to be refreshingly balanced. I'm sure it could have turned into the National Enquirer and maybe would have sold more copies. Instead, it remains true and honest to it's title and presents these two guys as the talented, yet less than perfect men that they were. This is a very intersesting biography of both men that simply tells their story.I'm old enough to have watched The Andy Griffith Show in the sixties when it first came on, and I did, I still love to watch it now. Knowing that Andy and Barney made mistakes along the way doesn't change the fact that Mayberry was a magical place and so were it's people, just not perfect. It's a good book.

This is a great book for any Andy Griffith fan! I flew through it and enjoyed getting to learn more about andy, don, and their friendship. The writing was also very good and didn't feel like just a spitting out of facts. The book also touches on other actors that were part of the show which was fascinating to read about as well. I would highly recommend checking it out!

Read from cover to cover. Lots of interesting scoop. Whether everything in this book is absolutely factual or not I can not say; however, I tend to believe most of what I read. The reader should be prepared to realize that these two great actors were human beings and not the personalities they portrayed. With this in mind, I found the book very interesting. If you are a fan of the show and enjoy Andy and Don as the characters they portrayed (Andy and Barney) then stick with watching the show and enjoy. This book is pretty blunt and revealing. It is probably the closest writing one will ever find since Andy never published an autobiography. A must have for the serious fan.

Still reading it and enjoying it it's a lot to read but it's well worth it

I'm giving this book five stars because it's well-written and deftly weaves back and forth between Andy's and Don's story, providing important biographical context; describing how they came into contact with each other; and chronicling the evolution of their friendship that spanned multiple decades and lasted throughout the remainder of their lives. Along the way, it also provides interesting insights into the classic television show that was largely responsible for the fame and notoriety they enjoyed. So on those two accounts, this book delivers in spades. But as some have noted, there's a lot of sadness covered here as well. Despite the idealism, values, and gentle humor the "The Andy Griffith Show" brought forth on a weekly basis during its 8-year prime time run and continues to present nearly five decades after it left the air, there was a dark side to each of the two main characters - one stemming from a Jekyll-and-Hyde family upbringing, and the other perhaps from a tendency to hold long-lasting grudges and succumb to temptations. So if you don't want to face the reality that Andy and Don in real life didn't line up particularly well with Andy and Barney of Mayberry, then you might want to pass on this one. That said, one of them experienced somewhat of a return to the good values on which he was raised and with God's grace, was able to overcome a lot of the demons that plagued a large part of his adult, professional years. The other, I'm afraid, might not have been so fortunate. But it is true that both shared a deep, abiding friendship and love for each other, and that's the central focus of the book. As a lifelong fan of the show, I'm glad I read the book. I learned a lot of interesting things about the show; how things were done in the golden era of television; and the pressures and expectations that often accompany the fame. Portions of the book saddened me; other parts relieved some of the sadness. And while I'll always enjoy the show, I don't think I'll quite ever view it again as idyllically as I once did. Mayberry is nice place to fantasize about, perhaps even long to visit or live in because of its good people with good values and simple lives, but we live in a world far removed from Mayberry . . . if there ever was a true Mayberry.

As a fan of TAGS, I enjoyed reading this book very much. I never realized the strength of the friendship between Andy and Don, and it was touching to read about the ups and downs of these actors' careers, and how their friendship held up til the end. Don comes out as the better person after reading tho. For all Andy's talk about his love for Don, he refused Don's offer to collaborate and form a partnership as the show came upon five years, and then made an issue years later of a proposed statue to be erected to Don in Don's hometown in West Virginia and then in Mt. Airy, NC. Griffith never seemed to want to share anything with Don, yet it's obvious Don made TAGS successful - winning 5 Emmy's and actually having a more fruitful career than Andy had. Yet they did stay friends til the end, and both were incredible comics and gave the American public a classic show which will continue to stand the test of time. Kudos to Don's brother in law for writing a good book, not some kind of Hollywood tell-all, but an honest and fair depiction of truly a rare and sustaining relationship.

This arrived promptly. No issues. Loved watching the videos.

A great read detailing the long careers and interesting lives of two great actors/entertainers.

The lady that received this book for Christmas really enjoyed it.

I would have liked more information, but Andy was a private person. I don't understand that because he was a very popular actor. I admire his friendship with Don Knotts.

Not quite finished yet but can't put it down.