Is ‘Council of Dads’ returning?
in 2000-04, and Rita Calhoun in more than a dozen “SVU” episodes, she has had significant roles in the TV series “Manifest,” “Homeland,” “House of Cards,” “Person of Interest,” “Fargo” and more. Movie appearances include “Lincoln,” “Gifted” and the remake of “True Grit.” And there has been theater work, for example in a Broadway production of “King Lear” starring Glenda Jackson.
A recent question and answer about the old “Andy Griffith Show” apparently prompted a slew of other questions about the comedy. I’ve combined the questions and answers below.
Q: In all the shows I’ve watched, I have not seen a single mention of Opie’s mom or whatever happened to her. Am I missing one where this is explained? Before Barney started dated Thelma Lou, he had some sort of girlfriend named Juanita. Did she ever make on to the screen, or was just appeared off camera by phone? All the characters had a job of sorts. What about Thelma Lou? She just seems to hang out with Barney, Andy and Helen!
A: With help including “The Andy Griffith Show Book” by Ken Beck and Jim Clark, here are some answers:
It was on “The Danny Thomas Show,” which included the pilot for Griffith’s show, that we learned that Andy’s wife — Opie’s mom — died when Opie was a “speck of a baby.”
Barney was fond of Juanita Beasley, a local waitress, who was never seen on-screen. (Viewers did see Juanita Pike, one of Mayor Pike’s daughters.)
According to Beck and Clark, Thelma Lou “works in an office in town (we’re never told exactly where she works or what she does).”
Do you have a question or comment about entertainment past, present and future? Write to Rich Heldenfels, P.O. Box 417, Mogadore, OH 44260, or brenfels@gmail.com. Letters may be edited. Individual replies are not guaranteed.