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TAGSRWC
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Volume 6, Issue 3 |
May 29, 2006 |
*********************************************
"The eBullet"
An Online newsletter of
"The Andy Griffith Show" Rerun Watchers Club (TAGSRWC)
Volume 6, Issue 3
May 29, 2006
*********************************************
Remembering Mayberry Great Harvey Bullock
By Jim Clark
 Photo by Tim McAbee |
| Los Angeles, CA (2004) - NOT MISSING A BEAT--Strolling the red carpet with wife Betty at the 2004 TV Land Awards, Harvey Bullock gleefully hoists his walking cane with the flare and command of a skilled drum major. |
Mayberry sadly lost another giant and more than that, a grand friend, when extraordinary writer Harvey Bullock died on April 23. He was 84.
If you haven't already done so, I encourage you to read about Harvey's wonderful life and career on our www.iMayberry.com Web site. We have included a detailed obituary and other information compiled by Webmaster Allan Newsome, Harvey's family, TAGSRWC, and the Writers Guild of America. There's also a link to our Memorial Page for Harvey, where you are invited to leave your comments and read those left by others, including Harvey's son, Andy.
A memorial "party" for Harvey at his home on April 29 was a lovely send-off for a wonderful human being. The day before the memorial gathering, Harvey's family had scattered his ashes at sea in front of his cliff-top home overlooking the Pacific. The next day, the home was filled with friends-folks that one could tell were longtime friends who truly knew the magic of having Harvey in their lives. Several friends (including Andy Griffith) and members of Harvey's family shared favorite memories about Harvey
The gathering concluded with the beckoning sound of horns and drums out in front of the house. Everyone then went outside to hear a local marching band in full Duke-style blue-and-white uniforms paying tribute to Harvey with several tunes. One lanky saxophone player was wearing more than a Duke-style uniform. He was wearing Harvey's actual Duke uniform from the college days when Harvey was drum major. When the sax player stepped forward for his finale solo, the full emotion of the occasion was delivered.
Having a marching band was the perfect exclamation point for Harvey's farewell party. (He and wife Betty actually had hired a marching band once before for a party.) This man who gave us 31 classic episodes of TAGS (including "The Pickle Story," "Mr. McBeevee," "The Haunted House," "Opie the Birdman" and all of the Malcolm Merriweather episodes) had as much creative brilliance, curiosity about life and genuine interest in people as any person I've ever known. Just his writing...just his Mayberry writing...just "Opie the Birdman"...even just those last two lines of the second act of "Birdman" are enough to rank him as a legendary force.
But Harvey Bullock did so much more. He made whimsical walking canes with training wheels and wooden neckties that were works of art that seemed almost practical. He built Opie birdhouses (including a load of them for TAGSRWC to use as a fund-raiser for Hurricane Andrew relief in 1992.) Harvey even built an electric miniature marching band/flag-waving machine that plays "The Stars and Stripes Forever." He easily could have been a leading engineer or physicist if playing with words hadn't intrigued him so.
One of the things about Harvey that was beyond words was his generosity. He was an encouraging and patient cheerleader for would-be writers, including me. He would sometimes ask me questions, such as, "When you write, do you use an outline?" I had a sense that he had real interest in knowing the methods of other writers. Of course, the real lesson in that question in my case was that it also was not just a question. It was a gentle, instructive tip by one of the greatest writers of all time. Rewritten, that question was an answer: "Jim, none but a blockhead would dare venture to build a career as a writer without regularly using the fundamental tool of an outline."
The black-and-white group photo accompanying this column is from a trip to Harvey and Betty's home that Neal Brower and Jim Ballance (both members of Barney chapter in Greensboro, N.C.) and I made in 1997. Shortly after we arrived, Harvey bestowed the oversized, goofy sunglasses upon us. He had a stash of them in a desk drawer in his office. When you were around Harvey, it seemed the most natural thing in the world to wear those glasses. To this day, I keep my pair on top of my computer monitor. I wear them from time to time, especially when I feel a moment of need for some Harvey-ish inspiration when writing. Lately, I'm wearing them a lot.
For our bedtime reading while we were guests at the Bullocks' home, Harvey allowed us full access to his original TAGS scripts. Imagine our delight. "Mr. McBeevee" (which Harvey's script called "Mr. McTeevee") was my first and still strongest memory of a TAGS episode. The opportunity to read the original script under the roof of the man who created it seemed as make-believe as Mr. McBeevee himself might have been. And yet the experience was also every bit as real and wonderful as Mr. McBeevee turned out to be.
 Photo provided by Jim Clark |
| Dana Point, CA (1997) - HAMMING IT UP WITH HAMMOCKS--Three Goobers (including Neal Brower, left, and Jim Ballance, standing) find that the eyes have it while spending time with Harvey Bullock. It'll be hard to distinguish in this photo, but the T-shirt that Harvey's wearing is one of the original shirts for TAGSRWC's "Who's Been Messin' Up the Bulletin Board?" Chapter, our online chapter of which Harvey was a proud member. |
Those are just a few of so many special memories about Harvey. My goodness...how about his hilarious letters that many friends and fans were fortunate to receive as they corresponded with him over the years. They were as priceless as his episodes.
Please drop by our iMayberry.com site to read some more about this special man, his family, and his amazing, golly-wobbler of a life that was filled to the rim with the magic of "Tuscarora!"
TAGSRWC has made a donation in memory of
Harvey to the family's designated charity, the Duke University Marching
Band. We encourage others who are so
inclined to do the same. Checks should
be made payable to Duke
University with a memo or
cover note earmarking the check as a "Memorial gift in honor of Harvey
Bullock
for the Marching Band Special Projects Fund." Mail your donation to:
Duke University Alumni Records
Box 90581
Durham NC 27708
TAGSRWC also plans to participate in a
Mayberry-related memorial gift to honor Harvey. Pending family
approval, we should have
details ready in time for the July eBullet.
In the meantime, we are left to ponder how it is that, even though our earthly "cage sure looks awful empty," don't the heavens "seem nice and full."
Don Knotts: Celebration of a Life
Arriving from at least 10 states, several hundred friends of Don Knotts joined members of his family at the Writers Guild Theater in Beverly Hills on May 4 for a reception and "Celebration of a Life." It was an evening of many laughs and also thoughtful reflection about the life of a man who touched countless lives.
Ron Howard opened the evening with some of his memories about knowing
and working with Don. After laying a
solid foundation for the evening, Ron then introduced Andy Griffith who
shared
some of the funny and poignant moments of a deep friendship that
remained
strong for more than 50 years. Betty
Lynn also stepped to the podium and eloquently shared some of her
touching
memories about not only working with Don, but the caring friendship
that
continued until Don's death.
A person couldn't ask for three better friends to offer eulogies. On this evening, there would be 18 more, ranging from childhood friend Richard Ferraro to TV Land president Larry Jones, from Tom Poston and Bill Dana to Bob Newhart and Tim Conway. Other speakers with Mayberry ties were Al Checco (who appeared in two episodes and was also an Army buddy of Don's) and Ronnie Schell, who, as master of ceremonies, kept the evening moving beautifully.
Among those with Mayberry connections who were on hand to pay their respects were Earle and Laura Hagen, Maggie Peterson Mancuso, Betty Bullock, Bernard and Jacquie Fox, Rance and Judy Howard, Clint and Melanie Howard, and writer Sam Bobrick. George Lindsey, Jr., was also in attendance to represent his family.
Saying goodbye to someone as beloved as Don Knotts could never be easy, but celebrating his life with the memories of some of the many others who miss him created an exceptionally fitting tribute. As Francey Knotts and other family members led a champagne toast to Don to wrap the evening's eulogies, there was a sense of joy in the recognition of a man who lived a happy life and made a significant, positive difference in our world.
Before and after the program in the theater, those attending were able to mingle and visit in the reception area where the centerpiece was an ice sculpture of Mr. Limpet (as a fish), complete with wire-rim glasses. Don had to be smiling down at that.
TAGSRWC is still cogitating about the precise nature of a charitable donation to be made by our organization in memory of Don. We have some thoughts about what would be an appropriate tribute for us to do, but we're awaiting family input before doing anything definite. We hope to make an announcement by July.
**** Floyd's Barbershop Bulletin Board-Event Calendar 2006 ****
* Now: The Da Vinci Code, directed by Ron Howard, is in theaters worldwide.
* May 28: Jim Nabors sings "Back Home Again in Indiana" as the traditional reminder for drivers to prepare to start their engines for the Indy 500.
* June 2 and 3: David "Deputy" Browning and Allan "Floyd" Newsome, Kenneth "Otis" Junkin and friends add Mayberry flavor to Mule Days in Gordo, Ala.
* June 3 and 4: James Best appears at CMT Duke Fest at the Tennessee State Fairgrounds in Nashville, Tenn. (The Dukes gang will also make a walk-on appearance on The Grand Ole Opry on June 2, and David Browning will join the fun on the Fairgrounds stage at Noon on June 4. For more info, visit http://www.cootersplace.com.
* June 9: David Browning lets the Warthogs out for baseball in Winston-Salem, N.C.
* June 13: Jim Nabors performs at the Mohegan Sun Casino and Hotel in Uncasville, Conn. For more info, visit http://www.mohegansun.com/.
* June 15-17: Memphis Film Festival at Whispering Hills Hotel and Convention Center in Olive Branch, Miss. Stars with Mayberry connections attending so far are Elizabeth MacRae and Robert Easton (Pete "Eyelashes" Johnson in "Irresistible Andy" episode). For more info, visit http://www.memphisfilmfestival.com/.
* June 23 and 24: Betty
Lynn (Thelma Lou),
Keith
Thibodeaux (Johnny
Paul Jason), and The VW Boys ("we're here
to pick")
have been announced as stars of the first Back to
Mayberry festival
to be held in Tuscaloosa and Northport, Ala. Tribute artists joining
the stars for the
two-day celebration include David "Mayberry Deputy" Browning, Allan
"Floyd" Newsome and Kenneth "Otis" Junkin.
The basic rundown of the weekend includes the
following: A dinner at 6 p.m. Friday night that will include
Q&A with the
stars, a celebrity auction, and entertainment by top local performers.
The location of the dinner is the University
Church of Christ, 1200 Julia
Tutwiler Drive in Tuscaloosa. Tickets to the dinner and auction are
$400 for
a table of eight and available from Eagles' Wings at (205) 345-5484.
(Individual seats for $50 may be available
closer to the date.)
From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday,
downtown Northport will become a beehive of free Mayberryish activity
with
trivia, look-alike, and whistling contests, and perhaps homemade pickle
and
rock-throwing contests. (Or maybe a
homemade pickle-throwing contest if Aunt Bee makes a double batch
again!) There will be a manicurist on duty and music
and who knows what all.
At 7 p.m. Saturday, a Mayberry Variety
Show will be held at the Bama Theater, located at 600 Greensboro Avenue
in Tuscaloosa, with the stars
and tribute artists and other entertainers. Tickets to the show are $25
and
available through Eagles' Wings at (205) 345-5484.
We'll post updates here as soon as we have
them. "Back to Mayberry" is a
fund-raiser for Eagle's Wings, a local group that is working to build a
facility
that creates a "nurturing and caring Christian community for
individuals
with special needs." The host hotel
is the Holiday Inn Express in Tuscaloosa.
* June 24: Peggy McCay (Andy's high school sweetheart, Sharon DeSpain in "Class Reunion") is the special guest at Chestnut Hill Ranch Bed & Breakfast (www.chestnuthillranch.com) in Only, Tenn. (about an hour west of Nashville and just a lump-of-coal toss from Loretta Lynn's Hurricane Mills Dude Ranch and Museum), from Noon to 5 p.m. as part of a benefit event for The Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee (www.elephants.com). There will be food, music, a celebrity auction, and all sorts of family fun, all for a huge cause. Check out the Chestnut Hill Web site for more info, and then call (931) 729-0153 for additional info and tickets. Don't be a Dumbo. Get ready to pack your trunks and head to the only event on this day in Only, Tenn.
* July 1-July 4: David Browning patrols the Grundy County Fair in Mazon, Ill.
* July 5: David Browning is on the move in the Summer Motion Festival in Ashland, Ky.
* July 7: David Browning aims for the stars at the Greeneville (Tenn.) Astros baseball game.
* July 8: Doug and Rodney Dillard perform at the Old Mill Bluegrass Festival in West Liberty, Ky. Tickets and info will be available at (606) 743-4407. (Rodney and Beverly Dillard will also perform a Gospel show on July 9 in conjunction with the festival.)
* July 13: David Browning does a double-take with the Elizabethton (Tenn.) Twins baseball game.
* July 14: David Browning slides in for another appearance with the Salem (Va.) Avalanche baseball game.
* July 15: George Lindsey performs with the Cornfield Country Show at the Dragon's Dome in Pekin, Ill. For more info, visit the venue's Web site at http://www.dragonsdome.com/
* July 15: David Browning leads the fun at the Blue Ridge Jamboree at the Andy Griffith Playhouse in Mount Airy, N.C.
* July 20: David Browning gets a line and a pole and heads down to Mayberry Night at the Hickory (N.C.) Crawdads baseball game.
* July 22: Doug and Rodney Dillard are joined by Maggie Peterson Mancuso for two performances at the Oakboro Music Hall in Oakboro, N.C. Show times are 2:30 p.m. and 8 p.m. Reserved seats are $20; General Admission tickets are $18. For more info, visit http://www.oakboromusichall.com/
* July 22: James Best is special guest for the Alexandria (Wis.) Beetles baseball game.
* July 26: James Best shines at the Mankato (Minn.) Moondogs baseball game.
* July 29: 6th Annual Mayberry Squad Car Nationals in Graysville, Ala. Details TBA.
* July 29: James Best is on hand for the quack of the bats at the Madison (Wis.) Mallards baseball game.
* July 31: James Best roars in for the Thunder Bay (Ont.) Border Cats baseball game.
* Aug. 5: George Lindsey performs in the Cornfield Country Show at the Crystal Grand Theatre in Wisconsin Dells, Wis. Show times are 3:00 and 8:00 p.m. For more info, visit http://www.crystalgrand.com/.
* Aug. 5: David Browning scouts Mayberry Night at the Danville (Va.) Braves baseball game
* Aug. 8: David Browning packs heat at the Princeton (W.V.) Devil Rays baseball game.
* Aug. 9: David Browning jockeys for position at the Lexington (Ky.) Legends baseball game.
* Aug. 11: David Browning finds makes a Rome (Ga.) run with the Braves baseball game.
Aug. 11-13: James Best is guest star for the Super Summer Cruise car show at Shepherd of the Hills in Branson, Mo. For more info, visit http://theshepherdofthehills.com.
* Aug. 17: Guess who's on patrol at the Bristol (Va.) White Sox baseball game.
* Aug. 18: Mayberry Night at the Oakboro Music Hall in Oakboro, N.C. David "Mayberry Deputy" Browning, Allan "Floyd" Newsome, Kenneth "Otis" Junkin, Phil "Ernest T." Fox, Jamie "Opie" Sullivan, and a Darlings-style band are among those joining host Jeff "Howard" Branch for the lively show. Reserved seats are $18; General Admission tickets are $16. For more info, visit http://www.oakboromusichall.com/.
* Aug. 19. David Browning keeps things snappy at the Blue Ridge Jamboree at the Andy Griffith Playhouse in Mount Airy, N.C.
* Aug. 24-26: David Browning is off to the races at the Bristol Motor Speedway.
* Aug. 29: Release date for the Complete Seventh Season of TAGS on DVD. Weaver's pre-orders begin Aug. 1.
* Sept. 2: David Browning rubs everybody the right way at the Mississippi Braves baseball game in Pearl.
* Sept. 9 and 10: James Best is guest star at the Marigold Festival in Pekin, Ill.
* Sept. 21-24: 17th Annual Mayberry Days in Mount Airy, N.C. Stars announced so far include Doug and Rodney Dillard, Betty Lynn, Maggie Peterson Mancuso, LeRoy McNees and George Spence. Visit http://www.surryarts.org/or http://www.mayberrydays.org/ for more info as it becomes available.
* Oct. 23-27: Mayberry Cruise to the Caribbean aboard Carnival's Fascination ship. The 4-day cruise departs Miami for Key West, Cozumel, and a day at sea. Maggie "Charlene Darling" Peterson Mancuso and dobro-playing Country Boy LeRoy McNees (from the episode "Mayberry on Record" and a regular at Mayberry Days) have been confirmed to be cruising. Neal Brower, Author of Mayberry 101 will present Professor Brower's Lecture. Tribute artists Allan "Floyd" Newsome, Phil "Ernest T." Lee, Kenneth "Otis" Junkin, Tim " Goober" Pettigrew, Jeff "Howard" Branch, Jamie "Opie" Sullivan, and Bob "Briscoe" Mundy will also be cruising. Other Mayberry stars and "tribute artists" TBA. Rates start at $249 plus $132 Port Tax per person, based on two per cabin. For more info, visit http://www.iMayberry.com/tagsrwc/wbmutbb/anewsome/private/cruise.htm or call Sharon Euliss at All About Cruises in Burlington, N.C., at 1-800-832-7993. Or e-mail her at PWESJE@aol.com.
**** NEWS OF CAST & CREW ****
Andy Griffith will be quietly celebrating his milestone 80th birthday on June 1. He and wife Cindi have been splitting their time between homes in Los Angeles and Manteo, N.C.
 Photo by Jim Clark |
| Tuscaloosa, AL (2006) - Jim Nabors joined by Ronnie Shell, Barbara Stuart, Elizabeth MacRae and Maggie Peterson Mancuso to celebrate his induction to the Alabama Stage and Screen Hall of Fame. |
The night before the induction, Maggie, Ronnie, Elizabeth and Barbara were joined by Doug and Rodney Dillard and their band, plus eight Mayberry tribute artists for a lively Mayberry Variety Show at Shelton State. Jim Nabors was in the audience for that show and also made some gracious remarks from the stage.
In an evening of many highlights, the show-stopper that night was Elizabeth's intentionally atrocious recreation of Lou Ann Poovie's singing of "That Old Black Magic" on "Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C." Dressed in a swanky red evening gown (with a hot-pink feather boa), she held back nothing as she sashayed, gestured and belted out that song with all her heart to her beloved "Guh-om-er." "Well, act-u-al-lee," she had the whole audience under her spell. Even so, when she looked ready to continue with a second number, Miss Bunny climbed on the stage, armed and ready to spare the audience's ears any further misery.
The combination of the fun variety show one evening and the festive Hall of Fame induction the next evening made for a thrilling, memorable weekend for several hundred friends and fans from near and far.
Speaking of near and far, George Lindsey returned from a performance in North Dakota just in time to catch his breath and head to Alabama, where he was inducted into the Walker County High School Athletic Hall of Fame on May 19. (George was a cheerleader and played football at Walker County High and went on to play college football at Florence State, now the University of North Alabama.)
Betty Lynn was one of six inaugural inductees into the Missouri Walk of Fame at the Cherry Blossom Festival in Marshfield in April. The other prominent Missourians honored with a star on the Missouri Walk of Fame at the Webster County Museum were The Unsinkable Molly Brown, President Harry Truman, author Laura Ingalls Wilder, astronomer Dr. Edwin P. Hubble and Mickey Carroll (surviving Munchkin from 1939's The Wizard of Oz. Family members of 26 U.S. presidents were on hand for the festival.
Doug and Rodney Dillard have had an active touring schedule so far this year. One of the highlights was their first-ever performance at MerleFest, the venerated music festival in Wilkesboro, N.C. It was especially nice that Maggie Mancuso was able to join them for a few tunes. And doubly nice for Maggie (and the audience!) was that festival host Doc Watson invited her to join him on stage to sing with him during one of his sets. Big!
We're sad to report that actress Alberta
Nelson Gilman, who appeared in four episodes of TAGS, passed
away on April
29 in Millcreek, Penn. She was 68.
Billed as Alberta Nelson before her 1971 marriage to Herbert Gilman, she first appeared on TAGS as Nettie Albright in "The Return of Barney Fife" (Episode 176). She later appeared in three episodes as diner waitress Flora Malherbe: "Eat Your Heart Out" (Episode 182), "Goober's Replacement" (Episode 186) and "Emmett's Anniversary" (Episode 245). She also appeared as Flora in one episode of "Mayberry R.F.D."
Her published obituary tells us that Alberta Nelson was born in Erie, Penn., on August 14, 1937, daughter of the late Frank and Catherine Nelson. She attended Villa Maria Academy and later graduated from Andrews High School in Willoughby, Ohio. As an actress, she performed on Broadway (Once There Was a Russian and The Wall) and at the Erie Playhouse and the Erie Roadhouse. Her Hollywood movies included several of the "bikini" beach flicks of the 1960s, most notably Pajama Party (1964) and Beach Blanket Bingo (1965). She also appeared in a 1965 episode of "The Dick Van Dyke Show."
Alberta's family reports that she loved flowers, books, and needle working. In addition to her husband, she is survived by a loving family, including Linda Ochin; Bob Gilman and his wife, Joyce; Cathy Chester and her husband, Mike; three grandchildren; and one great-grandchild. She is also survived by her uncle, George Machuga, and his wife, Jean, and many close friends. Memorials may be made to Shriners Hospitals for Children, 1645 W. 8th St., Erie, PA 16505.
**** MERCHANDISE UPDATE ****
* IMPORTANT SHIPPING NOTICE FOR JUNE 2006:
Our Weaver's Dept. Store Shipping
Department will be closed June 3 thru June 12.
If
you have an order that you need to receive before about June 24
(say, by Father's Day, June 18), we urge you to get your order
to us by June 1 or no later than June 2.
Our Web site will always be available to take your orders during the
time that the Shipping Dept. is closed, but any orders received after
June 2 will not ship until June 13 and 14 (and
would require
FedEx delivery at the customer's expense to be guaranteed for Father's
Day).
Also, our Telephone Order Line will not be
operating from May 27 thru June 4. They will be
available to take orders again on June 5, but those orders will not
ship until June 13 because of the Shipping Dept. being closed.
We
thank you for your patience while some of our depts. take
these breaks.
The Complete Sixth Season of TAGS on DVD was released on May 9, and we've got it at Weaver's.
The Sixth Season is special because it's the first one in glorious living color and it's the only season with Warren Ferguson. (Well, what did you want us to say, "Hurry up and get the first season after Don Knotts left the show!"?) Of course, Don Knotts does appear in two episodes this season and he picked up his fourth Emmy for the effort. And Goober really hits his stride this season, plus Howard Sprague comes onboard. And the color really is expected to be absolutely breathtaking on these DVDs.
The sixth season also includes Ernest T. Bass and Malcolm Merriweather together in their final appearances, Morgan Brittany, Jamie Farr, Ronnie Schell, Keevy Hazelton, Wyatt Earp, one of only two color episodes with Otis, and the only multi-episode story arc of the entire series with the Taylors' trip to Hollywood. It's also the season for three out of four of Alberta Nelson's appearances. There's a whole lot to enjoy about this key season of life in Mayberry.
NOTE: The Complete Seventh Season is scheduled to be released by CBS (through Paramount) on August 29. We'll start taking pre-orders at Weaver's beginning August 1.
Here are offers from Weaver's for the Complete Sixth Season DVD sets. http://www.weaversdepartmentstore.com/index.php?category=87
* Sixth Season Special
#1
Warren's E.S.P. Sixth Season Combo $40.00
http://www.weaversdepartmentstore.com/index.php?item=313
This is the same straightforward combo of a season on DVD and a trading-card set that we've offered for the releases of the previous five seasons, but it's as square a deal as ever, and we're proud to offer it again. We know you knew we were going to offer this combo again. It just makes a lot of Sixth sense!
*
Complete Sixth Season of "The Andy Griffith Show" on DVD
* Complete Set (factory sealed) of Series 2 of "The Andy Griffith Show"
Trading
Cards (110 cards; rare collectible, out of production since 1992)
The price for both the DVD set and the card
set is only $40.00, which once again is the suggested retail price of
the DVD
set by itself.
* Sixth Season Special
#2
Howard's County Clerk
Calendar Combo $42.00
http://www.weaversdepartmentstore.com/index.php?item=314
O.K., so you've dragged your feet about getting the 2006 TAGS Wall Calendar long enough. Obviously, no one took all your hints about giving you one. You've still got lots of months left in the year to enjoy using the calendar. And once the year's over, you'll have yourself a genuine collectible that'll be usable again in just eleven years. Here's Howard Sprague's offer:
*
Complete Sixth Season of "The Andy Griffith Show" on DVD
*
2006 "Andy Griffith Show" Wall Calendar
By themselves, theses items have a suggested price of $53.00, but with this combo, you get both together for just $42.00. Hurry and get in on this deal before the County Clerk realizes his mathematical error!
* Sixth Season Special
#3
Miss Crump's Happy
Homework Combo $52.00
http://www.weaversdepartmentstore.com/index.php?item=315
We really can't believe Miss Crump talked us into this offer, but she really wants to encourage summer reading now that school's out. Here's the deal:
*
Complete Sixth Season of "The Andy Griffith Show" on DVD
*
Set of Back Issues of The Bullet and The
Pocket
The Set of Back Issues includes at least 30 issues of TAGSRWC's Bullet newsletter that were published between 1991 and 2001, and at least nine issues of The Pocket, the smaller successor to The Bullet. In all, the newsletters contain a whopping 600+ pages of reading, including in-depth interviews and profiles of the show's cast and crew, Professor Brower's Class discussions of episodes, trivia, recipes, news (now history), and lots of exclusive photos. Back issues of The Bullet are usually $2 each or $30 when purchased as a set with the issues The Pocket. But you can get the set in this deal that also includes the Complete Sixth Season DVD Set for just $52.00. We thought Howard Sprague went wild with his Calendar Combo until Miss Crump came up with this one. She's completely off her rocker. She just wants us to read so much! Make Miss Crump proud, and maybe you'll get a diploma for learning just like Ernest T. did.
* Complete Sixth Season
of "The Andy Griffith Show on DVD $32.00
http://www.weaversdepartmentstore.com/index.php?item=315
This is our no-frills offer with all 30 episodes that make up the Complete Sixth Season DVD, all by themselves at a great price. The suggested retail price is $40.00, but we're offering the set for 20% off that price.
* Box Set of the
Complete First Six Seasons of "The Andy Griffith Show" $197.00
http://www.weaversdepartmentstore.com/index.php?category=76
The Complete First, Second, Third, Fourth, Fifth and Sixth Seasons of the show (a total of 189 episodes) are included in this box set. The suggested retail price is over $240.00. Ol' Ben Weaver is wringing his hands, but we got him to knock our price down to just $197.00 or about 20% off. What a collection!
**** OTHER NEW & RECENT ITEMS ****
The Dillards Early
Recordings-1959 Price: $16.00
http://www.weaversdepartmentstore.com/index.php?item=318
This CD contains the earliest existing recordings by Doug and Rodney Dillard, before The Dillards group was even formed. (Vocals and astonishing picking tracks by Dillards mandolin player Dean Webb were added later.)
These recordings were found deep in the
Dillards Archives. That is to say, Doug
stumbled across them in a forgotten box in a closet one recent day.
These recordings were made at Doug and
Rodney's home (they always got good sound in there) in St. Louis when
Doug was 21 and Rodney was
just 16.
The music and the musicianship (and
the musicians!) are crisp and pure...and already oh-so fast. These
first serious and permanent recordings
of Doug and Rodney are the rarest of recordings of the two bluegrass
and folk
music legends.
We're tickled to offer this wonderful collection, which has been remastered for extry good modern-day listening that'll make you want to dance till your stockings are hot and ravelin'...assuming that the licks and vocals don't knock your foot coverings completely off right from the get-go, which they very well just might do.
Here are the tunes on this CD:
1. Banjo in
the Hollow
2. Old Blue
3. Rainbow
4. Katy
Cline
5. West Virginia Blues
6. John
Hardy
7. It's
Rainin' Here this Morning
8.
Watermelon on the Vine
9. Old Man
at the Mill
10.
Cannonball Blues
* Official 2006 "Andy Griffith Show" Wall
Calendar $13.00
http://www.weaversdepartmentstore.com/index.php?item=167
For the third year in a row, Mayberry fans are enjoying an "Andy Griffith Show" Wall Calendar. The 2006 calendar is similar to the ones for 2004 and 2005. The 2006 Wall Calendar has black & white photos featuring Andy, Barney, Opie, Aunt Bee and Gomer. The calendar displays at 12 in. wide x 22 in. high when hung. Enjoy using it for six more full months this year, and then keep it as a collectible for years to come. (Plus it'll be usable again in 2017!)
**** CHAPTER UPDATE ****
We're proud to welcome four new chapters since the last eBullet. They are:
"Aunt Bee, She'll Brang You Some Chicken an'
Dumplin's an' Sweet Tater
Pie Supper" Inman, S.C.
Mayberry Printing Raleigh, N.C.
Don Knott Forgotten Normal, Ill.
The Followers of Ernest T. Bass Palm Bay,
Fla.
That brings our total number of chapters since TAGSRWC was founded in 1979 to 1,298. If you're interested in starting a chapter of TAGSRWC, all you need to do is pick a name that has not already been chosen and submit a list of your founding memlittle bers by postal mail. What you do as a chapter is entirely up to you. Your group can do as much or as as you like. Or write to us also if you would like to contact a chapter near you. Our address is TAGSRWC, 9 Music Square South, PMB 146, Nashville, TN 37203-3286.
**** CHAPTER NEWS ****
 Photo by Dennis Beal |
| Knoxville, TN (April 2006) - Mayberry Chapter official bowling outting. Guest Ed Spicer beat defending bowling champion Greg (McBeevee) Painter and claimed the coveted title of High Roller. |
A good bunch of chapters (at least 15) was on hand for the first big event of the year (the Mayberry Variety Show/Alabama Stage and Screen Hall of Fame induction) in Tuscaloosa. Our "Hearty Eatin' Men and Beautiful, Delicate Women" chapter of Tuscaloosa was instrumental in that event, as they are in the upcoming Mule Days (Gordo, Ala.) and "Back to Mayberry" (Tuscaloosa, Ala.) events in June and the Mayberry Squad Car Nationals in July (Graysville, Ala).
If your chapter has news or photos you want to share for future issues of The eBullet, drop us a line in care of this e-mail: MissCrump@iMayberry.com. With school out for the summer, Miss Crump is helping us out with the newsletter for a few months. Meanwhile, be sure to check out her results to the last trivia quiz, plus a new quiz, below.
**** Answers to Miss Crump's Mayberry Quiz #68 ****
It'll come as no surprise that we had a record number of correct entries for this quiz. Miss Crump really should pitch for Mayberry's slow-pitch softball team. From the many entries we received, we put all the entries in a McBeevee-sized silver hat and drew a winner: Jeff Harper of Findlay,Ohio. Congratulations to Jeff, who wins a framed print of Barney Fife, signed by Don Knotts.
Here are the answers we were looking for:
1. Fill in the blank: "N I P it in the bud!"
2. If you eliminate the right pocket as a choice, then, of his two shirt pockets, the left pocket is the one in which Barney is most likely to keep his one bullet.
3. Thelma Lou is the lady who is Barney's steadiest girlfriend and eventually becomes his wife.
4. The one neato waitress at the diner that Barney sometimes dates and is sometimes seen talking to on the phone is Juanita.
5. True. Barney's gun sometimes fires when he doesn't intend for it to do so.
BONUS: Name one of your favorite Mayberry moments involving Barney. For his answer, Jeff chose "The Haunted House." ("Well that's exactly what I've got...fear itself!") For the record, the most common moment chosen by quiz entrants was Barney's confident recitation of the Preamble to the Constitution of the United States in "Opie's Ill-Gotten Gain."
**** Miss Crump's Mayberry Quiz # 69 ****
For this quiz, Miss Crump is using questions whose answers can all be found in episodes written by Harvey Bullock. The prize is an autographed glossy photo of Harvey Bullock and a copy of Neal Brower's terrific Mayberry 101 book, which features interviews with Harvey about all of his TAGS episodes. (Or, if the winner already has that book, he or she can choose another book that's available at Weaver's.)
The deadline for entries to be postmarked (when sent to TAGSRWC's HQ in Nashville) or sent by e-mail to MissCrump@iMayberry.com is July 5, 2006. If there's a tie for the entry with the most right answers (and we all know there will be), we'll draw the winner from a hat. We'll publish the answers and announce the winner in the next issue of The eBullet, scheduled for July. Good luck and have fun!
1. What is the last name of the person who introduces Opie to magic fish talk? (Perfectly correct spelling is needed for you to receive any credit for this question.)
2. Who is once said to have been a member of the "Cold Cream Guards"?
3. Where does Aunt Bee say that she stores her soda crackers?
4. Who at one time thinks that Andy Taylor resembles the Widow Bradshaw?
5. Who does Barney admit he has parked with in his car on Willow Lane?
BONUS: What is your favorite episode written by Harvey Bullock?
**** POSTNOTE ****
Between issues of The eBullet, keep up with the goings-on in Mayberry with the more-or-less daily "Who's Been Messin' Up the Bulletin Board?" Digest. It's a free subscriber list that consists entirely of comments, newsflashes, and questions and answers from subscribers. You can sign up for that list by going to the "Mailing Lists" link at http://www.tagsrwc.com.
TAGSRWC also publishes Weaver's Newsletter in more-or-less alternate months to The eBullet. Like The eBullet, the Weaver's Newsletter is free. Its focus is mainly on new Mayberry merchandise and collectibles and quick newsflashes. To sign up, go to: http://www.iMayberry.com/tagsrwc/wbmutbb/anewsome/private/mailinglists.htm
TAGSRWC's other main vehicle for Mayberry information is simply our Web site at www.tagsrwc.com (and it's nearly identical sister site http://www.iMayberry.com. It has extensive content and links for just about everything a Mayberry fan might be looking for.
The next issue of The eBullet is scheduled for July, with a Weaver's Newsletter planned in the meantime.
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