She held recurring roles on “Family Affair” (1966) and “My Three Sons” (1960) and guest parts on several shows, including “Little House on the Prairie” (1974). “I enjoyed Westerns, but filming in the hot Californian summers wearing long dresses and petticoats was rough,” she told Tinseltown creator Nick Thomas. From her wartime service in India and Burma to sharing the spotlight with entertainment royalty from New York to Hollywood, Betty always remained grounded in her Midwestern values and strong faith.Īfter Mayberry, she appeared in some 20 films and over 40 other TV shows, including many Westerns. In her own words and through 140 rare photos, Betty Lynn shares the sometimes bittersweet, often surprising, and always inspiring story of her life – including Mayberry and the return to Mayberry. Those adventures come to life in a book, “ Becoming Thelma Lou.” Unitl Griffith called the actress up with a question.Many of us knew and loved Betty Lynn as “Thelma Lou,” the ever-patient sweetheart of Barney Fife on “The Andy Griffith Show.” But the Kansas City native lived a life filled with interesting adventures and fascinating people, before and after Mayberry. The two former Andy Griffith Show players ended up facing a falling out that would last a number of years. “I was upset with him because he wouldn’t listen,” the actress continues of Griffith. “They let me go as soon as they could,” Betty Lynn remembered of the Matlock producer’s reaction to her requests. In fact, her lines were cut from the show altogether when they let the actress go. Only, when Lynn approached the actor about these issues, the actor who played the loveable yet curmudgeonly Georgia attorney didn’t have much to say. Not long into the first few episodes as Ben Matlock’s secretary in the lighthearted legal series, Lynn began to feel that her character, needed more lines. Lynn took a role as the secretary to Griffith’s southern courtroom lawyer character, Ben Matlock on the NBC series Matlock. In 1986, the former Andy Griffith Show actress found her way into another primetime series starring Andy Griffith. However, the friendship between Betty Lynn and Andy Griffith was soon tested.Īnd the two found themselves in the middle of a decades-long falling out. Also starring The Andy Griffith Show’s namesake, Andy Griffith. In fact, these maintained connections led the actress to find a role in another series. Former ‘Andy Griffith Show’ Players Head to The Georgia Courtroom However, Lynn stayed in touch with the show’s players throughout her career. She even made the Return To Mayberry in 1986.īetty Lynn’s Thelma Lou character left The Andy Griffith Show when Don Knotts made his own exit from the series in the iconic sitcom’s fifth season. One of Barney’s favorite treats.īetty Lynn portrayed the beloved character during much of the popular show’s run from 1961 until 1966. Thelma Lou’s patience is unwavering when it came to her Andy Griffith Show beau. Well-known for her doting nature, Thelma Lou made the perfect on-screen on and off again girlfriend to Don Knotts’s Barney Fife. The sweet-natured love interest of the kooky Mayberry deputy has long been one of The Andy Griffith Show’s most iconic characters. Thelma Lou Was Sweet, Caring, and Made Some Awesome Cashew Fudge
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