6. On Set Feud
As a serious New York actress, Frances Bavier had a love-hate relationship with her role and often felt that her dramatic talents were overlooked. On set, she was easily offended, so the production staff took a very cautious approach when communicating with her. Griffith has admitted that he and Bavier often clashed during the series’ eight season run because he ran the show like it was a family picnic and often joined his cast-mates in song, dance and laughter when the cameras weren’t running, which she was never a part of. Four months before she died, she called him and apologized to him for being “difficult” during the show’s run.
Everett Collection
5. The Show’s Theme Song
The show’s theme song was titled “The Fishin’ Hole.” There were lyrics for the song which were written by Everett Sloane, but producers decided that whistling the tune would set the tone for the show, so the lyrics were dropped. The whistling was performed by Earle Hagen, and was used in the opening sequence, as well the closing credits sequence.
