Ages back Andy Griffith was famous for doing his side-splitting monologues. and he made a few movies such as "The Second Time Around," " Onionhead," "A Face in the Crowd" and the unforgettable "No Time for Sergeants"; in the latter he was a Permanent Latrine Orderly, a classification which did not exist but was given him by his sergeant who couldn't stand him, but Will Stockdale (Griffith) thought it was a high-ranking classification in the Air Force.
But here, in "Matlock" he was a serious lawyer in Atlanta who was among the top in the whole U.S.A., though he is as homespun as Sheriff Andy Taylor. Initially, a "city slicker" thought he was not too smart a lawyer, but that thought was amended. In the series he was from a small town in Georgia which no longer existed. Still, all types wanted to retain him, including Mafia dons. He always employed theatrics in the courtroom, and, again, homespunness, but he had a very high "batting average", losing very few cases.
Adding to the "decorum" of the series were Brynn Thayer , another time Linda Purl, another time Nancy Stafford, and from time to time Julie Sommars who played a clever prosecuting attorney.
Again, he was a "good ole boy" who never tried to be, nor claimed to be, any other type person. It did convey the fact, I feel, that no one should ever undermine or scorn small-town boys, since they can be excellent lawyers.
Review of Matlock
