- Since 1960, The Andy Griffith Show's popularity has created fans of all ages, helped transition Mt. Airy, NC into a Mayberry Mecca, and has influenced many to become tribute artists of their favorite Mayberrian characters.
- Throughout the United States, The Andy Griffith Show (TAGS) and characters like Andy and Opie Taylor, Aunt Bee, Floyd the Barber, Otis Campbell, Ernest T. Bass, Thelma Lou, and of course Barney Fife, continue to set off a certain nostalgic feeling of when life was simpler. Andy Griffith once said ""As you become more fragile, you reflect and you realize how much comfort can come from the past." Loyal audiences and super fans make it their life's mission to pass down that nostalgic Mayberry feeling to future generations and even after 60 years, The Andy Griffith Show continues to help viewers escape the real world full of constant turmoil, wars and political disruption for at least 30 minutes per episode. This Utopian sitcom has never been off the air since 1960, continues to draw more fans of all ages and sizes, has helped transition Andy Griffith's hometown of Mt. Airy, NC into a tourist Mecca, and has influenced many to become tribute artists of their favorite Mayberrian characters. Through archival footage, clips from The Andy Griffith Show, and interviews with Andy Griffith Show cast members, tribute artists, scholars, and super fans, the effect this show has had on American television, music, film, and small town America is explored as a means to show how deeply rooted The Andy Griffith Show is in our own culture.—Chris Hudson
- Conserving a nation's culture comes in many different forms; Displaying art in museums, housing books, artifacts, letters, documents, photos, and films in archives at numerous universities, in personal collections spread across the nation, and digitizing and sharing online home movies, movies and television shows across the world. Another way is to use people's memories by passing down stories about personal experiences to the next generation. Memorabilia is one form used by so many TV shows and movies to constantly remind the public of their products' value over generations hoping that fans will pass their love of a certain entertainment entity down to younger generations. Throughout the United States, The Andy Griffith Show (TAGS) and characters like Andy and Opie Taylor, Aunt Bea, Floyd the Barber, Otis Campbell, Ernest T. Bass, Thelma Lou, and of course Barney Fife, continue to set off a certain nostalgic feeling of when life was simpler. Loyal audiences and superfans make it their life's mission to pass down that nostalgic Mayberry feeling to future generations; but who are some of these people and why do they do it? What happens when a television show from the 1960s still affects audiences decades later? The Mayberry Effect is a thought provoking, humorous and inspiring feature length documentary investigating the topic of nostalgia through the lens of The Andy Griffith Show. The Mayberry Effect follows The Mayberry Deputy, David Browning, who is the nation's number one Barney Fife tribute artist, Allan Newsome, the Floyd The Barber tribute artist, Kenneth Junkin, the Otis Campbell tribute artist, and many other tribute artists as they entertain crowds all over the nation at various Mayberry festivals helping new and old Andy Griffith Show audiences laugh and stay connected to one of America's favorite television sitcoms of all time. This 90 minute documentary asks the questions; did a simpler time actually exist, how did TAGS influence Mt. Airy, (Andy Griffith's hometown) and our American culture and will future generations continue to enjoy the sitcom? The Mayberry Effect explores how fans today continue to celebrate the sitcom through festivals like Mayberry Days and Mayberry In The Midwest, decorating their own homes and businesses in all things Mayberry, through participating in Bible studies based on the lessons taught in the show and by dressing up as their favorite characters. The Andy Griffith Show has never been off the air since its last season in 1968. Will people continue to flock to Andy Griffith's hometown of Mt. Airy, North Carolina to experience that Mayberry feeling or will the sitcom fade away into the past like so many other television shows have done over the past 60 years? The real question is... how long will The Mayberry Effect last?
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