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*&nd\ By Davi 1 Corvette 8t?ff Writer Outside, the clock a ton Rutledge Chapel slowly tolls the hour of 11 p.m. Inside scores of dorm rooms all over campus, the hour is marked by another sound: a familiar whistle. The Whistle is the theme song for the 4 4Andy Griffith Show," a black-and-white comedy series begun in the late 1950s. Now in syndication, "Andy" has become one of television stAtinn WT.TY'e w .?< Vt M A 4A U 111 VO V significant contributions to late-night television. The series centers around the mythical town of Mayberry, N.C., and the lives of its citizens. Andy Taylor, Mayberry's sheriff, is the lead character. The show's plots are .usually mundane, but the characters are so skillfully crafted the shows are hilarious. ESPECIALLY FUNNY are Barney Fife, a conceited but inept wisp of a deputy sheriff; Opey, the sheriff's young son; Floyd Dawson, the brainless town barber; and Otis Campbell, the town drunk who lets himself into the jail every Saturday night to sleep off his overindulgence. According to Gene Upright, sportscaster and programming director for WLTX, more than 26,000 homes in 13 counties tune in "Andy" every weeknight. Despite the series' age, it still pulled a 37 share in the February Nielson ratings, which means 37 percent of the television sets in use at 11 p.m. within range of WLTX's transmitter were set on "Andy." Upright attributed the series' popularity to its ability to "cut across demographic lines." He said, "We have received feedback from many different age groups. 'Andy' is just one of those shows from the 1950s that had the best writing, the best production staff and the best characters." Upright said, however, that many viewers watch R Fast, Free pll Delivery 256-0301 IPIZg New' Lowest I IpHIHII I! 256-0301 piMHI j m 256-0301 m Bmmi ; GrifJ /\nay oiuy as an auernative to the news programs offered at that hour by the other stations. "SOME SHOWS JUST work best at certain times," Upright said. "A few months ago we experimented with moving 'Andy' to another time slot, but got such a reaction from regular viewers that we decided to leave it on at 11 p.m." A ^A.I ??f* mv ? miuurcr wlia employee said the station receives many telephone calls about "Andy." "Sometimes we have technical problems," she said. *4The films are so old that they often break right at the end and we get complaints from viewers left hanging in mid-episode." But the same source also said, "We like to get calls from our viewers. Calls let us know that people are watching. It lets us see how they are responding to our programming." 4 MVUVUgll 11IV/& C (111VI 1I1UI C of the telephone calls are coming from college students as the cult status of "Andy" continues to grow on campus, others come from different areas. A WLTX programming secretary remembered a request for a photograph of Barney Fife, from a Kings tree high school student doing a term paper on the show. USC student Tyler Scofield, 24, an avid "Andy" fan said he watches the show because he "can identify with the characters." Scofield said, "Most TV shows focus around the story line, but in "Andy" the | '"""^utdoor^ CHEAP | Phone (Beside 920 5 ft EXP fork style Delivery Prices tc Any Large One 11 Pizza and 4 col only $5.95 Fast, Free Deliver Any Small One it Pizza and 2 Cok only $4.25 Fast, Free Delivery rith Sh characters are more important. "Andy" is predictable because the characters seem like people I know, but it's still always funny." Examples of dedication to "Andy" are numerous at USC. A female resident of Rutledge College who does not have her own television set loyally treks across the Horseshoe every night to watch the show with some trienas in Harper college. She said she likes the show because "Barney is such a nerd." Dedication sometimes extends even to the extreme. Sophomore Wayne Smoak recalled a former roommate whose girlfriend would phone at 11 p.m. when the long-distance rates went down. "It got to the point where he asked her to wait until 11:30 to call so he could watch all of 'Andy,'" Smoak said. USC even has its own Andy Griffith. Maurice Anderson 'Andy' Griffith, 22, who ironically is a criminal justice major, watches his namesake '.'four out of five nights a week." WATCHING "ANDY" has become "a regular thing around here," Griffith said. "Almost every night at 11 p.m. my roommate and I fix a snack and settle down to !1 til- -1 ? I waicn \i. us a classic," ne said. Griffith frequently gets teased about his name, he said. "When professors call my name giving back tests, you can hear a few laughs here and there. After a certain amount of time,. e^kateltenta SKATES i 252-9420 Dairy Bar) >. Main HHHHBHHnHMBir pliel Pizza I > campus I tem " one 5 I rpe Coupon [i 3 M per Pizza [gj |S Expires: fcl W y 4/25/81 pgj OBW1 1 6lu one N:-; if oc Coupon iM pi per Pizza ?8 r 4/25/81 B I rfn^ ~ - -ji m Sill Pfilljg lllllil wm tow' though, I got used to it and justlaughedalong," Griffith said. Another student, Tommy Darnell, of Denmark, S.C., has earned the nickname "Opey" because his father is a county sheriff. Not everyone, however, thinks "Andy" is perfect, and instead find flaws within it. One Horseshoe resident, who wished to remain anonymous, said "Andy" is "unrealistic because you never see any minorities or real criminals on it." However, he said, "I guess that's the way it was in a small town in North Carolina in the 1950s." Regardless of any faults "The Andy Griffith Show" may have, tonight, hundreds of USC students and thousands of other viewers across the Midlands will nonetheless turn on _ their television sets at 11 p.m. and wait for the sound of that familiar whistle. . | Sum cs College stude a with the USC 6 middle school i 4 and board. For applicat v Program at 771 y?*33? 3eside McDon Open Sunday 12 noc i Chocolate! | Buy Oi i Get One I I | on Sunday, A| j with coup ?? ?? ? MM ? M _ I For Mi ri r* r^r? a a* IormML ^ Hariri '?? tj In 5-Poim I 718 Saluda Ave. imer Employme June 14 - July 25 :nts wanted to work a program for talentc students. Good Salar ion and informatioi 7-6370. Hi".'.Iff.' Mil ?HI W.W<. lilJUIjUlflUWW . w lald's | I >n-lOp.m. I [I Sundae11 ne ! I Free I i ] aril 26 on s EEJUNSI en ^ 49.50 .cic's ts 799-3361 wBamammmmmmmm :nt s Counselors jl d and gifted H y. Free room? n call TAG j niWhBRhSBBHP v;; ,.; r:-:^X\:..p-':l \ ' - ' ;. :K .j"^ ? 1? i