Amzie Ellen Strickland portrayed Miss Rosemary on "The Andy Griffith Show'

The name Amzie Ellen Strickland might not sound familiar but if you are a fan of "THE ANDY GRIFFITH SHOW " and other programs from that era you will recognize her face. She appeared in episode 7 of season 1, of the popular series which ran for 8 seasons on CBS. The actress portrayed a woman who was interested in Deputy Barney Fife, (Don Knotts). in "Andy the Matchmaker which aired on November 13, 1960." During this episode, Miss Rosemary was a sweet quiet demure woman whom Sherrif Andy Taylor,(Andy Griffith) tried to get his deputy to ask out on a date.

Barney admitted that he often walked Miss Rosemary home from church but had never asked her out. They both came across as hesitant and not sure of their feelings. By the end of the episode, however, Barney got up the courage to ask and Miss Rosemary said yes. Amzie Ellen Strickland's character was never on THE ANDY GRIFFITH SHOW again and by the end of that first season, Barney was dating Juanita the waitress who was never shown, In season two he began his long romance with Thelma Lou whose last name was never mentioned.

The way both women were addressed indicated a sign of the times in which THE ANDY GRIFFITH show was shown. Thelma Lou was simply considered as Barney's girl and fans never questioned why she had no sir name. the "miss" in front of Rosemary's first name was an indicator that she was unmarried and implied she was the virgin church girl who might make a wonderful wife someday. These were the days of girls men would marry and the ones they would not.

Amzie Ellen Strickland was an American character actress who got her start on radio. Including the one episode of THE ANDY GRIFFITH SHOW, Strickland made about 650 television appearances. She also did TV commercials, appeared in two dozen films, and numerous television movies. Like many actors of her time, Amzie appeared regularly on the small screen in many popular television series.

Her credits include ALF, LEAVE IT TO BEAVER, THE JEFFERSONS, MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE, I LOVE LUCY, WINGS, HAPPY DAYS, THE FACTS OF LIFE, DEATH VALLEY DAYS. THE JEFFERSONS, DRAGNET, MAKE ROM FOR DADDY, MY THREE SONS, GUNSMOKE, PERRY MASON, THREES COMPANY, THE GOLDEN GIRLS, THE TWILIGHT ZONE, FULL HOUSE, and KNIGHT RIDER. Her TV movies include INHERIT THE WIND, HARPER VALLEY PTA, PRETTY WOMAN, and TOWER OF TERROR.

One credit the talented actress does not have is that she did not appear on either ALFRED HITCHCOCK PRESENTS or THE ALFRED HITCHCOCK HOUR. It was common during the 1950s and 1960s for the same character actors both male and female to have been on both TWILIGHT ZONE and one or both Alfred Htichcock shows. Even without the man of mystery Strickland has an impressive resume. Amzie was born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma on January 10, 1919. She was married to TV and radio actor Frank Behrens from 1946 until he died in 1986. The couple had one child, a son, Tim Behrens.

On July 5, 2006. the actress passed away at age 87 from Alzheimer's disease. It is always sad to hear that a talented actor or actress has lost their mind and subsequently their lives to this dreaded disease. They once entertained the masses by portraying various characters and could remember all their lines. To have it all snuffed out by dementia is sobering. For fans of THE ANDY GRIFFITH SHOW, Amzie Strickland will always be the bashful Miss Rosemary who was hesitant around Barney Fife. The actress was said to have been a lifelong Republican and identified as Roman Catholic. She lives on through her characters in television and film.