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The Andy Griffith Show: The 3 Ben Weaver's and 2 Floyd Lawson's

You may not have realized that more than one person portrayed these beloved characters.

By Cheryl E PrestonPublished 3 years ago 3 min read
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Ben Weaver and Floyd Lawson

Thanks to syndication, cable, and streaming services we can watch old school classic television favorites as much as we desire. Often, in taking that second, fifteenth, fortieth, or even 100th, viewing of a popular program we realize things that we did not notice when these TV shows first aired. One television show where there is much trivia is The Andy Griffith Show. One fact that may have not been noted by many viewers during the past 60 years is that there were three men who portrayed department store owner Ben Weaver on this classic series. There were also two different actors who played the town barber Floyd Lawson.

The Andy Griffith Show ran for 8 years from 1960-1968 and has been on the air every single year since. There are probably millions who have enjoyed the antics of the Mayberry clan, but how many were aware of this fact regarding the characters of Floyd Lawson and Ben Weaver? The main characters of Andy, Aunt Bee, Opie and Barnie remained the same, as did Goober, Gomer, and Otis. For this reason an occasional new face in Mayberry could easily have been overlooked.

The first actor to take on the part pf Ben Weaver was Will Wright who is in the cover photo on the left. He appeared in 3 episodes from 1960-1962 prior to his death. Wright is the most recognizable Ben because of the Christmas episode The Christmas Story. He was also the shows Andy Forecloses, and The Merchant of Mayberry. Will Wright was the voice of Friend Owl in Bambi, had roles in several westerns and had a short stint as Pete the fireman in Leave it to Beaver. He also had roles on the television programs The Real McCoys, Our Miss Brooks, Father Knows Best,The Rough Riders, Circus Boy, Fury, The Donna Reed Show, The Restless Gun, Lawman, Tales of Wells Fargo, and The Millionaire.

Taliaferro "Toi" Avery took on the role after Wright passed away but was only in one episode as Ben Weaver title The Shoplifters. He also appeared later on The Andy Griffith Show episode Howard the Comedian as a driver and was a jury foreman in Aunt Bee the Juror. Avery was a character actor whose face is recognizable because he was in numerous television shows and movies. The actor was noted for his cultured voice and this is why he was cast in roles as villains who were articulate and sophisticated. He appeared in six episodes of the ABC television series Maverick and on the programs Colt 45, Queen of Dixie, and Circle of Fear.

Jason Johnson

Jason Johnson appeared in five episodes of The Andy Griffith Show but only two as the department store owner, which were Aunt Bea Takes a Job and Goober's Replacement. He was also a councilman in Mayberry goes Bankrupt, Mr. Bluett in The Gypsies, and a random man in Aunt Bee's Restaurant. He was also in several episodes of the Twilight Zone.

Walter Baldwin

Walter Baldwin portrayed the first Floyd Lawson in episode 12 titled Stranger in Town. The actor was also in the movies Rosemary's Baby and The Best Years of Our Lives. Howard McNear (On the right in the cover photo) took over the role in episode 13, Mayberry Goes Hollywood. McNear appeared on the TV series Leave it to Beaver and Peter Gunn. He was also in the movie Anatomy of a Murder. The actor continued as the barber until he had a severe stroke midway through season 3. He had determined not to return to the role but Andy Griffith and the producers convinced him. A special chair was made for the actor because he had limited use of his left arm. He remained in the role through season 7 when his health declined and he passed away. This is when Emmitt and later Howard were introduced in order to fill the void.

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About the Creator

Cheryl E Preston

Cheryl is a widow who enjoys writing about current events, soap spoilers and baby boomer nostalgia. Tips are greatly appreciated.

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