The popularity of "The Andy Griffith Show" is truly outstanding and is in good standing at the Retro Hall of Fame.

This is something I rarely talk about, but when I was a little boy the fallout from the Civil War was still playing itself out in public life and even affected radio and television media markets. As a result, there was a huge controversy when CBS announced its new Fall Lineup of television shows, for the 1960 broadcast year, leading with The Andy Griffith Show set in the TV town of Mayberry, North Carolina.

And that's when CBS revealed its secret weapon - The Andy Griffith Show would be produced by Sheldon Leonard and Danny Thomas, two of the most formidable television masters in the business! Danny Thomas was the genius behind some of the most popular TV shows of the '60's and the '70's, and it was Thomas who spoke directly to the media press at the CBS rollout over possible trouble with a network comedy show set in the Old South.

Andy Griffith joined Danny Thomas onstage to tell the assembled press reporters to brace themselves for the finest comedy show of the season - America will love the people of Mayberry!

Here's a clip from, "Danny Thomas meets Andy Griffith":

Here's a clip from Episode Two - look closely and notice the boat's water leak before it's mentioned in the show's dialog. Great detail and it's wonderful to see a TV series filmed outside.

A perfect nomination, edd!

For 8 seasons, he's brought joy to millions to us viewers. He's shown what it means to be a good friend and a good dad. Thank you Andy for the laughter and the memories.

Tom Bodett

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For almost 40 years, he was the voice of Motel 6 commeicials and I feel he's more than worth of being in The Retro Hall of Fame. So remember, the next time you book a room at Motel 6:

"I'm Tom Bodett and we'll leave the light on for you."

Wow -Tom Bodett - Excellent M&M! You know that Tom Bodett is a regular guest on "Wait, Wait . . . Don't Tell Me", the NPR weekly news quiz show from WBEZ-Chicago. His timeless voice from my radio always bring a smile to my face.

Now I want to nominate a favorite comedy show from the 1960's: "Bewitched" - The Entire Series!

I'm proud to say I have the complete Bewitched series on DVD. The cast, the magical shenanigans, the two Darrins lol. Bewitched is magically wonderful. No matter how many movies or remakes of the show they make, they can NEVER compare to the awesomeness of the original.

Mr Magic wrote :

I'm proud to say I have the complete Bewitched series on DVD. The cast, the magical shenanigans, the two Darrins lol. Bewitched is magically wonderful. No matter how many movies or remakes of the show they make, they can NEVER compare to the awesomeness of the original.

-end quote

You can say that again, MM. The production quality alone makes watching Bewitched pure joy. I still get a kick outta Samatha's relationship with her father, Maurice, it's on a different level from Endora.

Dave Thomas

Another big name in the commercial world. He cared about people, including his employees. He cared about the quality of his food. He knew what customers wanted. It's no wonder he was a major success and why so many people chose Wendy's.

No Words Needed.

Wal-Mart

God bless its legacy, it's products and those who worked and continue to work hard to make it a success.

God bless Wal-Mart.

I'd nominate Metallica's Ride The Lightning (1984):

I love all of Metallica's first five studio albums and all of their first five albums would be worthy of the Retro Hall Of Fame...but if I pick just one of Metallica album that best represents the band and who they were in their prime..it'd be the Ride The Lightning album.