A Cuban in Mayberry: Looking Back at America's Hometown

192 Pages·2014·3.219 MB·English

by  Gustavo Pérez Firmat

A Cuban in Mayberry
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A Cuban in Mayberry
Looking Back at
america’s Hometown
Gustavo Pérez Firmat
University of Texas Press    Austin
Copyright © 2014 by Gustavo Pérez Firmat
All rights reserved
Printed in the United States of America
First edition, 2014
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♾ The paper used in this book meets the minimum requirements of
ansi/niso Z39.48- 1992 (r1997) (Permanence of Paper).
LiBrary of congress cataL oging- in- PuBLication Data
Pérez Firmat, Gustavo, 1949–
 A Cuban in Mayberry : looking back at America's hometown /
Gustavo Pérez Firmat. — First edition.
  pages  cm
 Includes bibliographical references and index.
 isBn 978-0-292-73905-5 (cloth : alk. paper)
1. Andy Griffith show (Television program) 2. City and town life on
television. I. Title.
 Pn1992.77.a573P39 2014
 791.45′72—dc23
2014007098
doi:10.7560/759251
For Jen and Chris Holloway
Tell me a story of deep delight.
roBert Penn warren
Contents
Acknowledgments ix
introDuction. To the Fishing Hole 1
Part One: tHe PLace
cHaPter o ne. A World unto Itself 21
cHaPter two . Against Change 35
cHaPter tHree . Stopping the Story 47
cHaPter four . Great Pages in History 56
cHaPter five . From R.F.D. to R.I.P. 67
interLuD e: The Road to Mayberry 79
Part Two: tHe PeoPLe
cHaPter o ne. Sheriff without a Gun (Andy) 89
cHaPter two . Imagination (Mr. McBeevee) 97
cHaPter tHree . Life Imitates Fife (Barney) 99
cHaPter four . A Face in the Crowd (Mr. Schwump) 107
cHaPter five . Growing Up, Growing Old (Opie and Floyd) 109
cHaPter s ix. Old Geezers (Judd and Asa) 118
cHaPter seven . Mayberry Maidens (Aunt Bee, Helen Crump, and
Thelma Lou) 120
viii  A Cuban in Mayberry
cHaPter eigHt . Beasts of the Southern Wild (Ernest T. Bass and
the Darlings) 126
cHaPter nine . Otis Regrets (Otis Campbell) 133
cHaPter ten . Love in the Country (Gomer, Goober, and
Howard) 136
cHaPter eLeven . Trashy Women (Daphne and Skippy) 141
concLusion. Old Sam  143
ePiLogue. A Cuban in Mayberry 147
aPPenDix. List of Episodes 153
Notes 161
Index 171
Acknowledgments
C
oming at tHis P roject from very Different Per-
spectives, Robert Thompson and Jorge Olivares provided valu-
able suggestions and invaluable encouragement. Were it not for the patience,
tenacity, and optimism of Theresa May, assistant director and editor-i n- chief
at the University of Texas Press, this book might not have seen the light of day.
The by-n ow durable tradition of Friday night dinners in Chapel Hill with the
Holloway clan—Chris, Jen, Mary Emma, and Charlotte—contributed to the
book in ways too complicated, and probably too corny, to mention. Like my
other books, this is a collaborative work. My silent partner, Mary Anne Pérez
Firmat, another Mayberrian of the heart, has helped me to understand many
things, the most relevant of which is that home is here.