by Pat Merewether

Created on: May 28, 2009   Last Updated: September 12, 2010

The 1960's provided television viewers with some fresh new sitcoms while updating others. Some of the best were "Mayberry RFD and soon became "The Andy Griffith Show", "The Dick VanDyke Show", and "Bewitched".

The Andy Griffith Show started in the 1950's and told the story of a recently widowed sheriff, his young son Opie and the characters that surrounded him in the small town of Mayberry RFD (RFD stands for Rural Farm Delivery - which was commonly used on mail in areas where there were few people. Often letters contained only the name of the recipient and the town and RFD.)  Their succss was partly due to the quirky and loveable characters, such as inept but endearing Barney Fife and innocent yet wise Aunt Bea.  The worls was changing rapidly during the 1960's due to the war in Vietnam, Civil Rights issues and other forms of civil unrest.  The Andy Griffith Show offered a brief respit from the real world, and reminded viewers of a more simple days in the recent past.

However the show also gently reflected social change in some of it's episode, such as one about how Opie was now a teenager and was invited to join a Rock and Roll band due to his excellent guitar playing.   This led to his becoming a bit disrespectful to his father and Aunt be and brought up the issue of the importance of keeping a balance between school work and playing music with friends.  What made it  a bit lighter was the fact that a local, older school teacher helped them by joining in on the piano and enjoying the 'new and dangerous music."    The show kept his squeaky clean image while addressing modern and sometimes troubling topics. 

The Dick VanDyke Show centered upon a middle-class couple, Rob and Laura Petrie, played by Dick VanDyke and Mary Tyler Moore. Dick played a comedy writer and his writing team members played by comedy veterans Morie Amsterdam and Rose Marie provided lots of situations and laughs. The show took a couple of bold steps forward that wouldn't even be noticed today. One was Laura Petrie's capris pants. Aside from a few appearances by Lucille Ball in capris pants, most women of that era wore dresses and aprons.  Another topic that was new to American viewers was Laura's pregnancy and the eventual episode where their son, Ritchie, was born. The naming of Ritchie was a particularly comical and clever episode, as any new parents of any age can appreciate.

Millie and Jerry Krumbermacher were

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