Betty Lynn celebrated her 95th birthday back on August 29, 2021. She is perhaps best known for her portrayal of Thelma Lou, the recurring love interest of bumbling Mayberry deputy Barney Fife, on the groundbreaking sitcom, The Andy Griffith Show, which ran for 249 episodes on CBS from October 3, 1960, to April 1, 1968.
▬Contents of this video▬ 00:00 - Intro 01:08 - Thelma Lou Brought A Dose Of Sweetness To The Show 01:48 - Betty Lynn's Crush 03:41 - Life After The Andy Griffith Show 04:49 - Betty Lynn Today 06:27 - Outro
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However, after The Andy Griffith Show ended after being on the air for eight seasons, Lynn would land another role that would pit her head-to-head with her former Griffith co-star. Lynn went on to have recurring roles and guest spots on shows like Family Affair, My Three Sons, The Farmer's Daughter, The Smith Family, and Little House On The Prairie, but the role that would cause division between her and Griffith was her turn on the courtroom drama series, Matlock.
Ultimately this would lead to a falling out between the two starts that would last more than a decade and would only end in 2008 when one of them reached out to the other for some acting advice.
But before we start dissecting that situation, let's rewind a little bit to gain a little bit of context. In one famous episode of The Andy Griffith Show called 'Cyrano Andy', the audience witnesses Andy pay an unexpected visit to Barney's Girlfriend, Thelma Lou. Once he's gotten her attention, he boldly announces that he wants her for his own.
This might be shocking if it weren't for the fact that the audience already knows that it's a Joke. Andy is merely trying to make Thelma Lou realize her true feelings for Barney by declaring his love for her. It's all a carefully planned rouse. While it might have seemed at first that Andy was going after his best friend's girl, in reality, he was just trying to get her to understand just how deeply she cared about him.
According to the actress who played Thelma Lou, Betty Lynn, this love triangle did, in fact, exist in a somewhat subdued way behind the scenes of the otherwise wholesome show. But in reality, it played out the opposite of the way that you might assume. It was actually Lynn who had the strong feelings for Andy, but sadly, the timing never really seemed to work for them to pursue a romantic relationship.
In this video, you'll learn how Betty Lynn's crush on The Andy Griffith Show's lead caused division among the show's cast members and led to a rocky period in Lynn and Griffith's relationship that would extend for more than a decade.
