“We’re excited to have Randy with us to talk about some of that history as well as those connections that bring the past into the future,” MacKenzie-Thurley said.
Turner – a West Chester resident – is one of the foremost authorities on “The Andy Griffith Show,” but knows those ripples extend well beyond rural North Carolina and the days of three television channels.
Guests can expect to hear about a lot of classic TV programs, sequels and spinoffs like “Gomer Pyle: USMC” and “Mayberry R.F.D.,” as well as shows such as “The Dick Van Dyke Show” and “The Big Bang Theory.”
Turner recently published “Mayberry Firsts: Volume II,” a second collection of essays looking at firsts in Andy Griffith’s television history. His first book – the original “Mayberry Firsts: Volume I” was published in 2019. In between, Turner also wrote “The Mayberry Travel Guide,” edited “60 Years of Mayberry: A Celebration of the Andy Griffith Show,” and he has become a prominent speaker across the country.
Turner grew up in Franklin and attended Morehead State University as an undergrad before going to law school at the University of Cincinnati. He got reacquainted with Andy Griffith in college and his passion grew from there.
“There are people who are trivia experts on the show,” Turner said. “I’m not one of them. I don’t know every episode by heart. I’m more of a fan of the history of the show and how it has lasted all this time.”
“The Andy Griffith Show’ is not only a great show, but it’s evergreen, and audiences could always relate to it” he said.
It “is one of only three shows that went off the air as the No. 1 show in the country,” Turner said. “The other two were ‘I Love Lucy’ and ‘Seinfeld.’”
How to go
What: Classic TV with Randy Turner
When: 11:30 a.m., Jan. 8
Where: The Fitton Center for Creative Arts, 101 S. Monument Ave., Hamilton
Cost: $23 for members; $30 for non-members. Luncheon speaker series will include lunch from Two Women in a Kitchen.
More info: fittoncenter.org or (513) 863-8873 ext. 110
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