Unless you watched “The Andy Griffith Show” very, very closely, you may have missed a very interesting detail involving the homes of Sheriff Andy Taylor’s girlfriends.
Turns out, according to MeTV, that the same home was used as the residence for two of Sheriff Andy’s girlfriends during the series.
Let’s start with the character Peggy McMillan, who was played by actress Joanna Moore, in the popular sitcom. Peggy and Andy, played by the legendary Andy Griffith, have their first date during the show’s third season. The episode was titled, “Andy’s Rich Girlfriend.”
Peggy was employed as a nurse. During the episode, she and Andy decide to go out with Deputy Barney Fife and his girlfriend, Thelma Lou. During the date, the two couples go to the lake in this episode of “The Andy Griffith Show.”
Later on, the episode shows Andy walking Peggy to her door. As they approach, the house number becomes visible. The number is 323.
Now, let’s flash forward a few episodes to another from the third season of “The Andy Griffith Show.”
This one is titled, “Andy Discovers America.” In it, viewers get to know teacher Helen Crump. As fans of the show are aware, Andy and Helen eventually fall in love and get married. Helen was played by Aneta Corsaut, according to IMDb.
However, in this episode, their relationship was anything but romantic. Andy Griffith’s character upset the school teacher when he causes his son, Opie, to cause trouble for Helen in the classroom. Of course, Andy did not do this on purpose. However, he owned up to his mistake and he and Helen become friendly.
At the end of the episode, Andy and Helen walk to her home. Turns out, her home is the same one – number 323 – that Peggy occupied.
Limited Number of Buildings on Set of ‘The Andy Griffith Show’ Explains Why One Home Was Used for Two of Andy’s Girlfriends
Right now, you might be asking yourself, “Why in the world would ‘The Andy Griffith Show’ use the same building as the home for two characters?”
Well, the answer is pretty simple. And, it has to do with the size of the lot used for filming the famous show.
The lot could only contain a certain amount of structures. So, this limited how many buildings there could be. Because of this, some homes – such as number 323 – were used more than once and as the residences for more than one character.
Interestingly, the same home also played a role in another relationship of Sheriff Andy Taylor’s. This one involved Ellie Taylor, who was a pharmacist in Mayberry. Ellie was played by actress Elinor Donahue.
Now, Ellie did not live at number 323. However, she is forced to go there to visit Emma Brand, who is sick. It is Emma who lives at 323. Andy and Ellie have a scene outside the home in the episode titled, “Ellie Comes to Town.”