sad time for television

As a child, I was a big fan of TV Land and nick@nite, and enjoyed watching some of the old time tv shows. I remember viewing reruns of classics like I Love Lucy, Mork and Mindy, McHale's Navy, and The Andy Griffith Show. Though these shows were made during a much less politically correct era, yet there was something timeless about some of these black/white classics. This past week, I was saddened to learn of the passing of not just one, but two classic tv icons, Ernest Borgnine and Andy Griffith.

Ernest Borgnine, the star of McHale's Navy, had been a character actor with a career that spanned six decades. I may only remember him in McHale's Navy, but he was so much more than just that. Apparently he had a 10 year Navy career that included 5 distinguished service medals, won an Oscar award in 1955, was nominated for an Emmy for his work on ER, and was the Mermaid Man on Spongebob Squarepants.

I was exceptionally saddened to hear of the passing of Andy Griffith. The eponymously named Andy Griffith Show was both entertaining and funny. He was a trustworthy small town sheriff who had both a sense of humor and common sense. Oh and his show was funny. These days, in the era of edgy shows like Jackass and Punk'd, it's nice to know that the Andy Griffith show can still air daily on tv and get good ratings. Since his days on The Andy Griffith Show (by far the best theme song to whistle), he's had successfully performed such a wide range of characters, although my favorite has definitely been Matlock. As he aged, he gave off that warm grandpa feeling, and you can't help but trust the guy.

I'm saddened to hear of the passing of both of these men. They were both incredibly likeable and disarming and they'll definitely be missed for their comedy.