12 Secrets Barney Fife Doesn’t Want Anyone To Know

For eight wonderful years, The Andy Griffith Show delighted and entertained Americans with tales from the town of Mayberry. It was rich and laden with mid-Century Americana, capturing the true essence of what it was to be American in the decades before it aired. What made The Andy Griffith Show so endearing and special wasn’t necessarily the show itself; instead, it was the personable and relatable acting of one Barney Fife. Fife was relentlessly and suitably perfect in the role of Andy Griffith. But behind the scenes? It was a much different story. These 12 unbelievable secrets reveal who he truly was–number six is especially surprising!

#12 Andy Was Romantically Inept

Fife’s best friend, Andy, had a reputation–and it wasn’t just for his acting chops. Whispers from castmates spread a pervasive rumor that the television hero was a bit inept when it came to romance. He never really seemed to connect with his co-lead, Elinor Donahue, and often came across as a bit of a womanizer.