Andy Griffith was a mainstay on television for decades. Before he had his own television show, he performed monologues. Andy Griffith was so talented at this that his comedy monolgues helped boost him into television. His monologues are still funny to listen to today and will make you miss the good old days!
In 1953, Griffith recorded “What It Was, Was Football.” It was mass produced with over 800,000 copies being sold.
Griffith’s monologue is actually one of the best selling comedy records of all time. It has become one of the most beloved comedy recordings of all times.
If you didn’t already know, this is actually is how “Matlock” first got his start!
On this day in 1953, UNC alumnus Andy Griffith released “What it was, was Football,” bring nationwide attention to the Mt. Airy native. pic.twitter.com/7R8xSo5r8d
— UNC Archives (@uncarchives) November 14, 2016
“What It Was, Was Football”
“What It Was, Was Football” is a monologue in which Andy Griffith describes a college football game as seen by a very naive country preacher who had never witnessed a game before.
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He stumbled upon the game and couldn’t understand it. The preacher’s description of the game is both wholesome and hilarious. If you had no previous knowledge of football, imagine how chaotic it would appear!
The country preacher thought the referee was a convict and the football was a pumpkin. And he couldn’t understand why everyone was fighting.
“Then a convict come over to where they was a-standin’, and he took out a quarter, and they commenced to odd man right there!,” Griffith said. “They did. After a while I seen what it was they was odd-manning for. It was that both bunches-full of them men wanted this funny-lookin’ little punkin to play with. They did.”
Andy Griffith In Mad Magazine
“What It Was, Was Football,” landed Griffith a guest spot on the Ed Sullivan Show, putting him on the map.
Inf fact, his comedy monologue was so popular that in 1958, Mad Magazine printed Andy Griffith’s monologue along with illustrations.
On this day in 1953 Andy Griffith released “What It Was, Was Football.” Last month in his hometown Mt. Airy, NC I saw this amazing photo of him performing that routine at UNC’s Kenan Stadium. pic.twitter.com/lHZFTMIenZ
— Ryan McGee (@ESPNMcGee) November 15, 2017
After the game was over, the naive country preacher still had trouble understanding what happened. But, he fared pretty well.
“I think it was that it’s some kindly of a contest where they see which bunch-full of them men can take that punkin and run from one end of that cow pasture to the other without gettin’ knocked down or steppin’ in somethin’,” Griffith tells the audience at the end of the monologue.
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Andy Griffith’s familiar accent adds charm to this fun story, which you can hear below.
Plus, the artwork in the video is from the 1958 Mad Magazine article about the monologue. Enjoy!
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