Who’s Still Alive From ‘Mayberry R.F.D.’?

MAYBERRY R.F.D., from left, Arlene Golonka, George Lindsey, Frances Bavier, Buddy Foster, Ken Berry, 1968-71 (1968 photo). — Gene Trindl / TV Guide / courtesy Everett Collection

When Andy Griffith decided to step back from playing Sheriff Andy Taylor on The Andy Griffith Show, that wasn’t the end of the American viewing public’s romance with the folks in Mayberry. Rather, in the final season of Andy Griffith, attention was shifted away from Andy and Opie to a new father-son combo, widower Sam Jones (played by Ken Berry), and his young son, Mike (Buddy Foster). That pair would go on to anchor the new spin-off series, Mayberry R.F.D., which ran from 1968 to 1971, following many of the same beloved Mayberry residents viewers had come to love — including some season one appearances by the newly-married Andy and his new bride, Helen Crump.

Mayberry R.F.D. had high ratings — it was in the top 10 American TV shows for its first two seasons, and dropped to #15 for its third. But despite being popular with viewers, it had a much shorter run than Andy Griffith; at the end of its third season, it was canceled as part of CBS’s infamous “rural purge.” Thought it’s time on TV was relatively brief, the show still holds a place in the hearts of fans.

Over 50 years after the show’s final episode, only one major star is still with us.

Buddy Foster (68)

Mike Jones

MAYBERRY R.F.D., from left, Arlene Golonka, Buddy Foster, Ken Berry, 1968-71 (1968 photo)

Gene Trindl/TV Guide/Everett Collection

The older brother of superstar Jodie Foster, Buddy began acting when he was 8, appearing in the 1967 Western mini-series Hondo. The following year, he showed up in the final episode of The Andy Griffith Show, appearing in the plot arc that set up Mayberry R.F.D.

Buddy took several guest roles during his time in Mayberry, including guest spots on Dragnet and Petticoat Junction; but his most famous side gig may have been his role as the little kid who accidentally lets Mr. Owl eat his candy in the classic Tootsie Pop commercial:

Buddy retired from acting in his early twenties; his final screen credit was a brief appearance in his sister’s 1980 film Foxes.

In 1997, Buddy published the memoir Foster Child, which created conflict with his sibling. Though Jodie is an out lesbian today who has been married to a woman for over a decade, in 1997, she was not open about her sexuality, and condemned Buddy for writing about it in his book, which she called “”cheap cry for attention and money.” Buddy, for his part, said at the time, “I don’t regret doing the book. It has set me free. Instead of the hope of having my family, I have had the therapeutic experience of telling my story. For once, this isn’t just about Jodie. And I’m the one who has suffered.”

Though he’s stayed out of the public eye since, as of 1997, he was involved in running a construction company in Minnesota.

In memoriam

Ken Berry died in 2018 from heart complications, at the age of 85. George Lindsay, who played Goober Pyle, died in 2012, at 83 years old, from heart failure. Hope Summers, who played Clara Edwards, died in 1979, at age 77. Paul Hartman, who played Emmett, died shortly after the series ended, in 1973, at the age of 69, from a heart attack. Jack Dodson, who played Howard, died in 1994, at the age of 63, due to heart failure. Charles Lampkin, who played Ralph, died in 1989, at the age of 76, from heart failure.