Though well known for his legal drama, Matlock, Andy Griffith will always be endearingly connected with the show that touched a generation with pure, simple family values.

Through 8 seasons and 249 episodes, The Andy Griffith Show serves as a great cinematic reference. It shows how powerfully you can connect with an audience in black and white, using just one camera.

Sheriff Taylor joins most of the cast who've now passed. Surviving cast members of The Andy Griffith Show are:

Ron Howard (Opie Taylor), Jim Nabors (Gomer Pyle), Betty Lynn (Thelma Lou), Elinor Donahue (Ellie Walker), Ken Berry (Sam Jones) and Jack Burns (Warren Ferguson, Barney's replacement).

Here's an interview Matt Lauer had with Don Knotts & Andy Griffith on The Today Show, March 4, 1996.