Andy Griffith's Manteo: His Real Mayberry

by John Railey

Learn about the real life of beloved actor Andy Griffith. The world loves Sheriff Andy Taylor. Yet the actor who played him was intensely private. Here, for the first time, is the real Andy Griffith, his career and life defined by the island that made him in the years soon after World War II. He achieved his artistic breakthrough while acting in The Lost Colony drama on Roanoke Island, then spent the rest of his life repaying the island for giving him that start. Here, in unique closeup, is Andy of Manteo, reveling in wild, watery and loving ways with his fellow islanders. Author and journalist John Railey paints an intimate portrait of Andy, based on interviews with many of those who knew him best on the sand where he lived and died.

Genres: Nonfiction

160 pages, Paperback

Published May 9, 2022

Reviews

[Laurie Wheeler]

While visiting the Outer Banks, I discovered this book which reveals the rest of the story of Andy Griffith.
Nothing like Sheriff Taylor, we meet the man who began his acting career in the Outer Banks with the famed production, The Lost Colony.
Wanting to thank North Carolina for giving him a leg up in his dream of Hollywood, he tries to pay back North Carolina and especially Monteo, home to The Lost Colony Production.
Although his boyhood home of Mount Airy is thought to be the setting for Mayberry, Griffith proclaimed that Manteo was the real Mayberry.
No where else will these details be learned, quite interesting Manteo's influence on Griffith, and Griffith's influence on Manteo.
We drove by his beloved Manteo home en route to the settlement of the 16th century settlement, on a lovely road lined by crepe myrtles that he helped revitalize.

[Maggie Kagin]

A must-read if you are a fan of both the Andy Griffith Show and the Outer Banks.

[Aunt Missa]

It’s more about Andy’s love affair with the town of Manteo and Roanoke Island. I also love the Outer Banks, NC and it was a great read. Griffith was notoriously private and didn’t leave behind any written docs, so the author had to dig deep with his interviews to get the info he got. The bookstore where I bought this book is the one where Griffith liked to hang out. He was quietly active politically and his local/state efforts are still present in Manteo and on Roanoke Island. It’s a fairly niche read, but I loved it.

[Sarahfina]

The perfect summer read. Beautifully written. Perhaps the single greatest publication about the Man, the Myth, the Legend: Andy Griffith. This is not a full-length biography, but shifts focus to the lesser known aspects of his private life on the island Manteo. Author John C Railey strives for the heart of who he was beyond the core of Griffith's self-titled sitcom. It's a breath of scented country air to immerse oneself in the story of our Mythical Mayberrian apart from the typical Hollywood Tell-All. My only complaint is that the book is a hundred pages too short.

[Mary]

Hmm, not best written. Some repetitive. Of course I like Andy Griffith. Not always fun to hear quirks and faults of celebrities. Not that there is that much. Don't think author gets the 'religious' side of Andy.

[John]

Very interesting look at North Carolina’s iconic Andy Griffith. Covers his life in Manteo during off season for filming TV and movies. This is the real Andy Griffith, not Andy Taylor. This is his life in a community where finds comfort and challenge.

[Josh Callahan]

Great book for any fans of the Andy Griffith Show, or just anyone learning about the history of Manteo, NC through it’s most famous former resident.

[Lynn]

4.5

[untitled lullaby]

Read this in Manteo and really enjoyed it. Learnt a lot about him and the island I never heard of

[Bob Reed]

Wonderful stories of the life and career of Andy Griffith and his love of Manteo NC.