Monday, October 18, 2021
GAC Family Acquires Classic Sony Sitcoms; Remembering Betty Lynn from The Andy Griffith Show
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As of Sept. 27, cable network Great American Country has rebranded into two networks: GAC Family and GAC Living. Classic Sony Pictures Television sitcoms have joined the lineup on GAC Family! The weekday schedule has blocks of Hazel from 6am-8am, Father Knows Best from 8am-11am, Silver Spoons from 11am-2pm, Bewitched from 2pm-5pm, I Dream of Jeannie from 5-8pm, then a movie double feature from 8pm-12am, with sitcoms returning in late night with more Bewitched from 12am-3am and more I Dream of Jeannie from 3am-6am. Weekends has less sitcoms, but still some airings! Silver Spoons airs 6-10am, Bewitched from 10am-1pm, I Dream of Jeannie from 1-2pm, then movies from 2pm-2am, before closing the night off with Bewitched from 2am-3am and I Dream of Jeannie from 3am-6am.
GAC Family announced the network's first original movies debuting this fall. The star-studded films kick off with An Autumn Romance, starring Chad Michael Murray, Jessica Lowndes, Dennis Andres, Moni Ogunsuyi and Michael Brown, premiering October 23; followed by all-new Christmas movies Much Ado About Christmas, starring Susie Abromeit and Torrance Coombs on October 30; and Christmas Time is Here, starring Dewshane Williams, Rukiya Bernard and Tom Pickett on November 13. A Kindhearted Christmas, starring Cameron Mathison and Jennie Garth premieres Saturday, November 20 at 8pm ET/PT.
Actress Betty Lynn, who was best known for her role as Thelma Lou on The Andy Griffith Show, has died. She died on October 16 in Mount Airy, North Carolina, after a brief illness. Ms. Lynn was 95.
Lynn's first sitcom starring role was as June on the first season of the ABC sitcom Where's Raymond? from 1953 to 1954. June was the wife of Jonathan (Allyn Joslyn) and mother of Ginny (Frances Karath). The series was renamed The Ray Bolger Show for the second season. The Where's Raymond? cast included Ray Bolger, Richard Erdman and Sylvia Lewis.
She played Pearl on the short-lived 1958 ABC sitcom Love That Jill. Pearl was the secretary of Jack Gibson (Robert Sterling). The cast included Anne Jeffreys, James Lydon, Polly Rose, Barbara Nichols, Nancy Hadley and Kay Elhardt.
Lynn appeared in the recurring role as Thelma Lou, Deputy Barney Fife's (Don Knotts) girlfriend, on the CBS sitcom The Andy Griffith Show. She appeared as Barney's sweetheart in 26 episodes from 1961 to 1966. She reprised the role in the 1986 NBC TV reunion movie Return to Mayberry. The Andy Griffith Show cast included Andy Griffith, Ron Howard, Francis Bavier, Elinor Donahue (1960-1961), Jim Nabors (1963-1964), George Lindsey (1965-1968), Aneta Corsaut (1964-1968), Howard McNear, Jack Dodson (1966-1968), Hal Smith (1960-1967) and Jack Burns (1965-1966).
Some of her sitcom guest appearances included The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show, The Gale Storm Show (aka Oh, Susanna), The Farmer's Daughter, The Smothers Brothers Show (aka My Brother the Angel), Family Affair (4 episodes as Miss Lee) and My Three Sons (1 episode as Lois Bradley, 6 episodes as Janet/Janice Dawson).
She appeared as Viola Slaughter on eight episodes of the ABC western Texas John Slaughter from 1959 to 1960. Some of her drama guest appearances included M Squad, Lawman, Wagon Train, Bronco, Sugarfoot, Tales of Wells Fargo, National Velvet, Mod Squad, Little House on the Prairie, Police Story, Barnaby Jones and Matlock (4 episodes as Sarah).
Lynn appeared in many films during the 1940s and 1950s. Some of her credits included Sitting Pretty (1948), June Bride (1948), Mother is a Freshman (1949), Cheaper by the Dozen (1950), Payment on Demand (1951) and Meet Me in Las Vegas (1956).
Ms. Lynn was wonderful as Thelma Lou. Thelma Lou was a sweet and kind character. It's surprising that she didn't appear in more than 26 episodes of the series. Lynn had lived in Mount Airy, the home town of Andy Griffith, since 2006. She continued to make monthly personal appearances in town at The Andy Griffith Museum, signing autographs and meeting with her fans. She will be deeply missed.
Share your memories on our The Andy Griffith Show message board. View photos in our galleries.
Sitcoms Airing Tonight / Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows
Saturday, September 7
Johnson - "Bahama Breeze" (Bounce TV, 8:00PM ET/PT)
Naomi is impressed with Omar's growth; Antionette makes Jarvis a proposal at a much-needed time; Greg reconnects with Jada; Omar, Keith and Jarvis hit the club.
Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of September 2)
Friday, September 6
- Kumail Nanjiani (Bless the Harts/Silicon Valley) - Watch Kumail on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
- Michael Keaton (Report to Murphy/Working Stiffs/All's Fair) - Michael appears on a repeat of Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
- Conner O'Malley (Shrill) - Conner is a guest on a repeat of Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
- Edie Falco (Bupkis/Nurse Jackie) - Edie talks about her film I'll Be Right There on NBC's Today in the 10am hour and on Live with Kelly and Mark, so check your local listings.
- Josh Gad (Wolf Like Me/Avenue 5/The Comedians/1600 Penn/Back to You) - Josh is joining Drew and telling her about getting denied from his college's musical theater program and making his return to Broadway after eleven years with bestie Andrew Rannells on a repeat of The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.
- Diane Farr (Splitting Together/Like Family/The Job) - Diane discusses the CBS drama series Fire Country on a repeat of The Talk on CBS at 2pm ET/1pm CT-PT.
New on DVD and Blu-ray
04/03 - Too Close for Comfort - The Complete Series (VEI)
04/08 - Check It Out! - The Complete Series (VEI)
05/21 - Frasier (2023) - Season One
06/11 - The Jeffersons - The Complete Series (2024 Release)
06/11 - Welcome Back, Kotter - The Complete Series (2024 Release)
07/05 - Letterkenny - Season 12 (Final Season)
07/30 - Ted Lasso - The Richmond Way (The Complete Series) (Blu-ray) (DVD)
09/10 - Rick and Morty - The Complete Seasons 1-7
09/10 - Ted - Season One (Blu-ray) (DVD)
09/17 - Bewitched - The Complete Series - 60th Anniversary Special Edition (Blu-ray)
09/17 - Top Cat - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
09/24 - Friends - The Complete Series (4K Ultra HD)
09/24 - Young Sheldon - The Complete Seventh Season (DVD) / The Complete Series (DVD) (Blu-ray)
10/08 - Curb Your Enthusiasm - The Complete Twelfth Season / The Complete Series
10/22 - Veep - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
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