In Memory of Actor Jack Dodson ('Andy Griffith'/'Mayberry R.F.D.'): 30 Years After His Tragic Death

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It's been thirty years since actor Jack Dodson died of heart failure in 1994. Best known as Howard Sprague on The Andy Griffith Show (CBS, 1960-1968) and its sequel, Mayberry R.F.D. (CBS, 1968-1971), Dodson was hired as Howard after Griffith saw him on Broadway in Hughie. He was only 63 years old, and this is his story.

A Closer Look

Jack Dodson was born John Smeaton "Jack" Dodson in Pittsburgh, PA on May 16, 1931. After graduating from Carnegie Tech's Drama Department, Dodson journeyed to New York, where he commenced a career in theatre.

Subsequently, he performed on Broadway in plays like Our Town, You Can't Take It With You, and Hughie. One night during a run of the latter production, Andy Griffith was in the audience. Shortly after, Dodson was cast as Howard Sprague on The Andy Griffith Show.

As Mayberry's county clerk in that iconic country comedy, Dodson's Sprague was an intellectual in a rural county whose statistical calculations often stumped other characters on the show. Those included, among others, star Ken Berry as Sam Jones, and George Lindsay's beloved garage mechanic Goober Pyle (cousin to Jim Nabor's Gomer Pyle - who got a spin-off series of his own).

Beyond Mayberry

In addition to his regular role as Howard Sprague on The Andy Griffith Show and Mayberry R.F.D., Jack Dodson made more than 150 guest appearances on other TV shows. Those include The Fugitive, Newhart, Barney Miller, Cagney and Lacey, St. Elsewhere, and Matlock, Griffith's second hit TV series.

Dodson was the sole Andy Griffith Show cast member, however, to appear in Happy Days, which starred a grown-up Ron Howard who had played Griffith's TV son Opie.

On Happy Days, Dodson had the recurring role of Mickey Malph, the father of Ralph Malph, played by Don Most.

Dodson's widow, meanwhile, was art director Mary Dodson, the younger sister of actor Fritz Weaver. She died on February 15, 2016.

In the End

In the history of television, there is no other character quite like Jack Dodson's Howard Sprague, who will undoubtedly remain cherished by countless classic TV fans for years to come.