Andy Griffith Predicts Trump

[Uncle Joe]

Feb 12, 2016
Andy Griffith, in an interview with Morning Exchange in 1972, talks about his role in the film, "A Face In The Crowd." He plays a character named Lonesome Rhodes, who is eerily similar to Donald Trump.

[bsiebs]

1. I saw that movie before tsf entered the national scene.. Andy's character was finished once his followers heard him...

If only that live mic would have mattered to our MAGAts today... the Access Hollywood tape WAS tsf's live mic moment, and it didn't matter......

[Mr.Bee]

2. He could insult them

take their Social Security and Medicare, drain their bank accounts and not lose any supporters!

[IrishAfricanAmerican]

17. He's anointed by god don't you know.

[Uncle Joe]

3. I believe it may be because our information systems have changed

Back in the day, non 24 hour communication via radio and T.V. was more direct from the speaker to the listener, and with minimal commentary or punditry as compared to today.

As a result today's celebrity pundits' point of views must be taken into consideration, (what does such and such have to say about it?) while in many cases they just simultaneously work to muddy the waters.

I believe the additional filters of non-stop punditry have created an added delay to our macro critical thinking skills as a society.

Having said that, I don't believe it to be permanent and *rump is now in the process of melting in the public's eye as major public conscious tipping points have passed.

[Wonder Why]

6. The difference between reality and Hollywood fakery.

[progressoid]

8. Many of them actually embraced the Access Hollywood comment.

Sickening.

[ShazzieB]

14. The Access Hollywood tape didn't consist of Trump calling his followers stupid sheep...

...or whatever the character in that movie said. It was just Trump being as ass, which they were fine with. I know some may argue that he could say anything about his followers and they wouldn't care, but that theory has never been tested. Be that as it may, I'm just saying the Access Holllywood tape wasn't really equivalent to what happened in the movie.

I wish something like that - a hot mic moment of him disparaging his followers - would happen. I'd love to see how they would react.

[bsiebs]

15. They would probably say "..he calls them like he sees them.. he's the best.." and then write him another check.. idiots

[Warpy]

4. "A Face in the Crowd" predicted all the right wing bloviating assholes

from Joe Pyne to Morton Downey, Jr. to the biggest bloviating populist conman of all, Limbaugh. All had adoring audiences of mostly men who wanted to reclaim....something. I suppose they missed being the sidekicks of middle school bullies and were appalled to find out that women had the audacity to think they were human, too.

It's amazing how good a job Griffith did in that role, he was terrifyingly real. It's just too bad that a real life Patricia Neal was never allowed anywhere near the Great Man.

[themaguffin]

5. Yep. Excellent and still relevant movie

[bmichaelh]

7. Supposedly he insults evangelicals behind their back

There are stories that behind closed doors, he mocks his evangelical supporters.

[OMGWTF]

11. Rethuglican operative KKKarl "Turd Blossom" Rove called the evangelicals "Rubes" a/k/a useful idiots.

[ShazzieB]

12. Mock the Evangelicals? Who, Trump? 😉

Yeah, I'm sure he does that! In fact, I'd be surprised if he didn't. That's exactly the kind of jerk he is.

[Bo Zarts]

9. Watching Andy Griffith here, with his soft-spoken Southern accent, I can't help but think ...

Andy Griffith would have been a perfect casting for the role of President Jimmy Carter in any future movie about Carter's wonderful life. Too bad Andy Griffith is gone. Too bad Jimmy Carter will soon be gone.

[Indykatie]

10. Griffith Deserved an Oscar Nomination for His Performance in AFITC.

[bmichaelh]

13. Howard, Griffith, and Winkler supported Obama back in 2008

Not sure what Andy Griffith's political beliefs were.

But back in 2008, Ron Howard made a promotional video for Obama with Andy Griffith and Henry Winkler.

[TSExile]

19. Not sure either, but...

...in 2020, Ron Howard made a couple of pro-Biden videos featuring most of the main surviving cast of Happy Days. The one holdout, not surprisingly, was Baio.

[wiggs]

21. Don Knotts wasn't around in 2008 but was a progressive as well. nt

[Just_Vote_Dem]

16. "A Face in the Crowd", one of my favorite movies

Thanks for posting this!

[Mysterian]

18. Andy was a national treasure

I hope North Carolina becomes more like Andy would like to see it.

[PCIntern]

20. Brillant in his last film: Waitress

Which was a significant film in its own right.

[andym]

22. Trump insults his supporters and they happily support him as their superior

Unlike the fictional Lonesome Rhodes. The difference is that Rhodes was a face in (one of) the crowd. Trump stands above them, portraying himself as their superior and they eat it up. It's why he can do anything: lead an insurrection etc., and they love him nevertheless.
His supporters know they are not particularly great people and enjoy basking in the reflected self-importance of Trump. Trump could call them deplorables and they would cheerfully agree.


For example,
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/10/sunday-review/trump-supporters.html https://archive.is/5Azwa#selection-435.0-456.0
"Trump Has Called His Supporters ‘Disgusting.’ Do They Care?
“The people Trump despises most love him the most,” Howard Stern has said. But that may be beginning to change."
from 2020.