Even if you were a big fan of ‘Matlock,’ starring Andy Griffith, you might not have noticed these details. Did you know that Andy played two prominent roles in his career? One as ‘Ben Matlock’ and one as ‘Andy Taylor’ on ‘The Andy Griffith Show.’ But, he spent more time acting as Matlock, even though there were fewer episodes because Matlock was an hour-long.
The famous courthouse in the show wasn’t even a courthouse; it was a church! The Second Church of Christ Scientist, located in Los Angeles, served as Matlock’s courtroom. Many people still go visit the church today. Though Matlock was set in Georgia, the show was mainly shot in Los Angeles.
The theme song was composed by Dick Debenedictis. Some of his other compositions were for the shows Perry Mason, Columbo, Police Story, Father Dowling mysteries, Hawaii Five-0, and The Rockford Files.
Matlock was shown on NBC and ABC during its run from 1986 to 1995. It never reached the top ten in the Nielsen Ratings but is still a classic legal thriller. It never won an award, but it won critical acclaim and was adored by audiences everywhere.
Ben Matlock is based on a real person. Bobby Lee Cook was a Georgian lawyer with excellent legal skills and southern charm, just like Matlock. The show was made for Andy Griffith specifically. He played an attorney in two series, ‘Fatal Vision’ and ‘Street Killing.’ Dean Hargrove created the character Ben Matlock. Andy loved playing this role and made notes for his lines and speeches. The cast and crew gave him standing ovations sometimes for his acting.
The popular TV trope is ‘I want you to meet an old friend of mine.’ They used this many times in Ben Matlock. Two spin-offs were created from Matlock’s success. One was called ‘Jake and the Fat Man.’ A doctor character in the show was played by Dick Van Dyke. This character was so popular that he got his own show called ‘Diagnosis Murder.’
In 2013, a two-hour Matlock episode was aired after Andy’s death, and it gathered more views than all popular modern shows such as ‘Law and Order.’ The show still holds up with audiences today!
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