Rob Reiner portrayed Joe on The Andy Griffith Show

Rob Reiner showed up in Mayberry

The news that Rob Reiner and his wife Michele were murdered by their son Nick has rocked the world. The beloved director and actor was best known for his role as Michael "Meathead" Stivic on All in the Family (1971-1979), but his career encompassed so much more.

Since his passing on Sunday, December 14, news outlets have been reporting on his many accomplishments, like directing When Harry Met Sally which is when he met his future wife. Fans have been sharing photos of Reiner and discussing his contributions.

A little-known fact is that Renier was on The Andy Griffith Show at the age of 18, in April 1967. He made a brief appearance in the episode Goober's Contest as Joe, an apprentice in a printer's shop.

The Mayberry printer's apprentice

If you enjoy reruns of The Andy Griffith Show on retro channels, you may have noticed that they only show Black and White episodes. The series began airing colorized shows in September 1965, when season six began. Goober's Contest was episode 30 of season 7.

Reiner appears near the beginning of Goober's Contest as Joe who is working as an apprentice in a printer's shop. Goober Pyle (George Lindsey) shows up to have raffle tickets and an advertisement printed. Goober and Joe have a brief exchange and Reiner was not in any additional scenes.

For fans who may not have viewed this episode, here is the gist of it. Goober held a raffle contest at the filling station where he worked because he had been losing business.

The prizes were $1.00 to $5.00 for a total of $200 being given out. The printer accidentally prints a winning ticket for one $200 winner, and Floyd Lawson (Howard McNear) becomes the lucky winner. Initially he demands his $200, but by the end of the episode, he understands that his ticket was an accident.

Changes in Mayberry with colorized episodes

A few differences in this episode from previous seasons was that Aunt Bee (Francis Bavier) and Floyd are driving vehicles, and Floyd is showing visible signs of a stroke his protrayer had suffered.

The barber keeps his left hand, which was severely damaged, at his side and is not shown walking or standing. A special chair was built for McNear to use

While he is driving, the left hand appears to have been placed on the steering wheel, but he is not gripping it the way he is wth his right hand. His voice was strained, and he held his head up unusually high as if he were over-emphasizing his facial expressions.

Some fans say that without Don Knotts as Barney Fife, and Betty Lyn as Thelma Lou, The Andy Griffith Show did not seem the same when the episodes began airing in color. The absence of Floyd's barber shop and changes to the Sheriff's office were also noted.

Keeping it all in the family

In addition to The Andy Griffith Show, Reiner also appeared in an episode of Batman in 1967. Who would have known that those small acting gigs would lead to All in The Family and later successes?

Ironically, the Reiner men did keep acting and directing "all in the family." Carl Reiner, a comedian and actor known for The Dick Van Dyke Show, was Rob's dad. Son Nick co-wrote Being Charlie, and his father was the director. It's very sad the way things turned out and now Nick may be facing the death penalty.

If you want to see the young Rob Reiner in Goober's Contest, The Andy Griffith Show, including the colorized episodes, can be viewed on Paramount, Pluto, and other streaming services.