The Andy Griffith Show Trivia: Barney admits the shocking truth about his relationship with Juanita Beasley

Juanita was metioned for five years

The Andy Griffith Show aired for eight seasons on CBS, from 1960 until 1968. During the first five years, Deputy Barney Fife (played by Don Knotts) had a relationship with Juanita Beasley, who worked at the Blue Bird Café diner.

Despite his connection with Thelma Lou (portrayed by Betty Lynn), who did not have a last name, Barney mentions Juanita in eleven episodes of the series. Many fans of The Andy Griffith Show may have already figured out the dynamic between the deputy and the diner waitress but the shocking truth may not be realized by all.

Thelma Lou was the girl Barney loved

While watching the Season 4 episode Barney and Thelma Lou, recently on MeTV on MeTV, I began to see the underlying relationships more clearly. Long-time fans know that Barney frequently proclaims that "Thel" is the only girl for him. When the "Fun Girls" caused trouble at a dance, he even shouted to Thelma Lou, in front of everyone, that she was the only one he loved.

Yet, Barney also sings to Juanita and speaks to her in a gentle voice over the phone while working in the Sheriff’s office. He talks to Andy about her as if there is a special relationship. It appeared that Juanita was nothing more than a casual relationship for him while Thelma Lou was his main squeeze as we used to say back in the day.

Juanita was the side piece

The type of relationship Barney had with the waitress couldn’t be openly discussed in the 1960s, on network television on a family show, but fans were given enough clues to understand. Juanita was never seen on screen, and Barney's affection toward her suggested something intimate without outright confirmation.

In the vernacular of the time, Ms. Beasley could be seen as the "side chick," while Thelma Lou was the love of the deputy’s life. Betty Lynn played the public girlfriend whom the entire town recognized, while Juanita remained unseen, implying that she was the side peice, or secret affair.

The girl you marry and the one you don't

Reflecting on television shows and movies from the 1960s and 1970s, it was not uncommon for young men to have one woman they dated publicly and another they saw privately. To put it simply, Thelma Lou was the girl you’d marry, while Juanita was the girl you wouldn’t.

The Andy Griffith Show cleverly implied this subtext, often with a touch of humor. Barney’s tone when speaking about Juanita was quite revealing. In the episode, Thelma Lou and Barney, he expressed his frustration when his girl went to the movies with Gomer Pyle (played by Jim Nabors).

Andy reminded his deputy that he had stepped out a few times with Ms. Beasley. Barney sarcastically replied, "If you don't know what that's all about, I ain't gonna tell you."

Thelma Lou was respected

Through this comment, Deputy Fife was indicating to Sheriff Taylor that he was receiving from Juanita what he perhaps wasn't getting from Thelma Lou. In those days, some men waited until their wedding night to have sex with their wives, while others sought pleasure elsewhere, respecting their fiancées' choices to wait.

Though this cannot be conclusively proven, Barney's comment can be interpreted as an admission that his relationship with Juanita was primarily physical.

Mayberry men were sexist

As a child when The Andy Griffith Show first aired, I wouldn’t have paid attention to Barney's words or understood their implications. However, now, watching the episodes night after night, I am realizing that the men in Mayberry often exhibited sexist behavior.

Andy Griffith once admitted that he and his team struggled to write for women, which is evident in the episode titled "The Manicurist." Barbara Eden’s character was objectified, because she was beautiful and shapely.

The men of Mayberry made comments about her body that were acceptable at the time but are frowned upon today. There are several conversations between Andy and Barney throughout the run of the series that, when viewed through a modern lens, appear inappropriate regarding women.

The message behind the invisible Juanita

Even on his later series Matlock, the sexism continued as both Griffith and Knotts referred to women as "dames: and "broads" which was acceptable at the time. Because Juanita Beasley was never shown on screen, she and Thelma Lou never crossed paths or argued over the man they shared.

In a town like Mayberry, where everyone knows each other's business, you would think Juanita would have been outed. In my opinion, The Andy Griffith Show emphasized that Ms. Beasley was deemed unworthy of being seen in public and was only valued for her role in Barney's life, in secret at his discretion.

In the 1986 made-for-television movie Return to Mayberry, the dynamic shifts, and Juanita Beasley calls Barney to announce her sister's chickens had been stolen. It's not known if the duo had continued their secret affair, but Barney and Thelma Lou did marry in the TV movie while Ms. Beasley remained unseen in the shadows.