Decades before his Oscar-winning career as the director of such films as
A Beautiful Mind,
Apollo 13 and
Cinderella Man (not to mention two of my favorites,
Cocoon and
Splash),
Ron Howard's creative mind began taking shape playing the only child of a widowed sheriff on
The Andy Griffith Show. After Griffith's passing on July 3, Howard spent his Independence Day holiday reflecting on the happy days he shared in Mayberry with a man he would ...