Floyd Lawson: Great Character Played by a Great Character Actor

Floyd Lawson or Floyd the Barber in The Andy Griffith Show, played, usually, by Howard McNear, is a fantastic character. Like many sweet-natured and slightly bumbling great characters, he is a canny dope: a seemingly innocent member of the community who perceives the truth more readily than others. 

My favorite episode is "Floyd, the Gay Deceiver" in which online dating makes an appearance! 

Not really. The dating takes place by mail. But like "cat-fishing" today, both Floyd, innocently, and the woman, less innocently, have misrepresented themselves. Andy, Aunt Bee, and Opie all contribute to help Floyd appear well-to-do and polished. Andy and Opie end up Floyd's sons!

Howard McNear was a marvel as Floyd. Like many actors of the time, he showcased a wide range of skills and emotions. He could play silly and absent-minded. He could play serious and down-to-earth. He could deliver hilarious lines in a dead-pan manner. 

Even after his stroke, when Andy Griffith asked him to return, McNear continued to deploy a wide range of behaviors and attitudes, which distilled themselves into a well-rounded individual, rather than a character who becomes whatever the script requires him to be. 

Jack Dodson's Howard Sprague made a decent replacement in the later seasons, but McNear--when he ultimately left the show--was dearly missed.