Andy Griffith's breakout monologue: 'What It Was, Was Football'

Andy Griffith was one of the first great television stars, but he got his start as a monologuist, telling comedic stories onstage in an early iteration of stand-up comedy. In 1953, Griffith recorded What It Was, Was Football, a monologue about a rural country fellow who accidentally finds himself at a football game and has absolutely no idea what is happening. The monologue sold 800,000 records nationwide and launched Griffith’s career into the stratosphere. It’s also still really funny, partially because Griffith’s delivery is at once self-mocking and endearing, possibly because football is still a ripe topic half a century later. Rest in peace, Andy Griffith: Listen to What it Was, Was Football below.

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