Ron Howard is taking a trip down memory lane.
On Feb. 15, the 70-year-old posted a picture to Instagram of his “The Andy Griffith Show” costars Andy Griffith and Don Knotts, visiting him on set in the 90s.
“A fun photo of the day in ‘97 when #AndyGriffith and #DonKnotts surprised me with a visit to the set of #Ransom in #Queens,” Howard captioned the image of the three men smiling. “It was recently confirmed that Don and I were actually distant cousins!”
The sitcom, which ran for eight seasons, followed the sheriff of Mayberry, Andy Taylor (Griffith).
At five years old, Howard played Opie during the duration of the series from 1960 to 1968.
Knotts was known for his role as Deputy Sheriff Barney Fife — which won him five Emmys.
Reflecting on working with Griffith, Howard told People in 1986, “Andy was like a wonderful uncle to me. He created an atmosphere of hard work and fun that I try to bring to my movies.”
That same year, the cast reunited for the made for TV movie “Return to Mayberry.”
The film followed Opie becoming a father and Barney deciding to run for sheriff but ultimately realizing Andy’s made for the job.
Howard went on to star in “Happy Days,” but ended up behind the camera.
The director worked on a series of classics, including “Apollo 13” and “How the Grinch Stole Christmas.”
Knotts passed away in 2006 at age 81, followed by Griffith in 2012 at age 86.
Last year, Howard took a moment to reflect on the beloved sitcom.
“It was so much a function of kind of a singular creative voice,” he told Conan O’Brien about Griffith. “It was his show, it was tailored to his sensibility.”
The filmmaker added, “Andy used to kill jokes if they were too broad. He just kept saying, ‘The South is plenty funny on its own.’ ”
“How lucky was I to grow up in that situation where the actors were set up … to participate, make suggestions?” Howard continued, noting that even as a child he felt comfortable to speak up.
Howard would go on to star in another famous show — “Happy Days,” which starred Henry Winkler, Marion Ross, Tom Bosley, Erin Moran, Don Most, Anson Williams, and more. He played Richie Cunningham.
“It’s a bit unfathomable to think that it’s been 50 years since Happy Days,” he wrote on Instagram beneath a montage of clips from the show’s eleven season run in the 70s.
“To this day, I’m pretty thankful to have shared so many memories and laughs with all of them, and YOU! To celebrate, enjoy 50 years of Happy Days in 50 seconds, and explore the visual history put together by Brian Levant and Fred Fox Jr.”
