Safe to say: no one ever watched “Matlock” primarily for the plots. The main appeal was the star of the show, Andy Griffith, in what turned out to be his final memorable role. As Ben Matlock, he revived an archetype of American culture in the form of the wily Southern lawyer, a shambling trickster whose fumbling manner disguises a keen mind.
It was an ideal finale for an actor who had made his living as a Southerner, most often as a friendly neighbor (“The Andy Griffith Show”) but occasionally as a sinister figure (A Face in the Crowd). The five-DVD “Matlock: The Ninth and Final Season” covers his caseload from 1994-1995 in stories drawing from recent headlines. One episode boasted philandering fundamentalists, predatory paparazzi and smarmy tabloid editors. A loveable cast of sidekicks provided Ben Matlock with comic relief and visual interest, especially his nitwit good ole buddy Billy (Warren Frost), his determined if sometimes dim investigator Cliff (Daniel Roebuck) and the sharp new addition to the team, Jerri (Carol Huston).
But the spotlight never fell far from Griffith, who played his character with expressive facial and body language, with muggy pace but a quick wit, wielding the razor’s edge of common sense in a convoluted world. Who wouldn’t want him on your side in court?
