Hal Smith will always be remembered as Otis Campbell the town drunk on the Andy Griffith Show even though Andy Griffith and Don Knotts reportedly said he never drank in real life. However he has something in common with Winnie the Pooh in that he was also the voice of Winnie the Pooh.
He appeared in 32 Andy Griffith shows but left the show in 1966 when the sponsors of the show voiced concerns over the excessive drinking by his character. My favorite episode is when the jail is too crowded for Otis to use his regular cell so Andy sends him to his house where “Warden” Aunt Bee makes him wish he was back in the Mayberry jail.
Otis played a glue dipper which seems like a strange profession for such a small town and would arrest himself and let himself into his cell and was usually free to leave the jail since the key was in his reach outside the cell except in instances like this when Barney Fife thought he needed some interrogation before being released.
Barney interrogates Otis to see if he is fit to be released out into society.
Smith also was the voice of Winnie the Pooh and Owl for the Disney channel.
He became the voice of Goofy and Woody Woodpecker when the previous actors who voiced those characters died.
Thanks for the memories and for being such a great entertainer.
His Find A Grave page has even more info on Hal and shows his place in the mausoleum:
http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=1866
This is one of the many tributes written for Hal at the Find A Grave website:
Hal, So many great laughts that I can’t even count them!What a great part you played as Otis Campbell the drunk.I still watch you even to this day and never get tired of watching you!I see also that your son and wife have passed on also!I hope you are finding great peace with you family in heaven!May god bless you and your family in your new life with out lord and savior Jesus Christ!See you heaven!God Bless!
– Richard Colson
Added: Oct. 3, 2008
Nostalgia and Now 