The only time Jack Nicholson and Ron Howard worked together: “It’ll never happen again”
Jack Nicholson and Ron Howard are undoubtedly two of Hollywood’s most celebrated figures. Nicholson, with his unparalleled acting prowess and record-breaking 12 Oscar nominations (and three wins), is often hailed as one of the greatest actors in cinematic history. Howard, by contrast, transitioned from his early days as a child actor and sitcom star into an acclaimed director, cementing his legacy with A Beautiful Mind, which won him Oscars for both ‘Best Director’ and ‘Best Picture’. Despite their lengthy and illustrious careers, it’s surprising to note that the two never collaborated on a classic film. In fact, their professional paths only crossed once—and not on the silver screen.
The only collaboration between these Hollywood titans came in the 1970s when Nicholson guest-starred on The Andy Griffith Show spin-off, Mayberry RFD, where Howard was reprising his role as Opie Taylor. Nicholson’s appearance, while brief, offered a fascinating glimpse of two future legends in vastly different stages of their careers. Though their collaboration didn’t extend beyond this small-screen encounter, their mutual impact on Hollywood remains indisputable.
Nicholson and Howard mightn’t have worked on a film together, but they were like ships passing in the night at certain times in their careers. For instance, Howard once told A-Frame that a seminal Nicholson movie was one of his main inspirations for becoming a director in the first place. He revealed that when he and wife Cheryl went to the cinema to see One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest in 1975, the movie bowled him over – as did Nicholson’s performance.
“Cheryl and I had to jam into the very front row, sit with our necks pressed back,” Howard reminisced. “And we left, and we literally turned around and got back in line to see the midnight show. The only other time this happened was with Star Wars.” He marvelled at Nicholson’s “bravura central performance,” which “crackled with energy.”
Howard’s next tangential association with Nicholson came when he was shooting Splash, his breakthrough 1984 comedy. Iconic comedian John Candy played Tom Hanks’ womanising older brother in the film, and one day, he was late to set. As Howard revealed on Josh Gad’s Reunited Apart, this was unusual for Candy, who was usually prompt and professional. When Candy finally showed up and stumbled out of his car, he looked decidedly worse for wear and admitted to Howard that he was still drunk from the night before.
John Candy, recounting his wild encounter with Jack Nicholson, hilariously explained, “I’m at the bar, and Jack Nicholson’s at the bar. Jack Nicholson knew my name, Ron.” For Candy, already starstruck, the night took a surreal turn when Nicholson began buying him drinks. Despite Candy mentioning that he had a movie to shoot the following morning, Nicholson, ever the charismatic rogue, simply flashed his trademark devilish grin and reassured him, “You’re gonna be all right, kid. Don’t worry about it.”
Candy, utterly awestruck and unable to resist Nicholson’s charm, admitted, “I never went to bed, Ron. I never went to bed.”
Hearing Candy’s drunken tale may have made Howard think about his sole encounter with Nicholson, which certainly didn’t happen at a bar. Instead, Howard was only 13 years old when he met Nicholson as a fresh-faced young actor guest-starring on The Andy Griffith Show. Howard starred on that sitcom from the age of five as the good-natured son of the titular small-town sheriff and has seen many guest stars come and go.
In truth, though, the young Howard couldn’t have known that the 30-year-old star playing a clean-cut, suit-wearing father named Mr Garland in the episode ‘Opie Finds a Baby’ would go on to become such a defining Hollywood player. He also wouldn’t have been old enough to watch Nicholson in his breakout film, Easy Rider, which arrived only two years after this guest spot.
In a bittersweet way, the words Nicholson utters in the scene to Griffith’s sheriff – in the presence of young Opie – perfectly summarise their distinctly separate career paths: “It’ll never happen again”.
