Before Otis Campbell was making Mayberry laugh on The Andy Griffith Show, Hal Smith was already a familiar voice to radio listeners right here in Utica.

From 1938 to 1943, Smith worked at WIBX, years before he became one of television’s most recognizable character actors. It’s one of those great little Utica connections that can easily get lost with time.

Take a look at this short video about Hal Smith’s Utica radio days — long before Mayberry and Otis.

More Otis: Read our earlier story, Before Mayberry, “Otis” Was on the Radio in Utica.