Duster76
02-05-2010, 10:50 PM
Could anyone but the very talented Don Knotts sell the character of Barney Fife to the audience. When you step back a few paces and look at Barney he really wasn't all that likeable as a person.
Barney was not just an incompetent police officer, he was dangerously incompetent. On more than one occasion he accidently discharged his firearm in a public place. I sure wouldn't want my kid or anyone else for that matter, within a thousand yards of this guy. He could kill someone.
Barney was a two-timer. How about going around with Juanita behind Thelma Lou's back! Let's face it, Thelma Lou could have done a lot better than Barney, he was lucky to get her.
Barnye had no sympathy for the shortcomings of others. Remember the episode about the jinx (can't remember his name), Barney ragged on him big time. Remember Thelma Lou's plain cousin (I think she was played by Mary Grace Canfield), what did Barney call her, "a dog". Remember how condescending he was to his own cousin (forget his name).
How many times did he embarrass Andy and more importantly Andy's love interest at the time, with that asinine gathering everybody up suprise party for Andy's getting married (when he wasn't). Wasn't that more about Barney being the first to know and not doing something nice for Andy.
Barney was self-indulgent, and vain to boot. With Barney it was always about Barney. What made Don Knotts so incredible was his ability to create this difficult to like character and bring him to life in such a way that we not only liked him, but rooted for him.
We saw what happened when a lesser actor tried to play the similar part of Warren the deputy, he failed miserably.
Barney was not just an incompetent police officer, he was dangerously incompetent. On more than one occasion he accidently discharged his firearm in a public place. I sure wouldn't want my kid or anyone else for that matter, within a thousand yards of this guy. He could kill someone.
Barney was a two-timer. How about going around with Juanita behind Thelma Lou's back! Let's face it, Thelma Lou could have done a lot better than Barney, he was lucky to get her.
Barnye had no sympathy for the shortcomings of others. Remember the episode about the jinx (can't remember his name), Barney ragged on him big time. Remember Thelma Lou's plain cousin (I think she was played by Mary Grace Canfield), what did Barney call her, "a dog". Remember how condescending he was to his own cousin (forget his name).
How many times did he embarrass Andy and more importantly Andy's love interest at the time, with that asinine gathering everybody up suprise party for Andy's getting married (when he wasn't). Wasn't that more about Barney being the first to know and not doing something nice for Andy.
Barney was self-indulgent, and vain to boot. With Barney it was always about Barney. What made Don Knotts so incredible was his ability to create this difficult to like character and bring him to life in such a way that we not only liked him, but rooted for him.
We saw what happened when a lesser actor tried to play the similar part of Warren the deputy, he failed miserably.