Was Don Knotts the Key?????? - Page 2 - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

tdr · 03-29-2006, 09:20 PM

The episodes being shown on TVLand now are the first half of season 6, when they first went to color, Don Knotts was gone and Jack Burns came in as Warren Ferguson. I don't think it's really that obvious in the eps, but there was clearly turnoil on the set in those days. Knotts had signed a contract for several comedy movies he would star in, because Andy had told him the he (Andy) would do the show for only 5 years. But then Andy changed his mind, rather suddenly it seems, and Knotts was already working his new contract. Apparently for some measure of reality, they thought Andy still had to have a deputy, or else he was the only law enforcement officer in the county (they're never that clear about the county; Mt. Pilot is supposed to be either 12 or 30 miles away, but some county offices are in much smaller Mayberry, and the several hours' journey to where the Darlings and Ernest T. Bass live is under Andy's jurisdiction). Anyway, when Jack Burns was signed, they told him he was a whole new character and not a reincarnation of Barney Fife to be written for as if he were Don Knotts. That was a lie, as Andy has admitted. Here was Barney in a different body with "huh?--huh?" at the end of his staccato lines, trying to enforce the letter of the law rather than the spirit and with similar elementary idiosyncracies. Goober had replaced Gomer with a comparable character, but G & G were more in the supporting line, while Barney was the main comedy course. There was tension because everyone knew Burns and Knotts were quite different in what they do best, and Andy said he was "hell to be around." So they finally wrote Warren out and paid Burns off, and Burns was bitter about the whole situation. But it was about this time that Jack Dodson made his guest appearance as the insurance agent handling Aunt Bee's lost brooch claim, and this opened the door for him as the new character Howard Sprague; a public official, but obviously no 'new Barney,' as his personality and idiosyncracies were very different.

All this probably set the tone for Andy and his character being sour and sick of the whole thing till series' end.

bonbon · 04-08-2006, 03:56 PM

I would say that Don Knotts was the key to the show, but if Andy hadn't played his role so well, it may not have worked. Barney seemed so funny because he contrasted so well against Andy's mild, practical temperament.

Scoobiedoo30 · 04-11-2006, 01:00 PM

I Throught that Don Knotts was The Key to The Andy Griffith Show.

falc04 · 04-12-2006, 10:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bonbon

I would say that Don Knotts was the key to the show, but if Andy hadn't played his role so well, it may not have worked. Barney seemed so funny because he contrasted so well against Andy's mild, practical temperament.

That's exactly correct...

Scoobiedoo30 · 05-19-2006, 10:16 AM

I think Don Knotts was The Key to The Andy Griffith Show

TV Knowledge Fan · 05-19-2006, 04:37 PM

...he wasn't a "comic center"- he was best as "straight man" to everything that happened around him. When the series was sold to CBS and General Foods, he knew that the situation set up in "THE DANNY THOMAS SHOW"
would NOT be the one he'd go with...there HAD to be a "comic center"...
and when Don Knotts asked him if "Andy Taylor" needed a deputy in Mayberry,
Griffith KNEW the answer. He knew Don would be the one viewers watched, and he'd just react to whatever ridiculous or touching situation "Barney" found himself in.....and that's why "THE ANDY GRIFFITH SHOW" was such a big success--and why Knotts won all those Emmies (even when he was only a "guest star" in those later seasons).

treky · 05-20-2006, 01:56 AM

after the episode of THE DANNY THOMAS SHOW where they first introduced Andy Taylor, aired; Andy was talking to Don about it (they were good friends ever since they starred on stage together in the play "No Time for Sargents") and Andy asked him what he thought of it, and Don told him "I thought it was good, but, you know, I found myself thinking it would of been better if you had a deputy; someone you could be a straight man too". Since they were thinking of spinning the character off, Andy said "That's a good thought; why don't you tell that to Sheldon Leanord and see what he thinks". So he did, Sheldon agreed with him, and that's how Barney Fife was created!

comedyfreak · 05-22-2006, 02:32 AM

I also think Don was the key to The Andy Griffith Show, Andy needed to play off someone.

bonbon · 06-23-2006, 12:32 PM

Another big loss was Gomer Pyle. Goober was funny in his own way, but not so much as Gomer. So, when he left, the show lost a lot too. But, of course, no body was as funny as Barney. No matter who else was in the scene, Barney was the funniest. He definitely made the show. Oh, (sigh) I still mourn the loss of Barney Fife. In my opinion he's the best of all tv characters ever.

dahur1 · 04-05-2007, 11:53 AM

I prefer the b/w episodes with Don Knotts, and don't really watch the color ones.
Don Knotts was just amazing. So great. So funny. Those shows are all treasures, and I never seem to get tired of watching them. It wouldn't have been the same without Don.

AB · 04-05-2007, 04:54 PM

I also prefer the b/w episodes with Barney, he was such a major character in the show that you clearly felt the void when he left. Warren and Howard just
couldn't replace him.

TMC · 03-19-2024, 04:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by comedyfreak

I also think Don was the key to The Andy Griffith Show, Andy needed to play off someone.

Andy Griffith once said that the best thing that he and Don Knotts did together was nothing at all

The actors were simple men — and it made them famous.

TMC · 04-18-2025, 08:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dahur1

I prefer the b/w episodes with Don Knotts, and don't really watch the color ones.
Don Knotts was just amazing. So great. So funny. Those shows are all treasures, and I never seem to get tired of watching them. It wouldn't have been the same without Don.

Quote:

We count down the top 10 Barney Fife running jokes from The Andy Griffith Show. See why Don Knotts won so many Emmys with his portrayal of the lovable Mayberry deputy and why Andy Griffith was happy to take the role of straight man. From his mishaps with firearms to his "expert" self-defense techniques, Barney gave us plenty of memorable moments. Let’s count them down!

0:00 Funniest Barney Fife Running Jokes on The Andy Griffith Show
0:38 10) Barney Goes Undercover
1:06 9) Barney and Juanita
1:50 8) Self-Defense Expert
2:27 7) Trouble with Vocabulary
3:05 6) Disrespected by Authorities
3:37 5) Captured by Escaped Criminals
4:15 4) Locking Himself in Jail
4:41 Like & Subscribe
4:54 3) Barney’s Bullet
5:29 2) Incompetence with Firearms
6:20 Barney’s Misspelled Surname
6:56 Andy pranking Barney
7:21 Barney Fife Resigns
7:47 1) Barney the Know-It-All
8:43 More of the Andy Griffith Show

If you're a fan of The Andy Griffith Show, be sure to check out our Mayberry Man movie and new TV series...

04-11-2006, 01:00 PM	#18
Scoobiedoo30 Member Forum Superstar Join Date: Jun 27, 2002 Location: KENNER, LOUISIANA Posts: 27,654	WasDon Knotts the Key!!! I Throught that Don Knotts was The Key to The Andy Griffith Show.
	__________________ Who Dat

05-19-2006, 10:16 AM	#20
Scoobiedoo30 Member Forum Superstar Join Date: Jun 27, 2002 Location: KENNER, LOUISIANA Posts: 27,654	Was Don Knotts Thr Key????? I think Don Knotts was The Key to The Andy Griffith Show

05-19-2006, 04:37 PM	#21
TV Knowledge Fan Member Senior Member Join Date: Mar 29, 2006 Location: Long Branch, N.J. Posts: 2,577	Andy knew that.... ...he wasn't a "comic center"- he was best as "straight man" to everything that happened around him. When the series was sold to CBS and General Foods, he knew that the situation set up in "THE DANNY THOMAS SHOW" would NOT be the one he'd go with...there HAD to be a "comic center"... and when Don Knotts asked him if "Andy Taylor" needed a deputy in Mayberry, Griffith KNEW the answer. He knew Don would be the one viewers watched, and he'd just react to whatever ridiculous or touching situation "Barney" found himself in.....and that's why "THE ANDY GRIFFITH SHOW" was such a big success--and why Knotts won all those Emmies (even when he was only a "guest star" in those later seasons).

05-20-2006, 01:56 AM	#22
treky star trek fan Eternal Member Forum Fanatic Join Date: Feb 25, 2002 Location: Conshohocken, pennsylvania Posts: 14,490	after the episode of THE DANNY THOMAS SHOW where they first introduced Andy Taylor, aired; Andy was talking to Don about it (they were good friends ever since they starred on stage together in the play "No Time for Sargents") and Andy asked him what he thought of it, and Don told him "I thought it was good, but, you know, I found myself thinking it would of been better if you had a deputy; someone you could be a straight man too". Since they were thinking of spinning the character off, Andy said "That's a good thought; why don't you tell that to Sheldon Leanord and see what he thinks". So he did, Sheldon agreed with him, and that's how Barney Fife was created!
	__________________ the Clampetts are in a fancy Beverly Hills jewelry store. Granny points to a tray of rubies. Granny: "How much fer one o' them red diamonds?" clerk: "Madam, those are rubies." Granny: "OK ask her kin we buy one offa her." clerk: " The ruby I am talking about is not a lady." Granny: "Lissen, how she got them diamonds is her business. I'm just sayin' ask her kin we buy one from her."

05-22-2006, 02:32 AM	#23
comedyfreak Cheers! Forum Fanatic Join Date: Dec 14, 2005 Location: Sunny California Posts: 11,058	I also think Don was the key to The Andy Griffith Show, Andy needed to play off someone.
	__________________ www.facebook.com/comedyfreak

03-29-2006, 09:20 PM	#16
tdr Member Senior Member Join Date: Mar 23, 2001 Posts: 1,454	The episodes being shown on TVLand now are the first half of season 6, when they first went to color, Don Knotts was gone and Jack Burns came in as Warren Ferguson. I don't think it's really that obvious in the eps, but there was clearly turnoil on the set in those days. Knotts had signed a contract for several comedy movies he would star in, because Andy had told him the he (Andy) would do the show for only 5 years. But then Andy changed his mind, rather suddenly it seems, and Knotts was already working his new contract. Apparently for some measure of reality, they thought Andy still had to have a deputy, or else he was the only law enforcement officer in the county (they're never that clear about the county; Mt. Pilot is supposed to be either 12 or 30 miles away, but some county offices are in much smaller Mayberry, and the several hours' journey to where the Darlings and Ernest T. Bass live is under Andy's jurisdiction). Anyway, when Jack Burns was signed, they told him he was a whole new character and not a reincarnation of Barney Fife to be written for as if he were Don Knotts. That was a lie, as Andy has admitted. Here was Barney in a different body with "huh?--huh?" at the end of his staccato lines, trying to enforce the letter of the law rather than the spirit and with similar elementary idiosyncracies. Goober had replaced Gomer with a comparable character, but G & G were more in the supporting line, while Barney was the main comedy course. There was tension because everyone knew Burns and Knotts were quite different in what they do best, and Andy said he was "hell to be around." So they finally wrote Warren out and paid Burns off, and Burns was bitter about the whole situation. But it was about this time that Jack Dodson made his guest appearance as the insurance agent handling Aunt Bee's lost brooch claim, and this opened the door for him as the new character Howard Sprague; a public official, but obviously no 'new Barney,' as his personality and idiosyncracies were very different. All this probably set the tone for Andy and his character being sour and sick of the whole thing till series' end.

04-08-2006, 03:56 PM	#17
bonbon Member Occasional Poster Join Date: Jan 10, 2002 Posts: 79	I would say that Don Knotts was the key to the show, but if Andy hadn't played his role so well, it may not have worked. Barney seemed so funny because he contrasted so well against Andy's mild, practical temperament.

06-23-2006, 12:32 PM	#24
bonbon Member Occasional Poster Join Date: Jan 10, 2002 Posts: 79	Another big loss was Gomer Pyle. Goober was funny in his own way, but not so much as Gomer. So, when he left, the show lost a lot too. But, of course, no body was as funny as Barney. No matter who else was in the scene, Barney was the funniest. He definitely made the show. Oh, (sigh) I still mourn the loss of Barney Fife. In my opinion he's the best of all tv characters ever.

04-05-2007, 11:53 AM	#25
dahur1 Member Frequent Poster Join Date: Apr 02, 2007 Location: Alamogordo, NM Posts: 195	I prefer the b/w episodes with Don Knotts, and don't really watch the color ones. Don Knotts was just amazing. So great. So funny. Those shows are all treasures, and I never seem to get tired of watching them. It wouldn't have been the same without Don.

04-05-2007, 04:54 PM	#26
AB Member Eternal Member Forum Icon Join Date: Dec 26, 2006 Location: The South Posts: 59,426	I also prefer the b/w episodes with Barney, he was such a major character in the show that you clearly felt the void when he left. Warren and Howard just couldn't replace him.