A lot of television shows have actors who leave indelible marks on viewers that last a long time. One of those was Don Knotts.
People got to know him first from his work with actor-comedian Steve Allen on Allen’s shows. Knotts was known to appear in Allen’s “Man on the Street” sketches as a very nervous man. He had a nervous tic that was so bad he hardly gave a straight answer to Allen.
This work, though, put him in the public entertainment spotlight. He also did some stage work as well. Knotts managed to team up with another popular comedian in No Time for Sergeants. Who was this young, up-and-coming star? None other than Andy Griffith.
Knotts and Griffith shared one scene in the play, and that was repeated in the film version. Both of them noticed how well they worked with each other. Knotts made a mental note.. One he would remember one night.
One Night Of Watching TV Paid Off
A period of time passed between Griffith and Don Knotts working together. Both went their separate ways and continued working in show business.
One night, Knotts happened to be at home doing what many people do…watching television. He turned on The Danny Thomas Show and saw Griffith on there. In this episode, Griffith played a small-town sheriff named Andy Taylor. Andy had given a speeding ticket to Thomas’ character. That led to Danny Williams, Thomas’ character, spending time inside the small-town courthouse.
Well, the episode featured Griffith as Taylor. It was done for a reason: Thomas and his business partner Sheldon Leonard wanted Griffith to star in a new half-hour comedy show. Knotts didn’t know this while watching the show. Yet he did see something that stood out to him.
Knotts felt like Griffith’s character could use a foil or a sidekick. This idea ultimately led Don Knotts to pick up his phone and call Griffith. Well, Griffith answered and listened to Knotts’ pitch. He liked this idea and shared it with others involved in the sitcom.
By this time, The Andy Griffith Show“had been picked up for its first season by CBS. Griffith picked up playing Sheriff Andy Taylor while Knotts came on board as Deputy Barney Fife. Viewers were enamored by seeing Andy and Barney work hard to keep law and order the rule in Mayberry. Of course, there were plenty of laughs in it all.
Playing Barney Fife Suited Don Knotts Very Well
Don Knotts loved playing Barney Fife and Griffith enjoyed his ability to play off of his friend. When The Andy Griffith Show“first started in 1960, Griffith portrayed Taylor as a down-home, country-bumpkin-type of character. His voice inflection was a little like a hillbilly minus the hillbilly clothing. Griffith thought this was the way to get laughs in the sitcom.
And he also thought that he should be delivering the laugh lines. Those would be ones that viewers at home would crack up over. But he figured out something along the way. In that first season, Griffith changed course. He ended up believing that he should play the “straight man” to Knotts’ comic sensibilities. Making that little change effectively set the show’s course on a path to great ratings.
Knotts and Griffith had immaculate timing. The Andy Griffith Show also built in other solid cast members in Frances Bavier (Aunt Bee), Ron Howard (Opie Taylor), Jim Nabors (Gomer Pyle), George Lindsey (Goober Pyle), and Howard McNear (Floyd Lawson, the barber).
The show had a solid cast and support beyond the cameras by Thomas and Leonard. During the show’s first five seasons, Knotts took home two Emmy Awards. This confirmed how much Knotts meant to The Andy Griffith Show. But the good times didn’t last forever.
Don Knotts Had To Leave His Popular Sitcom Role
By the end of Season 5, Andy Griffith reached an important crossroads. He told people beforehand that he really didn’t want to do The Andy Griffith Show past five seasons. Within himself, Griffith felt like that would be a good place to stop.
Along the way, Don Knotts kept this information in his mind. Through five seasons, the sitcom remained quite popular with TV viewers. They were not tiring of seeing Andy and Barney get into one situation after another. But the five-season marker was here now.
Knotts knew he wanted to keep working, even though it wouldn’t be on the sitcom. He signed a contract with Universal Pictures to make a series of movies. The movies would feature Knotts as the star.
Well, this was a done deal. But what about Griffith? He changed his mind. See, Griffith changed his mind. In fact, The Andy Griffith Show“would go on for three more seasons. Also, the show followed the path of other CBS primetime shows and switched to color.
Don Knotts found himself signed up with a binding contract. He couldn’t get out of it. Apparently, he didn’t know of Griffith’s change of heart until he’d sealed the deal for movie work. So, Knotts had to stop playing Barney Fife…on a regular weekly basis.
Knotts did his movies, but he also returned to play Fife as a guest star. Two guest-starring turns ended up bringing Knotts two more Emmy Awards. The timing between Griffith and Knotts was impeccable. Fans all over the United States have grown up watching the show’s reruns.
For More Great Content
Total Apex is an all-encompassing content producer. We provide heavily detailed articles every day on entertainment, gaming, sports, and so much more! Check out all our great sports content Total Apex Sports. Check us out on X @TotalApexEandG and our other sites: Total Apex Sports Bets and Total Apex Fantasy Sports.
