Don Knotts
Actor
About This Interview
Don Knotts (1924-2006) was interviewed for three hours in Los Angeles, CA. Mr. Knotts discussed his early comedy routines and ventriloquism acts which led to radio and television appearances on The Lanny Ross Show (radio), Arthur Godfrey’s Talent Scouts (radio/TV), The Garry Moore Show (television) and Steve Allen’s Tonight show (television). The latter show’s appearances segued into Knotts’s work as a regular on The Steve Allen Show, appearing memorably in the “Man on the Street” sketches with Tom Poston and Louis Nye, which Mr. Knotts described. He also discussed his early work in radio as a regular on the juvenile western adventure show Bobby Benson and the B-Bar-B Riders as well as the television soap opera Search For Tomorrow. Mr. Knotts went into great detail in his discussion of The Andy Griffith Show, in which he played “Deputy Barney Fife,” a role that won him five Emmy Awards. He talked about his personal and professional relationship with actor Andy Griffith that began with their appearance together on Broadway in “No Time For Sergeants” and continued throughout both of their respective careers. He also discussed his appearances on various television variety shows and specials; his feature film appearances; and his work on the series The Don Knotts Show, Three’s Company, and Matlock. The interview was conducted by Gary Rutkowski on July 22, 1999.
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Featured Content
Video: Don Knotts as "Wilbur Peterson" on an episode of Search for Tomorrow (c. 1953-54) also with: Mary Stuart, Coe Norton, and Cliff Hall; w. Irving Vendig, d. Ira Cirker (from the Internet Archive)
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Highlights
Don Knotts on where his sense of humor came from (03m 13s)
Don Knotts on working with Andy Griffith: the ultimate "straight man"
Don Knotts on the premise of Three's Company and his character, "Mr. Furley"
Don Knotts on the regular cast of The Steve Allen Show with Louis Nye, Tom Poston.Chapters
- Chapter 1
- On his hometown and background; on his interest in magic, the movies, and radio; on performing as a ventriloquist as a teenager; on his schooling
- On performing during his WWII service; on breaking in to professional show business on radio (through singer Lanny Ross) and television, including an appearance on Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts
- On his regular role as "Windy Wales" on the radio show Bobby Benson and the B-Bar-B Riders; on his radio colleagues; on getting a part from actor-turned-producer Charles Irving on Search for Tomorrow; on his character ("Wilbur Peterson"), fellow actors, and performing "live" (including a story about actor Les Damon going up on his lines) on Search for Tomorrow
- Chapter 2
- On appearing on The Imogene Coca Show; on seeing a funny act of Ben Blue, prompting him to get his first television set; on his "nervous man" act that he performed on The Garry Moore Show and Tonight (with Steve Allen)
- On appearing on The Garry Moore Show; on his regular appearances on The Steve Allen Show and the famed "Man on the Street" recurring sketch that he did with Allen, Louis Nye, and Tom Poston
- On a big laugh he got playing the nervous character in the "man on the Street" sketch on The Steve Allen Show; on Steve Allen (and his writers); on a funny take-off of To Tell the Truth (he accidentally references What's My Line) that he participated in on The Steve Allen Show with guest star Errol Flynn
- Chapter 3
- On his Steve Allen Show co-stars Louis Nye, Tom Postman, and Dayton Allen; on co-star/writer Bill Dana (and on the weatherman sketch on The Steve Allen Show); on when The Steve Allen Show went to Havanna
- On getting cast on The Andy Griffith Show; on Andy Griffith Show executive producer Sheldon Leonard and producer-writer Aaron Ruben; on a production workweek of The Andy Griffith Show
- On the settling in of the Barney/Andy Taylor characterizations on The Andy Griffith Show; on director Bob Sweeney; on how The Andy Griffith Show developed into a character-driven (rather than joke-driven) sitcom; on Andy Griffith personally
- Chapter 4
- On shooting exteriors for The Andy Griffith Show; on The Andy Griffith Show's setting of Mayberry; on working with Andy Griffith: the ultimate "straight man"; on Andy Griffith Show co-stars Frances Bavier, Ron(ny) Howard, Howard McNear
- On Andy Griffith Show co-stars Hal Smith, Betty Lynn, Jim Nabors, and Howard Morris; on the working methods of Andy Griffith Show director Bob Sweeney
- On Andy Griffith Show writers Jim Fritzell and Everett Greenbaum; on winning his first Emmy Award; on leaving The Andy Griffith Show as a regular (in 1965)
- Chapter 5
- On Red Skelton, and his famed "blue" rehearsals and joke file; guesting on The Andy Williams Show; on a funny bit he did with director Stanley Kramer on The Jerry Lewis Show); on being typecast; on his subsequent Emmy wins for playing "Barney Fife" on The Andy Griffith Show
- On his work on a string of Disney films; on working with Tim Conway in movies; on The Ghost and Mr. Chicken and The Incredible Mr. Limpet; on his impressions of MCA executive/agent Lew Wasserman; on TV specials: The Andy Griffith, Don Knotts, Jim Nabors Special and Don Knotts' Nice Clean Decent Wholesome Hour
- On his short-lived comedy-variety series The Don Knotts Show; on Lucille Ball (whom he worked with on Here's Lucy); on working with Orson Welles on Hallmark Hall of Fame's "The Man Who Came to Dinner"; on TV pilots; on getting Three's Company
- Chapter 6
- On Three's Company producers Michael Ross and Bernard West; on his Three's Company character "Ralph Furley" and his outrageous clothes; on getting used to the three-camera sitcom filming style; on going up on his lines when first doing Three's Company;
- On his Three's Company co-stars; on performing his Three's Company character "Ralph Furley's" 'fainting spell' backward falls; on Suzanne Somers' departure from Three's Company; on Three's Company director Dave Powers' one-take policy and a joke he played on Powers on his first day; on the end of Three's Company
- On the experience of doing the Andy Griffith Show reunion TV movie Return to Mayberry; on his appearance as a recurring character on Matlock, without the comedy he could play off of, as he did with Andy Griffith on The Andy Griffith Show; on the feature film Pleasantville; on his approach to acting
- Chapter 7
- Full Chapter Seven
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@mike72988 The interviewer is miked, but only on the right audio channel... Are you listening to just the left side output?
Mr. Don Knotts makes me laugh every time I watch his shows. Thank you so much sir. RIP
NIP IT IN THE BUD ! ;)~
We all miss you alot Don. Rest in peace.
I only watch The Andy Griffith Show if Don comes out in it.
There was an ironic and hilarious line in the 1994 film "Serial Mom" where some kids buy a 3-d portrait of Don Knotts, and the guy exclaims gleefully "fuckin Don Knotts!"
@TranshumanCyborg
um...familiar with the depression? duh
@LAComedyAwards for sure!!
we all miss you and the show.
@TranshumanCyborg
perhaps because of the freaking depression? oh my god.
Why on earth would a farmer in the 1930's have a nervous breakdown?
What a nice man! Don Knotts really made The Andy Griffith Show. It was never the same after he left. I'm just a couple of years younger than Ron Howard and I can remember being a really little kid watching Andy Griffith and liking the show because I could relate to Ron Howard because I was a little boy myself at the time. A show like that could never work today because of its clean gentle humor. Its a shame.
Love his characters!
One great comic---rest in peace Don
We watch the Andy Griffith Show every night with my kids. Don Knotts makes the show for us. What a cool guy.
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