I liked him, too, Sudo. It was a real treat to go to Mt. Airey three years ago to the Mayberry Festival that they have every year in September. I went with my dad. They have the police car there and Andy Griffith spoke that morning. We missed the talk, but it was fun eating at the cafe and talking to some of the fans who came. They were from all different states--Georgia, Virginia, Maryland, NJ--sort of like Trekkies.
I remember some of my favorite saturdays at the movies were the Disney movies that Don made. The haunted house, the reluctant astronaut, the one where he turned into a fish.
His portrayal of Barney Fife will always be a comic legend. Don Knott's clever depiction of Barney as a buffoon despite his presumptive cosmopolitan modernity was a exquisite compliment to Andy's unassuming downhome folksy wisdom which was classic North Carolina. The state motto is Esse Quam Videri or "to be rather than to seem."
Since I grew up in North Carolina in the 50's, I could relate closely with the characters on The Andy Griffith Show. I could especially relate to Barney because like Barney I longed to escape the provincialism surrounding me for the big city, ahem...Raleigh. Now I long to recapture the humility and simple tastes that I was raised on. Sadly, Thomas Wolfe, another North Carolinian, was right when he wrote You Can't Go Home Again. We spend our lives trying to replace what we once gave away for free.
The show depicted the good side of what it was like growing up in a sleepy southern town during that period. Our communal values, humility, hospitality and neighborliness, were brought to life in each episode. We southerners could almost smell the emanating aromas from Aunt Bea's kitchen and taste her her sweet potato pie.
What it didn't show was the grinding poverty and peonage (de facto slavery) that many lower class whites and almost all black people lived in. But the country wasn't ready to face up to that in the 50's and in many ways, it still isn't. However, I must hasten to say significant progress in assisting poor people to lift themselves out of poverty has been made especially in the South
I liked Barney especially when growing up because that was my Dad's name. I worshipped the ground my Dad walked on, stood in awe of his generosity, loved his warm lilting drawl and even the way he smelled when he came in after a hot summer day. Damn you, Thomas Wolfe.
Very few television characters become pop culture icons - Lucy Ricardo, Archie Bunker, the Fonz, Barney Fife. Don Knotts stopped playing Barney 40 years ago, but just say "Barney Fife" today and everybody knows exactly who that is and what it means. Don Knotts was a true genius in that role.
Not many of the old Mayberry folks left any more - Aunt Bea, Helen, Floyd, Howard, Otis, Earnest T. Bass and now Barney are all gone. Gone, but never fogotten as long as TV Land and TBS are still around.
I grew up in North Carolina too, and all my relatives in Iowa thought everybody in North Carolina were like the people in Mayberry. At the time, when I was 12 or 13, I was outraged by that idea. Now I think that's not such a bad thing at all.
Yeah, old Barney Fife cracked me up. I think my favorite was when he sort of "inserted himself" into the local choir and wanted to sing the solo for a concert, but, he couldn't sing at all. But, no one had the guts to tell him that he couldn't sing. Damn, that one cracked me up!
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waterbuffalo
I liked him, too, Sudo. It was a real treat to go to Mt. Airey three years ago to the Mayberry Festival that they have every year in September. I went with my dad. They have the police car there and Andy Griffith spoke that morning. We missed the talk, but it was fun eating at the cafe and talking to some of the fans who came. They were from all different states--Georgia, Virginia, Maryland, NJ--sort of like Trekkies.
He will be missed.
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dmiller
A fitting tribute for a funny man.
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coolchef1248 @adelphia.net
oh gosh that movie he was a fish! too funny!! here's to don
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pawtucket
I remember some of my favorite saturdays at the movies were the Disney movies that Don made. The haunted house, the reluctant astronaut, the one where he turned into a fish.
He loved to make people laugh and did it well
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moony3424
The one where he turned into a fish was The Incredible Mr Limpet.
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Zshot
Don Knotts was very talented in many ways.
He also lended his voice to some cartoons such as Scooby Doo.
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oenophile
His portrayal of Barney Fife will always be a comic legend. Don Knott's clever depiction of Barney as a buffoon despite his presumptive cosmopolitan modernity was a exquisite compliment to Andy's unassuming downhome folksy wisdom which was classic North Carolina. The state motto is Esse Quam Videri or "to be rather than to seem."
Since I grew up in North Carolina in the 50's, I could relate closely with the characters on The Andy Griffith Show. I could especially relate to Barney because like Barney I longed to escape the provincialism surrounding me for the big city, ahem...Raleigh. Now I long to recapture the humility and simple tastes that I was raised on. Sadly, Thomas Wolfe, another North Carolinian, was right when he wrote You Can't Go Home Again. We spend our lives trying to replace what we once gave away for free.
The show depicted the good side of what it was like growing up in a sleepy southern town during that period. Our communal values, humility, hospitality and neighborliness, were brought to life in each episode. We southerners could almost smell the emanating aromas from Aunt Bea's kitchen and taste her her sweet potato pie.
What it didn't show was the grinding poverty and peonage (de facto slavery) that many lower class whites and almost all black people lived in. But the country wasn't ready to face up to that in the 50's and in many ways, it still isn't. However, I must hasten to say significant progress in assisting poor people to lift themselves out of poverty has been made especially in the South
I liked Barney especially when growing up because that was my Dad's name. I worshipped the ground my Dad walked on, stood in awe of his generosity, loved his warm lilting drawl and even the way he smelled when he came in after a hot summer day. Damn you, Thomas Wolfe.
Robin
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coolchef1248 @adelphia.net
i'll bet there will be a run on any dvd,s he was in.
as much as i hate going to wally world i'm going tonite to look for a few
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Pirate1974
Very few television characters become pop culture icons - Lucy Ricardo, Archie Bunker, the Fonz, Barney Fife. Don Knotts stopped playing Barney 40 years ago, but just say "Barney Fife" today and everybody knows exactly who that is and what it means. Don Knotts was a true genius in that role.
Not many of the old Mayberry folks left any more - Aunt Bea, Helen, Floyd, Howard, Otis, Earnest T. Bass and now Barney are all gone. Gone, but never fogotten as long as TV Land and TBS are still around.
I grew up in North Carolina too, and all my relatives in Iowa thought everybody in North Carolina were like the people in Mayberry. At the time, when I was 12 or 13, I was outraged by that idea. Now I think that's not such a bad thing at all.
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J0nny Ling0
Yeah, old Barney Fife cracked me up. I think my favorite was when he sort of "inserted himself" into the local choir and wanted to sing the solo for a concert, but, he couldn't sing at all. But, no one had the guts to tell him that he couldn't sing. Damn, that one cracked me up!
So long Barney, we'll miss ya!
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Pirate1974
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Tom Strange
Easily in the top 5 all time... easily...
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