You might know Don Knotts from The Andy Griffith Show, where he played the iconic character, Barney Fife. But, the extremely talented actor continued to bring laughter to American homes for decades. Keep reading to find out more about the fascinating life of Don Knotts, the comedy phenomenon.
Award-Winning Actor
Don Knotts’ portrayal of Barney Fife on The Andy Griffith Show earned him five Primetime Emmys for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series. The show went on to win numerous awards by other actors during its television run. The awards Don Knotts received are still impressive and definitely add to the beloved show’s prestige.
Award-Winning Actor
Enlisted In The Army
At 19 years old, Knotts enlisted in the US Army. For a week, he was an Army Reservist before being transferred to active duty status and reporting for active duty on June 21st. Just like many others who were drafted in 1943, he did not fire even a single bullet in World War II. He was in a special services unit that spent most of their time entertaining fellow soldiers, helping to keep soldiers’ spirits up.
Enlisted In The Army
Military Rank
When he served from June 21, 1943 until January 6, 1946 in the US Army, Knotts’s military number was “35 756 363”. When he was discharged, his rank was Technician Grade 5, which was equivalent to a Corporal. This was way before he started his acting career and he only began making the right moves in pursuing a career in the entertainment industry after he was finally discharged. Right after his discharge, he managed to land quite a few famous roles which helped him gain the recognition that he deserved.
Military Rank
Military Awards
Don Knotts was a Second World War veteran. He was a recipient of the Honorable Service Lapel Pin, Marksman Badge (with Carbine Bar), Army Good Conduct Medal, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal (plus four bronze service stars), Philippine Liberation Medal, and World War II Victory Medal. This is very impressive considering the fact that he had not been directly involved in serious action. Don Knotts was a comedian and a lover, but he was definitely not a fighter. Anyway, his jacket must have been very heavy with all of the medals he was awarded!
Military Awards
Fraternity Member
Did you know that the man who played Barney Fife was a member of a fraternity? Just after the war in 1946, Don Knotts joined Phi Sigma Kappa, which was founded on March 15, 1873 and started at Massachusetts Agricultural College. In 1985, the fraternity merged with Phi Sigma Epsilon, the largest Greek-letter fraternity merger. There are three Cardinal Principles that this specific fraternity promotes: “Promotion of Brotherhood,” the “Development of Character”, and the “Stimulation of Scholarship”.
Fraternity Member
College Graduate
Don Knotts obtained his Education degree from West Virginia University in 1948. We imagine he would have been the “Dead Poet’s Society” kind of teacher if he had become one. He was in the military, a World War II veteran, an award-winning actor and a college graduate. Don Knotts was an all-around package and it is no wonder a statue of him was built.
College Graduate
Sad Experiences
Born in Morgantown in West Virginia, Don Knotts was conceived when his parents had already brought up other sons. The prospect of bringing up another child led to his father having a nervous breakdown, and sadly, the man ended up mentally crashing and becoming an alcoholic and a paranoid schizophrenic. In 1942, teenaged Knotts lost his older brother Earl, who was nicknamed “Shadow” due to his thinness, to asthma. Unfortunately, this was also just a year before the United States called Don Knotts into service.
Sad Experiences
First Marriage
Don Knotts’ first wife was Kathryn Metz, and they were together from 1947 to 1966 and had two children, a son named Thomas Knotts and a daughter named Karen Knotts. While Karen Knotts may not be a very famous actress, her family name has definitely helped her land some acting parts. She went to the USC School of Cinematic Art and is now a SAG/AFTRA actor and a standup comedians as well. Her parents, Kathryn Metz and Don Knotts, got divorced in 1966, and her dad Don got married two other times after that, but his first marriage was more successful than the other two.
First Marriage
Second Marriage
Don Knotts’ second wife was Loralee Czuchna and they were married from 1974 to 1989. There were rumors that Don had developed an obsession with his health and experienced bouts of deep depression, which was cited as one of the reasons the pair grew apart and eventually divorced. By the time Don and Loralee finally called it quits, he was already suffering from severe depression and it took him a while to rethink his life. Many years later, Don Knotts remarried for the last time.
Second Marriage
Third Marriage
In 2002, Don Knotts remarried for the last time and he and his wife Frances Yarborough were together until his passing in 2006. Frances Yarborough is actually an actress and she is best known for appearing in the 1976 movie The Electric Chair, which was a dud that audience members and critics soon forgot. Except for being Knotts’ wife, Yarborough did not have any other notable performances. After her husband’s death, she went on air and said this about Don: “He saw poignancy in people’s pride and pain and he turned it into something endearing and hilarious.”
Third Marriage
Previous Jobs
When Don Knotts was told that he had no future in acting, he worked as someone who plucked chickens for a market. However, he did not give up on pursuing an acting career and he definitely proved the doubters wrong when he became one of America’s favorite television personalities! He was known for being a reliable and very hard-working actor, and he always came to work ready to go! The possible reason for this is the fact that Knotts thought he needed to prove himself every time to avoid ending up in a situation similar to the past.
Previous Jobs
Don The Ventriloquist
Before Don Knotts became a household name for his role on The Andy Griffith Show, he wanted to become a ventriloquist, and he did it full-time after getting out of high school. He named his doll Danny because he thought “Don and Danny” was quite a catchy phrase. However, Knotts found more success when he paired up with human partners, such as Tim Conway. It seems the comedy duo were perfect together and they made many films. We are definitely very happy they did and also happy Don Knotts decided to pursue acting instead of his ventriloquist career.
Don The Ventriloquist
Trademarks In Acting
Don Knotts often played socially inept and high-strung men with low self-esteem, and the actor would stare wide-eyed when he wanted to show shock or frustration, in addition to using a high-pitched voice. His stare greatly contributed to his fame and he succeeded in using his facial expressions to describe his feelings without saying anything. His acting persona landed him many roles and earned him a lifelong career and to this day, Knotts is often parodied on different sitcoms and animated, such as Family Guy and The Simpsons.
Trademarks In Acting
Getting Lucky With Hollywood Squares
Don Knotts was a guest on the television game show Hollywood Squares four times. The program was really popular in its time but TV viewers has since shifted their interest to other game shows, such as Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? Back in 2013, Hollywood Squares was ranked at No. 7 on TV Guide’s list of “The 60 Greatest Game Shows of All Time”. Back in the day, it was a really big deal to appear on the show and Don Knotts being a guest on it four times is really impressive since not a lot of people got to appear on it more than once.
Getting Lucky With Hollywood Squares
A Film Not About Chickens
In 1966, Don Knotts starred in the film The Ghost and Mr. Chicken alongside Joan Staley. While you might think the movie is somehow connected to Knotts’ previous job of plucking chickens at the market, it was really far from that. He played the character of newspaper typesetter Luther Heggs, who spends a night inside a haunted house located in Rachel, a fictitious community in Kansas. As for Joan Staley, she played a role on multiple episodes of Perry Mason and many other roles on Broadway.
A Film Not About Chickens
A Last Appearance Together
One of last award show appearances that Don Knotts made was the 2004 TV Land Awards. It was one of the last appearances he and Griffith made together, with a lot of critics commenting about Knotts’ aging appearance compared to Griffith. There are awards in various categories (which slightly change from year to year), and there used to be awards that were voted on by people who visited TV Land’s website. At that award ceremony, Don Knotts won TV Land Legend Award, which solidified his great career.
A Last Appearance Together
Leaving A Well-Loved Show
After 1965, Don Knotts left The Andy Griffith Show because he had thought the show was over and signed a deal with Universal Studios to make several films. However, after network studio pressure, Andy Griffith decided to keep the show going for several more years. According to Don Knotts, he deeply regretted leaving the show, but he could not continue as a cast regular even if he wanted to because of his film commitments. However, even if it was a mistake, it still allowed Don Knotts to star in so many movies that we have a chance to enjoy watching, so all’s well that ends well.
Leaving A Well-Loved Show
Playing An Astronaut
In the 1967 film The Reluctant Astronaut, Don Knotts plays the main character Roy Fleming, whose father Arbuckle (portrayed by Arthur O’Connell) wants his son to have a better life and thus sends Roy’s application to NASA. Roy’s mother (portrayed by Jeanette Nolan) later tells her son that NASA has accepted Roy as a “WB-1074.” Arbuckle’s friend “Rush” was played by Paul Hartman, who later starred on The Andy Griffith Show. Reviewers and viewers saw The Reluctant Astronaut as decent and ranked it similarly to The Ghost and Mr. Chicken.
Playing An Astronaut
Starring In A Comedic Western
Don Knotts starred in the 1968 film The Shakiest Gun in the West, where he played Dr. Jesse W. Heywood, an 1870 Philadelphia dental school graduate who heads west to work as a frontier dentist. Audiences liked this comedic western and it became successful like the previous two movies. However, it was considered a little bit better because of the better comedic input. Actually, Knotts always drew people to the cinema. The movie is a remake of the 1948 film The Paleface starring Bob Hope alongside Jane Russell.
Starring In A Comedic Western
Playing A Playboy
In 1969, Don Knotts made an appearance in Universal Pictures’ The Love God? The film was a really odd departure for Knotts since his role was that of a playboy and the actor was not exactly known for being a male celebrity whom women lusted for! Nat Hiken wrote and directed the film but he sadly died after it was filmed but prior to its release in theaters. Many viewers found the cast weird and they could not relate to Knotts in the film since they felt he did not look like a playboy.
Playing A Playboy
Going Back To His Roots
For Universal Pictures’ 1971 film How to Frame a Figg, Don Knotts went back to playing a goofball comedic role, flashing his trademark surprised and wide-eyed face throughout the movie. It is about Hollis Alexander Figg, a bookkeeper’s assistant in the city hall of Dalton who is framed for embezzlement. This films is certainly a comeback for Knotts since his character in it is much suited to him than his role in The Love God? Everyone was glad he went back to doing something that he loves.
Going Back To His Roots
Recurring Gig On A Variety Show
Starting in 1956, Don Knotts had recurring appearances on the The Steve Allen Show and became an audience favorite. He went on to become a household name because of his appearances in addition to being one of the personal favorites of Steve Allen. The show was a prime time spin-off from The Tonight Show, and Jay Leno and Jack Paar later followed in Allen’s footsteps and hosted their own shows as well. Don Knotts actually succeeded in making himself popular with audiences who had not watched his movies, meaning he was among the most famous people.
Recurring Gig On A Variety Show
Recurring Gig On A Legal Drama
Don Knotts had guest appearance on several television shows, including a recurring gig on Griffith’s Matlock, where Knotts played the pesky neighbor Les Calhoun. Griffith and Knotts really enjoyed working together again, and both said it was a pleasure to come to work every day. The audiences also found it a pleasure! The two just had an unmatched on-screen charisma, and viewers could enjoy it because the pair took a second chance on working together.
Recurring Gig On A Legal Drama
The Reunion Show
Don Knotts reprised his role as Barney Fife on The Andy Griffith Show reunion in 1986 and while many watched the revival, it got mixed reviews from critics. Some thought that maybe the time for a special reunion show had passed but it is common for beloved shows to have reunion shows! Unfortunately, the audiences might have been right on this one since it seems like the show did not age like everyone hoped it would. However, this is the case in many reunion shows, so we cannot bash it a too much.
The Reunion Show
Playing A Landlord
Don Knotts landed the role of bungling landlord Ralph Furley on Three’s Company, the popular American sitcom, after the Ropers, who were the original landlords on the series, got their own spin-off. Three’s Company was on the air for eight seasons from March 15, 1977 until September 18, 1984, and is based on Man About the House, a British sitcom. Knotts was nominated for Favorite Nosy Neighbor for playing Furley, but lost to Sandra Gould, who was playing a role on Bewitched at the time.
Playing A Landlord
Appearing In A Herbie Movie
Don Knotts is in the 1977 movie Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo, which did really well at the theaters and can be credited for the revival of the Herbie franchise. Dean Jones stars in the film as Jim Douglas, a returning champion race car driver, and he is joined by Knotts, who plays the main character’s eccentric and somewhat cynical riding mechanic Wheely Applegate. This movie did wonders for the franchise as it managed to revive it and made sure that Herbie was known to the next generations. New movies were also made.
Appearing In A Herbie Movie
Don Knotts Had Jokes On His Death Bed
His daughter, Karen, could not stop herself from laughing when Don Knotts cracked a joke while in bed during his final days. “Here’s the thing about my dad. He had this funniness that was just completely, insanely natural. When he was dying, he was making us laugh in hysterics,” she said. Karen said she later regretted going out of the room to laugh (she did this at the time to be polite) because she realized that he would have preferred to hear or see his joke land as a true comedian. He became a comedian since he wanted to laugh through the pain that his difficult childhood caused, so it would be normal for Don Knotts to want to share a laugh even while he faced the tragedy of his death.
Don Knotts Had Jokes On His Death Bed
His Passing
At the age of 81, Don Knotts died from complications of pneumonia from lung cancer on February 24, 2006 in California’s Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. He had undergone treatment at the medical center months before he died but decided to go home after he reportedly felt better. In 2011, his family replaced the headstone on his grave with a bronze plaque, which displays some of his most popular characters.
His Passing
Voicing An Animated Character
Don Knotts lent his voice to the 2005 Disney animated movie Chicken Little, which was quite a success in theaters. He voiced the character Mayor Turkey Lurkey and the film ended up becoming one of his final movies. The film is dedicated to Disney artist Joe Grant, who passed away of a heart attack prior to its release. Don Knotts did a fantastic job voicing the character and kids from around the world admired him, just proving that he continued to entertain the younger generations despite his age.
Voicing An Animated Character
Another Successful Reunion
In 1988, Don Knotts started to play a recurring guest role on Andy Griffith’s TV series Matlock, which reunited the old friends 20 years after the finale of The Andy Griffith Show. They loved working together and spoke highly of their experiences. The format of Matlock is similar to Perry Mason’s, with Matlock working on identifying the perpetrators and confronting them in pretty dramatic courtroom scenes. It is another project that reunited Don Knotts with someone, and another which was a success.
Another Successful Reunion
Iconic Roles
The public best remember Don Knotts for appearing on The Andy Griffith Show (1960) as Deputy Barney Fife and on Three’s Company (1977) as Ralph Furley. Knotts got universal acclaim and numerous awards for both shows. When he was on television, Knotts was among the most popular actors and even when he released a mediocre film, he remained the best comedian for viewers. In addition, he was seen as a lovable and sincere person in real life.
Iconic Roles
Never Went Into Retirement
Knotts never went into retirement and remain an active thespian until his passing in 2006. He is known for being a really hardworking actor and remains a fan favorite. Don Knotts appeared in more than 86 films and television shows during his career. Many of those TV shows were really long-running! Many have said that the stress finally caught up with Knotts, but he denied those claims. Clearly, he loved doing his job, even right to the very end.
Never Went Into Retirement
Best Friends
Don Knotts and the late Andy Griffith were best friends and remained life-long friends, working together a lot of times throughout their careers. The two reportedly never fought or at least never had a fight which was not easily resolved in a few minutes. This is probably why they displayed such charisma and connection on-screen every single time that they appeared together. It seemed like they were friends with everyone, and nothing could stop them.
Best Friends
Other Star Friends
Knotts and the late John Ritter were longtime friends but many might not know this fact. Knotts made a cameo appearance on John Ritter’s show 8 Simple Rules in 2002. The episode paid homage to two actors’ earlier television series. Another fact for you: The last Three’s Company star who worked with Ritter was Don Knotts. The two worked well together and also supposedly admired each other.
Other Star Friends
No Dark Mark
In 1984, Don Knotts appeared in the film Cannonball Run II, which was a commercial flop, quickly forgotten after the film’s release. A lot of critics did not understand why it was even made since its plot is really similar to that of the first Cannonball Run movie and is set around some illegal cross-country race. Cannonball Run II is one of those movies we mentioned earlier. Despite being a terrible film, it left no dark mark on Don Knotts’ career or how audiences viewed him.
No Dark Mark
The Best Award
On January 19, 2000, Don Knotts was honoured with a Hollywood Walk of Fame star at 7083 Hollywood Boulevard in California. There are over 2,600 five-pointed terrazzo and brass stars in the Hollywood Walk of Fame and they are embedded in the sidewalks of Hollywood Boulevard and Vine Street in Hollywood in California. Knotts said this was the best award that he had gotten throughout his career. That is from a man who achieved just about anything in show business.
The Best Award
A Role To Remember
Don Knotts starred in the film Gus in 1976, which did well at the theaters and got released on home video back in 1981. For much of the movie, Don Knotts can be seen playing a coach who screams at his players from the sidelines. There are two sequences in the movie that most people remember it for: one set in a hotel and one involving a supermarket. Knotts managed to play a serious character who is a great motivator and also inspiring. While it may not be a role that he would usually take, it was certainly a role to remember.
A Role To Remember
Last Television Role
The last television role that Don Knotts played was the guest appearance he made on the animated show Dave the Barbarian in 2004. A big favorite of kids, the series always managed to draw in a good audience. It is about a barbarian named Dave, who goes on surreal Medieval-themed adventures with his friends and family. Knott’s voiceover was flawless, and children absolutely loved him. He would have had a successful career by doing voiceovers in cartoons if he were born at a different time.
Last Television Role
An Earlier Film
In 1958, Don Knotts appeared with his lifelong best friend Andy Griffith in the film No Time for Sergeants. One of his earlier movies, Knotts played the goofball, as usual! It was originally a novel that inspired a Broadway play, which was then adapted for the big screen. The film may be one of the earliest in their careers, but Don and Andy proved their on-screen relationship was unmatched. The movie was a sign of great things to come.
An Earlier Film
Don And Dennis
Don Knotts and Dennis Weaver died at the same age on the same day. The two worked together multiple times during their careers. The two most notable roles that Weaver played were Deputy Marshal Sam McCloud on NBC’s police drama McCloud and Chester Goode (Marshal Matt Dillon’s trusty helper) on the CBS western series Gunsmoke. He may not be arguably as famous as Don Knotts was, but two entertainment industry legends were lost on that day.
Don And Dennis
A Star’s Burial Site
In February of 2006, Don Knotts passed away and he is buried at Westwood Memorial Park (where other dead stars are buried) in Los Angeles. His gravestone is more animated than many in the group. As we mentioned, it features a few of the characters that he played during his acting career. Almost two decades have passed since he died, but he is still considered an inspiration by a lot of comedians and actors.
A Star’s Burial Site
Playing A Captain
Don Knotts appeared in the comedy The Last Time I Saw Archie in 1961. He played Captain Harry Little in the film, which is set in the final days of the Second World War. Robert Mitchum plays the main character Arch Hall Sr., who is a lazy, scheming American working in an aviation school that are for pilots who are too old for flying an aircraft yet not too old for flying liaison aircraft and military gliders. Most major newspapers critically panned the film.
Playing A Captain
Playing A Nervous Motorist
In the 1963 comedy movie It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World, Don Knotts portrayed a nervous motorist who is part of a group of strangers that are in a madcap pursuit of stolen cash worth $350,000 ($2,705,000 today). The cast includes iconic actors back in the day like Edie Adams, Sid Caesar, Milton Berle, Buddy Hackett, Mickey Rooney, Ethel Merman, Phil Silvers, Jonathan Winters, and Terry-Thomas.
Playing A Nervous Motorist
Playing A Fish
The 1964 movie The Incredible Mr. Limpet stars Don Knotts as the title character. The film is about Henry Limpet, a man who inexplicably turns into a talking fish after falling off a pier. The tilefish-looking Limpet then helps the U.S. Navy find and destroy Nazi submarines. This film features the naval ship USS Alfred A. Cunningham. The film also used the USS Galveston (CG-3), but in the movie it is called the USS Los Angeles.
Playing A Fish
The First Film Of The Comedy Duo Don Knotts And Tim Conway
Don Knotts appeared with Tim Conway in the American comedy-western film The Apple Dumpling Gang in 1975. The plot centers around Russell Donovan (played by Bill Bixby), a gambler who is tricked into looking after a group of orphans that eventually strike gold in the California Gold Rush.
The First Film Of The Comedy Duo Don Knotts And Tim Conway
Playing A Goofy Sidekick
In the comedy No Deposit, No Return in 1976, Don Knotts played Bert, the goofy sidekick. The movie was written by Don Nelson and Arthur Alsberg and is about two children (Jay and Tracy) who hold themselves for ransom and are reluctantly aided by petty criminals Duke (an expert safecracker who never manages to actually steal anything) and Bert (his sidekick). This movie is one of the many family films Knotts did in his long career.
Playing A Goofy Sidekick
Playing A Sheriff
Don Knotts co-starred in the 1978 comedy-western Hot Lead and Cold Feet, where he played Sheriff Denver Kid. The film involves a pair of twin brothers that compete for possession of the rickety cow town that their father founded while a crooked mayor attempts to finish the competitors in order to inherit the town himself. The film is one of the comedy-westerns that Don Knotts starred in during the 1960s and 1970s.
Playing A Sheriff
Reprising A Role
In the 1979 film The Apple Dumpling Gang Rides Again, Don Knotts and Tim Conway reprised their roles as Amos and Theodore. The film stars Harry Morgan, Tim Matheson, and Kenneth Mars as well. Comedian and Laugh-In star Ruth Buzzi also made a small cameo appearance a wild farsighted woman. While the film got mixed reviews, fans of the first movie were pleased with the sequel.
Reprising A Role
Playing A Boxer’s Manager
Also in 1979, Don Knotts teamed up with Tim Conway in the boxing-comedy movie The Prize Fighter, where Conway portrayed the underdog boxer “Bags” and Knotts played his manager. Earning $6.5 million during the initial release, the film was a hit at the box office and was one of New World Pictures’ most financially successful films. Comedies like this were quite popular in the 1970s and 1980s and the movie capitalized on the successful genre.
Playing A Boxer’s Manager
Playing A Detective
A year later, Don Knotts teamed up with Tim Conway again in the 1980 mystery comedy The Private Eyes, where the duo play moronic American detectives that work for Scotland Yard. Their characters are parodies of the popular duo Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson. The film is the last one that features the team-up of Knotts and Conway in starring roles.
Playing A Detective
Voice Acting Venture
Don Knotts went into voice acting in 1987 and voiced the character Gee Willikers in the animated movie Pinocchio and the Emperor of the Night. Unfortunately, critics generally gave negative reviews about the film during its initial release. The movie was also a box office dud, only making $3.2 million during its entire run but costing $10 million to make. Filmation, the production company that made the film, soon became defunct.
Voice Acting Venture
After A Long Hiatus
In 1996, after a pretty long hiatus from movies, Don Knotts appeared in the comedy-drama Big Bully, which stars Tom Arnold and Rick Moranis as childhood classmates who reconnect as adults. Arnold played the bully of Moranis’ character and Don Knotts’ role was that of the principal. The movie bombed at the box office and grossed only $2,042,530 despite having a $15 million budget. Also, it was a critical failure and currently holds a 0% on Rotten Tomatoes.
After A Long Hiatus
Voicing A Turtle In An Animated Film
A year later, Don Knotts went back to voice acting via the animated movie Cats Don’t Dance. The plot centers around a cat who dreams of Hollywood fame and has a sidekick named T.W. Turtle, who is voiced by Knotts. The film also features the voices of Scott Bakula, Matthew Herried, Jasmine Guy, Ashley Peldon, Kathy Najimy, John Rhys-Davies, Hal Holbrook, René Auberjonois, Betty Lou Gerson (in her last film role), George Kennedy, and Dindal. The musical numbers were composed bby Randy Newman and Gene Kelly contributed as a choreographer, before he passed away in 1996. The film is the final film project of Gene Kelly and is dedicated to the star.
Voicing A Turtle In An Animated Film
Playing A TV Repairman
In 1998, Don Knotts played a small role in the widely popular and critically acclaimed film Pleasantville as a TV repairman. The film stars Tobey Maguire, Joan Allen, Jeff Daniels, J. T. Walsh, William H. Macy, and Reese Witherspoon! The film is about teen siblings (Witherspoon and Maguire) trapped in a ‘50s TV series in a small Iowa town. The film was nominated for three Academy Awards and was a big hit at the box office!
Playing A TV Repairman
More Voice Acting Work
In 2000, Don Knotts had more voice acting work via the direct-to-video animated movie Tom Sawyer, where he voiced the character of “Mutt Potter”. The film is adapted from Mark Twain’s “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer”, though the cast is composed of animals instead of humans. Country music singers generally performed the characters’ voices and the film featured several musical numbers. Critics did not widely review the film and did not really make a splash in the market of direct-to-video films.
More Voice Acting Work
Final Film
The 2006 straight-to-DVD comedy movie Air Buddies is the sixth installment in the Air Bud franchise and the first direct-to-DVD spin-off. The film is about a lonely teenager who has a dog that is uncannily able to play every sport. It was Don Knotts’ final movie and was released after he passed away. Don Knotts voices “Sniffer,” the old Bloodhound that no longer has his sense of smell.
Final Film
A Guest Appearance On A ‘70s TV Show
In 1973, Don Knotts appeared on Lucille Ball’s sitcom Here’s Lucy. The series co-starred Gale Gordon, her long-time partner, and her real-life children Desi Arnaz, Jr. and Lucie Arnaz. The ‘70s was good for Knotts since he enjoyed a steady film career at that time and had numerous television roles. The episode Knotts made an appearance in got good ratings and became one of the season’s highlights.
A Guest Appearance On A ‘70s TV Show
String Of Guest Appearances
Don Knotts continued making guest appearances on popular ‘70s television shows and appeared on Fantasy Island both in 1978 and 1979. The series was notorious for its many guest stars who were the most popular celebs of the time. The show was so popular that ten years after the original series went off the air, the network decided to create a revival series. However, as many had predicted, the revival did not live up to the original when it comes to popularity.
String Of Guest Appearances
Appearing On The Love Boat
Don Knotts also made a guest appearance on The Love Boat, another really popular show in the ‘70s and ‘80s. In 1979, Don Knotts played a famous TV star who is disguised as a shoe salesman in the episode “Crew Confessions/Haven’t I Seen You?/Reunion”. He only reveals who he really is when the attractive Julie Newmar flirts with him.
Appearing On The Love Boat
Deputy Fife On Step by Step
In the 1993 Christmas episode of the third season of Step by Step, Don Knotts appeared as a special guest and played Deputy Fife! You may recall that Deputy Fife from The Andy Griffith Show is the most iconic role Don Knotts played.
Deputy Fife On Step by Step
A Famous Appearance
The most popular scene was when Fozzie has a hard time coming on stage to talk to Don Knotts because he’s wearing sunglasses that are so dark that he can’t see anything or where he is going. The sketch ends with Don falling off the stage! Don Knotts’ appearance on The Muppet Show in 1977 has now become famous. Knotts played himself and he was included in most of the show sketches, with the most popular scene being the one with Fozzie and Don Knotts. Fozzie finds it hard to come onstage and talk to Knotts because he is wearing really dark sunglasses and cannot see anything. At the end of the sketch, Don falls off the stage!
A Famous Appearance