BEST DON KNOTTS PROJECTS
“The Steve Allen Show” (1956-60)
Knotts first became widely known as a regular cast member on this comedy-variety series, on which he established his screen persona as a perpetually nervous person.
“No Time for Sergeants” (1958)
Reprising his Broadway role, Knotts teamed with someone who would play a huge role in his career – Andy Griffith – in this military comedy movie.
“The Andy Griffith Show” (196065)
Knotts became one of the most famous and beloved sidekicks in television history as high-strung, wide-eyed Deputy Barney Fife in this classic sitcom. He stayed for the first five seasons and reportedly left because Griffith had said that was how long the show would last, though it ultimately went three more years; Knotts won three Emmy Awards during his time as a regular cast member, then two more for later episodes in which he returned as a guest star.
“The Incredible Mr. Limpet” (1964)
Knotts plays a fish-obsessed man magically transformed into a cartoon dolphin who helps America’s World War II effort in this delightful merging of animation and live action.
“The Ghost and Mr. Chicken” (1966)
In a suspense-comedy tailor-made for Knotts, the star portrays a nervous (of course) reporter who spends a night in an alleged haunted house where a murder-suicide occurred years earlier.
“The Reluctant Astronaut” (1967)
With the sort of plot that only could fuel a Don Knotts movie, this amiable tale features him as an amusement-park ride operator recruited to be the first untrained man in space. Notable co-star: Leslie Nielsen, playing it straight years before he embarked in his own comedy career.
“The Shakiest Gun in the West” (1968)
A remake of Bob Hope’s “The Paleface” (with Turner Classic Movies showing both on Sunday, Nov. 8), this genre spoof casts Knotts as a novice frontier dentist who goes West and stumbles onto a gunsmuggling operation.
“The Love God?” (1969)
Knotts became wed to slightly more adult material with this story of a publisher whose birdwatching publication may be converted into a men’s magazine.
“How to Frame a Figg” (1971)
As the “Figg” of the title, Knotts plays a bookkeeper set up as the fall guy in an embezzlement scheme.
“Three’s Company” (1979-84)
When the characters of the Ropers were spun off into their own series, Knotts was added to this hit as Ralph Furley, the new landlord to the sitcom’s central trio. Knotts’ physical exit from the show is one of the most touching moments of the series finale.