Categories: Celebrity

Don Knotts, actor, comedian, dead at 81. This is old news by now. Originally, I had no intention of publishing a post about his death, but today’s a pretty boring day and, well, I have nothing else to talk about. That doesn’t mean that he had any less of an impact on my life however. In fact, he was one of my favourite comedians growing up. I knew him then as Three’s Company’s Mr. Furley, landlord and wannabe swinger. Earlier in my life I also knew him as Barney Fife in The Andy Griffith Show. But I never really paid much attention to the show back then, because except for cartoons, only TV shows in glorious colour could capture my attention.

I saw about a minute of it on TV Land yesterday, and it was a pretty good show, but back then I was too interested in Power Rangers and Transformers to care. TV Land is going to have a marathon of Don Knotts shows on the weekend, and you can bet I’ll be tuning in. I also saw Larry King Live last night, where Larry was talking to Don Knotts’ friends and family. And for the first time in years, I saw Joyce DeWitt! You have to understand, seeing her is like seeing the Loch Ness Monster, Bigfoot or a former Spice Girl. She’s been off the air for a long while. So long that they’ve even made jokes on TV shows about where she is! I also saw Andy Griffith. He ages well. Doesn’t look much older than he was in the days of Matlock.

Apart from those two legendary roles, he appeared in 5 other TV series and over 25 films. I was surprised at his body of work. He was also a WWII veteran, performing as, what else, a comedian. Everything about him evoked laughter, from his bulging eyes and goofy expressions to his bumbling mannerisms and lanky frame. He willingly played the fool, abasing himself for the entertainment of others. And through this abasement, he gained great status. Thank you Don, for giving us some of the greatest characters of our generation. Rest in peace.