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Don Knotts: ''Motion pictures were my dream''
Here's why there was never a Barney spin-off!
Success is a fickle thing. There's no single definition that suits everyone, as your success might be different from your neighbor's idea of success. The scale slides for experience, as well. What's successful for an apprentice is an outright failure for the career person. So, while one person might be satisfied being at the top of their industry, another person in that same position might feel incredibly unfulfilled.
When Don Knotts left Mayberry after The Andy Griffith Show's fifth season, the decision must've baffled many. He was one of the most recognized stars on television. So why leave TV completely? Jim Nabors, by contrast, left Mayberry but stayed on TV. His Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. capitalized on his popular Andy Griffith character while shifting the spotlight away from that earlier show's title character.
After seeing Gomer Pyle's success, it would've been easy for Don Knotts to envision a future where he stayed on TV. Whether Barney got a spinoff, or Knotts moved onto greener pastures, a built-in audience was ready to watch.
But, while his TV success brought him fame, it was never Knotts' goal to be big on the small screen.
As The Andy Griffith Show ended production on its fifth season, Universal Studios movie mogul Lew Wasserman gave Knotts an offer the star couldn't turn down. Wasserman saw something special in The Incredible Mr. Limpet and understood Knott's potential on the silver screen. In Knotts' 1999 memoir, Barney Fife, and Other Characters I Have Known, he broke down exactly what made the deal so enticing.
"He offered me a five-year contract. He said he wanted to build my name in family motion picture comedies. He offered me free rein. he said I could pick my own screenwriters and decide on my own pictures. This was an offer I could hardly refuse."
But why didn't Knotts stick to what he knew? Sure, the cinema was enticing, but it was a huge gamble. Why risk it all when TV seemed like a sure thing?
"Remember," Knotts wrote, "there was no such thing as television when I was growing up. Motion pictures were my dream."
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3 Comments
Attaboy, Luther!
