Don Knotts died last night at the age of 81. While it is no tragedy when someone dies at 81, it is certainly sad that one of the brightest lights in the world has now been extinguished.
Everyone knows Barney Fife, and Knotts has said that he is proud of that role, and is happy to be remembered for it. But whenever I think of Don Knotts I think of two movies; The Reluctant Astronaut, and my favorite The Ghost and Mr. Chicken. In both he played the nerdy, cowardly, but noble and lovable schmuck who finds himself forced to become more than he ever imagined. In Astronaut he was a janitor at NASA who told his family that he was an astronaut, and gets accidentally launched into space, with appropriately silly results. And in Mr. Chicken he plays a nervous typesetter who, in the hopes of becoming a full-fledged reporter, accepts an assignment to spend a night in a haunted house, only to be be-deviled by both mean spirited pranksters, and maybe a real ghost or two. In both films he ultimately triumphs, surprising himself and everyone else with his bravery in the face of real danger, and gets the girl. What better role model for a pudgey, Star Trek loving geek-in-training.
Everything I have ever read or seen about Don Knotts showed him to be a warm, gentle, kind-hearted soul who had the gift of making people laugh. He is an American icon, and I am sure that people will be laughing at Barney Fife, and Mr. Limpet, and NASA janitor Roy Fleming, and typesetter Luthor Heggs for many, many years to come.
Vaya con Dios, Mr. Knotts, and thank you.
Marius
2 comments:
And another icon leaves us. The man who made being small and cowardly an art form... He made pathetic pleasing. Deputy Fief and Mr. Furley the most pressing examples....
At first, I thought that he'd been absent from the modern day world of TV and big screen, but upon some thought, I realized that he had been fairly prolific, even of late, if not his image, then at least his voice. He's made guest appearances on many shows, and had done the voices on a number of animated sereis and movies, most recently as Mayor Turkey Lurkey on "Chicken Little"... All said and done, I shall remember him best as The Incredible Mr. Limpet.
Goodnight, Mr. Knotts, sir, and thank you.
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