Alright, back to our scheduled programming! I macro-blogged a lot about Jerry Lewis (and wrestling). But, beyond Lewis, there may be another comedy actor closer to my heart. And that man is Don Knotts (see above).
I first encountered Don Knotts at my grandparent's house. My grandmother loves TV Land. So the Hooterville Trilogy and Sanford & Son were always on. There, I took to watching a lot of Andy Griffith Show, intrigued after catching A Face in the Crowd on TCM.
I liked Knotts as Barney Fife. But one Knotts solo project kept me from his solo films for years. The Ghost and Mr. Chicken TERRIFIED me. It is now one of my favorite Halloween films. But, as a kid, I was too much of a wimp to watch.
I might've seen The Apple Dumpling Gang later, but, alas, I didn't dive into Knott's filmography. That changed last year at the Cracker Barrel. Cracker Barrel, along with FYE for malls, may be the last bastion of physical media. Waiting to pay for my meal, I saw this (see above) DVD collection.
The DVD collection (see above) includes four Knotts films (see above). I ended up buying it for The Love God? I can't remember how I heard of it, but the film is Knott's misguided Hugh Hefner parody. But it also included The Ghost and Mr. Chicken, which I hadn't seen since my high school first-viewing.
I might've seen The Apple Dumpling Gang later, but, alas, I didn't dive into Knott's filmography. That changed last year at the Cracker Barrel. Cracker Barrel, along with FYE for malls, may be the last bastion of physical media. Waiting to pay for my meal, I saw this (see above) DVD collection.
The DVD collection (see above) includes four Knotts films (see above). I ended up buying it for The Love God? I can't remember how I heard of it, but the film is Knott's misguided Hugh Hefner parody. But it also included The Ghost and Mr. Chicken, which I hadn't seen since my high school first-viewing.
Package secured, I watched Love God (meh) and rewatched Mr. Chicken with MK (yay). The biggest surprise of the collection was The Shakiest Gun in the West. Putting aside my Mr. Chicken nostalgia, Shakiest Gun is Knott's best film. Writing now, I keep laughing to myself about a few bits, especially one at a dentistry school.
The last film in the collection, The Reluctant Astronaut, falls above Love God in my ranking. But I do recommend the whole collection! And if you want a good double feature, start with Shakiest Gun and end on Mr. Chicken.
I have yet to view a few Knotts pictures. One Knotts joint that made the cut in other collections is How To Frame a Figg. I'm lucky to have my brother's Disney+ login so I can access a few others, like Gus. I'll be sure to follow-up this post once I do! But speaking of lovable creatures . . .