Barney Fife is outwardly smug and self-important, covering up his insecurities and low self-confidence with a display of bravado. Her mom enrolled her in the Kansas City Conservatory of Music at age 5, and she sang on the radio and in supper clubs as a teenager. Early in his TV career, he was one of the original cast members of The Steve Allen Show, the comedy-variety show that ran from 1956-61. Failure to find work in New York City drove Knotts back to his home in West Virginia. A seismic global event would change the trajectory of his life. Betty Lynn, Thelma Lou on The Andy Griffith Show, Dies at 95 Knotts died Friday night of pulmonary and respiratory complications at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Beverly Hills, said Paul Ward, a spokesman for the cable network TV Land, which airs The Andy Griffith Show and another Knotts hit, Three's Company. Once again Knotts, knew he had to make a career change. Barney Fife was far and away the fan-favorite, comedy-wise, so Griffith decided that in the interest of the show he would become the straight man to Fife's comic relief. He enlisted in the Army in 1943 and served in the Pacific, receiving the World War II Victory Medal among other decorations. But not long after the series debuted in October 1960, Knotts stole the show. I was telling this story to Howard Storm, whos a director, and he said, You should have stayed and laughed out loud. Don had Andy literally in tears once a week. In fact, it wasnt too uncommon for viewers to see Andy Griffith sometimes breaking character while trying to contain his laughter after Knotts would deliver a line. Knotts, whose shy, soft-spoken manner was unlike his high-strung characters, once said he was most proud of the Fife character and doesnt mind being remembered that way. Her character was often flustered by the tightly-wound personality of boyfriend Barney Fife, played by Don Knotts, but they continued to date throughout most of the series. Distractify is a registered trademark. Betty Lynn, Thelma Lou on 'The Andy Griffith Show,' has died - Los Knotts exceptional acting and comedic talents played a huge part in making The Andy Griffith Show such a beloved, family-friendly TV series. Even without Knotts, Andy Griffith remained popular, and the show was ranked No. One frequent source of comedy is Barney's incompetence with firearms. Barney was nevertheless proud of his war record: "I did my part in helping to whip the dreaded Hun", he boasted in the episode "Quiet Sam.". Don Knotts, the skinny, lovable nerd who kept generations of television audiences laughing as bumbling Deputy Barney Fife on "The Andy Griffith Show," has died. Fife's middle name was inconsistent. When he saw the episode of The Danny Thomas Show featuring Andy Taylor, he called Griffith suggesting that his sheriff character might reasonably need a deputy. After two decades of on-again, off-again romance, they finally married in the reunion TV movie Return to Mayberry in 1986, the characters final appearance together on screen. The negligent discharge of Barney's gun becomes a running gag, usually followed by Barney sheepishly handing his gun to Andy. Now, 55 years later, reruns of the show are raising questions about why Don left The Andy Griffith Show in the first place. Since his start on The Andy Griffith Show in 1960, Don Knotts had become one of the most beloved comedians on the show. Sheriff Taylor allowed his deputy to carry just one bullet, which he was obliged to keep separate from his service revolver due to past trigger mishaps. "I wound up getting an offer from Universal to do movies and do my own pictures," he further explained. Barney tends to be alarmist, and overreacts to potential dangers. She accepted, and the two were married in 1947. You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times. ", In Praise of Don Knotts, TV's Livest Wire, Andy Griffith's College Football 'Rituals'. Knotts left The Andy Griffith Show after performing alongside his friend and co-star for five years. While his death didn't come as a surprise considering his health issues over the years, his almost immediate burial confused many.