Don Knotts, the actor who portrayed "Reliable Barney Fife" on TV's classic Andy Griffith Show, died Friday at the age of 81.
I have been a devoted fan of The Andy Griffith Show for well over 30 years. I was only four years old when the show ended its initial run in 1968 but, like most of the world, I've enjoyed the show in reruns ever since. Like I Love Lucy, The Honeymooners, and a few other television classics, The Andy Griffith Show has been running in syndication non-stop for almost four decades. One of the reasons for its phenomenal success is due to the strength of its characters, and none was as durable as Knotts' Barney Fife.
Barney Fife was a blowhard, a reactionary, a high-strung alarmist and yet, you couldn't help but love him. He wanted to be big, really big despite the fact, or perhaps because of the fact, that physically he weighed just slightly more than a mosquito. Who knows what might have become of Barney Fife if it hadn't been for his cousin-turned-best-friend Andy Taylor. Andy was always figuring out ways to heal Barney's bruised ego or build up his confidence. While Barney may have been weak and jittery, he really wasn't a coward.
I have every Andy Griffith Show boxed DVD set that is available with the exception of Season 5 which should arrive this week. My kids, ages 11, 8, and 5, all enjoy watching the show with me which I think also speaks to its durability and timeless humor. Just tonight, in honor of Don Knotts, we watched two episodes from Season 3. In "High Noon in Mayberry," Andy receives word from an ex-con who he shot and jailed years earlier that he's coming to Mayberry. Barney assumes he's coming for revenge and urges Andy to be prepared. Andy tells Barney not to worry but out of concern for his friend and mentor, he deputizes Gomer and Otis so the three of them together can keep an around-the-clock surveillance on Andy. Even when the ex-con arrives carrying a gun, Barney does not run. In fact, he busts into the house to save his friend. Of course, he bungles everything but he does not run.
Last week, the kids and I watched one of my all time favorite episodes featuring Barney "Nip It In The Bud" Fife. The episode, entitled "Lawman Barney," concerns two farmers who come to Mayberry and sell their fruits and vegetables on the street without a permit. Barney tries to run them off but being twice his size and two against one, they intimidate him and he runs. Andy finds out, scares the peddlers by telling them that Barney's a killer and then sends Barney back to run them off. This time the peddlers flee at the site of Barney and Deputy Fife has his confidence restored. Unfortunately, Andy didn't count on the soda pop gang at Wally's filling station blowing his plan. Floyd and the boys inadvertently spill the beans that Barney couldn't hurt a flea. Once the farmers learn the truth they go back to peddling and tell Floyd to let Barney know. Barney and Andy return to the scene but before they reach the farmers, Barney asks Andy to get out of the car. Andy told Barney that his badge was all he needed to run them fellers out because that's what gives him his authority - the law. Barney goes back and stands up to these two bullys and although they try to intimidate him again, he calls their bluff and refuses to back down or run. This time, seeing that he is not intimidated, they back down and begin to pack up their wares. I love this episode because unlike so many others where Andy "bails out" Barney to save his reputation or self-confidence, this was a case where Barney really faced his fears and did it on his own. I've always loved this episode because it allows Barney dignity and self-respect that he truly earns.
When I first heard the news this morning about Don Knotts, I told my daughter "Barney Fife died." I realized after watching some of the shows tonight that I couldn't have been more wrong. That's the beauty of television and film. Barney Fife will never die - he'll lives forever. If you want him you can find him at the courthouse in everybody's hometown of Mayberry, North Carolina.
