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Interview With Don Knotts
Aired July 21, 2003 - 15:51 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Well, guess what? It's Don Knotts trivia time. Earlier, we asked you, what character did he play in the hit TV series "Three's Company"? Was it Jack Tripper, Mr. Roper, Ralph Furley, or Larry Dallas? The answer, he played Ralph Furley, the bizarre bachelor landlord.
And guess what? We have an opportunity to honor this icon in American comedy. Don Knotts turns 79 years old today. And thanks to syndication, generations of Americans have grown up -- all of us here have -- laughing at his bumbling deputy Barney Fife, a role that garnered him five Emmys. His leading credits on the big screen include "The Incredible Mr. Limpet," "Shakiest Gun in the West," and "The Reluctant Astronaut."
And he's still working. Look for him this fall in Disney's "The Haunted Mansion."
He's on the phone with us now from Los Angeles.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Here's how you do it. Clara? Right, wasn't Clara the operator? Clara, get me Barney Fife.
Are you there?
PHILLIPS: Barney, you on the phone?
DON KNOTTS, ACTOR: Hello.
O'BRIEN: Hello. Happy birthday, sir.
PHILLIPS: This is so exciting. The best part of this was, we were all talking about you today and your birthday. And then all the young interns: Don Knotts? Who is Don Knotts? I remember Don Knotts. It made us feel very grown up.
O'BRIEN: Yes. You really have spanned the generations. What's the key to having such great longevity in an acting career, do you think?
KNOTTS: Gee, I think it takes a lot of good luck.
O'BRIEN: Yes. I think probably a little bit of hard work, don't you?
KNOTTS: Hard work, too. Sure.
PHILLIPS: So, Don, you started out as a ventriloquist with your dummy Danny. I want to know where Danny boy is.
KNOTTS: I left Danny on an island during World War II in the South Pacific.
O'BRIEN: You just left him?
KNOTTS: I left him there, because I didn't want to do ventriloquism anymore. I wanted to be part of a comedy act.
O'BRIEN: So he's somewhere there with Amelia Earhart or something on a South Pacific Island.
KNOTTS: Yes.
O'BRIEN: What's your favorite role, as you look back? Please tell me "The Reluctant Astronaut." That was one of my favorites.
KNOTTS: My favorite of all time had to be Barney Fife.
O'BRIEN: Barney Fife. OK.
KNOTTS: "The Andy Griffith Show."
O'BRIEN: Yes.
PHILLIPS: Hey, Don, will you give us a little Barney Fife?
KNOTTS: I'm doing it right now.
(LAUGHTER)
PHILLIPS: Basically, the character never left you.
KNOTTS: It's kind of hard to do it over the phone.
O'BRIEN: Yes.
Did you -- in a sense -- and we're not saying you're Barney Fife -- but did you sort of play yourself?
(CROSSTALK)
KNOTTS: Not really.
O'BRIEN: No, not really?
KNOTTS: No, not really.
O'BRIEN: So you're not bumbling in that kind of way that we think of Barney, right?
KNOTTS: Gee, I hope not.
O'BRIEN: Yes.
KNOTTS: Maybe, though. Who knows? PHILLIPS: For so many years, we laughed with you. We laughed at you. I want to know, who made you laugh?
KNOTTS: Oh, lots of people.
PHILLIPS: Such as?
KNOTTS: Well, the first guy to make me laugh hard was Jack Benny. He was a real inspiration to me. And Laurel and Hardy and Abbott and Costello. That's when I was growing up. All kinds of people, Red Skelton. And now I love Jerry Seinfeld.
O'BRIEN: Oh, good for you. Good for you.
PHILLIPS: All right.
O'BRIEN: Now, just what are you going to do special on your birthday today, Mr. Knotts?
KNOTTS: Nothing special that I know of.
O'BRIEN: Yes?
PHILLIPS: How is the love life?
KNOTTS: Huh?
PHILLIPS: How is the love life?
KNOTTS: Hello? I'm 79.
(LAUGHTER)
PHILLIPS: Hey, you're 79. You're not -- come on, now. Life begins at 79. That's what I hear.
KNOTTS: Sure.
O'BRIEN: We can all hope.
KNOTTS: Yes.
O'BRIEN: All right, Don Knotts. Happy birthday. Good to hear your voice.
KNOTTS: Thank you very much.
PHILLIPS: It was a pleasure.
KNOTTS: Thank you.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired July 21, 2003 - 15:51 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Well, guess what? It's Don Knotts trivia time. Earlier, we asked you, what character did he play in the hit TV series "Three's Company"? Was it Jack Tripper, Mr. Roper, Ralph Furley, or Larry Dallas? The answer, he played Ralph Furley, the bizarre bachelor landlord.
And guess what? We have an opportunity to honor this icon in American comedy. Don Knotts turns 79 years old today. And thanks to syndication, generations of Americans have grown up -- all of us here have -- laughing at his bumbling deputy Barney Fife, a role that garnered him five Emmys. His leading credits on the big screen include "The Incredible Mr. Limpet," "Shakiest Gun in the West," and "The Reluctant Astronaut."
And he's still working. Look for him this fall in Disney's "The Haunted Mansion."
He's on the phone with us now from Los Angeles.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Here's how you do it. Clara? Right, wasn't Clara the operator? Clara, get me Barney Fife.
Are you there?
PHILLIPS: Barney, you on the phone?
DON KNOTTS, ACTOR: Hello.
O'BRIEN: Hello. Happy birthday, sir.
PHILLIPS: This is so exciting. The best part of this was, we were all talking about you today and your birthday. And then all the young interns: Don Knotts? Who is Don Knotts? I remember Don Knotts. It made us feel very grown up.
O'BRIEN: Yes. You really have spanned the generations. What's the key to having such great longevity in an acting career, do you think?
KNOTTS: Gee, I think it takes a lot of good luck.
O'BRIEN: Yes. I think probably a little bit of hard work, don't you?
KNOTTS: Hard work, too. Sure.
PHILLIPS: So, Don, you started out as a ventriloquist with your dummy Danny. I want to know where Danny boy is.
KNOTTS: I left Danny on an island during World War II in the South Pacific.
O'BRIEN: You just left him?
KNOTTS: I left him there, because I didn't want to do ventriloquism anymore. I wanted to be part of a comedy act.
O'BRIEN: So he's somewhere there with Amelia Earhart or something on a South Pacific Island.
KNOTTS: Yes.
O'BRIEN: What's your favorite role, as you look back? Please tell me "The Reluctant Astronaut." That was one of my favorites.
KNOTTS: My favorite of all time had to be Barney Fife.
O'BRIEN: Barney Fife. OK.
KNOTTS: "The Andy Griffith Show."
O'BRIEN: Yes.
PHILLIPS: Hey, Don, will you give us a little Barney Fife?
KNOTTS: I'm doing it right now.
(LAUGHTER)
PHILLIPS: Basically, the character never left you.
KNOTTS: It's kind of hard to do it over the phone.
O'BRIEN: Yes.
Did you -- in a sense -- and we're not saying you're Barney Fife -- but did you sort of play yourself?
(CROSSTALK)
KNOTTS: Not really.
O'BRIEN: No, not really?
KNOTTS: No, not really.
O'BRIEN: So you're not bumbling in that kind of way that we think of Barney, right?
KNOTTS: Gee, I hope not.
O'BRIEN: Yes.
KNOTTS: Maybe, though. Who knows? PHILLIPS: For so many years, we laughed with you. We laughed at you. I want to know, who made you laugh?
KNOTTS: Oh, lots of people.
PHILLIPS: Such as?
KNOTTS: Well, the first guy to make me laugh hard was Jack Benny. He was a real inspiration to me. And Laurel and Hardy and Abbott and Costello. That's when I was growing up. All kinds of people, Red Skelton. And now I love Jerry Seinfeld.
O'BRIEN: Oh, good for you. Good for you.
PHILLIPS: All right.
O'BRIEN: Now, just what are you going to do special on your birthday today, Mr. Knotts?
KNOTTS: Nothing special that I know of.
O'BRIEN: Yes?
PHILLIPS: How is the love life?
KNOTTS: Huh?
PHILLIPS: How is the love life?
KNOTTS: Hello? I'm 79.
(LAUGHTER)
PHILLIPS: Hey, you're 79. You're not -- come on, now. Life begins at 79. That's what I hear.
KNOTTS: Sure.
O'BRIEN: We can all hope.
KNOTTS: Yes.
O'BRIEN: All right, Don Knotts. Happy birthday. Good to hear your voice.
KNOTTS: Thank you very much.
PHILLIPS: It was a pleasure.
KNOTTS: Thank you.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
