[marshmallow]

As far as straight man and fall guy go, Griffith and Knotts were the absolute perfect team. Andy's relaxed geniality was the perfect foil for Barney's deranged, panic-stricken screw ups.

The triumph of The Andy Griffith Show and Don Knotts in particular was that it was absolutely hilarous yet never seedy, smutty or distasteful. It's a perfect example of the way TV could be and a marvelous memento of a simpler time.

Barney Fife is one of the enduring memories of my childhood and I still laugh at him as hard today as I did the first time I saw him.

God speed, Don.

[2 Kool 2 Be 4-Gotten]

Andy's relaxed geniality was the perfect foil for Barney's deranged, panic-stricken screw ups.

I think I read somewhere's that in real life they were the opposite of their screen characters - that Griffith was the hyper Type "A" one and Knotts was in real life relaxed and laid back.

[pallmallman]

The Andy Griffith Show was probably, I dare say, the greatest and most perfect of all tv comedies, and Don Knotts was the main reason why.