Don Knotts' Hometown Won't Get Fife Statue

http://www.comcast.net ^ | 7 17 06 | Associated Press

[freepatriot32]

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. - An unfinished statue of Barney Fife apparently won't be heading to Don Knotts' hometown after all. Knotts' widow endorses a statue but says the monument should be of her husband, not of the bumbling deputy he made famous on "The Andy Griffith Show." Knotts died in February at age 81.

"We consider the dissemination of his image to be a big responsibility that we take very seriously," Francey Knotts and Andy Griffith said in a statement. "No one cares more about Don's image than we do. It would be wonderful to have a statue in Morgantown, W.Va., of Don Knotts as Don Knotts.

"But this particular image does not fit with our understanding of Don's experience growing up in Morgantown."

Efforts to get a Fife statue in Griffith's hometown of Mount Airy, N.C., which was used as the model for the fictional town of Mayberry, have been unsuccessful.

Mount Airy resident Tom Hellebrand commissioned the Fife statue after Knotts' death. The work was halted after Paramount/CBS, which owns the rights to the television show, withdrew its permission. The company said it didn't have the authority to grant permission for a likeness of Knotts.

Hellebrand then offered the half-finished work to anyone who could obtain permission from the company, the Knotts family and Griffith. Mount Airy already has a statue of Griffith in character as Sheriff Andy Taylor walking with his son, Opie, who was played by Ron Howard.

Morgantown Mayor Ron Justice said any monument to Knotts should be in Morgantown and reflect Knotts' accomplishments.

"We certainly want to portray Don Knotts in the very best image as we know him in Morgantown," he said.

[Question Liberal Authority]

How about Knott's Berry Farm?

[Rumple4]

Finish the statue and say it's Mr Roper in disguise.

[Cincinatus]

Knotts' widow endorses a statue but says the monument should be of her husband, not of the bumbling deputy he made famous on "The Andy Griffith Show"

Silly. Knotts' characterization of Barney Fife was a masterpiece, an actor's creation of a fully realized, human character so real, people didn't realize it was a portrayal.

This is the statue of John Wayne at the John Wayne Orange County airport near LA:

Well guess what? When John Wayne wasn't working, he did not dress like this. But this image is how millions remember him (and fondly).

It's entirely appropriate for a statue of Don Knotts to be based around his most famous characterization. I'm sure he'd be proud of it.

[MilesVeritatis]

Eh, just put up the Don Knotts statue that his widow wants...and burn a dozen couches at the unveiling.

[WestVirginiaRebel]

Just so long as it's not wearing one of those Seventies outfits from Mr. Furley's closet...

[conservative in nyc]

See also:

Barney Fife's Statue Snafu:
Nixed Tribute Leaves 'Andy Griffith Show' Super-Fan Half-Broke (CBS News)

[monkapotamus]

[Rte66]

Link is bad - should come back to this thread, but shows it "doesn't exist on this server."

[FreeManWhoCan]

I can still watch The Ghost and Mr. Chicken and almost pee my pants when he starts screaming "Murder! Murder!"

[Rte66]

Sticking to the Israel-Lebanon live thread, I missed the first half of the first half (first 1/4th, I guess that would be) of my Sunday night-Monday morning dose of Mayberry.

I only get one night a week of a double-feature (have only MSM) and wouldn't ya know it, I had not seen either of these two.

We're into the color episodes now, without Barney - not quite as good, unfortunately.

This morning the first was Opie getting his tonsils out and evidently, Andy had been worried sick about the doctor and the operation. The doc was Father Mulcahey on M*A*S*H, who has played another Mayberry character previously - an IRS man just a week or so ago.

The second one was where Opie and his friend Arnold find a baby abandoned on the steps of the sheriff's office - and they decide to take it to their clubhouse and hide it, so Andy won't give it to CPS, who might give it to bad people.

They go around town asking people like Ms Crump and Goober about babies and whether they like them. LOL, of course Helen thinks Opie's talking about *her* having a baby and Goober thinks the boys are talking about some unknown babies he might have somewhere.

All this prompts Helen and Aunt Bee to tell Andy to have the "birds and bees" talk with Opie ASAP. He doesn't want to, so he asks Arnold's dad to do it, who refuses, lol. Finally, Sheriff Taylor sits Opie down (he's about 12-13 now, you realize) and starts "the talk."

Before he can get to the "good part," in walks a married couple who had had a fight that morning and the wife had left their baby on the doorstep because she was mad. Heh heh, the hubby was Jack Nicholson.

Opie and Arnold bring the baby back and everything is A-OK. As they walk off down the street, Opie tells Arnold he'd had "the talk" with his dad. Arnold asks if he told Andy he already knew it all - nope, Opie says he didn't want to spoil it for him!

(PS - Saw an interview with Bryce Dallas Howard earlier - Opie's daughter - talking about her newlywed status and how it wasn't all that different, since they'd lived together for 5-1/2 years first.)

[AmericaUnited]

Greedy people wind up getting nothing.

[srmorton]

I read this article in our local paper on Sunday and could not believe the pettiness of Don's widow. Don Knotts WAS Barney Fife and many Americans first came to know him in that role. That's not to say that his other work was not outstanding as well, but Mrs. Knotts should realize that it was as Barney Fife that Don first came right into the homes of America and right into our hearts!

[DustyMoment]

"We consider the dissemination of his image to be a big responsibility that we take very seriously," Francey Knotts and Andy Griffith said in a statement. "No one cares more about Don's image than we do. It would be wonderful to have a statue in Morgantown, W.Va., of Don Knotts as Don Knotts.

I would have to think that Don Knotts would be pleased to receive recognition for his work as Barney Fife. Fife was an iconic character for Knotts and would be more meaningful to his memory than a statue that has anything to do with him growing up in Morgantown. A statue that recognizes both Knotts and Fife allows BOTH to live on and gives people a reason to actually visit Morgantown.

Pity that there are so many short-sighted people in the world.

[Freedom4US]

If Paramount owns the rights, why do they say they can't give permission?

[LIConFem]

I vote for a Mr. Limpet statue.

[DustyMoment]

If Paramount owns the rights, why do they say they can't give permission?

Well, not being an attorney, I can only speculate. It probably has to do with the fact that they own the rights to the character Barney Fife and not the image of Don Knotts. Under the circumstances, how the two are separated is beyond me. Fife may have been born as a character in a TV show, but it was Knotts who brought him to life.

[Freedom4US]

That almost makes sense - Knotts or rather his estate owns the rights to his image, but not the character of Barney Fife. Either way, it ought not to be a big deal...

[Puppage]

"Ya gotta nip it in the bud!"

[Vision]

LOL, sounds like you were a Mountaineer? I was too for a few years and saw many couches burn. I was told I actually lived in Don Knotts boyhood home.