Andy king larry11/17/2023 ![]() And it looks exactly the way we did then. It's me and Ronnie Howard at our ages then. GRIFFITH: But it is the beatin'-est (ph) thing you ever saw. And they dropped the curtain, and there was the statue. And Larry Jones (ph) (UNINTELLIGIBLE) said, Are you ready? I said, Ready. GRIFFITH: And he drove me in, and I got out of that car and I jumped up those stairs. ![]() ![]() Why? GRIFFITH: Well, TVland, that plays our show, they decided to create a statue from "The Andy Griffith Show." There was a man who had a 1962 police car - one of our cars, Don. KING: Now, I understand there's a reason related to "The Andy Griffith Show" that you're in Raleigh, North Carolina, with us. KING: You either have it - you have it or you don't, right, Andy? GRIFFITH: It's there or it's not there. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP - "NO TIME FOR SERGEANTS") KNOTTS: Private, when I give the signal, place the two links in the interconnected relationship I have just demonstrated! (END VIDEO CLIP) KING: That's not explainable, is it. Did you two always have a good chemistry? KNOTTS: Yes, we did, right from the beginning. KING: Did it always work for you together, Don? I mean, "No Time for Sergeants," I remember, was a great play and a terrific movie. And I went up to Don and I said, Ain't you Windy Wales? And he was, and we became friends that day and have been friends ever since. And so the second day of rehearsal, there was a preacher that introduced Will Stockdale (ph). And they had an old man named Windy Wales (ph) that told tall tales. GRIFFITH: The second day of the show, I had - Don used to be in a show called "Bobby Benson of the B Bar Bee (ph)." KNOTTS: On the radio. I'll tell you, we became friends - I've told this story so many times, Don's getting tired of hearing it. KING: So you were friends, Andy? GRIFFITH: Oh, yes. KING: On the stage or just the movie? KNOTTS: Both. KING: Now, you worked together, right, Don, in "No Time for Sergeants." KNOTTS: Yes, we did. That made it - that made the show happen. And he called Sheldon, and he hired him right away. KING: Now, Andy, when you got the call from Don, what did you - did you like it right away? GRIFFITH: Oh, I said, I didn't know you were out of work. ![]() KING: In other words, on the pilot, there was no deputy. I saw Andy's pilot that was done on the old "Danny Thomas Show." And so I got the idea maybe he should have a deputy. I was just about to finish with "The Steve Allen Show." They were going off the air. Don Knotts in Kansas City, how did you get involved with it? DON KNOTTS: Well, I happened to see the pilot. I think a writer named Artie Stander (ph) came up with that. KING: Did you come up with the name Mayberry? GRIFFITH: No, I didn't. Well, he sent Sheldon Leonard (ph) to see me, and the upshot of it was we shot our pilot on "The Danny Thomas Show," and it sold. Lasfogel, I've struck out in movies and theater, and I don't want to go back to night clubs. As a matter of fact, we were on what you call "twofers," that's two tickets for one. I was in a musical called "Destry." It was not doing much business. How did that show come about? ANDY GRIFFITH: I'll tell you how it came about, Larry. And he also starred in one of the greatest movies ever made, "A Face in the Crowd." And Don Knotts is in Kansas City, Missouri, comedian extraordinaire, one of the great comedic actors ever, has appeared in movies, on stage, and on TV, of course, as Deputy Barney Fife on the old "Andy Griffith Show." That show has been off the air 35 years and still plays everywhere around the world. By the way, his latest album is a holiday collection of music and stories entitled "The Christmas Guest." He's probably most famous, of course, for his role as Sheriff Andy Taylor on "The Andy Griffith Show" from 1960 to 1968. Griffith, the comedian, actor, recording artist. I don't get this kind of pleasure often, to meet two of the giants in the history of American television and film, Andy Griffith and Don Knotts, together again tonight. Good evening, and welcome to a very special edition of LARRY KING LIVE. Sheriff Andy and Deputy Barney Fife for the hour next on LARRY KING LIVE. Share some memories and the laughs with Andy and Don. LARRY KING, HOST: Tonight, Andy Griffith and Don Knotts return to the heartwarming days of "The Andy Griffith Show" and the best- loved small town in television history. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED. A Mayberry Reunion With Andy Griffith and Don Knotts
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