Andy’s son Opie, demands that their new housekeeper, Andy’s aunt, be fired after the old one leaves to get married.
Read More »The New Housekeeper [The Andy Griffith Show]
The Andy Griffith Show is one of the classic television series. It deals with the live of a small town Sheriff, Andy Taylor, played by Andy Griffith. Sheriff Andy’s a likeable, laid-back fellow, who’s typically correct with his homespun wisdom – but not infallible. He’s a widower, raising his son Opie (Ron Howard). With the help of his Aunt Bea (Frances Bavier).
The cast is rounded out by his overly serious, bumbling, loyal, and likeable deputy Barney Fife (Don Knotts). And with a large cast of recurring characters. These include Gomer (Jim Nabors), Goober, Ellie, Helen Krump, and many more. Life in Mayberry is normally quiet, and the episodes reflect that. With minor issues being dealt with enjoyably.
Read More »The Andy Griffith Show episode guide
Editorial Review of Jingle Bells starring Jason Alexander, Don Knotts, Shelly Long courtesy of Amazon.com Sacrificial giving–reminiscent of O. Henry’s timeless “Gift of the Magi”–is the theme… Read More »Jingle Bells [movie]
Wake Me When It’s Over – World War II vet Gus Brubaker, redrafted through a clerical error, arrives on a dead-end Japanese island and decides to liven things up by building a hotel and using the island girls as the staff. Until his court-martial …
A quiet bird watching magazine is about to go bankrupt. Rescue comes unexpectedly in the form of … a pornographer! His new “partner” needs the magazine’s printing permit, and makes the bird watcher the figurehead for his porn empire. And, incidentally, a crusader for the first amendment?
Read More »The Love God?
When Andy, brother of a Yugoslavian soccer hero, brings Gus, a field goal-kicking mule, to the United States as halftime entertainment for a losing Atoms football team, laughs and lasting fame follow. Gus’s intelligent, almost human interactions with his Yugoslavian ball holder and the devious duo intent on stifling Andy and Gus’s success are amusing and entertaining. An extended mule chase through a busy supermarket and Gus’s drunken acceptance of an award on “Gus Day” are only two examples of the slapstick comedy that pervades this 97-minute film. Talents Edward Asner, Don Knotts, Tim Conway, Gary Grimes, Dick Enberg, and Tom Bosley enliven the somewhat predictable plot of this 1976 Disney film. Other notable appearances include real-life football players Dick Butkus and Johnny Unitas. This is fun, wholesome entertainment for children ages 3 and older. —Tami Horiuchi
Read More »Gus
The canine star of Air Bud and its host of sequels is on the screen again, but this time Buddy, his girlfriend Molly, and their human owners Noah and Henry have their hands and paws full with a litter of five mischievous puppies that talk. From Budderball who’s obsessed with food to the meditating Bud-Dha and the dirt-loving Mudbud, each of the puppies is as unique as a sibling can be. When it comes time to adopt the young puppies into new families, humans and dogs alike are distraught and the puppies decide to run away. Enter a spoiled rich boy named Bartleby who wants Air Bud as a birthday present, a dim-witted cousin, and a doltish thug employed by Bartleby’s father, and mayhem prevails as Buddy and Molly get dog-napped and Noah, Henry, and the runway puppies all set out to rescue them. As the chase winds over the river, through the woods, to the drive-in movie, and straight through the farmyard, slapstick comedy and satire reign and the whole gang learns an important lesson about the value of teamwork, love, and courage. While children ages 3 to 10 will delight in the capers of these cute talking puppies, most adults will find the plot predictable and the action less than riveting. Talent includes Don Knotts, Richard Karn, and Michael Clarke Duncan. —Tami Horiuchi
Editorial review of Barney Fife and other characters I have known by Don Knotts –courtesy of Amazon.com Fish. Chicken. Deputy. Icon. TV’s beloved Don Knotts gives his millions of… Read More »Barney Fife and Other Characters I Have Known
Have you ever sat through a children’s movie with a message? A very blunt message? That the movie beats you over the head with, over, and over? And over? That’s Walt Disney’s Chicken Little, unfortunately. It takes a good concept, and ruins it in the execution. It’s the final film of Don Knotts, and it’s a sad farewell to a great talent and very funny man.
Read More »Walt Disney’s Chicken Little
Tracy and Jay Osborne’s mother is shipping the unwilling children off to their grandfather’s house for Easter vacation while she attends to business in Hong Kong. The children plot a trip to visit their mother and, with the help of Jay’s pet skunk, evade their grandfather and airport security to escape in a taxicab with two safe-cracking vandals. The foursome proceeds to stage a kidnapping – although just who kidnapped whom is up for debate.
Read More »No Deposit, No Return [Don Knotts]