What happened after Deputy Fife hung up his gun holster, Mr. Furley left the landlord business, Mr. Chicken overcame his fears and the Apple Dumpling Gang rode off into the sunset?
Thats when Don Knotts, the comic genius and West Virginia University alumnus, returned to his first lovelive theater.
This lesser-known aspect of Knottsacting career is chronicled in the latest gift of memorabilia from his widow, Francey Yarborough-Knotts, to the WVU Libraries West Virginia and Regional History Collection .
Don Knotts had a very long and broad career in live theater,said John Cuthbert, curator.This donation is quite extensive and provides a comprehensive look into Dons career, including his early career.
Among the gems are a thick stack of playbillsmany with covers bearing Knottswide grinthat mark his work in dozens of stage productions over a span of decades.
Few people probably know that the Morgantown native starred in performances of classics such asOn Golden Pond,Harvey,Last of the Red Hot Lovers,You Cant Take It with YouandThe Odd Couple.InThe Odd Couple,he took on the role of Felix Unger to Art Carneys Oscar Madison.
People knew the well-known characters on TV, but Don had a whole other life in the theater,Yarborough-Knotts said.That is what he seemed to thrive on, and that was who he was.
Even during his later years, Knotts still loved hearing the roaring laughter of a live audience. At the same time he was doing voice-overs in movies such asChicken Little,he regularly performed in plays and in shows with his old friend Tim Conway.
And while he was always writing new material, he liked to draw on bits that he created back in Morgantown. A favorite involved calling a make-believe football game.
Don was such a working actor when I knew him,Yarborough-Knotts said.He was always putting on these shows. He was always creating them and going out on the road and doing them. And that was the way he was since he was 13 years old.
Along with playbills, Yarborough-Knotts also donated boxes of articles and promotional materials, pictures of Knotts on stage, personal letters and writings, pages of hand-written stories and jokes, multipleMatlockscripts, his Screen Actors Guild card and a scrapbook of photographs and newspaper clippings compiled by TV Land.
The piece de resistance is a watch that Andy Griffith presented to Knotts upon his departure fromThe Andy Griffith Show.Yarborough-Knotts said it was one of the few items Knotts treasured enough to store in a safety-deposit box.
The watch was especially meaningful because of the humorous personal message Griffith and the shows producers had engraved on the back. Along with the number 5 are the words:See, we thought wed put 5 on it because youve been here for 5 years.
They were being funny, and that sounds just like Andy,Yarborough-Knotts said.
Griffith and Knotts met and became friends during the Broadway run ofNo Time for Sergeants.They reunited for the silver-screen version and thenThe Andy Griffith Show.Griffith later invited Knotts to join him for several episodes ofMatlock.
Yarborough-Knottsdonation of memorabilia is the third such gift to the WVU Libraries . She previously donated several items in early 2007. The first gifts came in January 2006, just one month before Knottsdeath. He donated his personal copies of scripts forThe Reluctant Astronaut,The Love God,The Shakiest Gun in the West,How to Frame a FiggandHerbie Goes to Monte Carlo.
Currently, an exhibit of scripts and other memorabilia is on display in the West Virginia and Regional History Collection. Plans call for a new exhibit highlighting some of the latest additions to be up early this fall. A major exhibit is in the works for 2009 in the Davis Family Gallery in the Wise Library.
Were very proud to be able to represent his life here in the West Virginia Collection and to provide the opportunity for people to learn about his life and amazing career,Cuthbert said.