Don Knotts: Working with Orson Welles was ''a fascinating learning experience''

There were ups and downs, but it was always interesting!

September 23, 2024, 12:24PM By MeTV Staff

Shout! Factory, LLC

Here's an odd couple if ever there was one: Barney Fife teaming up with Charles Foster Kane. Now, granted, this was years after Don Knotts left The Andy Griffith Show, and even longer since Orson Welles made Citizen Kane. Regardless, there was, in fact, a time in history when Knotts and Welles worked together. If you can't recall seeing the resulting teleplay, it may be because the project wasn't very fondly received when it aired. In fact, this 1972 Hallmark Hall of Fame production of The Man Who Came to Dinner was included in the New York Times' annual "Worst of Television" list.

Welles had some "difficulties" with the IRS in that era and lived outside the United States. As he evaded his tax troubles, the production rehearsed in London and taped in Southampton, England. In his memoir Barney Fife, and Other Characters I Have Known, Don Knotts describes the rehearsal period as among his "most memorable experiences in show business." The cast was star-studded. In addition to Welles and Knotts, the show featured Joan Collins, Lee Remick, Marty Feldman, and Mary Wicks. During the beginning stages, Welles regaled the cast with his stories about famous people and show business tales of yore. However, as the show progressed, the mood shifted with it.

"As we went off script, Welles's manner began to change. His face took on an anxious look, and he demanded that someone be brought in to hold cue cards for his lines. He also began to drink more wine, which he hid, unsuccessfully, in a coffee cup. He began to show signs of being slightly drunk, and he soon demanded that two more people be hired to hold cue cards so that he would always have his lines in his line of sight. It soon became clear to me that the poor man was scared to death. The part he was playing, that of Sheridan Whiteside, is a demanding role with thousands of lines housed in dozens of long speeches. At this point in his career, Welles had not played a part this big in several years."

Despite his incredible history, Welles fretted endlessly during the rehearsals and fought with director Buzz Kulik multiple times. Through it all, though, the legendary actor found refuge in Don Knotts. While the two hadn't worked together before, Welles took to Knotts immediately. Their shared interest in magic bonded them during the production, and Welles got dramatically upset whenever Knotts left the set.

Even though he made the rehearsal process difficult for everyone involved, Welles was an absolute pro when the show began shooting.

"On the first day of taping, Mr. Welles arrived bright and early, sober as a judge, and full of vim and vigor! He was a whole new person," Knotts wrote. "The entire taping went off pretty much without incident. I flew home tired and happy. The mischievous Orson Welles, after all, was a legend, and it had been a fascinating learning experience."