Howard Morris was more than just Ernest T. Bass. Although the actor ignited the screen on The Andy Griffith Show, Morris wasn't simply an actor; he was also a talented director.

According to an interview with the Independent Star-News, as talented a comedian as Morris was, he confessed that when pressed, he'd always choose directing over acting.

Directing allowed Morris to sit at the wheel rather than simply take a ride in the backseat. As a director, Morris was able to call the shots.

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"You ask me which of the two I like better," said Morris. "But it's not a matter of like. I was discontent with the acting media. I'd rather direct. All that power! Let's put it this way. I'd rather conduct the band than play the piccolo."

Morris's talent as an actor may have been his very downfall in the medium.

"I was a damned good actor, too," said Morris. "But I got detoured into sketch comedy. And then, after all, my physique ruled out parts. Tony Quinn, I ain't. Once in sketch comedy, I was typed. And it's murder to get out of that rut."

Beyond being typecast, Morris found that he didn't love what he saw on television. Becoming a director allowed Morris to deal with what he described as "the colossal change in the TV industry in the past ten years gave him an opportunity to change that, rather than to simply remain as a bystander, forced to act in desolate conditions.

"The stuff they offer today is watered down - somewhere along the line, we gave away the creative reins. Television today downgrades the audience. I suppose there's too much money involved now. And they all go by those damned ratings - fear has watered down the whole TV industry."