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The studio only gave Don Knotts seventeen days to film The Ghost and Mr. Chicken
Of course, Knotts enlisted a pal from The Andy Griffith Show to direct the feature.
Sometimes, when you're under a lot of strain and duress, it's best to call in some reinforcements to help you get through the day.
For Don Knotts, stress came in the form of the shooting schedule for his film, The Ghost and Mr. Chicken. While the film was a definite success, Knotts explained in his memoir, Barney Fife and Other Characters I Have Known, the film studio didn't give the crew a great deal of term to shoot the picture.
"I got a shock when Ed handed me our shooting schedule," wrote Knotts. It gave us exactly seventeen shooting days. I couldn't believe it! Less than three and a half weeks to shoot a feature motion picture! Unbelievable!"
Luckily, Knotts was well-versed in show business and had countless talented directors in his rolodex with whom he had previously worked. In this case, Knotts knew that the best man for the job was one that he had previously worked with on the show that made him a star, The Andy Griffith Show.
"Well, this called for some fast work, and some long hours," wrote Knotts. "I asked if we could get Alan Rafkin to direct the picture. I always got along well with Alan on the Griffith Show, and I thought he was a good director. He was fast and efficient, and he was a lot of fun. Alan has a great sense of humor, and I thought if anyone could shoot a picture in seventeen days, Alan Rafkin could. Universal made a deal with Alan, and I was much relieved."
Rafkin was perfect for the job, and Knotts explained that the cast and crew were able to shoot a dynamite picture while sticking to the shooting schedule, even if it took a bit of extra effort.
"Alan kept things moving along at a pretty good clip," wrote Knotts. "We worked some pretty long days and nights, and miraculously, we came in on time. We actually shot our last scene at the end of the seventh day."
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