Tip:
Highlight text to annotate it
X
bjbjD HI! This is DFH with Ruthie Oberg. For many of us growing up Mayberry was the hometown
of our dreams. We felt sentimental with Aunt Bee. We were amused by Goober, Gomer, and
Floyd, we respected Andy, and smiled at Opie. But it was Barney who made us laugh. Deputy
Barney Fife was played by 125 pound Don Knotts, born on this day July 21 in 1924 and he went
down in history as the biggest nerd in Hollywood. Like his character on The Andy Griffith Show,
Don Knotts movies typically portray him as a geeky martyr. Everyone is a tormentor. Friends,
strangers, co-workers, his true love: They tease him. They laugh at him. They pity him.
They use him. They snub him. They ignore him. They patronize him. But in the end, Knotts
is the hero in all his films. The same kind of luck of the draw that made his characters
pathetic nobodies from birth is also the source of a heroism that arises only when it is absolutely
essential. In the end the bumbling accident prone Don Knotts character, like Luther Heggs
in Ghost and Mr. Chicken, Jessie Haywood in Shakiest Gun in the West, or my favorite as
a kid Henry Limpet in the Incredible Mr. Limpett always saves the day and walks off screen
with the beautiful girl and the respect of the whole town. Sometimes we misunderstand
heroism, thinking that only the naturally brave, physically strong, and alluring people
make it to hero status. Maybe that s why we love Don Knotts movies they show us that heroism
usually comes to people who have no intention of being heroes but find that when they are
backed into a corner they really do have what it takes to rise to the occasion. Like Gideon
in the Bible, Don Knotts characters remind us that oftentimes it s the little and overlooked
guy who makes history. This is DFH with Ruthie Oberg. For more info, check out DFH.org gdDp
gdDp :pj{ urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags City urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags
place Ruthie Oberg Normal.dot Ruthie Oberg Microsoft Office Word Title Microsoft Office
Word Document MSWordDoc Word.Document.8