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Don Knotts' experience visiting the Dick Van Dyke Show set
Did Barney Fife meet Rob Petrie?
The Andy Griffith Show was in great company on the Desilu lot. The production company, owned by Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz, was a relatively small collection, with just a few sound stages. However, while they may not have been as big as some of the other major studios, Desilu had an incredible track record. During the sixties, the lot housed Andy Griffith, The Danny Thomas Show, The Dick Van Dyke Show, I Spy, and The Joey Bishop Show.
So, while there wasn't a ton of interaction between the shows, downtime naturally led to visits to other sets. In Don Knotts' 1999 memoir Barney Fife, and Other Characters I Have Known, he wrote about the space the shows all shared, and how one in particular drew his admiration when he had a chance to watch from the audience.
"The Dick Van Dyke Show did not do too well in the ratings in its first season, and General Foods wanted to cancel it," Knotts wrote. He was right; we almost didn't get the legendary run of one of TV's most beloved comedies, as TDVDS was almost axed before finding its footing.
"[Producer] Sheldon Leonard was convinced the show would climb into the top ten in the second season, and he flew back East to convince General Foods. They okayed a second season, and as we all know, The Dick Van Dyke Show became on of the top programs on television."
Ok, so Knotts didn't view the show as competition, which is good news, because this let him be a bit friendlier in his assessment of The Dick Van Dyke Show. While they were in a similar genre, the two shows were very different in their presentation.
"One day," wrote Knotts, "I went over to watch them rehearse. Unlike The Andy Griffith Show, The Dick Van Dyke Show was shot with multicameras in front of an audience. I sat down next to Carl Reiner in the audience seats. Carl was the producer and head writer of the show. I turned to Carl, and asked, 'What's Dick like? I don't know him.'"
According to Don Knotts, Van Dyke's colleagues only had glowing praise for the series lead.
"Carl said, 'You know how nice Dick Van Dyke is? I'll tell you. You're a nice guy, Don. He's nicer.'"
Knotts didn't withhold his respect for the show's other main star, either.
"Mary Tyler Moore came by our sound stage once in a while to watch us work. I really admired her comedic talent."
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["Go Tell the Birds and the Bees" Nov. 17, 1965]
