Karen Knotts - Tied Up in Knotts: My Dad and Me

I love this book!

Gary Busey

Don Knotts knew how to be funny without trying. He could puff up his chest and look weaker. He could pretend to be angry and become laughable. Whatever he did, you reverse and read the opposite. He was truly a comic genius!

Ed Asner

Personal, revealing, compellingKaren Knottss book about her iconic father is an irresistible page turner. Its a delightful documentary in written form about the legendary actor Don Knotts, descriptively told through the lens of his daughter, who gives us a unique look into the man so many of us grew up with. Rich with Hollywood history, too, Karen shares her dad with us... and were left feeling gratefully entertained for her generosity.

Craig Shoemaker

Don Knottss daughter Karen has captured the essence of her dad as only a daughter can. One of the great comedians of our time. How lucky I was to cross paths with this kind and genuine man.

Beau Bridges

Since my father Tim Conway stole all his comedy from Don Knotts, it just seems honorable to continue the tradition and steal Tied Up in Knotts from the local bookstore.

Tim Conway Jr.

Don and I had fun together in a long-running show, Search for Tomorrow. It was a wonderful time.

Lee Grant

Don Knotts has made such lasting impactwho didnt grow up
watching him?that its easy to forget there was a person behind all those iconic characters. Karen Knottss memoir reveals the struggle before the success and the hard work behind the brilliance, a family-inside look at a brilliant actor and a complex man.

Dana Gould

Don Knotts was a unique and brilliant comedic actor. I knew him, and he was a wonderful person as well. The nervous guy on the Steve Allen Show was one of my favorites.... In this book, his daughter Karen beautifully captures his life and career.

David Steinberg

Karen Knottss memoir reveals the untold sides of Don and explores his creativity. I loved knowing him in Yarmys Army.

Peter Marshall

Karen takes you back to the heartland of America from which Don and his values and insecurities sprang. It is a wonderful portrait of a simpler yet fraught time in our countrys history, and how a man with brilliance, talent, and drive made it into Hollywood history. I feel so lucky to have known the gentle, humble Don, and the wild and crazy Mr. Furley, during the many years of Threes Company.

Nancy Morgan Ritter

The cardinal rule for an actor to be a comedic hit on a sitcom or the movies is Show me a man in trouble and Ill show you a funny man. Don Knotts personified that man in trouble with his brilliant acting skills whenever the light hit him, and he made it look effortless. I loved this book, and the millions he made laugh week in and week out will love it also.

Tom Dreesen

Karen Knotts has a strong love for her legendary comedian dad. Shes also very honest about the challenges of being the daughter of a beloved famous person. Her writing is wittyI laughed out loud in places. I really enjoyed the book!

Rocky LaPorte

This book is dedicated to all the Nip It in the Budders
who come together to laugh and prove what Dad loved to say:
A good joke or a funny story can get you through
just about anything.

Copyright 2021 by Karen Knotts

All rights reserved

Published by Chicago Review Press Incorporated
814 North Franklin Street
Chicago, Illinois 60610

ISBN 978-1-64160-514-4

Quotes from Don Knottss hometown newspaper are reprinted with permission courtesy of the Dominion Post (Morgantown, WV).

Library of Congress Control Number: 2021940059

All images are from the authors collection unless otherwise indicated

Typesetting: Nord Compo

Printed in the United States of America

5 4 3 2 1

This digital document has been produced by Nord Compo.

FOREWORD

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by Betty Lynn

Thelma Lou on The Andy Griffith Show

I REMEMBER WHEN KAREN was a girl how surprised she was the first time she came to the The Andy Griffith Show. She said, The sets all look like toys! And I said, Youre right, nothing looks real.

She had a real good time whenever she and her brother, Tommy, came to visit. They were darlingboth of them were so cute. They took after their father, because Don was so darling.

People all say he mustve been a riot. Everybody thinks he was like Barney Fife, but he was nothing like Barney! Id say he was quiet, sweet as he could be. He smiled. His mind was fast; he was thinking of different things he could do. And he loved to write poetry.

We loved The Andy Griffith Show, all of us who were on it. We were so privileged to be on that show. When they put a call in for Thelma Lou, I couldnt wait to go to set, because I loved doing it so much. And everybody on it was wonderful, as actors. They were all great to work with. And that doesnt happen every day of the week in show business today. I did a lot of movies and things, but the thing that Im proudest of, really, is being on The Andy Griffith Show. I loved it so much.

And Don was so proud of Karenyou could just see by the way he looked at her. When Don left this world, Karen decided to pay tribute to him with her funny, touching show Tied Up in Knotts. The first time she did it at Mayberry Days, she asked me to introduce her, and I said I would be honored. She was so nervous. I said, Oh, honey, theyll love you just like I do. And I know youre a very good actress, so dont worry about it. And she knocked them dead. I know thats a strange expression, but she did.

And Im so proud to be the first one to tell you about her wonderful book!

Betty Lynn and Karen Knotts at Mayberry Days, about 2014.