Barney Fife, the overzealous, inept, and comical sheriff’s deputy on “The Andy Griffith Show” is arguably one of the most recognizable and beloved characters in television history.
Legendary actor Don Knotts portrayed Barney Fife, who offered comedy relief to the show, which detailed the day-to-day events of Sheriff Andy Taylor and small-town life in fictional Mayberry, North Carolina.
In an interview filmed in 1999, 7 years before Knott’s death, the actor detailed how he earned the career-defining role. He shared that he was inspired to pitch the role concept to Andy Griffith after watching the pilot episode of “The Andy Griffith Show.”
“I said, ‘He could use a deputy.’ So I called [Andy] in New York,” Griffith loved the idea and called the executive producer of the show, Sheldon Leonard. After the call, Griffith encouraged Knotts to go see the producer in person.
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“I went in and talked to Sheldon. We kicked it around for awhile. I waited several weeks and finally got the call to come in and do the show,” Knotts recalled, but failed to take credit for the creation of Barney Fife.
“I didn’t create the character … the writers wrote him in,” Knotts said. “The character was built as we went.”
One thing is for certain…The role of Barney Fife changed the trajectory of Don Knott’s career and cemented him in television history as one of the move comical and beloved actors of all time. And he earned 5 Emmy Awards to prove it!
In honor of what would have been Don Knott’s 100th birthday, we’ve rounded up 10 of our favorite and most hilarious Barney Fife moments from “The Andy Griffith Show,” listed in no particular order. Enjoy this trip down memory lane and have some laughs along the way.
Barney Gets Drunk
In this episode, Barney accidentally discovers a moonshine still while he and Andy visit a Mayberry resident whose barn has been burned down. While Andy is “making good” on the destroyed property, Barney wanders to a nearby shed for a drink. He doesn’t realize until it’s too late that he was drinking moonshine, not water.
Barney Writes A Song
This episode finds Barney writing a song that he thinks will make him and Andy legendary lawmen. Andy argues that they aren’t deserving of such a song, but Barney insists. At the end of the clip, Andy sneaks up behind Barney as he writes yet another song and Andy surprises Barney by jumping in with some lyrics of his own.
Barney Plays Checkers Against Himself
Don Knotts’ acting genius is on full display in this episode as he plays sides of a checker game. He displays frustration and disappointment on one side of the table before moving to the other and playing the winner. When Andy asks him how he’s doing, he replies, “Won two and lost two.”
Barney Teaches Gun Safety
Some of Barney Fife’s most memorable moments revolve around his gun and the single bullet he’s allowed to carry. In this clip, Barney is showing a young boy everything he knows about gun safety and accidentally discharges his pistol when holstering it.
Barney Explains The Emancipation Proclamation
In this clip, Barney shows up at Andy’s house while he and Opie are discussing history over breakfast. When asked what he knows about the Emancipation Proclamation, Barney insists that he knows all about it. When challenged by Andy, Barney expertly gives evasive answers, making for a humorous dialogue between the show’s leads.
Barney Takes Andy For A Ride In His Sidecar
When Barney acquires a new motorcyle for the sheriff’s department, he insists on driving Andy to lunch in the sidecar. But when he goes to pull away, the sidecar is left behind with Andy still sitting in it. The hilarious moment is made funnier by the bystanders who witnessed the incident.
Barney Sings In The Choir
Easily one of the most iconic episodes of “The Andy Griffith Show,” Barney’s lack of self awareness is on full display as he joins the town choir and is given a solo. Unaware that he is the “off” voice in the choir, Barney instead thinks that he is the best voice there. Andy, a good friend that he is, opts to cover for Barney instead of telling him the truth about his lack of talent.
Barney Teaches Opie Self-Defense
In this episode, Barney teaches Opie how to defend himself against bullies. Barney, who believes he is an expert in every field, shows Opie how to use “muscle control.” But, the lesson backfires when Opie knocks the wind out of Barney.
Barney Calls Juanita
Throughout the television series, Barney Fife is portrayed as a bit of a ladies man. When he’s not canoodling with Thelma Lou, Barney is often trying to win over other ladies, including Juanita at the diner. This episode shows Andy walking in on a conversation between Barney and Juanita.
Barney Recites The Preamble To The Constitution
One of the hallmarks of Barney Fife’s character is his unwillingness to admit that he doesn’t know something. In this episode, Barney tries to prove to Andy that he knows every word of the Preamble to the Constitution.
Which clip is your favorite? And which episodes did we leave out that you think deserve recognition?