I think the most special thing about Don Knotts, Andy Griffith and my all time favorite comedy, The Andy Griffith Show, was that not only was it hysterically funny, but it left you with a warm feeling inside. They did not rely on sleeze, bathroom humor, meanness to shock people into laughing. They were sincerely funny. Growing up not too far from Andy's hometown, they almost felt like family.
Years ago, when I was a student at the Univ of NC, Andy came to help the university celebrate University Day. My friends and I thought we got to the auditorium in plenty of time to get good seats. We were so wrong. We squeezed hard enough to get into the lobby, jammed against a wall. We couldn't even see the inside of the auditorium, but we could hear Andy. All of us who were packed inside that lobby on that warm October day thought nothing of standing there for almost an hour. After all, it was ANDY!
The show was magic. I make sure my 12 year old son sees it so that he knows tv wasn't always trashy.
Rest In Peace, Don....see ya, Barn!