Bill Knotts brings Mayberry Memories of Don Knotts to the Elks Theater

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Barney Fife is one of the most iconic characters in television history. The hugely popular and hilarious character was created, created and portrayed by the exceptionally talented Don Knotts on The Andy Griffith Show in the 1960s. Don Knotts became one of America’s most famous and recognizable faces and continued to be a phenomenal success for decades.

Don and Bill with sculpture.

Bill Knotts, former professional actor, brings Mayberry Memories of Don Knotts, his solo cruise ship show about his famous uncle, to theaters nationwide, including the Elks Theatre on July 21, 2024.

While attending the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in the 1970s, Bill had the opportunity to live with Don and his wife in Beverly Hills. In this nostalgic and entertaining journey, Bill takes his audience back to a simpler time, back to the idyllic fictional town of Mayberry. His theater and acting background is on full display as he entertains the audience with numerous personal stories and family anecdotes about the time he spent with Don over the decades.

Bill uses family photos and lots of video clips of some of the best scenes from The Andy Griffith Show to reintroduce the iconic and beloved characters and the actors who brought them to life.

He delves into the Knott family history, Don’s early career and how he landed the role of Barney Fife, his film career at Universal, his memorable collaboration with Tim Conway on several Disney films, his return to television in Three’s Company and Matlock, and his many stage productions across the country. Bill also tells stories of Andy Griffith, Ron Howard, and Tim Conway at various points throughout the evening.

Bill as Barney.

In Mayberry Memories, audience reactions to several videos from Don’s early years in the 1950s, before Don was a household name, provide clues to the great career that was yet to come.

Bill played Professor Harold Hill in The Music Man; Snoopy in You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown; Sir Thomas More in Anne of a Thousand Days and many other theatre roles. Numerous commercials, live shows in industrial films and corporate emcee opportunities rounded out his acting resume before he decided to pursue a career in business and teaching.

Bill Knotts has been an entrepreneur and teacher for most of his adult life

For more than two decades, he taught leadership principles, self-discipline, and networking skills to entrepreneurs throughout the United States. He holds an MBA from Arizona State University and has taught college courses in investments, entrepreneurship, business communications, and labor relations. He has taught seminars in various countries for many years while working as a contractor for a national brokerage firm. He and his wife Jenny moved to the Prescott area in 2016.

Don and Bill 1970.

Bill Knotts brings Mayberry Memories to the Elk Theatre in Prescott on July 21 at 2:00 p.m. Visit prescottelkstheatre.org to purchase your tickets to this memorable show.

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