Long-lost video of Andy Griffith and Don Knotts performing classic skit surfaces

Archetypal comedy duo Andy Griffith and Don Knotts sing about friendship, ill-advisedly demonstrate firearm and judo safety procedures, and tug at heartstrings in a color sketch not seen since 1965. Here former Elvis Presley “G.I. Blues” girlfriend Juliet Prowse, Griffith, and Knotts publicize “The Don Knotts Special,” a 60-minute CBS variety special aired on October 26, 1967. Prowse bears an uncanny resemblance to Aneta Corsaut [“old lady Crump” according to Opie], had earlier worked with Griffith and Debbie Reynolds in 1961’s “The Second Time Around” comedy western, and would later reunite with both Knotts and Griffith in 1970’s “The Don Knotts Nice, Clean, Decent, Wholesome Hour,” yet another 60-minute CBS musical variety special not seen since its premiere. Image Credit: CBS Television

The Andy Griffith Show, perhaps television’s first dramedy, remains one of the most beloved, iconic programs of all time. One late night spent browsing YouTube, the smorgasbord of mindless entertainment, inadvertently led to an eight-minute segment of The Andy Griffith, Don Knotts, and Jim Nabors Show. Jim Nabors, who was a big star at the time with the Top Three Nielsen-rated Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C., is not seen in the clip. However, by good fortune the three minute cold open with Nabors present is also available below.

Written by longtime Andy Griffith producer Aaron Ruben and originally broadcast on CBS on October 7, 1965, the 60-minute variety special had been believed lost for many years.

In a brief interview with this writer, Jim Pierson, the producer of the Don Knotts: Tied Up with Laughter DVD exploring Knotts’s multiple appearances on late ’60s variety show The Hollywood Palace, was unaware of the clip’s existence. In fact, he stated that “old variety shows shot on videotape that never were rerun or syndicated later were often lost or tossed. Andy was upset to discover this, too.”

Regardless, the color footage comes from the extensive collection of dedicated Griffith aficionado Bart Boatwright, who has bootleg DVD copies of the complete special for…