Tied Up in Knotts: My Dad and Me

by Karen Knotts, Betty Lynn (Other Contributor)

Karen Knotts tells the full story of her father, Don Knotts Much has been written about Don Knotts's career, especially about his iconic role as Barney Fife on The Andy Griffith Show, but personal views into the man himself are few and far between. In Tied Up in Knotts, a loving daughter provides a full-life narrative of her Don's difficult childhood in an abusive home, his escape into comedic performance, becoming a household name, his growth as a feature film actor, his failing health, and his family life throughout, leading to touching and hilarious moments that will make the reader laugh and cry. Those looking for a behind-the-scenes peek at the show, from the nuts and bolts of production to the hilarious pranks and heartfelt moments between the cast and crew, will see it all through the eyes of the little girl who grew up on the set. Knotts will delight readers with the memories of celebrities touched by Don's life, including Ron Howard, Tim Conway, Andy Griffith, Elinor Donahue, John Waters, Barbara Eden, Katt Williams, and Jim Carrey.Tied Up In Knotts delves beyond Barney Fife nostalgia to tell the life story of a man and father.

Genres: Biography, Nonfiction, Memoir, Biography Memoir, Humor, Audiobook, Tv

267 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 21, 2021

Reviews

[Mark Sprengelmeyer · Rating 1 out of 5]

Wanted to love it but it is horribly written jumping from one story to another without completing the thought of the first one. You can read a single page and it might contain two completely different stories. Too hard to read and you never get into what Don Knotts was like. Disappointing.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

As a TAGS and Knotts fan, I wanted more about that role as Barney. And I wanted more of his role on Threes Company. Still interesting and enjoyable.

[Elaine · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great book on the life of Don Knotts. Learned so much about his life & Mayberry

[Andy Hamilton · Rating 4 out of 5]

This memoir is the best case I’ve ever seen for hiring a decent editor. Others have covered that so I’ll just say the interviews and recollections of Don Knotts’s daughter were worth the effort (hers and mine). Made me curious to watch some of his movies and early TV appearances that I missed. He plays the same character in everything he ever did, but he did it so well that he made quite a name for himself and entertained a generation. That’s a life well-lived.

[Jeff Olson · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a cool book Karen devoted about her and her dads life together on the road and off. Lucky for her that Don was there to help her with the mental stress she was going through at times in her life. I was glad that don got to do some parts with andy in Matlock, he was always so funny. I love it when don came back to tv as Ralph Furley in Threes Company, he was always after that girl lana but she was after jack. In all silliness I like to say "You have to nip it in the bud" quite a bit and also I tend to see people doing a don knotts stare that they are not even aware of. I hope readers chose to read this book because...It`s big big big!

[Ungerwu · Rating 1 out of 5]

Some good stories, but poorly edited and repetitive.

Author uses long, long, unedited reminiscences, probably taken directly from tapes. Book appears not to have been edited at all. No linking material between stories and no throughline at all. Kind of a mess.

[Kaley · Rating 3 out of 5]

It’s really like a 3.5 - lots of great stories and details but sometimes felt like you were reading Karen’s bio as much as Dons. Maybe that was the point? I got a little lost sometimes but overall was a good read - feel like I know Don Knotts in a different deeper way now!

[Amy Armstrong · Rating 2 out of 5]

Liked learning about Don Knotts, but this is so horribly written, it was hard to finish.

[Tiffany Farnsworth · Rating 2 out of 5]

No real storyline. The story/thoughts jumped around so much I was lost most of the time. I did like learning more about Don Knotts' life but was disappointed in the writing.

[Mediaman · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sluggish, unorganized, incomplete, and very poorly written. This book has Don Knotts' daughter tossing in everything she can think of but in a mixed-up way that has things out of order, all sorts of misinformation about TV, and quotes being given without introduction beyond just the name of the person (Katt Williams: "When I see him...).

Bottom line this is a very annoying book that is actually pretty tedious and only for those that are dedicated Knotts fans. Some of his movies and TV works are skipped over completely and even the major projects mentioned have few details. His home life gets covered but his daughter weirdly seems preoccupied with whether her dad was a hot ladies man (she concludes he was, since he cheated on his wives). Parts of his life are rushed through and sections are plain confusing. In the hands of a real writer this might have worked if properly organized and written, but his daughter mismanages the information and fails to produce a complete project. Extremely unsatisfying.

[Stefanie Geitz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very interesting story but I felt it wasn't written very well. There are places where the story jumps and doesn't stay connected to the previous paragraph.

[Amy Peurifoy · Rating 1 out of 5]

Sadly this book is extremely unorganized and jumbled. I didn't even finish it because I couldn't follow her thoughts. I really wanted this to be a fun boom but Sadly it was boring.

[Charity · Rating 3 out of 5]

There are some extremely hilarious anecdotes and interesting things in this book about Don Knotts and his life. Sometimes, his daughter describes incidents and routines so well, I can almost see Don doing them -- and at other times, I really wish I could have been there. What comes across mostly is what a creative, funny character actor he was, always able to come up with a hilarious sketch with a few minutes preparation (she used one of my favorite "Oh, Barney..." moments as an example), and also what a loving, supportive, and at times, overly-trusting man her father could be.

He comes across as a great guy -- and presumably, he was, and for that reason, it was worth the read. But the writing was not great. At first, I thought my difficulty in following it had to do with reading it after long days and being tired; but no, Karen jumps around in the narrative, sometimes not finishing a thought fully or creating a natural segue-way into a new topic. This means that abruptly, the story switches over to a new thought without creating a path to it. It's rather jarring, and because I am an editor who tries hard not to let this happen in my own stuff, it stood out to me vividly. She could have used a better editor to help her smooth out these rough patches, and add in more details and proper paragraph-framing throughout (she quotes people, rather than weave their remarks into a narrative, and because she's quoting them off tapes, there are sometimes half-finished thoughts in their comments as well).

I enjoyed reading this, but feel with a bit of polish and more attentiveness to details (telling us who people are instead of assuming we'll know their names offhand), it could have been better.

[Lori · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have always been a fan of the wonderful talented Don Knotts. It was nice to read a memoir from his own daughter, Karen Knotts. In this book she shares many stories about her dad. His sometimes painful childhood being born later in his parent's lives and being the baby of the family. Dealing with a tough father who is mean and drunk a lot. He slowly started showing his talent being in shows when he was in the services.
He met Andy Griffith and they became life long friends. His most famous role of Barney Fife. I especially liked reading about his years on the Andy Griffith show. Karen describes her father as a quiet shy man not the hyper nervous characters he has often played.
This was a nice read. I was glad his own daughter wrote lovingly about her beloved father Don Knotts.

[Elinor Loredan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I greatly enjoyed reading about the life of this incredible actor. My favorite parts were the tidbits about Mayberry, since that's mainly what I associate Knotts with. Of course I am left wanting more and would like there to be less commentary from other people about Knotts and more from him, such as his struggles and triumphs with certain roles and insights into playing them. But maybe Karen did not have as much material to use from Knotts himself.

[Diane C. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tied Up In Knotts has an upside and a down side. The upside is finding out so much about what Don
Knotts was really like, and admiring and liking him even more. The downside is his daughter Karen's prose is pretty scattershot, a bit to wade through. If you're a Knott's fan, definitely check it out tho.

[Tina L. Brown · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.75. The writing was hard to follow at times because there were a lot of old interviews that stories were taken from. I have always liked Don Knotts and the Andy Griffith show so it was still a win for me.

[Alex Robinson · Rating 3 out of 5]

About what you would expect of a biography of Don Knotts written by his daughter. Nothing too in-depth but plenty of warm and funny anecdotes for fans.

[Jean · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fantastic read, it was really interesting to read about this wonderful man and actor. It was so interesting reading his daughter's memories about her dad and his life.

[Mary · Rating 1 out of 5]

I'm not a big Mayberry fan. Honestly the television show featuring the fictional town was before my time, but I do remember Don Knotts fondly from a few Disney films and on Three's Company. I do enjoy reading biographies and memoirs, and thought this would be interesting.

Unfortunately, I did not make it very far. The author, Don Knotts' daughter, asserts that in the time when her dad was a boy, "everyone had value". Well we all know that simply isn't true. CERTAIN people were seen as having value. Many others were not, and still are not treated with equality. Watch any episode of "The Andy Griffith Show" and you'll see easily that it is simply one segment of the population's idea of an ideal society -- but it never represented ACTUAL society, nor should it.

The author references comments and quotes from people who knew her dad, or their family, when he was growing up. She referred to a fellow who would come to the local college games, and pull a stunt where he would try to kiss girls who were there on dates with other guys. If the guy was a "sport", the crowd would egg on the guy trying to steal a kiss. So this woman is okay with sexual harassment?

Yeah this is not my vibe at all. Clearly she's grown up in a protected, privileged bubble and views everything from that perspective, in my opinion. We have enough racism and sexism in the world; I certainly don't plan to sit around and read about it being idolized like this. No.

[Wanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

What I liked about this book was learning about the career and life of Don Knotts. He was successful in his career goals and rose above a difficult childhood. He knew how to entertain people and excelled at it.
What I didn't like was the writing style. Generally the author followed a time line of the life of Don Knotts but her writing style was extremely confusing. There were many times that she went off on tangents that completely lost me. I couldn't keep track of whom she was talking about.
The quotes from his friends and co-stars were just stuck in the middle of whatever paragraph she was in at the time. They should have been given new paragraphs.
I wondered many times if she even had an editor! Perhaps this is a case of being published because of her own fame and not because of her writing ability.

[jyweniverel]

A great fan of Don Knotts! Such a wonderful actor!

[Ro · Rating 2 out of 5]

While I appreciate the writer is Don Knotts daughter, I didn't learn much more about him than I did from reading another book about his life other than he was a bit of a womanizer along with a few other odd traits. To me, the book wasn't written very well; it jumped all over the place and at times I didn't know if Don was talking to someone or someone was talking about Don. Also, some of Ms. Knotts personal observations included saying "Dear Reader" here and there that didn't quite fit the style of the book. In many places in the book, Ms. Knotts refers to her mother as "Kay", not as "Mom" or "Mother", which I found odd. Was she angry with her mother? She also never invokes the name of her brother Tom's wife/mother of her nephew. I just found these things odd as if leaving these people out is in some way conveying she hated them. Karen's personal bits about herself made her look spoiled; you don't just jump into some rock stars car to go to his house at 14 unless... Spoiled. It's unfortunate that the acting career she wanted never came to fruition, but not all movie stars kids are talented. I'm sure her road show is interesting, but I'll never know.

[Sarah Hope · Rating 3 out of 5]

Karen Knotts' memories and stories about her dad are much sweeter and funnier than the entire book Andy & Don: The Making of a Friendship and a Classic American TV Show, which I reviewed here at this Goodreads link; told from the daughter's perspective, readers get to feel closer to Don as a person and father, as well as getting to see glimpses of "The Andy Griffith Show" set from a child's eyes, which was definitely my favorite chapter. I liked how Karen included thoughts she gleaned from interviews with people like Betty Lynn ("Thelma Lou" on the show) who worked with her dad. Perhaps I will pick it up again; I am currently out of my Mayberry phase (this time around, at least).

[Ian Dawson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Don Knotts. An icon of TV for decades, he brought laughter into homes worldwide as Deputy Barney Fife on The Andy Griffith Show and Mr. Furley on Three’s Company. From his TV appearances to his film roles, Knotts delivered humor that resonated with generations of fans. His work still is praised and enjoyed to this day.

In her biography about his life, Tied Up in Knotts, his daughter Karen Knotts celebrates Don Knotts as both a performer and a father. Through interviews with friends, family, and colleagues, we get a fuller picture of who Don Knotts was when he wasn’t playing a character on camera.

There are plenty of interesting and surprising things about Don that I never knew, and there’s a lot to explore about this man’s life throughout the book.

If you are a fan of Don Knotts or classic TV, I highly recommend this book.

[LAMONT D · Rating 4 out of 5]

I ENJOYED THE STORIES AND THE COLLECTION OF OPINIONS AND RECOLLECTIONS ON ONE OF MY FAVORITE ACTORS DON KNOTTS. MANY OF THE NAMES OF THE PEOPLE THAT SHE MENTIONED THROUGHOUT THE BOOK WERE FAMILIAR TO ME FROM THE DAYS GONE BY ALONG WITH THE SHOWS AND MOVIES. IT IS AMAZING HOW TOUGH IT IS SUPPOSEDLY TO BE A CHILD OF A FAMOUS PERSON WHICH SHE REFERS TO THROUGHOUT THE BOOK, BUT ALSO, SHE EMPHASIZES THE GREAT RELATIONSHIP SHE HAD WITH HER FATHER THROUGHOUT ALL THOSE YEARS THOUGH THEY INCLUDED HIS BOUTS WITH DEPRESSION, ALCOHOLISM, DRUGS AND THREE DIFFERENT MARRIAGES AND THE MANY FEMALE RELATIONSHIPS THAT DON HAD EXPERIENCED. EVERYONE SEEMED TO REMEMBER DON IN A FOND AND LOVING WAY, HOW KIND HE WAS TO EVERYONE AND HOW MUCH HE MADE THEM LAUGH.

[Bob Crawford · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great Memories Of A Real Human Being

I was born in 1950 in greater Los Angeles and grew up with Andy Griffith and, by connection, with Don Knotts. I loved them, and this author, Karen Knotts, has heard it all before about her Dad.
This was fun to read, as her memories are, in a way, my memories once removed.
Frankly, I’m a retired newspaperman, so perhaps I’m too particular about style matters. That said, I found it hard to follow her dialog … it would have been more natural to quote her sources with quote marks, journalistically, followed by attribution ( ,” —- said/recalled/explained).
But that only slowed me up a bit. Her thoughts and memories go straight to this “baby boomer” heart and it was a joy to recall those naive days.

[Adele · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wouldn't have called myself a Don Knotts fan upon being gifted this book. I didn't care for the Andy Griffith Show. Still, I gave it a whirl. It's interesting! Not in a knock-your-socks-off way but in a "huh, I didn't know that" and endearing way. The writing style was pretty disjointed at times, switching topics abruptly without segue. At first it was like whiplash but it became part of its charm to me, by the end. And it is indeed charming! It's written by his daughter, who recounts her father (and mother for that matter) with reverence from cover to cover. For a memoir, that's a refreshing feat. Also now I want to re-watch The Andy Griffith Show, just in case it might hit differently, and watch Don's movies. So that's gotta count for something.

[Kathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Conflicted in my review of this read. I'm guessing it was independently published, as the editing is the issue. If a professional editor could get a hold of this, I believe it could be made into a truly great read. Many of the stories were just so good, but often they jumped around so much it became difficult to follow. I had just finished The Boys written and narrated by Ron & Clint Howard, so was excited to see this read and that Don's daughter Karen was narrating. Unfortunately, it didn't hit in the same was as the Howard's read. Don Knott's was a truly remarkable man and went through many things in his life and career. What a loving thing for Karen to do by writing her father's story. Bravo!!!

[Krista · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted to like this book, I really did. I have always been a fan of Don Knotts and am curious about the lives of celebrities’ children, but was thoroughly unimpressed by this book. The author has come up with very little original content; she mostly used lengthy direct quotes from Don’s family, friends, and acquaintances to pen this. In addition, the chronological timeline and storytelling jumped around so often that I had a hard time keeping up with the stories and anecdotes she attempted to tell. Lastly, I feel that Ms. Knotts included specific quotes and tales that were self-aggrandizing, essentially patting herself on the back throughout.