Here we are posing with the Lego version I made of him.
I have this horrible, horrible backlog of cool stories I want to share with you all that date back to some point last year. I’m finally digging out, one at a time. I may even get a few completed while I’m on vacation, should Tahiti Village’s Wi-Fi be operational as promised.
My recent encounter with Joe Bob Briggs was on January 30 this year (2013). I finally got off my duff because I used his famous Drive-In Totals for my recent review of Riddick, I owe it to him to share with you another insightful evening covering a lesser known Don Knotts’ movie.
When I was a kid, I recall seeing parts of The Love God? on the Early Show in Champaign, IL. I had only watched the second half so I didn’t know the whole context about why Don did the bird stuff or panicked at his wedding. Having seen him in The Apple Dumpling Gang, I just knew he was funny.
Zack made Alamo Ritz’s unique events awesome.
The event kicked off with the sad news about Zack leaving Alamo Drafthouse after eight years of his hosting. He was off to other opportunities. I later gave him a thank you card a couple weeks down the line. The Summer of 1982 and Russellmania wouldn’t have been the same without Zack.
Joe Bob sharing his notes about Don Knotts, comedies of the late Sixties and the lack of irony back then, hence the “?”.
Joe Bob took the podium/lectern to give some backstory about The Love God? After being the main banana on The Andy Griffith Show, Don Knotts was a big comedy star for mainstream audiences during the mid-to-late Sixties. He had past successes with The Incredible Mr. Limpet, The Ghost and Mr. Chicken, The Shakiest Gun in the West and The Reluctant Astronaut. Plus he was still juggling his starring role as Barney Fife with guest spots on other sitcoms/variety hours.
Love was a big gamble which failed upon its initial release. Firstly, Don was seen as an all-ages entertainer. This movie’s premise involving a Playboy-esque magazine drove away fans like my Grandma and parents weren’t going to take their kids to this. Secondly, the movie was written/directed by Nat Hiken who was famous for Sgt. Bilko and Car 54 Where Are You? There is a definite generation gap displayed in the humor as Hiken/Knotts are members of the WWII Vet group somewhat ridiculing the contemporary youth culture. Hiken’s death shortly the film’s completion didn’t help. The studio probably sat on it for a few months.
Years later, Love evolved into a diamond in the rough showcasing Knotts’ signature nervousness and mugging. The Playboy angle is rather tame by today’s standards. It still isn’t appropriate for young children but I’m confident they’d express more confusion about it than curiosity.
Here’s a quick synopsis, then judge for yourself if it’s worth watching. I think you will want to.
In NYC, Osborn Tremaine publishes a “girlie magazine” featuring naked photos of his wife Evelyn. They’ve been pulled into court for pornography charges. They lose and the Postmaster General (the original gatekeeper then) rescinds Tremaine’s fourth-class postage status. While driving through the nearby small town of Peacock Falls, Tremaine discovers a small bird-watching magazine about to go bankrupt and it’s run by Don Knotts’ character, Abner Peacock IV. Tremaine agrees to bail out Peacock in exchange for the fourth-class permit. Afterwards, Tremaine sends Peacock off on a rare-bird expedition so he can get back to plying his trade. What Tremaine doesn’t expect is Peacock returning alive and becoming the center of a freedom-of-speech/civil liberties trial. To maintain the ruse, Tremaine seeks financial assistance from a mobster known as Icepick Charlie, aka Charles Twilight. Hilarity ensues as Peacock transforms into this Hugh Hefner parody: surrounded by four attractive women at all times, dresses in the latest fashion and is on a continuous tour opening Peacock Clubs.
The coolest part was Zack receiving a pair of pants from Don’s wardrobe in the movie as a goodbye gift. From the picture below, you can see Don Knotts was a little guy compared to how big I am.
Despite the weight I’ve lost, I’d still Hulk out in these pants.
After the movie, I bought an autographed headshot from Joe Bob to add to my collection. Man I miss Monstervision. He made watching an edited-for-TV movie fun. I also presented him with a gift I had crafted over a year ago. A Lego version of himself! The first time I went through the Lego Store’s bins to create random figures, I was inspired to make a little Joe Bob Briggs because there were cowboy hats, faces with smirks and coffee cups. I had been holding on to it for months, hoping we’d meet again. Joe Bob loved it! He has since used it a couple times on his FaceBook page for various jokes. My favorite is when he hangs with Barbie.
I could’ve sworn the cup is from a book cover of his. Maybe it was a promo photo.
Now to hang in there, hoping he’ll return to Austin to host another event and/or write a book about a certain string of movies.