We Bet You Didn’t Know Some of These Things about the Life and Career of Don Knotts

Cats Don’t Dance

In 1997, a year later, Don Knotts was back doing voice animation for the animated movie Cat’s Don’t Dance. The film is about a cat who aspires to success in Hollywood, with Knotts doing the voice for the sidekick, T. W. Turtle. The film also stars the voices of Scott Bakula, Jasmine Guy, Matthew Herried, Ashley Peldon, John Rhys-Davies, Kathy Najimy, Hal Holbrook, Betty Lou Gerson (in her final film role), René Auberjonois, George Kennedy, and Dindal. The film is actually also Gene Kelly’s last film project before his death in 1996. The film was released after he died and is dedicated to him, with Randy Newman composing the musical numbers, including Gene Kelly’s contributions as choreographer.

Pleasantville

In 1998, Don Knotts also featured in a smaller role in the critically acclaimed and widely popular film Pleasantville, where he played a TV repairman. The film had a star cast that included Tobey Maguire, Jeff Daniels, Joan Allen, William H. Macy, J. T. Walsh, and Reese Witherspoon! The plot of the film centres around two teenage siblings (Witherspoon and Maguire) who are trapped in a 1950s TV show in a small town in Iowa. The film was a great success in the box office and earned itself three Academy Award Nominations.