A Double Deputy Farewell

We often suspect that the bus to heaven waits until it has enough people to make a run before it makes its stop on earth. The passenger list for the Big Ride often reflects what seems like an interesting sense of humor. Remember when Mother Teresa died the same weekend as Princess Diana? What could they possibly have had to talk about? Do you think they discussed charity work or do you think Diana asked the nun how she stayed so thin?

This weekend the pairing was ironic once again: Dennis Weaver and Don Knotts. Both actors became famous on television for portraying deputies, although in different eras and locations. Don Knotts, as anyone who didn’t spend the 20th century in cave knows, played the bulbous-eyed and perpetually anxious Deputy Barney Fife on "The Andy Griffith Show." Dennis Weaver got his start on "Gunsmoke," playing the slow-talking and slow-moving sidekick Chester to James Arness’s towering sheriff.

Both actors appeared in dozens of other successful projects. Knotts was beloved for his grace and generosity with his fellow actors and his fearless embrace of the most distasteful of characters. He was a master comic always happy to play the foil to a more handsome and appealing leading man.

Don Knotts, it's also good to note, was a big screen star. Among his popular films were "The Incredible Mr. Limpet" (where he turns into a fish), "The Reluctant Astronaut" and "The Ghost and Mr. Chicken." His friendship with Andy Griffith extended back to when they were in “No Time for Sergeants” on Broadway. Andy also convinced producers to cast him in the film version.

Dennis Weaver, blessed with far better looks than Knotts, was promoted to sheriff on the series "McCloud." A lifelong environmentalist, Weaver often chose projects that reflected his love of nature and the outdoors. He was also one of those rare actors who remained married to the same woman for 61 years.

It’s hard to realize that these actors, who were fixtures of our childhoods, are unknown to our own children. With their passing goes another piece of our youth and an indelible reminder that each generation gives way to the next. We just hope that with the appalling lack of quality fare on television these days, someone new will step up to fill in their boots. There doesn’t seem to be many actors today who, like Knotts and Weaver, are as admirable off screen as they are on.

We’re glad that they both have someone great to talk to on that bus ride.

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Rabbi Marc Gellman of God Squad fame takes a look at some of the television icons we lost recently – Scotty, Gilligan and Barney Fife -- in this column from Newsweek.