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A lively and revealing biography of Andy Griffith and Don Knotts, this “humorous, informative, and poignant book” celebrates the powerful real-life friendship behind one of America’s most iconic television programs and “shows how the magic was created” (Library Journal).

Andy Griffith and Don Knotts first met on Broadway in the 1950s. When Andy moved to Hollywood to film a TV pilot for a comedy about a small-town sheriff, Don called to ask if Andy’s sheriff could use a deputy. The friendship and comedy partnership between Sheriff Andy Taylor and Deputy Barney Fife ignited The Andy Griffith Show, elevating the folksy television sitcom into a timeless study of human friendship. Together, they created a program with a uniquely small-town dynamic that captured the hearts of Americans across the country who watched these two men rocking on the front porch, meditating about the pleasure of a bottle of pop.

But behind this sleepy charm, de Visé’s exclusive reporting“captures the complexity of both men and the intimacy of their friendship with extreme detail and sensitivity” (Publishers Weekly), from unspoken rivalries, passionate affairs, unrequited loves, struggles with the temptations of fame, and friendships lost and regained. Although Andy and Don ended their Mayberry partnership in 1965, they remained best friends for the next half-century.

Written by Don Knotts’s brother-in-law, Andy and Don is “a rewarding dual biography that is also a lively look inside the entertainment industry in the latter half of the twentieth century” (News & Observer). Entertaining and provocative, it “captures a golden moment in modern Americana. You’ll not only return again to Mayberry, you’ll feel as though you’ve never left” (Tom Shales, Pulitzer Prize–winning television critic).

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Simon & Schuster; Reprint edition (June 7, 2016)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 320 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1476747741
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1476747743
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 10.4 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 1 x 5.5 x 8.3 inches
Reviewer: Pam Schober
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Very entertaining
Review: My husband has been reading this book and has learned a lot about the characters in it. Very interesting!

Reviewer: MC H
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Perfection
Review: I just read a little each day. I thought I will hate to see it end. I just got to the end, reading the final chapters of each of these Great Men's Life. I wept. It was so emotional and so beautifully written. If you are a fan of Mayberry or Andy and Don themselves this is an Excellent read. Truly a must have.

Reviewer: bonfireblondie
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Loved The Book! So Interesting! 5 Stars!
Review: I love and grew up watching the Andy Griffith Show so I wanted to know a bit more about the stars since they were so talented. This book is a fun and very enlightening read. I couldn't put it down. Stardom I suppose is a hard occupation. Andy Griffith and Don Knotts certainly had their share of ups and downs on their way to stardom. They weren't perfect, but who is? To me it shows the dichotomy of the strengths and the emotional frailty of these two people in their lives and trying to make it as stars. The story of their friendship is so much more poignant than I ever realized. Sometimes you hear so much about how actors on tv shows don't get along but to read how Andy Griffith and Don Knotts interacted was amazing. Their friendship endured many years until both passed. They were almost like brothers in many ways. It wasn't a perfect relationship but it was and loving and enduring one.I enjoyed the interview stories with characters from the show and the situations between the actors,writers,directors that came and went on to other things. Most have passed on now.I love biographies from the shows that I grew up on. They give me a new level of depth and interest when I watch reruns and laugh at the funny antics of the characters in Mayberry. They seemed to have so much fun but it's amazing how much work and practice went in to those performances that make it look so easy to the viewers. It is sad that Andy Griffith didn't win an Emmy or Oscar. But then many great stars haven't won awards. It's hard to say why he didn't but he certainly deserved an award. Don Knotts was incredibly talented and deserved his many Emmy awards. All in all, it seems like both men had very full interesting lives. It would make me happy to believe that they are both in Heaven sitting on a front porch together.

Reviewer: [email protected]
Rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars
Title: IT IS WHAT IT SAYS IT IS
Review: I found this to be exactly as the title suggests "Andy and Don". It is a general biography of both men and a celebration of their life long friendship on and off the stage. If you think that Andy was really Andy Taylor and Don was really Barney Fife, you may be disappointed to find out that they were in fact flawed, just like the rest of us. The book didn't try to hide these things but didn't dwell on them either. Both had a wondering eye, married three times each, drank a fair amount, Andy had a temper...etc. Nothing to me was scandalous, unless you live in Mayberry, but in Hollywood they seemed to be pretty stand up guys that mostly paid for their mistakes.This is a very well written book and I found it to be refreshingly balanced. I'm sure it could have turned into the National Enquirer and maybe would have sold more copies. Instead, it remains true and honest to it's title and presents these two guys as the talented, yet less than perfect men that they were. This is a very intersesting biography of both men that simply tells their story.I'm old enough to have watched The Andy Griffith Show in the sixties when it first came on, and I did, I still love to watch it now. Knowing that Andy and Barney made mistakes along the way doesn't change the fact that Mayberry was a magical place and so were it's people, just not perfect. It's a good book.

Reviewer: Lawtonka
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: This is for a dedicated serious fan of The Andy Griffith Show
Review: Read from cover to cover. Lots of interesting scoop. Whether everything in this book is absolutely factual or not I can not say; however, I tend to believe most of what I read. The reader should be prepared to realize that these two great actors were human beings and not the personalities they portrayed. With this in mind, I found the book very interesting. If you are a fan of the show and enjoy Andy and Don as the characters they portrayed (Andy and Barney) then stick with watching the show and enjoy. This book is pretty blunt and revealing. It is probably the closest writing one will ever find since Andy never published an autobiography. A must have for the serious fan.

Reviewer: Kathy
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Fantastic read!
Review: This is a great book for any Andy Griffith fan! I flew through it and enjoyed getting to learn more about andy, don, and their friendship. The writing was also very good and didn't feel like just a spitting out of facts. The book also touches on other actors that were part of the show which was fascinating to read about as well. I would highly recommend checking it out!

Reviewer: J. Jamison
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Wonderful book.
Review: If you are an Andy fan, this is the book for you. I've been an Andy Griffith fan since he first came on the scene, same for Don Knotts. Even after all these years, my husband and I watch an Andy episode every night. We have the 5 black and white seasons on DVD. After Barney left Mayberry and that silly Warren came to the show, we still watched the black and white on VCR tape. I thought I knew plenty about both Andy Griffith and Don Knotts, but I had not even scratched the surface. This book tells all, and some of it stunned me. Andy and Aneta Coursaut (Helen Crump) were lovers in real life. I had no idea. He purposed to her while he was still married to Barbara, his first wife. Also he had a fling with Betty Lynn (Thelma Lou) OMG I love stuff like this. I couldn't put the book down. I got it 3 days ago and finished it yesterday afternoon. Tons of information I had not dreamed of. I knew less about Don Knott's personal life, and this books tells all. I've always been curious as to why Andy was buried 4 hours after he died. This sort of explains it. Both Andy and Don were southern boys, grew up hard, started out in small comedy routines, and when they met they became lifelong friends and truly loved each other, yet Andy blocked Mt. Airy's efforts to put up a statue honoring Don Knotts. Both men were full of contradictions- good and bad. Don Knott's hometown, Morgantown, W.VA, are in the processing of arranging for a statue of DK there. Two men, both womanizers, part good, part not so good, but oh so interesting. And they had one of the bests shows that TV will ever enjoy. A Classic.

Reviewer: diane connor
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: This arrived promptly. No issues. Loved watching the videos.

Reviewer: Alan Garside
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: A great read detailing the long careers and interesting lives of two great actors/entertainers.

Reviewer: Me
Rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: The lady that received this book for Christmas really enjoyed it.

Reviewer: Diann
Rating: 3.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: I would have liked more information, but Andy was a private person. I don't understand that because he was a very popular actor. I admire his friendship with Don Knotts.

Reviewer: Amazon Customer
Rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: Not quite finished yet but can't put it down.