The Andy Griffith Show was in a class of its own when it comes to sitcoms. Every episode had a unique ability to be hilarious. Of course, there were moments all over the emotional spectrum, but one stands out above the rest.
Laugh tracks are helpful, but the entire “Constitution” skit was so funny that The Andy Griffith Show probably didn’t need one. This should go down in history as one of the funniest five-minute sketches in television history.
Andy Griffith’s had a favorite episode, “Barney’s First Car,” from Season 3 of his show. But, this particular scene was one of his favorites.
For The Andy Griffith Show’s 50th anniversary, Ron Howard joined a conversation between Andy Griffith and Don Knotts.
The scene begins with Barney Fife telling Andy Taylor that he can still remember the Preamble to the U.S. Constitution. From there comedy ensues. During the 2003 conversation, Griffith talked about how funny the Constitution skit was to film.
Griffith described the scene, saying, “Don wrote those scenes, you know?” The entire scene was an incredible display of comedic acting from Knotts. He played his part in The Andy Griffith Show perfectly, and this skit is a great example.
Knotts chimed in, “During that scene, I remember that I could see in Andy’s eyes that he was trying to keep from laughing.”
“I almost went one time,” Griffith said with a beaming smile. At which point, Ron Howard said that he thinks they are one of the greatest comedy duos.
Watch the TV legends recount the scene below.
The Comedy Genius Between Knotts and Griffith on “The Andy Griffith Show” Was Unparalleled
Each episode that they did together was special. Over the course of their careers, they filmed many things together. But, arguably, they were at their peaks filming The Andy Griffith Show together. The chemistry between them was explicitly apparent.
Earlier in the same interview, the two actors talked about how they understood each other so well. Knotts had a hilarious way of telling Griffith that he needed his co-star’s timing to be better.
“Originally, I was supposed to be funny,” Andy Griffith remembered. “By the second, I knew that he (pointing at Don Knotts) should be funny, and I should play straight to him.”
“But we seemed to fall right in together with the timing,” Knotts recalled. “We seemed to like each other’s timing. It just happened.”
“When I didn’t set him up quite right,” Andy Griffith said with a smile. “He would say, ‘you wanna just come in a little earlier there Andy?’” At which all three of The Andy Griffith Show stars burst out laughing.
