Knotts, Don

Don Knotts 4 Movie Reluctant Hero Pack (The Ghost And Mr. Chicken / The Reluctant Astronaut / The Shakiest Gun In The West / The Love God?)

He's one of the most popular and admired funnymen of all time, a master of comic timing and physical humor. Now four of the classic films starring the delightful Don Knotts are available on DVD for the first time in this fun-filled collector's set.

After catapulting to national fame as the often impossible but ever lovable Deputy Barney Fife on TV's The Andy Griffith Show, Knotts set out to conquer the silver screen in a series of unforgettable feature films. Now four of these hilarious farces are brought together in this amazing collection that keeps the laughs coming.

The Ghost And Mr. Chicken

Remember watching this silly little comedy from your childhood? It may not have aged all that well, but is still goofy, good fun. Okay, so you can spot the stunt double, and Don Knotts's twitches are a little more obvious. Still, fans of his familiar routines will be comforted in knowing they can again watch their skinny underdog hero solve the ghost story while winning the prettiest girl in town. Knotts plays a trembling typesetter hoping to become a reporter by cracking the mystery of the local haunted house. To do so, he must spend a night there. Good-hearted, non-threatening, and completely gooey, this is the equivalent of light-weight cinematic junk food. -- Rochelle O'Gorman

The Incredible Mr. Limpet

Ever wonder what would happen if the imaginary worlds of Bedknobs and Broomsticks and SpongeBob SquarePants were to collide? If so, chances are good you've yet to discover The Incredible Mr. Limpet. Starring the irrepressible Don Knotts, this 1964 family feature combines live (land) action and animated (undersea) sequences with delightful results. During World War II, Knotts is mild-mannered, spectacle-sporting bookkeeper Henry Limpet. More than anything--he's a fish fan and a patriot. When the navy rejects him due to poor eyesight, he falls into a funk from which not even his beloved aquarium or loving--if bossy--wife can rescue him. So he makes a wish... to become a fish. Next thing he knows--he is! With a little help from a hermit crab named Crusty and the lovely Ladyfish, it's as a talking, bespectacled fish that Limpet proves himself the war hero he always knew he was meant to be. --Kathleen C. Fennessy

Henry Limpet longs to serve his country during World War II but is 4-F, so when his wish to be a fish comes true, he is able to help the Navy fight the Nazis.
Genre: Feature Film-Comedy
Rating: UN
Release Date: 7-SEP-2004
Media Type: DVD

Move Over Darling

Doris Day, the perky, chaste adult star of an odd collection of winking 1960s sex comedies, takes the Irene Dunne role in this remake of the comedy classic My Favorite Wife. As the survivor of a five-year ordeal on a desert island, she returns home the very day her husband has remarried. James Garner, trading his Maverick impish humor and con man cool for a mugging performance of double takes and pratfalls, is her overjoyed husband who is too cowardly to tell his neurotic bride (Polly Bergen). All of this, naturally, leads to a ridiculously complicated plot that combines door-slamming sex farce with mistaken identities (Day poses as a Swedish masseuse) and a goofy sped-up car chase. Chuck Connors, who costars as Day's hunky, he-man island mate "Adam," leads a topnotch supporting cast that includes sassy Thelma Ritter as Garner's no-nonsense mother, Don Knotts as a nervous shoe salesman enlisted by Day to impersonate Adam, Fred Clark at his indignant best, and John Astin and Pat Harrington in early roles. Edgar Buchanan practically steals the film as a gruff, irascible judge who growls through the legal circus that forms the film's chaotic climax. The cast for the most part rises above the tepid script and bland direction and Day sings two songs. Interestingly, this remake was originally developed for Marilyn Monroe and Dean Martin as the never completed Something's Got to Give. --Sean Axmaker

Say "I do" to "madcap comedy" (Box Office) and "exuberant farce" (Film Daily) in this feel-good romp about one groom, two wives and one delightfully daffy honeymoon! Starring Doris Day, James Garner and Polly Bergen, Move Over, Darling is "a funny, funny film!" (Hollywood Citizen News) that's the perfect union of "humor, romance and heart" (The Hollywood Reporter)!

Five years after losing his first wife Ellen (Day) at sea, Nick (Garner) is finally ready to have her declared legally dead, get remarried and settle down to a peaceful second marriage! But wedded bliss becomes marital mayhem when Ellen turns up alive -- with a hilarious, hair-brained scheme to win back her husband, put a stop to the honeymoon and give first love a second chance-at happily-ever-after!

Chicken Little

A classic fable gets fused with War of the Worlds in Disney's Chicken Little. In the small town of Oakey Oaks, young Chicken Little (voiced by Zach Braff, Garden State) struggles to live down the embarrassment of having once thought the sky was falling. But when he gets struck again by a hexagonal, sky-camouflaged, hi-tech doohickey, he and his friends Ugly Duckling (Joan Cusack, School of Rock), Runt of the Litter (Steve Zahn, Sahara), and Fish Out of Water discover that aliens are preparing to invade Earth--but since no one believed Chicken Little the first time, why would they believe him now? Though kids will enjoy the bright whizz-bang action sequences of Chicken Little, discerning parents will find the movie tedious. Technically, it has the computer animation quality of Pixar--but with none of their intelligence, heart, or simple storytelling skill. The basic idea of connecting the fable to aliens is amusing, but the script routinely bogs down in clumsy father-son issues that seem like material edited out of Finding Nemo. The jokes rarely have anything to do with the characters, but are mostly pop-culture references that are sadly out of date. The action sequences were obviously created with the inevitable video game in mind, for which the movie is little more than an advertisement. Chicken Little falls flat. --Bret Fetzer

Experience a fantastic world of breathtaking action in Disney's hilarious new movie CHICKEN LITTLE. It's "the perfect family film" raves Scott Mantz of Access Hollywood. When the sky really is falling and sanity has flown the coop who will rise to save the day? Together with his hysterical band of misfit friends Chicken Little must hatch a plan to save the planet from alien invasion and prove that the world's biggest hero is a little chicken. Overflowing with incredible music and bursting with exciting bonus features including alternate openings an exclusive "making of" featurette games and much more this sensational DVD is truly something to cluck about.System Requirements:Running Time 81 Mins.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: CHILDREN/FAMILY Rating: G UPC: 786936246803 Manufacturer No: 03689000

The Private Eyes

Two detectives are engaged to investigate the deaths of Lord and Lady Morley, but their authorization comes from the ghost of the late Lordship, and the manor house where they lived is peopled by very odd characters.
Genre: Feature Film-Comedy
Rating: PG
Release Date: 10-OCT-2000
Media Type: DVD

Don Knotts and Tim Conway star in The Private Eyes, a 1980 comedy about two bumbling detectives solving a murder. It's an impressively incompetent affair. Every ancient joke falls with a muffled thud as Knotts and Conway ham their way through the pointless story: The lord and lady of a capacious manor are killed, and the lord's ghost seems to have returned to knock off the staff one by one. There's an austere housekeeper, a snooty butler with compulsive twitches, a sexy upstairs maid, a deformed groomsman, and a buxom young heir to the estate, who of course is going to be in some state of undress before the movie is over. People get killed, their bodies disappear, Knotts and Conway wander aimlessly through secret passageways, dimly seeking some way out of this movie. Conway cowrote the script, so he gets most of the blame; Knotts was probably just happy to have the work. --Bret Fetzer

The Apple Dumpling Gang (Special Edition)

Bill Bixby plays a 19th-century gambler who inherits responsibility for three orphans, but the kids in turn have something of value: a huge gold nugget. This Disney film from 1975 is an enjoyable potboiler with its sentimentality under control and the accent on laughs, most of which are provided, not unexpectedly, by Tim Conway and Don Knotts as thieves who want to get their hands on the treasure. An easy, safe film for children. You can't go wrong with this. --Tom Keogh

Head for cover! Don Knotts and Tim Conway are Wild West outlaws who can't hit the broad side of a barn -- but never miss when it comes to rounding up laughs! The hilarity begins when a roving bachelor (Bill Bixby) inherits three young orphans and a wealth of problems. When the youngsters stumble upon a huge golden nugget, they must fend off the greedy townspeople. So the kids join forces with the bumbling outlaws to stage a robbery of the gold. Little do they know a surly gang of sharpshooters plans to beat them to the draw! If you're aiming for fun, saddle up and head out with THE APPLE DUMPLING GANG!

Pleasantville (New Line Platinum Series)

Tobey Maguire (The Cider House Rules) and Reese Witherspoon (Election) star as two modern american teenagers who are sucked into their television set and end up living in a black-and-white fifties sitcom.Running Time: 134 min.System Requirements:Directed by Gary Ross Writing credits Gary Ross Cast overview: Tobey Maguire Jeff Daniels Joan Allen William H. Macy J.T. Walsh Reese Witherspoon Don Knotts Paul Walker (I) Marley Shelton Jane Kaczmarek Jason Behr Weston Blakesley Dawn Cody Jeanine Jackson Jenny Lewis (I) Erik MacArthur Jason Maves Justin Nimmo Marissa Ribisi Danny Strong ;Runtime: USA:124; Color: Black and White / Color (DeLuxe) Sound Mix: DTS / Dolby Digital / SDDS Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: COMEDY Rating: PG-13 UPC: 794043472824

Fantastical writer Gary Ross (Big, Dave) makes an auspicious directorial debut with this inspired and oddly touching comedy about two '90s kids (Tobey Maguire and Reese Witherspoon) thrust into the black-and-white TV world of Pleasantville, a Leave It to Beaver-style sitcom complete with picket fences, corner malt shop, and warm chocolate chip cookies. When a somewhat unusual remote control (provided by repairman Don Knotts) transports them from the jaded real world to G-rated TV land, Maguire and Witherspoon are forced to play along as Bud and Mary Sue, the obedient children of George and Betty Parker (William H. Macy and Joan Allen). Maguire, an obsessive Pleasantville devotee, understands the need for not toppling the natural balance of things; Witherspoon, on the other hand, starts shaking the town up, most notably when she takes basketball stud Skip (Paul Walker) up to Lover's Lane for some modern-day fun and games. Soon enough, Pleasantville's teens are discovering sex along with--gasp!--rock & roll, free thinking, and soul-changing Technicolor. Filled with delightful and shrewd details about sitcom life (no toilets, no double beds, only two streets in the town), Pleasantville is a joy to watch, not only for its comedy but for the groundbreaking visual effects and astonishing production design as the town gradually transforms from crisp black and white to glorious color. Ross does tip his hand a bit about halfway through the film, obscuring the movie's basic message of the unpredictability of life with overloaded and obvious symbolism, as the black-and-white denizens of the town gang up on the "coloreds" and impose rules of conduct to keep their strait-laced town laced up. Still, the characterizations from the phenomenal cast--especially repressed housewife Allen and soda-shop owner Jeff Daniels, doing some of their best work ever--will keep you emotionally invested in the film's outcome, and waiting to see Pleasantville in all its final Technicolor glory. --Mark Englehart

Air Buddies

Here's the delightful tale of teamwork and adventure your whole family will love! Air Bud is the proud father of five adorable puppies -- the hip-hoppin' B-Dawg lovely RoseBud mellow Bud-Dha dirt-loving MudBud and the big fella Budderball -- with an unbelievable secret: They can talk! And the hilarious hair-raising exploits of these barking talking ball-playing pups will have you cheering as they run off on a daring rescue mission to save their parents! With the tail-waggin' star power of Michael Clarke Duncan (THE GREEN MILE) Richard Karn (TV's HOME IMPROVEMENT) and the legendary Don Knotts -- get in the game and share the family fun of this all-new feature!System Requirements:Running Time: 80 minsFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: CHILDREN/FAMILY Rating: PG UPC: 786936687927 Manufacturer No: 04874600

The canine star of Air Bud and its host of sequels is on the screen again, but this time Buddy, his girlfriend Molly, and their human owners Noah and Henry have their hands and paws full with a litter of five mischievous puppies that talk. From Budderball who's obsessed with food to the meditating Bud-Dha and the dirt-loving Mudbud, each of the puppies is as unique as a sibling can be. When it comes time to adopt the young puppies into new families, humans and dogs alike are distraught and the puppies decide to run away. Enter a spoiled rich boy named Bartleby who wants Air Bud as a birthday present, a dim-witted cousin, and a doltish thug employed by Bartleby's father, and mayhem prevails as Buddy and Molly get dog-napped and Noah, Henry, and the runway puppies all set out to rescue them. As the chase winds over the river, through the woods, to the drive in movie, and straight through the farmyard, slapstick comedy and satire reign and the whole gang learns an important lesson about the value of teamwork, love, and courage. While children ages 3 to 10 will delight in the capers of these cute talking puppies, most adults will find the plot predictable and the action less than riveting. Talent includes Don Knotts, Richard Karn, and Michael Clarke Duncan. --Tami Horiuchi

The Apple Dumpling Gang / The Apple Dumpling Gang Rides Again

THE APPLE DUMPLING GANG: Head for cover! Don Knotts and Tim Conway are Wild West outlaws who can't hit the broad side of a barn -- but never miss when it comes to rounding up laughs! The hilarity begins when a roving bachelor (Bill Bixby) inherits three young orphans and a wealth of problems. When the youngsters stumble upon a huge golden nugget they must fend off the greedy townspeople. So the kids join forces with the bumbling outlaws to stage a robbery of the gold. Little do they know a surly gang of sharpshooters plans to beat them to the draw! If you're aiming for fun saddle up and head out with THE APPLE DUMPLING GANG HE APPLE DUMPLING GANG RIDES AGAIN:There's more trouble afoot as The Apple Dumpling Gang (Don Knotts and Tim Conway) can't stop causing trouble -- and laughs -- even when they give up their life of crime! First the ditsy duo is accused of bank robbery as they try to deposit a check. Then they join the U.S. Cavalry and wind up in the stockade for inadvertently blowing up their fort. Although they escape this mess the witless team who could never shoot straight still can't seem to succeed in going straight. It's riotous raucous fun as THE APPLE DUMPLING GANG RIDES AGAINFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: COMEDY/FAMILY GATHERINGS UPC: 786936758429 Manufacturer No: 05674500