How to Frame a Figg

If folks were really this stupid I could be the SRW - Supreme Ruler of the World. In this one Knotts plays a dimwitted bean counter for some little jerk water town run by a group of crooked simpletons only slightly brighter than he is. When things appear a bit shaky for the crooks they go for a frame-up of the patsy Figg. Plenty of laughs as Knotts does his usual bumbling, stumbling act. I especially appreciated the extension cord scene; asininity at it's highest level.

Don Knotts is in yet another worm is turned film where he's set up to be a patsy to take a fall, but he somehow outsmarts the crooks. In this case the crooks are among others the mayor of his small town and chief assistant Edward Andrews and Joe Flynn.

Our hero is this meek accountant working for the city and the big guys feeling the heat of investigation decide Knotts is their patsy. To do that they have to give him or pretend to give him a big promotion.

What can I say is that even Knotts is not as stupid as they think. He's ably assisted by girlfriend Elaine Joyce and his friend and big movie fan Frank Welker. Welker is especially funny here, constantly making allusions to all these old films to cover every situation they are in.

Knotts is also perfectly cast in the role. He'd be the perpetual schnook in all his films not just How To Frame A Fig.

I remember seeing the beginning of this movie-during the late '80s or early '90s, I can't remember which-on an independent station (well, it was a Fox one, actually) when I lived in Jacksonville, FL. It looked funny enough but for some reason, I didn't bother to watch the whole thing. So now I just did that on Netflix DVD. My verdict: I found most of it pretty hilarious what with Don Knotts' usual persona of a nervous, easily upset, reluctant hero. Among the funny supporting cast: Frank Welker as Knotts' best friend, Elaine Joyce as his sweet girlfriend, Edward Andrews as the corrupt mayor, Joe Flynn as the mayor's associate, Parker Fennelly as the cantankerous boss of the latter two, and Yvonne Craig as Knotts' "secretary". Both Ms. Joyce and Ms. Craig are sexy in their own way here though I have to admit that Ms. Craig is the more alluring one every time she shows up. I had a real good time watching this one! So on that note, I recommend How to Frame a Figg.

HOW TO FRAME A FIGG is a vintage Don Knotts-frenetic, farcical comedy, and features him at the top of his form as the hysterical, cat-on-hot-tin-roof nervous, persecuted civil servant Hollis Figg. What a lot of people may not recognise is that they are also seeing someone else in a rare character appearance: Figg's slightly dim-bulb sidekick, Prentiss Gates, who is played convincingly by Frank Welker. Welker, whose face is relatively unknown, has nonetheless a voice that is very well known indeed: He is heard in literally bazillions of films, TV series, and cartoons. You have watched but few shows in recent years, including "The Simpsons", that did not feature Frank Welker's remarkable ability to mimic animal sounds and other weird aural effects.

Don Knotts is Hollis Figg, the dumbest bookkeeper in town. When the city fathers buy a second-hand computer to cover up their financial shenanigans...

It was nice to see Yvonne Craig as a character other than Batgirl, even if she was merely the evil temptress. And Dick Warlock on stunts? Wish i knew exactly what he did, because Mr. Warlock is someone I admire for all the wrong reasons.

The film as a whole is good -- it is funny, silly and has some dumb moments (and I use "dumb" in the nicest way possible). I would not go so far as to call it a "good" film, but it is enjoyable... and I do love me some Don Knotts.