Original 134-PAGE FIRST DRAFT SCREENPLAY for the 1971 Don Knotts motion picture How to Frame a Figg, originally titled The Kooky Computer. Dated February 5, 1970, this is an early Universal Studios production document from the development of the film.
This is an especially interesting and difficult-to-find piece of Don Knotts movie memorabilia. Unlike a commercially published screenplay or a reproduction of the completed film, this is an original first draft prepared during the early development of the motion picture.
The fact that this screenplay contains 134 pages and carries the film's original working title makes it particularly appealing to serious collectors.
Original Working Title: The Kooky Computer
Released Film Title: How to Frame a Figg
Star: Don Knotts
Screenplay: First Draft
Date: February 5, 1970
Length: 134 pages
Script Number: 00121
Studio: Universal Studios, Universal City, California
Film Release: 1971
One of the most fascinating aspects of this screenplay is that it was written under a completely different title.
Before audiences knew the movie as How to Frame a Figg, the project was titled The Kooky Computer.
This original first-draft screenplay preserves that early title, providing a direct connection to the film's development before its eventual theatrical release.
The screenplay is dated February 5, 1970, more than a year before the movie reached theaters.
During the development of a motion picture, scripts often undergo substantial changes. Scenes may be added or removed, dialogue rewritten, characters modified, and titles changed.
An original first draft is important because it preserves an early version of the story, before later production revisions were made.
Released in 1971, How to Frame a Figg starred Don Knotts as Hollis Figg, a mild-mannered municipal bookkeeper who becomes caught in a scheme involving dishonest city officials and a new computer system.
When the officials attempt to conceal their wrongdoing, Hollis becomes an unsuspecting participant in their plans.
The resulting confusion provides Don Knotts with numerous opportunities to display the nervous expressions, physical comedy, and impeccable comedic timing that made him famous.
The film belongs to an important period in Knotts' career following his enormous success as Barney Fife on The Andy Griffith Show.
His motion-picture work during this era included The Ghost and Mr. Chicken, The Reluctant Astronaut, The Shakiest Gun in the West, and The Love God?
Original studio screenplays are a fascinating category of entertainment memorabilia because they were created as part of the actual filmmaking process.
First drafts are particularly interesting because they represent an early stage in the creation of a motion picture.
This example has several especially desirable characteristics.
It is an original Universal Studios screenplay, not a commercially published script.
It contains 134 pages, representing a substantial early screenplay for the film.
It is clearly identified on the cover as a FIRST DRAFT SCREENPLAY.
It carries the precise date of February 5, 1970.
Perhaps most importantly, it retains the original working title, The Kooky Computer, rather than the eventual theatrical title, How to Frame a Figg.
For collectors who appreciate the history of Don Knotts and his film career, these details make the screenplay especially interesting.
Original first-draft screenplays are not the type of memorabilia commonly encountered in ordinary movie collections.
They were produced for use during the development of motion pictures, rather than for sale to the general public.
A screenplay from an early stage of production, bearing a title that was later changed, offers something that an ordinary movie photograph or promotional item cannot.
This 134-page first draft provides a tangible connection to the creation of one of Don Knotts' theatrical motion pictures.
I have been collecting Mayberry television memorabilia for more than 35 years. My collection has always concentrated on The Andy Griffith Show, Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C., Mayberry R.F.D., and the careers of the wonderful actors associated with those programs.
During those years, I have been fortunate enough to become personal friends with many of the cast members. Over 99% of the autographs in my collection were personally obtained by me.
Don Knotts has always been one of the most important performers represented in my collection. His portrayal of Barney Fife made him a television legend, but his motion-picture career was also a remarkable part of his entertainment history.
I have always appreciated original production materials because they provide a connection to how these programs and movies were actually created.
This particular screenplay is especially appealing to me because it is a complete 134-page first draft dated February 5, 1970, carrying the original title The Kooky Computer.
It is not every day that a collector encounters an original first-draft screenplay from a Don Knotts movie, particularly one produced before the movie received its familiar title.
These are the kinds of historical production documents I have enjoyed collecting and preserving for more than 35 years.
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