Cathardincu Surprisingly incoherent and boring

Tedfoldol everything you have heard about this movie is true.

Anoushka Slater While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.

Skyler Great movie. Not sure what people expected but I found it highly entertaining.

moonspinner55 There's a germ of a good story idea in here somewhere. Don Knotts plays a decent small town guy named Abner Peacock who is fond of birds--the feathered kind. He's a Boy Scout leader, Sunday School teacher, bird-impressions extraordinaire, and publisher of an under-funded bird-lovers magazine which is taken over by a smut peddler with a postal impediment. Knotts unknowingly becomes a wanted man and is soon arrested for porno-pushing, later learning that if he pleads guilty and continues with the girlie mag, he could become a millionaire. Pop-eyed Knotts has a fun first scene in church doing bird-calls in song, but he wears out his welcome by his second scene--it's all downhill from there. Shrill, shrieking, and generally unpleasant to watch, Knotts never appears to be having a good time and he gets little support from a mostly-geriatric supporting cast. Anne Francis (just off her role in "Funny Girl") plays a shrewd editor who must pretend that she can't keep her hands off Knotts (her first line, "Cool it boys, I'm slumming", must have resonated bitterly with Francis). The cheap Universal sets and overly-bright lighting (with constant camera and crew shadows) are an eyesore, while the inept direction ensures that everyone acts manic, waving their arms in comic distress. If there's anything good to say about the picture, it's the fashion show montage mid-movie, where even Knotts looks passable in the groovy '60s clothes. * from ****

Norton-9 Yes, if nothing else, the Mr. Peacock song montage makes this movie for me. I can't help but laugh out loud every time I see it. The movie itself is also quite good, relatively speaking. Any film with Don Knotts playing an unwitting Hugh Hefner clone can't help but be at least amusing in my book. But watch for his little dance during the montage--that self satisfied smirk on his face while Darlene Love sings his virtues--it's a surreal treat. Of course, most of his films--The Ghost and Mr. Chicken, The Shakiest Gun in the West, The Reluctant Astronaut, and The Incredible Mr. Limpet all have something entertaining to offer to those in the mood for something fun and undemanding.

andreapaley Although people have been writing this movie off for years, the reality is, is that this is a very funny movie. Don Knott's performance as Abner Peacock is excellent. Here he takes his funny talent and uses it in a different kind of movie. The main reason people don't like this movie, is because they're not willing to see Don Knotts play lead character in a somewhat dirty movie. Knotts has always been a family movie person, but I think this movie gave him a chance to do something else. The funniest scenes are during the court case, where a bumbling Mr. Peacock is frustrated at his lawyers going against him, and the one where he sings the song of the birds, in church. This is a must see if you like good humor.

monsieurzy I have to say I think this is one of Don Knotts's better comedy roles (certainly better than the horrendous How To Frame a Figg). I put it right up there with Ghost And Mr. Chicken...Jerry Lewis tried his hand at doing adult comedy (Dont Raise the Bridge..) and failed, but DK is perfect as the small town virginal patsy made to look like the world's greatest swinger. I defy anyone to watch Knott's little dance performance during the "Mr. Peacock" song montage and not laugh out loud. ..the only part of the plot that seems to falter is Anne Francis's character's relationship to Abner Peacock..does she love him or not?? ..and as a Mayberry trivia note, listen to the song the Choir is singing when the camera is showing the exterior to the church...is that not the "Ode to Jaunita" that Barney Fife was always singing ??