Knowland was a member of several private clubs. In 1975, he served on the Public Relations committee of the Commonwealth Club of California.Taylor, Paul Schuster. The Commonwealth, Commonwealth Club of California, 1975, p. 201. In 2006, veteran columnist Gerald Nachman observed that, in the 1970s, Knowland's heart was in performing onstage at the Bohemian Club, not in publishing a newspaper.Nachman, Gerald. The Columnist, May 10, 2006. "Timidity and dull writing helping kill newspapers" . Retrieved on July 14, 2009. In October 1982, Knowland played two characters, archenemy supervillain Professor Moriarty and elder brother Mycroft Holmes, in a Bohemian Club production entitled An Appointment with Sherlock Holmes.The Universal Sherlock Holmes. Actors, Performances, and Recordings. Plays (continued). Retrieved on July 14, 2009.
