Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.
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Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. was a television series that ran on CBS from September 25, 1964 to September 9, 1970. The show actually ended its run in the spring of 1969; CBS aired repeats from the 1968-69 season in the summer of 1970.
The series was a spinoff of The Andy Griffith Show, where the premise was introduced in an episode which aired on May 19th, 1964. The show featured Jim Nabors reprising his role as the bumbling but lovable Gomer Pyle, who had left the town of Mayberry and joined the U.S. Marine Corps. (Gomer's cousin Goober replaced him back home at Wally's filling station). The series mostly revolved around Pyle's misadventures in the Marines, usually ending with his good-naturedness winning over adversity, especially his hard-nosed Drill Instructor, Gunnery Sergeant Vince Carter (played by actor Frank Sutton). Some of the actors who played Gomer's fellow marines included William Christopher (MASH), Ted Bessell (That Girl), and Jack Larson (Superman). Due to Gomer's deep humility, he never sought promotion beyond the rank of Private First Class. CBS executives ordered that Pyle remain in training indefinitely and not be sent to the Vietnam War to preserve ratings.
Although most TV shows that depict military life and situations appear false in some respects, Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. did a good job with the uniforms and rank structure of the Corps. Oddly enough, the rank that follows PFC is Lance Corporal; characters in the show that were promoted from PFC went directly to the rank of corporal. In the U.S. Army this would be the case.
Cast
- Private First Class, (PFC) Gomer Pyle, played by Jim Nabors
- Gunnery Sergeant, (GySgt) Vince Carter, played by Frank Sutton
- Staff Sergeant, (SSgt) Charley Hacker, played by Allan Melvin
- Lieutenent Colonel (LtCol) Edward Gray, played by Forrest Compton
- Pvt/Cpl Gilbert "Duke" Slater, played by Ronnie Schell
- Cpl Chuck Boyle, played by Roy Stuart
- Pvt Frankie Lombardi, played by Ted Bessell
- Pvt Lester Hummel, played by William Christopher
- Lou-Ann Poovie, played by Elizabeth MacRae
- Bunny Wilson, played by Barbara Stuart
Trivia
- In the Simpsons episode Brother, Can You Spare Two Dimes? Homer flashes back to watching Gomer Pyle as he mourns the loss of his couch.
- The term "Gomer Pyle" is used by Marine Corps Drill Instructors, as a personal epithet for recruits that are perceived as "goldbricking" (being lazy), or not responding/adjusting to training properly. This usage is shown in the Stanley Kubrick film Full Metal Jacket. It was also briefly a nickname for the X-Men character Cannonball (who was a rookie from the country at the time).
- US pilots flying missions over Vietnam often called Soviet MiG-19 and MiG-21 pilots "Gomers" due to their large goggles.
- "Gomer", though an unusual name is Biblical, although it was actually that of a woman.
- Andy Griffith, Frances Bavier, Ron Howard and George Lindsey made guest appearances on the spin-off series playing the same characters from The Andy Griffith Show. Denver Pyle played Briscoe Darling in six episodes of The Andy Griffith Show and played tomato farmer Titus Purcell in an episode of Gomer Pyle (season 4, episode 25). And Allan Melvin, who played a wide variety of characters in eight different episodes of The Andy Griffith Show was a regular on Gomer Pyle, playing Sergeant Carter's arch rival, Sergeant Hacker.
- Hosts on Air America Radio The Majority Report, Janeane Garofalo and Sam Seder, often play clips of Gomer saying his favorite phrase, which Gomer said when Sgt. Carter got caught in an embarrassing situation, Surprise, Surprise, Surprise!, in Nabors' inimitable Southern accent.
Criticism
Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. has often been criticized for repeated plot lifting directly from its parent show, The Andy Griffith Show. Below are just a few examples which illustrate the obvious similarities found in script details of both shows.
| Show | Episode | Original Airdate | Plot | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. | "To Save A Life" | 1/31/1969 | Sgt. Carter saves Gomer's life and becomes an annoyance with his constant devotion to repay his debt to Sgt. Carter. Later, Gomer passes out from gas fumes while fixing a heater and Sgt. Carter rescues him again. But when Gomer wakes up, Sgt. Carter lies and tells Gomer how he saved the Sergeant's life and that they are now even. | |
| The Andy Griffith Show | "Andy Saves Gomer" | 3/16/1964 | Andy Taylor saves Gomer's life and becomes an annoyance with his constant devotion to repay his debt to Andy. Later, Gomer passes out from gas fumes while fixing a heater and Andy rescues him again. But when Gomer wakes up, Andy lies and tells Gomer how he saved Andy's life and that they are now even. | |
| Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. | "Marry Me, Marry Me" | 11/16/1966 | Gomer goes on one date and discovers that he accidentally got engaged to the young woman. Gomer is then threatened with a Breach of Contract lawsuit and Sgt. Carter helps him out of the sticky situation. | |
| The Andy Griffith Show | "Barney on the Rebound" | 10/30/1961 | Barney Fife goes on one date and discovers that he accidentally got engaged to the young woman. Barney is then threatened with a Breach of Contract lawsuit and Sheriff Taylor helps him out of the sticky situation. | |
| Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. | "Goodbye Dolly" | 2/23/1968 | Gomer accepts the responsibility of taking care of an old, retired, white horse named Dolly, finding the task harder than he anticipated. | |
| The Andy Griffith Show | "Goodbye Dolly" | 3/6/1967 | Opie Taylor accepts the responsibility of taking care of an old, retired, white horse named Dolly, finding the task harder than he anticipated. | |
External links
- [Jim Nabors official site. Click on link at top for promotion information.]
- [Information about Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. from bygonetv]
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