50 Fun Facts About Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.

Which service took the actor behind Gomer Pyle's Sergeant Carter after the Marines rejected him?

The Army took him in World War II once colour blindness ruled out the Marine Corps, and he made 14 assault landings in the South Pacific.

In which war film does a drill instructor mockingly nickname an overweight recruit Gomer Pyle?

Full Metal Jacket hangs the name on a recruit played by Vincent D'Onofrio, after the instructor objects to the young man's real one.

Before which annual sporting event did Gomer Pyle star Jim Nabors sing most years from 1972 to 2014?

Indianapolis 500 crowds heard him sing Back Home Again in Indiana with the Purdue marching band, until health problems made the trip too hard.

Which Oscar-winning film shows its wounded hero watching Gomer Pyle on a hospital television?

Forrest Gump is recovering in a ward when a fellow soldier asks how he can stand to watch such a silly programme.

Which war, at its peak while Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. was on air, did the military sitcom never discuss?

The Vietnam War was at its peak, yet the series stayed pure escapism; Jim Nabors found the opening credits hard to watch because many Marines filmed with him later died there.

Which comedian called Gomer Pyle's Jim Nabors her good-luck charm and had him open every season?

Carol Burnett returned the favour by guest-starring on his sitcom as a lovestruck woman Marine who drags him off to a drive-in.

Which actor played Vince Carter, the short-fused sergeant forever exasperated by Gomer Pyle?

Frank Sutton said the sergeant was invented from whole cloth for the series, and he played him by ear until the character softened.

What job did Gomer Pyle hold in Mayberry before leaving to enlist in the Marine Corps?

Gas station attendant Gomer was modelled on an incompetent pump jockey whom one of the writers had met in real life.

Which cousin of Gomer Pyle took his place on The Andy Griffith Show and later visited him on base?

Goober was played by George Lindsey, who had first auditioned for the part of Gomer himself.

Which British rock band's 1979 double album includes a clip of Gomer Pyle's voice from a television?

Pink Floyd used the clip on The Wall, where a television murmurs in the background of the song Nobody Home.

At which fictional California base is Gomer Pyle stationed for most of Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.?

Camp Henderson replaced the North Carolina boot camp of the earliest episodes, and its name even appears in the title of the very last one.

Which real Marine Corps base served as a filming location for the sitcom Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.?

Camp Pendleton opened its gates because the Marines judged the sitcom good for their image and granted it total cooperation, including free use of military equipment.

Which tone-deaf nightclub singer from North Carolina becomes Gomer Pyle's steady girlfriend?

Lou-Ann Poovie was meant for a single episode, with Elizabeth MacRae hired partly because she really was a poor singer, but the pairing clicked and she stayed.

Which friend of Gomer Pyle leaves the platoon, then returns as its corporal in the final season?

Duke Slater went missing for a year because actor Ronnie Schell left to front a sitcom of his own, then came back with stripes on his sleeve.

Which short-lived sitcom lured Ronnie Schell away from Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. for a season?

Good Morning World cast him as a radio disc jockey, but it did not last and he rejoined the Marines for the fifth and final year.

What is the name of Sergeant Carter's steady girlfriend on Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.?

Bunny, played by Barbara Stuart, kept the hot-tempered sergeant humble for three seasons, with Gomer often playing peacemaker after the couple's spats.

Which future Brady Bunch butcher played Sergeant Hacker, Sergeant Carter's rival on Gomer Pyle?

Allan Melvin had already played a string of villains on The Andy Griffith Show, and cartoon fans knew his voice as Magilla Gorilla.

William Christopher, Gomer Pyle's Private Hummel, went on to play which M*A*S*H character?

Father Mulcahy went to him only after the actor first cast in the part was replaced following a single appearance in the pilot.

Larry Hovis went from Gomer Pyle to playing a different Sergeant Carter on which military sitcom?

Hogan's Heroes hired him when another actor backed out, and its Sergeant Carter was an explosives expert held in a German prison camp.

Ted Bessell, Gomer Pyle's buddy Frankie, went on to play Marlo Thomas's boyfriend on which sitcom?

That Girl kept him busy for five seasons as Donald Hollinger, who eventually became the heroine's fiancé.

Which Andy Griffith Show producer went on to create the spin-off Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.?

Aaron Ruben had spent five seasons shaping Mayberry's stories, and in the 1970s he went on to produce Sanford and Son.

Which composer of the Gomer Pyle theme also wrote and whistled the tune for The Andy Griffith Show?

Earle Hagen also scored I Spy, giving every episode an original soundtrack at a time when most series reused canned music.

Which series was the only one rated above Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. in the sitcom's final season?

Laugh-In alone outdrew it, so Jim Nabors walked away from a sitcom that had never once finished a season outside the top ten.

How did the first season of Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. differ from the four seasons that followed?

It was black and white for that opening year only; the remaining four seasons, most of the 150 episodes, were made in colour.

Which network aired all five seasons of Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C., mostly on Friday nights?

CBS shifted it to Wednesdays for the third season, the only year the sitcom slipped out of the top three.

What is the highest rank Gomer Pyle reaches during the five seasons of Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.?

Private first class was as far as he got on screen, but the real Marine Corps later gave Jim Nabors a string of honorary promotions.

Which Midwestern state does Gomer Pyle's Sergeant Carter visit to see his mother back home?

Kansas, specifically Wichita, is where he flees for a few days when Gomer has driven him to the edge of a nervous breakdown.

Which California city was home to The Horn, the club where Andy Griffith discovered Jim Nabors?

Santa Monica audiences saw him play a character much like Gomer in his cabaret act, switching between a comic twang and a rich singing voice.

In which Southern state was Jim Nabors, who played North Carolina's Gomer Pyle, actually born?

Alabama was also home to the actor who replaced him in Mayberry: Nabors came from Sylacauga and George Lindsey from Jasper.

Which singing voice did Jim Nabors reveal whenever the twangy Gomer Pyle burst into song?

Baritone ballads became his second career: he signed with Columbia Records in 1965 and recorded numerous albums while still playing the bumbling Marine.

Which health condition prompted Jim Nabors to move to Los Angeles years before he became Gomer Pyle?

Asthma drove him west from Tennessee, and he carried on working as a film cutter for NBC while performing a cabaret act on the side.

To which state did Gomer Pyle's Jim Nabors move for good after years of vacationing there?

Hawaii gave him a second life as a farmer: he owned a macadamia plantation on Maui for 25 years before selling it to a botanical garden.

On which other sitcom did Jim Nabors make a 1966 cameo appearance in character as Gomer Pyle?

The Lucy Show shared a network with his own series, so the bumbling Marine could simply wander into Lucille Ball's story for a moment.

Which film star had his friend Jim Nabors, Gomer Pyle himself, appear in three of his 1980s comedies?

Burt Reynolds had him play a Gomer-like deputy in The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, then used him in Stroker Ace and Cannonball Run II, where he spoofed the role as Homer Lyle.

Which exclamation of Gomer Pyle's became the title of a novelty album Jim Nabors sang in character?

Shazam!, as the record was called, was no soundtrack; Nabors sang its novelty songs in his Gomer voice for Columbia Records.

In the final episode, what does Gomer Pyle request to spare Sergeant Carter further anxiety?

A transfer is exactly what Carter has always wanted, yet he quietly has it cancelled rather than lose his most exasperating Marine.

Which dish sends Gomer Pyle sleepwalking into nightly tirades against Sergeant Carter?

Welsh rarebit gets the blame after a waitress warns that the dish is believed to cause nightmares, and a camp psychiatrist is called in.

What does Gomer Pyle rely on to forecast rain better than the official weather service?

A corn on his foot does the job once he stomps it, and in the episode Whither the Weather his predictions keep coming true while the professionals miss.

Which comedian guest-starred on Gomer Pyle as Jim Mason, an old war buddy of Sergeant Carter?

Don Rickles and Carter each insist they saved the other's life in Korea, so Gomer scrambles to keep the two apart before the stories collide.

Which Mayberry resident runs away and hitches a plane ride to join Gomer Pyle in the Marines?

Opie Taylor has to be hidden around the barracks while reporters tour the base, until Sergeant Carter finds out and orders him gone by nightfall.

Which Mayberry visitor dislikes Gomer Pyle's barracks so much that she mops the floor herself?

Aunt Bee then overhears Sergeant Carter yelling at Gomer and marches back in to question him about it, with Frances Bavier reprising her Mayberry role.

Which carmaker supplied the vehicles on Gomer Pyle, unlike the Fords of The Andy Griffith Show?

Chrysler did not yet own the Jeep brand so prominent in the series; that came only with its buyout of American Motors in 1987.

Which corporal often acts as Sergeant Carter's conscience and sticks up for Gomer Pyle?

Chuck Boyle, played by Roy Stuart, arrived in the second season and left after the fourth, when Gomer's best friend took over the stripes.

What kind of programme did Jim Nabors host from 1969 after choosing to end Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.?

A variety show let him sing, and the actors who had played his sergeant and his best friend joined him for the comedy sketches.

On The Andy Griffith Show, why does Gomer Pyle say he has joined the Marines?

He expected to be drafted sooner or later, so he picked his own branch, and Andy drives him to the base where he first meets Sergeant Carter.

Which F Troop star twice guest-starred on Gomer Pyle as Latin American soldier Manuel Cortez?

Larry Storch's Cortez claims to come from a tiny republic hidden behind a mountain somewhere near Brazil, and he picks Gomer as his personal guide.

Which smooth-talking hustler keeps selling Gomer Pyle bad bargains, starting with a gold watch?

Friendly Freddy even fools Sergeant Carter, who buys a fur for his girlfriend that falls apart while she is dancing in it.

On whose television show did comedian Bill Dana get Jim Nabors a booking, before Gomer Pyle existed?

Steve Allen's series took him on after Dana caught his nightclub act, but it was cancelled soon afterwards and his real break came from Mayberry.

For which organisation did future Gomer Pyle star Jim Nabors work as a typist in New York City?

The United Nations kept him for about a year after college, before a move to Chattanooga brought his first television job as a film cutter.

Gomer Pyle's Sergeant Carter actor got his big break in which Academy Award-winning 1955 film?

Marty gave him the small part of Ralph, one of the title character's friends, nine years before he first bellowed at a recruit from Mayberry.