Gomer Pyle, USMC
Genre	Sitcom
Created by	Aaron Ruben
Starring	Jim Nabors Frank Sutton
Country of origin	United States
No. of episodes	150
Production
Running time	25 minutes
Broadcast
Original channel	CBS
Original run	September 25, 1964 – May 2, 1969
External links
IMDb profile

Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. is an American situation comedy that originally aired on CBS from September 25, 1964 to May 2, 1969. A sitcom or situation comedy is a genre of comedy performance originally devised for radio but today typically found on television. ... Aaron Ruben (1926 - 2006) was an American TV show director known for The Andy Griffith Show (1960) Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. (1964) and Sanford and Son (1972). ... This article needs additional references or sources for verification. ... Frank Spencer Sutton (October 23, 1923 - June 28, 1974) was an American actor who is best remembered for his role as the loud, hard-nosed drill instructor Sergeant Vincent Carter on the CBS television series Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. Sutton was born in Clarksville, Tennessee in 1923. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... CBS Broadcasting, Inc. ... is the 268th day of the year (269th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1964 (MCMLXIV) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1964 calendar). ... May 2 is the 122nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (123rd in leap years). ... For the Stargate SG-1 episode, see 1969 (Stargate SG-1). ... This article or section seems to contain too many examples (or of a poor quality) for an encyclopedia entry. ... CBS Broadcasting, Inc. ... is the 268th day of the year (269th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1964 (MCMLXIV) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1964 calendar). ... May 2 is the 122nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (123rd in leap years). ... For the Stargate SG-1 episode, see 1969 (Stargate SG-1). ...

The series was a spinoff of The Andy Griffith Show, where the premise was introduced in an episode which aired on May 19, 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 Pyle, 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 the late Frank Sutton). A spin-off in television is a new series which contains either characters or theme elements from an old series. ... The Andy Griffith Show is an American television series that aired on CBS from October 3rd, 1960 to April 1st, 1968. ... is the 139th day of the year (140th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1964 (MCMLXIV) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1964 calendar). ... This article needs additional references or sources for verification. ... Gomer Pyle on The Andy Griffith Show Gomer Pyle was the simple-minded gas station attendant and later auto mechanic in the American TV sitcom The Andy Griffith Show, played by Jim Nabors. ... United States Marine Corps Emblem The United States Marine Corps (USMC) is the second smallest of the five branches of the United States armed forces, with 170,000 active and 40,000 reserve Marines as of 2002. ... Goober Pyle Goober Pyle was the fictional auto mechanic for the town of Mayberry in the 1960s American TV sitcom The Andy Griffith Show and its later spin-off series Mayberry RFD. He was played by George Lindsey. ... Frank Spencer Sutton (October 23, 1923 - June 28, 1974) was an American actor who is best remembered for his role as the loud, hard-nosed drill instructor Sergeant Vincent Carter on the CBS television series Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. Sutton was born in Clarksville, Tennessee in 1923. ...

Stand-up comedian and comic actor Ronnie Schell played Gomer's pal Private Duke Slater, who is later promoted to corporal. Other semi-regular characters were Sergeant Hacker, Bunny Wilson (Carter's girlfriend) and Lu Ann Poovie (Gomer's girlfriend). Some of the actors who played Gomer's fellow marines included Larry Hovis (Hogan's Heroes), Joe E. Tata (Beverly Hills, 90210), William Christopher (M*A*S*H), Ted Bessell (That Girl) and Jack Larson (Superman). Larry Hovis (February 20, 1936 - September 9, 2003) was an American actor best known for playing a prisoner of war on the television show Hogans Heroes. ... Hogans Heroes was an American television situation comedy that ran from September 17, 1965 to July 4, 1971 on the CBS network for 168 episodes. ... Joe E. Tata (born September 13, 1936) is an American television actor. ... Beverly Hills, 90210 is a primetime television soap opera that aired from October 4, 1990, to May 17, 2000, on FOX in the United States and subsequently on various networks around the world. ... William Christopher (born October 20, 1932 in Evanston, Illinois) is an American actor who is best known for playing Father Mulcahy on the television series M*A*S*H and Private Lester Hummel on Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. // After attending New Trier High School in Winnetka, Illinois, he... M*A*S*H is an American television series developed by Larry Gelbart, inspired by the 1968 Richard Hooker (penname for H. Richard Hornberger) novel M*A*S*H: A Novel About Three Army Doctors and its sequels, but primarily by the 1970 film MASH, and influenced by the 1961... Ted Bessell (March 20, 1935—October 6, 1996) was a U.S. television actor. ... That Girl was a television situation comedy that ran on ABC from 1966 to 1971. ... Jack Edward Larson (born February 8, 1928 in Los Angeles) is an American actor, librettist, screenwriter and producer. ... The cast of Adventures of Superman from 1953 to 1957. ...

To preserve ratings, CBS sought to sidestep the growing Vietnam War/conflict, and retain the lightheartedness of the series. Due to Gomer's humility, he never sought promotion beyond the rank of Private First Class. Gomer, therefore, mostly remained at his California base. While both Aunt Bee Taylor and Goober Pyle visited Gomer at his baracks, Gomer only returned to Mayberry once during the series run- but the Taylors and cousin Goober were away on a trip. Gomer was given the opportunity to sing in some episodes, as he had done in Mayberry, thus showcasing Nabors' rich baritone voice. The talent seemed at odds with the slow-witted, country boy persona. Producer Sheldon Leonard would later say, "Gomer and Crazy Googenheimer were America's favorite savants". Jim Nabors believes that Gomer was embraced because he was uncomplicated and innocent. Combatants Republic of Vietnam United States Republic of Korea Thailand Australia New Zealand The Philippines National Front for the Liberation of South Vietnam Democratic Republic of Vietnam People’s Republic of China Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea Strength US 1,000,000 South Korea 300,000 Australia 48,000... US Military In the U.S. Army, Private First Class is the third lowest enlisted rank, just above Private and below Corporal or Specialist. ...

After 37 years as a private, on August 9, 2001, Gomer Pyle was finally "promoted" to Lance Corporal with Commandant Gen. James L. Jones pinning the insignia on Jim Nabors at a ceremony at Camp Smith. [1] is the 221st day of the year (222nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2001 (MMI) was a common year starting on Monday (link displays the 2001 Gregorian calendar). ... Lance Corporal (LCpl or L/Cpl) is a military rank used by some elements of the British, Commonwealth, and U.S. armed forces. ... Commandant is a military or police title or rank and can mean any of the following: The commander of certain military corps and services, such as the Commandant of the Marine Corps and the Commandant of the Coast Guard in the United States or the Commandant of the (now obsolete... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Camp Smith is a United States Marine Corps installation on the Hawaiian island of Oahu. ...

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
• Lieutenant Colonel (LtCol) Edward Gray, played by Forrest Compton
• Private (later Corporal) Gilbert "Duke" Slater, played by Ronnie Schell
• Corporal (Cpl) Chuck Boyle, played by Roy Stuart
• Private (Pvt) Frankie Lombardi, played by Ted Bessell
• Private Lester Hummel, played by William Christopher
• Lou-Ann Poovie, played by Elizabeth MacRae
• Bunny Wilson, played by Barbara Stuart

US Military In the U.S. Army, Private First Class is the third lowest enlisted rank, just above Private and below Corporal or Specialist. ... This article needs additional references or sources for verification. ... Gunnery Sergeant insignia (U.S. Marine Corps) Gunnery Sergeant is the seventh enlisted rank in the U.S. Marine Corps, just above Staff Sergeant and below Master Sergeant and First Sergeant, and is a staff non-commissioned officer. ... Frank Spencer Sutton (October 23, 1923 - June 28, 1974) was an American actor who is best remembered for his role as the loud, hard-nosed drill instructor Sergeant Vincent Carter on the CBS television series Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. Sutton was born in Clarksville, Tennessee in 1923. ... United States Military Staff Sergeant insignia (U.S. Air Force) Staff Sergeant is the fifth enlisted rank in the U.S. Air Force, just above Senior Airman and below Technical Sergeant. ... Allan Melvin (born February 18, 1922) is an American actor with a long history of sitcom and voice-over work. ... Forrest Compton (born September 15, 1925 in Reading, Pennsylvania) is an American actor. ... A Private is a soldier of the lowest military rank (equivalent to Nato Rank Grades OR-1 to OR-3 depending on the force served in). ... Corporal is a rank in use in some form by most militaries, police forces or other uniformed organizations around the world. ... Ronnie Schell is a U.S. actor and stand-up comedian. ... Roy Stuart (July 17, 1935-December 25, 2005) was an American actor who had many guest starring roles on television. ... Ted Bessell (March 20, 1935—October 6, 1996) was a U.S. television actor. ... William Christopher (born October 20, 1932 in Evanston, Illinois) is an American actor who is best known for playing Father Mulcahy on the television series M*A*S*H and Private Lester Hummel on Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. // After attending New Trier High School in Winnetka, Illinois, he...

Notable guest stars

The program featured guest-starring roles and/or cameo appearances by:

• Little Feat guitarist Lowell George appeared in the episode "Lost, the Colonel's Daughter" (Season 3, Episode 26) with his group (in 1967) The Factory [2]

...and then I met Lowell George. ... Lowell George (born April 13, 1945 in Hollywood, CA - June 29, 1979) was an American musician, singer and guitarist, with the rock group Little Feat and as a solo artist. ...

DVD Releases

CBS/Paramount Home Entertainment has released the first two seasons of Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. on DVD in Region 1 for the very first time. Paramount Home Entertainment (formerly Paramount Home Video) is a home video company founded in 1981. ... DVD (Digital Versatile Disc or Digital Video Disc) is an optical disc storage media format that can be used for data storage, including movies with high video and sound quality. ... The following is an excerpt of the article entitled DVD. For the sake of convenience, the terms Region 0, Region 1, Region 2, Region 3, Region 4, Region 5, Region 6, Region 7 and Region 8 redirect to this page. ...

Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... is the 346th day of the year (347th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... Lucille Ball in still from a 1966 episode of The Lucy Show The Lucy Show was Lucille Balls follow up show to I Love Lucy. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... is the 177th day of the year (178th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is now the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ...

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.

Nielsen Ratings

Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. has stayed on the Top 10 of the Nielsen Ratings for each of its five seasons.

Trivia

• On The Simpsons, in the episode Brother, Can You Spare $50? 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" is a Biblical name, the name of a grandson of Noah [Genesis 10:2], as well as the name of the wife of Hosea [Hosea 1:3].

• 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 the Gomer Pyle U.S.M.C episode The Price of Tomatoes (Season 4, Episode 25 - Original Air Date: 1 March 1968). 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.

• An extract from the episode "Gomer Says 'Hey' to the President" (Season 4, Episode 7 - Original Air Date: 20 October 1967), including the catchphrase Surprise, Surprise, Surprise!, is used on the background/intro track on the Pink Floyd song "Nobody Home" from the concept album The Wall.

• "Gomer" was a derisive term used by American Naval fighter/attack pilots during the Vietnam War to describe an enemy attack aircraft or, specifically, its pilot.

• Jim Nabors guested in the role of Gomer Pyle at the end of an episode of "The Lucy Show", "Lucy Gets Caught Up in the Draft", aired on 14 November 1966 - Lucy Carmichael had been drafted into the Marines, proven to be unable to handle the training, and discharged with the help of Mr. Mooney; her sergeant told her, "After you, I couldn't get a bigger knucklehead", whereupon Gomer showed up, newly transferred from Sgt. Carter's unit.

Simpsons redirects here. ... Homer Jay Simpson (voiced by Dan Castellaneta) is a fictional character in the animated television series The Simpsons. ... “Kubrick” redirects here. ... Full Metal Jacket (1987) is a film produced and directed by Stanley Kubrick, based on the novel The Short-Timers by Gustav Hasford. ... // A nickname is a name of a person or thing other than its proper name. ... The X-Men are a group of comic book superheroes featured in Marvel Comics. ... Gomer (גֹּמֶר, Standard Hebrew Gómer, Tiberian Hebrew Gōmer) is the eldest son of Japheth, and father of Ashkenaz, Riphath, and Togarmah mentioned in the Book of Genesis of the Hebrew Bible. ... This Gutenberg Bible is displayed by the United States Library. ... Not to be confused with Andy Griffiths. ... Frances Bavier (December 14, 1902 – December 6, 1989) was an American character actress, best remembered for her role as Aunt Bee on The Andy Griffith Show in the 1960s. ... For other people named Ron Howard, see Ronald Howard. ... George Lindsey (born December 17, 1935) is an American character actor, born in Jasper, Alabama. ... A spin-off (or spinoff) is a new organization or entity formed by a split from a larger one such as a new company formed from a university research group. ... The Andy Griffith Show is an American television series that aired on CBS from October 3rd, 1960 to April 1st, 1968. ... Denver Dell Pyle (May 11, 1920 - December 25, 1997) was born in Bethune, Colorado. ... Allan Melvin (born February 18, 1922) is an American actor with a long history of sitcom and voice-over work. ... Air America Radio is a talk radio network and program syndication service in the United States. ... The Majority Report is a show on Air America Radio, hosted by Janeane Garofalo and Sam Seder. ... Janeane Garofalo (born September 28, 1964 in Newton, New Jersey), is an American stand-up comedian, actress, political activist, writer and former co-host on Air America Radios The Majority Report. ... Sam Seder (born November 28, 1966) is a comedian, writer, actor, film director, television producer-director, and Air America Radio host. ... Southern American English is a dialect of the English language spoken throughout the Southern region of the United States, from central Kentucky and northern Virginia to the Gulf Coast and from the Atlantic coast to eastern Texas. ... Pink Floyd are an English rock band that earned recognition for their psychedelic rock music, and, as they evolved, for their avant-garde progressive rock music. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... is the 318th day of the year (319th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1966 (MCMLXVI) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar) of the 1966 Gregorian calendar. ...

External links

• Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. at the Internet Movie Database
• Jim Nabors official site. Click on link at top for promotion information.
• Information about Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. from bygonetv