Gomer Pyle

For the TV show about Gomer Pyle, seeGomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.For the movie character, seeFull Metal Jacket.

Gomer Pyleis a fictional character played byJim Naborsand introduced in themiddle of the third seasonofThe Andy Griffith Show.

Gomer Pyle
The Andy Griffith Showcharacter
Jim Naborsas Gomer Pyle
First appearance	"The Bank Job" The Andy Griffith Show December 24, 1962(1962-12-24)
Last appearance	Return to Mayberry April 13, 1986(1986-04-13)
Portrayed by	Jim Nabors
In-universe information
Occupation	Auto mechanic,US marine
Relatives	Goober Pyle(cousin) Braden Pyle (cousin)

A naive and gentleauto mechanic,he became a recurring character with the January 1963 episode "Man in a Hurry".Nabors played Pyle for 23 episodes, from 1962 to 1964.

After two seasons onThe Andy Griffith Show,the character was spun off toGomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.in 1964, which ran until 1969.

Character

Gomer is a naïve, extremely moral auto mechanic turnedUnited States Marine Corpsprivate, fromMayberry,North Carolina.The only apparent employee at Wally's Filling Station, he initially lived there in a back room, and according to Andy, was "saving up for college" and wanted to be a doctor. Wide-eyed and slack-jawed, he usually wore a service-station uniform and a baseball cap with an upturned bill; ahandkerchiefdangled from his back pocket. He initially displayed scant knowledge ofautomotive mechanics;in "The Great Filling Station Robbery", for example, he thought acarburetorwas ahood ornament.In the same episode, he admitted all he knew how to do was fill cars with gas, oil, water, and air, but he learned over time. In other episodes, he was able to diagnose mechanical problems for the average layperson. In his first appearance, the episode "The Bank Job", Gomer is shown operating ablow torchto cut through abank's vault.In another episode, Gomer diagnoses a problem with a car belonging to an out-of-town visitor who is delayed by a mechanical breakdown. In "Barney's First Car", Andy calls Gomer to tow Barney's disabled car, implying that Gomer knows how to operate Wally'stow truck.In "Gomer the House Guest", Wally fires Gomer, causing Gomer to move in with Andy. Wally's former customers then bring their cars to Andy's house so Gomer can diagnose mechanical problems and repair them. Realizing the success of his business depends on Gomer, Wally rehires him.

Like his cousinGoober,Gomer providedcomic relief,awestruck by the simplest of things, resulting in the exclamation of his catchphrases, "Shazam!", "Golly", "Sur-prise, sur-prise, sur-prise!", and "shame, shame, shame!", as appropriate.

Gomer as a new recruit under Sergeant Carter's evaluation

Carter takes issue with Pyle.

Gomer was sometimes deputized by DeputyBarney Fife,when Sheriff Taylor was otherwise occupied. Though always compliant, Gomer's ineptitude usually made him more of a hindrance than a help in the line of duty. In the eyes of his friends, though, especiallySheriff Andy Taylor,his shortcomings were generally outweighed by his gentle, generous spirit.

In the last episode of the fourth season, Gomer tells Andy he has joined the Marines, because he realized he would eventually bedraftedinto military service.

Gomer's Mayberry roots were evident in thespin-offseriesGomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.,where his countrified, backward nature served as the mainstay for the show's humor, making him acomic foilto the hard-nosed drill instructor (later platoon sergeant) Gunnery Sergeant Vince Carter, played byFrank Sutton.Both series also included several episodes displaying Gomer's skill as abaritonesinger. This skill ultimately takes Gomer to Washington, DC, along with Sgt. Carter, in the 1967 episode "The Show Must Go On", in which Gomer, backed by theMarine Corps Band,performs for an audience that includes thePresident.In one episode, Gomer stated that his birthday was on February 26.

At first, Sergeant Carter was rankled andextremelyirritated by the slow-witted Pyle, and dreamed of ways to rid himself of the private's presence. Over the course of the series, however, Carter began to tolerate Pyle, and even grew to respect him. Pyle, though always unconventional, developed into a good Marine, yet never went an episode without causing some degree of irritation for Carter. In the 1967 episode "Gomer the Welsh Rarebit Fiend", Gomer's appetite forwelsh rarebitinduces sleepwalking, during which Gomer derides and berates Sgt. Carter in a reversal of roles. In the final episode, Gomer requests a transfer after realizing he is nothing but a source of constant anxiety for Carter. Carter, initially pleased with the request, later arranges for the transfer to be denied, and the episode ends with Carter insisting the two shake hands, not knowing Gomer's hand is covered inshellac.

Gomer’s dating life begins onThe Andy Griffith Showin the December, 1963 episode "A Date for Gomer", when he agrees to take Thelma Lou’s cousin, Mary Grace, to a town dance. As a Marine, Gomer's romantic interest is Lou Ann Poovie, a fellow North Carolinian who came to California for a singing career, although she proves to be tone deaf. Like Gomer, Lou Ann is innocent and naive, and is a willing participant in many of Gomer's misadventures.

BothThe Andy Griffith ShowandGomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.ended their runs by the late 1960s. WhileMayberry R.F.D.continued from 1968 to 1971, whereThe Andy Griffith Showleft off, the concept of returning Gomer to Mayberry was nixed, as the actor was given a CBSvariety showof his own (The Jim Nabors Hour,which lasted two seasons).Gomer eventually returned, along with most of the original cast ofThe Andy Griffith Show,to the 1986television movieReturn to Mayberry.Gomer and Goober Pyle run a gas station/car repair shop called G & G Garage, implying that Gomer's Marine career had, at some point, ended.

Jim Nabors briefly parodied his role inCannonball Run II,playing a character named Homer Lyle.

On an episode ofThe Lucy Show,"Lucy Gets Caught Up in the Draft", Nabors has a cameo role as Gomer Pyle.

When bothThe Carol Burnett ShowandGomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.were running on CBS first run, an annual crossover aired between the series – with a character played by Burnett appearing onGomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.,and Nabors appearing on Burnett's variety show on the first episode of every season.

The Andy Griffith Showappearances

The following is a list ofThe Andy Griffith Showepisodes featuring Gomer before his spinoff series:

Season 3

• Episode 13: "The Bank Job"
• Episode 16: "Man in a Hurry"
• Episode 17: "High Noon in Mayberry"
• Episode 22: "The Great Filling Station Robbery"
• Episode 27: "Barney's First Car"
• Episode 32: "The Big House"

Season 4

• Episode 2: "The Haunted House"
• Episode 4: "The Sermon for Today"
• Episode 6: "Gomer the House Guest"
• Episode 7: "A Black Day for Mayberry"
• Episode 9: "A Date for Gomer"
• Episode 11: "Citizen's Arrest"
• Episode 13: "Barney and the Cave Rescue"
• Episode 20: "The Song Festers" *
• Episode 22: "Andy's Vacation"
• Episode 23: "Andy Saves Gomer"
• Episode 24: "Bargain Day"
• Episode 26: "A Deal is a Deal"
• Episode 27: "Fun Girls"
• Episode 29: "The Rumor"
• Episode 30: "Barney and Thelma Lou, Phfftt"
• Episode 31: "Back to Nature"
• Episode 32: "Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C."

Cultural impact

The term "gomer" has entered the English lexicon, usually meaning "stupid person" or "fool," especially if a coworker or trainee. During the Vietnam War, it was used to refer to Vietnamese soldiers. The OED attributes the "stupid person" meaning to Gomer Pyle, though scholars note that "gomerel" meant "fool" in English dialects outside the United States long before Gomer Pyle appeared on television.

San Antoniohas a street named Gomer Pyle Drive.

Cultural references

• In the novelThe Short-TimersbyGustav Hasford,the character Leonard Pratt is derisively nicknamed "Gomer Pyle" by Gunnery Sergeant Gerheim.
• In the filmFull Metal JacketbyStanley Kubrick,the nickname "Gomer Pyle" is derisively given to Private Leonard Lawrence (played byVincent D'Onofrio) duringboot camp,due toGunnery SergeantHartman (played byR. Lee Ermey) objecting to his real name.
• "Gomer Pyle" has becomeU.S.M.C.slang for a recruit who continually messes up or needs extra training.
• In the 1992 filmWhite Men Can't Jump,Billy Hoyle (played byWoody Harrelson) refers to a rivalbasketballplayer as "Gomer Pyle" after being called "Opie Taylor".
• In the cartoon TV seriesFuturamaepisode "Roswell That Ends Well",Frymeets someone he believes to be his grandfather whose character is based on Gomer Pyle.
• In the filmEvan Almighty,Evan Baxter references Gomer Pyle when he buys the eight lots next to his house in Washington, DC, and tries to explain it to his wife by doing the voice and saying, "Surprise, surprise, surprise!".
• In the 2007 horror filmThe Hills Have Eyes 2,the character David Napoli, part of a trainee squad, is referred to as "Gomer Pyle" by his superior.
• OnPink Floyd'sThe Wallalbum (1979), on track 16 titled "Nobody Home", a television can be heard in the background. At just over the 3:00 mark, the voice of Gomer Pyle can be heard saying "Surprise, surprise, surprise!".
• In the filmForrest Gump(1994), a television can be heard in the background whenTom Hanks(as the title character) is practicing table tennis after he had been injured in theVietnam War,and Gomer Pyle can be heard to say "Surprise, surprise, surprise!".
• In the cartoon TV seriesThe Simpsonsepisode "Monty Can't Buy Me Love",power-plant ownerMr. Burnsrefers to Gomer Pyle's "heavenly" singing voice as the "Eighth Wonder of the World". In another episode, "Mad About the Toy",Grampa Simpsonsays, "Sorry, my friend, this Army man is as straight as Gomer Pyle".
• In the cartoon TV seriesPinky and the Brainepisode "Plan Brain from Outer Space", the mice encounter Gomer Pyle manning the gate atArea 51.
• In the filmGood Morning Vietnam,Robin Williams plays a disc jockey (DJ) in Saigon during the Vietnam War and apparently receives a call-in on his radio show by an individual sounding like Gomer Pyle. Williams responds by naming the caller as Gomer (no last name) and asking him what he is doing in 'Nam, to which the caller responds with Gomer Pyle's catchphrase, "Well, surprise, surprise, surprise!". All voices are, of course, by Robin Williams as DJ Adrian Cronauer