Gomer Pyle
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. Nabors continued the character in his own starring vehicle,
Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. from 1964-69.
Gomer Pyle was a good-natured, bucolic simpleton, characterized by his childlike naivety and his exaggerated
hick accent. He originally lived in the fictional town of
Mayberry and worked at Wally's Filling Station (which also served as the town's service station) where he took up residence in the back room. Wide-eyed and slack jawed, Gomer provided much of the comic relief during his two-year stint on
The Andy Griffith Show. He was often awestruck by the simplest of things, resulting in the exclamation of his catchphrase, "
Shazam!" He was also known to regularly spout other memorable expressions, such as "Gol-ly", and "Surprise, surprise, surprise!".
Originally employed as little more than an attendant, Gomer knew very little about the workings of cars (in "The Great Filling Station Robbery", he thought a
carburetor was a decoration). He later became quite a skilled mechanic with a full knowledge of automobiles, perhaps due to training from his boss, Wally, or his cousin
Goober (who also worked at the filling station). Gomer was usually seen sporting a ball cap with an upturned bill and his service station uniform with an ever-present handkerchief dangling from his back pocket.
Gomer was often deputized by Deputy
Barney Fife when additional assistance was needed to keep law and order in Mayberry. Though always complacent, his ineptitude usually made Gomer more of a hindrance than a help in the line of duty. However, his shortcomings were generally outweighed by his sweet temperament in the eyes of his friends, especially
Sheriff Andy Taylor.
Gomer eventually left Mayberry to join the
United States Marine Corps, as seen on the
spin-off series,
Gomer Pyle U.S.M.C., where his innocence and ineptitude served as the backbone for the show's humor, and made Gomer
comic foil to the hard-nosed drill instructor, Sgt. Carter.
Gomer Pyle appeared on
The Andy Griffith Show from 1962 to 1964 and on
Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. from 1964 to 1969.
Also, the persistent conflict between Gomer Pyle and his superior officers on the show was
Stanley Kubrick's inspiration for creating the character of Private Pyle in his film
Full Metal Jacket. In his interpretation of the character, Kubrick delves into what he felt would be the more realistic and darker ramifications of his constant berating and ridiculing by his officers, eventually leading to his mental collapse, satisfying the film's darker overtone.
