Okay, I guess I'm just in a crazy cynical mood, but I've been watching a bunch of GOMER PYLE episodes on DVD and that somobix was downright stupid most of the time.
And the thing he had for Sgt. Carter? I mean carrying around a little Black & White 3 x 5 of his beloved Sarge that he could pull out and smile at whenever he got the urge.
Please share your thoughts on GOMER PYLE and some of the episodes you liked or that just made you want to cringe. There were many. I always enjoyed THE ANDY GRIFFITH SHOW and it's style and feeling, but GOMER just got to be a little too unbelievable at times.
Just watched GOMER AND THE BEAST about the waitress who had the abusive SGT. boyfriend played by Michael Conrad. Some of these episodes were just too much. This guy treated her like shit and should have gotten his ass kicked by the whole platoon, but it was just laughed off and she was back with this asshole by the end of the episode, after going to see a "HERCULES" movie with Gomer.
Always love the one where Gomer became friends with that old lady who's apartment was decorated by a "sissy" as she put it. I think the DVD releases edited that part out when the whole world got over the top PC and even more stupid than Gomer.
Remember the one where Duke and Carter wanted to jump on Lou Ann Poovie and Gomer wasn't even intersted and she went for him?
Please share your thoughts. The more cynical and honest the better. I know it was just a show, but weren't they kind of insulting the audiences at times?
Perhaps since I'm off for the summer from Elementary School, where I work, I might have too much time on my hands? Last year I did my dreadful "Liner Notes" readings. Sorry about those.
I can almost really understand why Frank Sutton who played SGT. Carter with such fervor, died so young at age 50 of a heart attack. He totally got into the part, but at times I thought he was going to have a brain aneurysm right on camera. Dang.
A favorite line was when Gomer, Duke and Frankie (The guy from THAT GIRL) were trying to figure out what to on their Saturday night out in town. Duke suggest they go dancing at the Tall Girls Club and Frankie says "Last time I went to a dance there I got a stiff neck!" HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA.
Sgt. Carter gets rid of Gomer for a week by giving him a Free Furlough. Gomer who can't live without being close to the Sarge gets a Civilian Job on the base as a bartender to be able to serve Carter beers and spill them on him, further infuriating the poor bastard.
Could this episode these days be considered "Stalking"?
Always love the one where Gomer became friends with that old lady who's apartment was decorated by a "sissy" as she put it. I think the DVD releases edited that part out when the whole world got over the top PC and even more stupid than Gomer.
Please share your thoughts. The more cynical and honest the better. I know it was just a show, but weren't they kind of insulting the audiences at times?
If you think the show insults the audience, seems ironic that you complain if it was censored for insulting the audience - assuming it actually was edited. Being "PC" is suppose to be about bringing awareness, not censorship, and it's unfortunate that point is now obscured. At most you'd hope the company would only add a disclaimer at the start like "this video might contain negative stereotypes, etc." Didnt Archie use the "n-word" in "All of the Family"? If they censored that on home video it would defeat the whole purpose of his character.
Back to Gomer and "why was he an idiot," I know he came from the Andy Griffith Show, but his military spinoff probably evolved from "No Time for Sergeants" which ironically starred Andy Griffith as the idiot. I rarely watched GOMER since it seemed so predictable with this Forrest Gump character always pissing off Sgt. Carter. From your reviews, doesnt sound like I missed anything. It was refreshing to see Sutton in other movies and shows - he's great in a Twilight Zone episode.
Man... another show that would never be made today.
Re. All In The Family; I don't recall Archie ever dropping the N-bomb. I think it was Sammy Davis Jr. that said it, which made it okay I guess.
Just google it, he did use the n-word. And it's just a word, not a bomb.
Thank you Captain Obvious. I know full well it's just a word. Come on, man, you're gonna bust my b*lls just for using a common contextual colloquialism like the "bomb" suffix?
And if everyone Googles silly random things before posting on a discussion board, then discussions would be pretty damn boring--not to mention completely superfluous.
Well, I already suggested Archie used the n-word, and I googled afterwards to find out. Adding that you didnt recall didnt advance the conversation. Did you mean Sammy's appearance on All In The Family?
I wasn't addressing your balls in particular (don't visualize that) regarding the "n-word," so I apologize if it comes across that way. The short explanation is it's one of those phrases I wish would go away. The long winded explanation is I just don't like how today's society has exaggerated the power of a word - from "using the n or f-word" to "dropping the n or f-bomb." Makes it that much more difficult to explain where, when and why certain words are good or bad to kids. Reminds me of Washington politicians referring to the filibuster as "the Nuclear Option" and disagreements within a party as a "civil war." The effect makes them seem larger than life, which is the last thing we need. And if you're camping in the desert and turn on the radio, you're liable to not return.
Well, I already suggested Archie used the n-word, and I googled afterwards to find out. Adding that you didnt recall didnt advance the conversation. Did you mean Sammy's appearance on All In The Family?
Yep. That's what I meant--Sammy coming to the Bunker house. To retrieve a briefcase, I think? Great episode, I recall.
I wasn't addressing your balls in particular (don't visualize that) regarding the "n-word," so I apologize if it comes across that way. The short explanation is it's one of those phrases I wish would go away. The long winded explanation is I just don't like how today's society has exaggerated the power of a word - from "using the n or f-word" to "dropping the n or f-bomb." Makes it that much more difficult to explain where, when and why certain words are good or bad to kids. Reminds me of Washington politicians referring to the filibuster as "the Nuclear Option" and disagreements within a party as a "civil war." The effect makes them seem larger than life, which is the last thing we need. And if you're camping in the desert and turn on the radio, you're liable to not return.
I totally agree with the idea you are trying to get across. I don't like having to censor myself just because a segment of the population decides that some words have more power than other words. But, I figured that as long as I was trying to show some sensitivity about the n-word, then I may as well extend it to using it in the style of the current vernacular. Really, it doesn't make much difference to me whether someone says "n-word" as opposed to "n-bomb". Either one is self-explanatory enough for regular use but, at the same time, both seem a little philosophically cowardly (to me). But hey, I guess it's all a part of diplomacy.
As a southerner, I can recall watching the show during its first when I was a kid and how Gomer was so like many folks I knew. None were as idiotic but lots of folks shared many of his attributes. I’ve always felt that was part of the appeal of the show and its characters. Don’t most folks have some Barney Fifes, Gomer Pyles and Andy Griffiths in their lives? When we watch(ed) Andy Griffith, I think we typically viewed it from Andy’s everyman perspective at him trying to cope with annoying people in his life. As far as Gomer Pyle USMC, I'm not too sure, maybe we share(d) Carter's perspective. I watched the show regularly when I was a kid, partly because it did have its moments and partly because there wasn’t much choice when you only had three TV channels from which to pick back then. The same folks created The Andy Griffith Show, which was a huge hit and Gomer Pyle USMC was, I guess, a natural choice for a spinoff. I think also it was a show of its day and time. Fifty years from now folks will likely view The Big Bang Theory quite differently than they do now. Don’t most folks have a Sheldon Cooper in their lives? His obsessive, narcissistic personality can be grating, but he does have redeeming qualities. When I watched Gomer, I think I subconsciously wished that Sgt. Carter would finally crack and grab Gomer by the throat and squeeze his head off. Perhaps we can project our scorn for real Gomer-like people onto their on-screen characters.
As for the episodes, I can’t really think of any one favorite, but this video at 26:36 – 26:42 always made me laugh, with Sgt. Carter at his best.
One thing you'd never hear in "Gomer Pyle - U.S.M.C.": Sgt. Carter threatening to ship Pyle to Vietnam (though he mentioned he would ship him to the Aleutians if one more goof up occurred - which happened when Goober arrived on the scene).
One thing you'd never hear in "Gomer Pyle - U.S.M.C.": Sgt. Carter threatening to ship Pyle to Vietnam (though he mentioned he would ship him to the Aleutians if one more goof up occurred - which happened when Goober arrived on the scene).
It's also useful to remember that during its run, GPUSMC was one of several "Southern" sitcoms. Following the success formula of The Real McCoys and Andy Griffith were shows such as The Beverly Hillbillies, Green Acres, Petticoat Junction, Mayberry RFD etc. There must have been some appeal to those lovable, laughable Southerners. I say formula in the sense that most of these shows had a rational, common sensical everyman (everyperson?) main character around whom the shows revolved and from whose perspective we viewed. My personal favorite when I was a child was The Beverly Hillbillies. Jethro Bodine may have been more of an idiot than Gomer. I loved how he always struggled with deciding how to best utilize his sixth-grade education to become a double-naught spy, sophisticated international playboy, brain surgeon or a garbage man, whichever would fulfill his ultimate aim of getting the pretty girls. This was winking self-mockery with which we Southerners could identify. And in my experience I knew far more real-life Jethros than Gomers.
And in my experience I knew far more real-life Jethros than Gomers.
Another show I rarely watched, although Jethro seemed more big naive kid than total idiot. I remember a hilarious shot after he buys an airline - he replaced all the passenger seats with wood benches and rope for seat belts. A non-comedic reason to watch was, of course, Elly Mae. Someone said there's a scene of police arresting Granny after she says she's "smoking crawdads" which they think means pot.
