# Well Gollllllly! Gomer Pyle done married him a feller! **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 30, 2013, 5:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/well-gollllllly-gomer-pyle-done-married-him-a-feller/648783 "2013-01-30T05:20:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Rodgers01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b19c9b/32.png) [@Rodgers01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rodgers01)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2013, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/well-gollllllly-gomer-pyle-done-married-him-a-feller/648783/21 "2013-01-30T14:38:23Z")
> [@Sampiro](#): > > I wonder out of curiosity: do people under- maybe… 35- even know who Gomer Pyle was? And if so have they just seen the character on _The Andy Griffith Show_ or is the show still around in syndication? I don’t remember the last time I saw an episode. (It was never a favorite- even by '60s family-show standards it was cheesy and unrealistic with some of the cheapest sets and most hack writing ever, but it was a success and ran everyday in syndication when I was a kid.) 32-year old here…I knew the name and had picked up that “shazam” was his catchphrase, but don’t remember ever seeing his show. And I’m generally pretty good on classic TV, having been largely raised on Nick at Nite reruns… ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2013, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/well-gollllllly-gomer-pyle-done-married-him-a-feller/648783/22 "2013-01-30T14:49:23Z")
Overheard by the honeymoon suite: “Thank you thank you thank you!” It’s too bad he couldn’t have come out years ago, during the show’s run. ---
**Author:** ![SciFiSam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@SciFiSam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SciFiSam)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2013, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/well-gollllllly-gomer-pyle-done-married-him-a-feller/648783/23 "2013-01-30T15:07:34Z")
> [@Sampiro](#): > > Some facebook friends have a slight :rolleyes: attitude toward his comments about not being an activist and having no intention of becoming one. I understand to a degree- it even irks me that he has no problem taking full advantage of the progress made by activists- but I also understand “a different generation” and all that. And I know what it was like being a gay kid in the Bama boondocks in the '80s, I can’t even imagine what it would have been like in the WW2 era. I’m in my 40s and there’s outcry over gay marriage becoming legalized; when he was in his 40s there was outcry over it being removed from the list of mental illnesses. > > And, there’s the fact that this kind of low-key marriage and interview _IS_ activism. His surprise surprise surprise announcement will shock a lot of people who just thought he was a little sissy, and the fact he did give a short interview in which he outright says that he isn’t the least bit ashamed or apologetic for who he is and has known he was gay since he was a little boy must score some points, along with the fact that his life has been one of the most scandal free of anybody who ever starred in a hit TV show (no drugs, no sex scandals, no money scandals, no DUIs, etc.) and he is a devout Christian and football fan no less adds points to that. I doubt it will change any minds, but it’s got to be a bit of a bone in their throat. And even the Chik-Fil-Aters would have a hard time arguing that an octogenarian who’s had a liver transplant, open heart surgery, and other major medical probably is just legitimizing his lust- this is obviously about wanting to legally become a family with the man he loves. > > I wonder out of curiosity: do people under- maybe… 35- even know who Gomer Pyle was? And if so have they just seen the character on _The Andy Griffith Show_ or is the show still around in syndication? I don’t remember the last time I saw an episode. (It was never a favorite- even by '60s family-show standards it was cheesy and unrealistic with some of the cheapest sets and most hack writing ever, but it was a success and ran everyday in syndication when I was a kid.) It’s also a bit much to expect an ill 82-year-old to get involved in activism. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2013, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/well-gollllllly-gomer-pyle-done-married-him-a-feller/648783/24 "2013-01-30T15:15:59Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > You’re telling me. I haven’t been this embarassed since I [shelled out all that cash for his brother’s skull.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ISFKfQFofj0) Cousin, isn’t it? ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2013, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/well-gollllllly-gomer-pyle-done-married-him-a-feller/648783/25 "2013-01-30T15:16:44Z")
> [@BobLibDem](#): > > Overheard by the honeymoon suite: “Thank you thank you thank you!” > > It’s too bad he couldn’t have come out years ago, during the show’s run. It would have ended the run very quickly and destroyed any post show career. Even Paul Lynde remained closeted in those days. [Here’s an article from 1994](http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20107924,00.html) about Nabors’ near death from hepatitis and his liver transplant. It mentions his sisters, Carol Burnett, Florence Henderson, Dom Deluise, Phyllis Diller, and his fans among others as well as his vacation home in Montana and his property in LA and Honolulu, but never mentions the person he’d then been half a couple with for 20 years. In 19 years he’s gone from completely invisible to legally married. While I unders Nabors not becoming an activist or a debater, I do hope he acknowledges the debt he owes to them. I think at very least he owes them some free macadamia nuts. (He’s one of the nation’s biggest macadamia nut planters, though he’s not that hands on anymore- his partner’s been handling his nuts since the '70s.) ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2013, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/well-gollllllly-gomer-pyle-done-married-him-a-feller/648783/26 "2013-01-30T15:17:40Z")
> [@SciFiSam](#): > > It’s also a bit much to expect an ill 82-year-old to get involved in activism. I think the FFs were more about the fact that he wasn’t always ill and he wasn’t always 82 years old. They’re still idjits, but I can at least see where they are coming from. ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2013, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/well-gollllllly-gomer-pyle-done-married-him-a-feller/648783/27 "2013-01-30T15:41:37Z")
> [@Sampiro](#): > > It would have ended the run very quickly and destroyed any post show career. Even Paul Lynde remained closeted in those days. Very true. I just wish that he could have been free to be himself earlier in his life, what a shame that one has to wait in his eighties to be open about one’s lifestyle. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2013, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/well-gollllllly-gomer-pyle-done-married-him-a-feller/648783/28 "2013-01-30T16:06:31Z")
Actually, he just looks up to him as a father figure … like he did with Sgt. Carter. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![bup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6bbea6/32.png) [@bup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bup)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2013, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/well-gollllllly-gomer-pyle-done-married-him-a-feller/648783/29 "2013-01-30T16:13:17Z")
That’s fantastic. I hadn’t heard. Too bad ol’ Andj wasn’t around to see it. Betty Lynn (Thelma Lou) and Elinor Donahue (Miss Ellie) are still around besides ol’ Gome. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2013, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/well-gollllllly-gomer-pyle-done-married-him-a-feller/648783/30 "2013-01-30T16:19:10Z")
> [@](#): > > There are many great advantages to this match that may explain just why marriage is so important to gays: While the advantages the OP lists are certainly significant, I would say that even more significant is the fact that two people are able to present themselves in the relationship of their choice, and have a measure of public acceptance of it. Ultimately, what Mr. and Mr. Nabors think of their relationship is more important than what any of the rest of us do. ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tim_r.mortiss/32/142_2.png) [@Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_R.Mortiss)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2013, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/well-gollllllly-gomer-pyle-done-married-him-a-feller/648783/31 "2013-01-30T16:22:13Z")
They’re just being biblical. Love thy Nabor! ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2013, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/well-gollllllly-gomer-pyle-done-married-him-a-feller/648783/32 "2013-01-30T16:35:15Z")
> [@bup](#): > > That’s fantastic. I hadn’t heard. Too bad ol’ Andj wasn’t around to see it. > > Betty Lynn (Thelma Lou) and Elinor Donahue (Miss Ellie) are still around besides ol’ Gome. And from the Gomer Pyle USMC show, LouAnn Poovie (Elizabeth MacRae) still lives as does Duke Slater (Ronnie Schell) ---
**Author:** ![The\_Second\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbe5ce/32.png) [@The\_Second\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Second_Stone)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2013, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/well-gollllllly-gomer-pyle-done-married-him-a-feller/648783/33 "2013-01-30T16:41:08Z")
Activism isn’t the same for everyone. As a kid back in the 70s I knew Jim Nabors was gay and so did everyone else. (Knew about Paul Lynde too). They were dignified people completely without scandal who didn’t pretend to be straight like Rock Hudson (whom we also all knew about). Nabors wasn’t Harvey Milk in what he did, but he was someone everyone knew was genuine and could respect. ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2013, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/well-gollllllly-gomer-pyle-done-married-him-a-feller/648783/34 "2013-01-30T16:47:24Z")
I have nothing to advance the thread, but thought I’d throw in this “Gomer Pyle” tidbit: In the episode [Marry Me, Marry Me](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0590006/combined), Gomer is standing outside a movie theater, and the movie being shown is “Ken Conquers the World.” It’s actually a poster for the movie ["Frankenstein Conquers the World (1965)](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=2966370&postcount=80) with some of the letters whited out. ---
**Author:** ![DMark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@DMark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DMark)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2013, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/well-gollllllly-gomer-pyle-done-married-him-a-feller/648783/35 "2013-01-30T16:49:57Z")
I am old enough to remember there was the scandalous rumor of Jim Nabors and Rock Hudson getting married! I think this was in the 70’s - long before anyone even mentioned the idea of Gay Marriage, let alone take it seriously. There were tons of jokes about it and, if I remember correctly, there was even a public denial of this and it was an embarrassment to both Jim Nabors and Rock Hudson. Whodathunk that 40 odd years later, Jim would finally get to legalize (for the most part, and still just in that state) his loving commitment to his long-term partner. My SO and I will be together 32 years at the end of February and are hoping the Supreme Court might just make a fully legal marriage something we can hope for. So, do you think Opie was the ring bearer? ---
**Author:** ![Gagundathar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a183cd/32.png) [@Gagundathar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gagundathar)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2013, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/well-gollllllly-gomer-pyle-done-married-him-a-feller/648783/36 "2013-01-30T16:53:12Z")
Congratulations to the couple! Just as an aside, I was quite surprised when I heard his singing voice. It certainly was different than his Gomer persona’s voice. ---
**Author:** ![Folacin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/folacin/32/3195_2.png) [@Folacin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Folacin)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2013, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/well-gollllllly-gomer-pyle-done-married-him-a-feller/648783/37 "2013-01-30T17:45:42Z")
> [@Sampiro](#): > > I wonder out of curiosity: do people under- maybe… 35- even know who Gomer Pyle was? And if so have they just seen the character on _The Andy Griffith Show_ or is the show still around in syndication? I don’t remember the last time I saw an episode. (It was never a favorite- even by '60s family-show standards it was cheesy and unrealistic with some of the cheapest sets and most hack writing ever, but it was a success and ran everyday in syndication when I was a kid.) I’m very much not under 35 (54), but I was probably in my 30’s when I found out that _Gomer Pyle, USMC_ was a spinoff from Andy Griffith, and that Goober was his cousin. I only remember Andy from reruns, and I don’t remember seeing any with Gomer in them. I remember enjoying Gomer’s show, though, so his backstory wasn’t necessary for that. ---
**Author:** ![joyfool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/df788c/32.png) [@joyfool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/joyfool)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2013, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/well-gollllllly-gomer-pyle-done-married-him-a-feller/648783/38 "2013-01-30T17:50:35Z")
I have to say that Chik-fil-Aters may be the best term I’ve ever heard. Bwahahahahaha! ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2013, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/well-gollllllly-gomer-pyle-done-married-him-a-feller/648783/39 "2013-01-30T18:12:43Z")
> [@Tim\_R.Mortiss](#): > > They’re just being biblical. Love thy Nabor! Trivia: his father was actually born Neighbors, but somehow in his lifetime (he was born in 1900) it was changed to Nabors. No idea why. (Known because a friend of mine has the maiden name of Neighbors and her grandfather was a first cousin of Jim’s dad [though she doesn’t know him], and verified through [ancestry.com](http://ancestry.com).) Maybe they were tired of people coveting their asses. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2013, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/well-gollllllly-gomer-pyle-done-married-him-a-feller/648783/40 "2013-01-30T18:34:03Z")
Speaking as an almost 28-year-old, of course we know who Gomer Pyle was. The Andy Griffith show aired in reruns throughout our childhood. Maybe a generation lower doesn’t, but Gomer Pyle is just such a hick-sounding name that there’s no way I wouldn’t associate it with that show. I have to admit, when I learned he was gay a while back, it did surprise me, specifically because I don’t think he ever came off as effeminate, despite everyone claiming that’s how they knew he was gay. Did he get more effeminate in the spin-off show? He was nowhere near like Paul Linde, whose gayness I think you must’ve been either ignorant of homosexuality or willfully blind not to see. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/well-gollllllly-gomer-pyle-done-married-him-a-feller/648783.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/well-gollllllly-gomer-pyle-done-married-him-a-feller/648783.md?page=3)