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Trivia / Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.

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  • The Cast Showoff:
    • Jim Nabors (Gomer Pyle) has a singing voice completely different from his character, which he showcases sometimes during the show.
    • Ronnie Schell (Duke Slater) had a couple of chances to showcase his stand-up comedy as well.
  • Creator Backlash: Rob Reiner considers his guest spot on this show (where he performed "Blowin' in the Wind" as a duet with Jim Nabors) to be the most embarrassing thing he has ever done.
  • Friday Night Death Slot: Completely averted. It ranked in the top 10 in the ratings its entire run. Ironically, its lowest rating was in Season 3 when it was moved from Friday to Wednesday, and ranked 10th. Seasons 2 and 4 ranked 3rd for their respective seasons, and Seasons 1 and 5 ranked 2nd for their respective seasons.
  • Irony as He is Cast: Sgt. Carter is portrayed as being completely inept at hand-to-hand combat. In real life, Frank Sutton was an Army veteran who had participated in several major battles in WWII and held a black belt in Judo.
  • Recycled Script: The plot of "To Save a Life" (where Gomer smothers Sgt. Carter with attention after he saves Gomer's life) is exactly the same as The Andy Griffith Show episode "Andy Saves Gomer" (with Andy Taylor substituted for Sgt. Carter).
  • What Could Have Been:
    • Originally, CBS rejected the show, claiming that the military theme would alienate the network's female viewers.note  However, when executive producer Danny Thomas threatened to take the show to NBC, which at that point, was riding high in the Ratings thanks to its number one rated program, Bonanza, CBS changed their minds.
    • Originally, when Jim Nabors announced he was leaving the show to star in his own musical/variety program, the producers considered continuing the show without him using the remaining regular cast. However, when Frank Sutton and Ronnie Schell announced that they were joining Nabors on his new show, the plans were dropped.

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