Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. Season 3 DVD Review
Posted by Ryan Byers on 01.12.2008
The show which proved that all you needed for military success is some down-home charm and a few folksy sayings.
Spinning off of The Andy Griffith Show in 1964, Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. featured the former series' dim-witted filling station attendant Gomer Pyle (Jim Nabors) joining the Marine Corps and regularly clashing with his drill sergeant, Vince Carter (Frank Sutton). In large part due to the chemistry between Sutton and Nabors, the series was a ratings success for its entire five-season run, consistently ranking in the top ten most popular shows on network television. Despite incredible fan support in its initial run, the show has all but disappeared from syndication in 2008, which should make fans of the series appreciate CBS' recent DVD releases all the more. Season three of the series was released in mid-December of 2007, and here is a blow-by-blow of the episodes included on the set so that you can determine for yourself whether the set is worth picking up.
Lies, Lies, Lies: Gomer uses a day of leave to go on a tour of Hollywood movie stars' homes, and, when he gets abandoned by his tour bus, he meets one of his favorite actresses. (Who I believe is fictional . . . she didn't have an IMDB profile, anyway.) He quickly befriends her, and she invites him and his Marine buddies to a big cookout at her mansion. Of course, a series of comical misunderstandings begins when the actress isn't home upon the Marines' arrival. The two parties continue to miss each other for a while until things are resolved at the end of the episode, at which point Sergeant Carter falls in to a pool. This was so prototypical of a 1960's sitcom that it bordered on self-parody.
Crazy Legs Gomer: Carter and his rival Sergeant Hacker (best known to members of my generation as Sam the Butcher of Brady Bunch Fame) are pitting their men against each other in a series of competitions with the losing sergeant buying dinner for the winner. Carter has yet to win anything, but, when he realizes that Gomer can run an incredibly fast mile, he thinks that he may have a victory in hand. Things get pretty convoluted at this point, though, as first Hacker realizes that Pyle should be winning and tries to undermine him. Carter then learns of Hacker's plot and decides that he'll make numerous side bets with others in which he picks Pyle to lose. With the show's dynamic being what it is, Gomer obviously wins and thus inadvertently fans the fires of the Sergeant's hatred for him.
Gomer, The Carrier: Carter comes down with German measles and is rather happy about it, as being quarantined keeps him away from Gomer for a little while. Well, the Sergeant must have been a career criminal in a past life, because karma comes back to bite him rather hardly. Pyle's visit to Carter in sick bay results in the disease being transmitted to the rest of the platoon, so now everybody except for Carter and Pyle are on lockdown. Nothing all that bad seems to happen as a result, though. I guess this episode goes to show just how big of a malcontent the Carter character is.
Caution: Low Overhead: A con artist is hanging around the base and selling counterfeit merchandise to the Marines. Gomer, to nobody's surprise, is one of his early victims. What is surprising is that Carter gets duped as well, purchasing his girlfriend a fur that falls apart in spectacular fashion while they're out on a date. Gomer is on this date with them for some reason. What a lousy relationship those two have.
Show Me the Way to Go Home: This is one of the more bizarre episodes of the season. While off the base one evening, Gomer runs across a drunk gentleman and gives him a ride back to his house. The man's wife berates Pyle, accusing him of being the individual who got her husband schnockered despite the fact that no such thing happened. The odd part of the story is that Gomer runs in to this man several more times, with virtually the same result in every instance. The character of the drunkard's wife ruined the episode for me, because somebody being that vehement in her unfounded belief and failing to listen to any rational argument against it struck me as unrealistic.
How to Succeed in Farming Without Really Trying: Because he's able to get all of his work done so quickly, Gomer has received permission to tend to a garden on the base. For reasons that are never clearly articulated, Carter hates this garden. He decides that it must go, so he places a watermelon spiked with vodka in Gomer's patch. The idea is that once Gomer (who has never been drunk) eats the melon and gets sick, he'll think that he's a lousy gardener and give up the hobby. Things don't work out as planned, as Gomer gives the booze-soaked fruit to the colonel who is above Carter. Attempting to avoid tragedy, Carter hunts for the melon high and low but fails to retrieve it before it is consumed by the colonel's wife and a group of her friends. Fortunately everything works out, as the secret ingredient in the melon makes the woman's party in to her most successful ever. This episode also featured some elements that were painfully unrealistic (even for a slapstick sitcom), as Carter repeatedly had great difficulty distinguishing Pyle's watermelon from others despite the fact that he had previously removed a chunk of it to insert the vodka.
Gomer and the Little Men from Outer Space: Gomer sees some actors attempting to shoot a film about Martians invading Earth, and he mistakes them for legitimate space aliens. He attempts to convince Sergeant Carter that little green men are invading, but every time Carter visits the supposed landing site, the actors have cleared themselves out. This was virtually the same episode as "Lies, Lies, Lies" with aliens replacing a movie star.
The Borrowed Car: Sarge is headed out of town, and he leaves his car on the base. Unfortunately, he also left behind some items that he promised Bunny (his girlfriend) that he would donate to a charity bazar before he left. Gomer finds out about this and uses a spare key to the vehicle to deliver the goods. Unfortunately, the brakes fail during his trip, and the car is badly damaged in the ensuing wreck. Meanwhile, Carter returns after realizing that he forgot to make his delivery. When he finds the car missing, he reports it stolen. This results in both Gomer and Bunny being arrested and questioned by the police, though ultimately things are cleared up. Pyle doesn't even get in to that much trouble, as Bunny, the one character on the show who can out-bully even Carter, gets Sarge to go easy on him.
Gomer Pyle, Super Chef: Carter and Hacker are gambling again, with this bet being precipitated by Hacker's claim that he can make a worthwhile Marine out of even the most incompetent man. Thus, he's stuck with the task of training Gomer to work in the mess hall, with his efforts being considered a success if Pyle can prepare a full meal by the end of the week. In typical Gomer fashion, the well-meaning private repeatedly fouls up the day to day workings of the kitchen but ultimately pulls through when he throws the usual menu out the window and cooks some down home, Mayberry-style vittles for high ranking officers.
Marry Me, Marry Me: This is an episode which is criticized for lifting its plot heavily from an episode of The Andy Griffith Show, which is something that Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. would be accused of doing a few times throughout its run. The storyline sees Gomer meet a girl at the movies, and she quickly tricks him in to proposing to her. She's a con artist, though, only out for the stipend that military wives receive. When Sergeant Carter tries to prove this point to Gomer, he too winds up engaged to the woman, who is no longer interested in the Private because she stands to earn more money from a marriage to an officer. When Carter tries to pull out of the arrangement, she threatens him with a lawsuit for breach of promise to marry. Ultimately, Pyle and Carter realize that, if she has a case against the Sergeant, Gomer would also have a case against her. They use this as leverage to make the problem disappear.
Cold Nose, Warm Heart: Carter buys Bunny a puppy, but he soon regrets the decision when the dog receives far more attention than he does. He regrets the decision even more when the dog brings even more Gomer Pyle in to his life, first because the Private lands a gig dog sitting and then again because he continually thwarts Carter's efforts to get rid of the canine. If I were Bunny, at this point I would start questioning why no major event can occur in my boyfriend's life without the involvement of a hick from North Carolina.
Follow That Car: Gomer and other Marines are assisting local police by running roadblocks intended to catch smugglers that have been operating in the area. When ordered to close up shop, Gomer misses his bus back to the base and hitches a ride. Unfortunately, he leaves an expensive military radio in the vehicle, so he and Carter must spend the rest of the episode tracking it down. Of course, the individuals with whom Gomer left the equipment wind up being the smugglers, who promptly kidnap our heroes and tie them up in a hotel room after stripping them of their uniforms. Ultimately Pyle and Carter both escape AND get the smugglers in to the hands of the authorities . . . though at the end of the day they still forget to reclaim that darn radio.
It Takes Two to Tangle: It's trouble in paradise, as Gomer sees Bunny out with another man, not once but twice. In fact, it even looks like she's received a ring from the fellow. Pyle informs Carter of these events, and, after he sees the two together for himself, the Sarge puts in to action a plan to create a little bit of jealousy. He goes out with another woman and makes sure that Bunny will see them, at which point she runs out of the building crying. Ultimately, it is revealed that the man Bunny was meeting with is a jeweler who was helping her purchase a ring for the Sergeant's birthday. Raise your hand if you saw that one coming.
Wither the Weather: The base is being prepared for a visit from a special guest, which means that buildings need to be repainted and various decorations need to be strewn about. Carter's unit repeatedly falls behind in their work, though, as the Sergeant listens to official weather forecasts over the word of Gomer, who has a corn on his foot that allows him to predict whether there will be any precipitation. When Carter finally does listen to Pyle's forecast and suggests that the guest's reception be held outside, he fails to account for the fact that Gomer's corn has been removed. Naturally, this results in everybody being rained on.
Love's Old, Sweet Song: Carter and Gomer's Marine buddy Duke wind up vying for the affections of Lou Ann Poovie, a singer in a local nightclub. However, it's Gomer that Lou Ann is really interested in, as the two are both former residents of small North Carolina towns. Carter and Duke are obviously upset at this turn of events, though they relent in their efforts easily enough. Ultimately, though, Lou Ann decides to return to the Carolinas to be with her old boyfriend, of whom Gomer reminded her. This episode was particularly notable because it was the first opportunity that we had this season to hear Jim Nabors sing, which was something periodically featured on the show. For a character who is by and large an idiot, Gomer Pyle sure does have an odd collection of skills at which he is adept. I'm starting to notice some odd parallels between his character and that of Forrest Gump, actually.
Gomer, the Recruiter: Carter is thrilled when he is sent to spend the day in Hollywood recruiting for the Marines. Gomer follows him, though, and chaos ensues. When the Sergeant leaves Pyle to tend to the booth, Gomer winds up allowing a bank robber on the lam to sign up. Gomer's realization of what he has done results in a show-long pursuit of the criminal by our two heroes. Ultimately they do catch him, although not before accosting numerous innocent civilians and a truckload of female Marines. It was refreshing to see Gomer and Carter working together for once, as an episode like this helps to explain why Sarge continues to be civil to Pyle on some level despite the fact that he continually makes him look like a fool.
The Secret Life of Gomer Pyle: Gomer has been taking a rug hooking class on Sundays, and he's stopped by a pair of photographers after one of his sessions wraps up. They take some seemingly innocent pictures of Pyle, but those same photographs wind up in a girly magazine with several beautiful young ladies superimposed over the Carolinian. Most folks would be fine with this, but Gomer is upset by the magazine's trickery and gives the reporters a piece of his mind. Meanwhile, Carter just happens to catch the issue in question, which leads him to believe that his private has a secret life as a ladies' man. The Sergeant wants Gomer to share the wealth, so he buddies up to Pyle and convinces him that they should spend a Sunday together, doing whatever it is that Gomer normally does. Needless to say, Carter is less than impressed when he shows up at a woman's apartment with Gomer and realizes that he's there to make rugs. There are many episodes in this series in which there is only one basic plot in which variations on the same joke are repeated to the point of no longer being funny. This particular show was stronger than any of those episodes because it contained two storylines arising out of the same basic nucleus of events. The two storylines were crafted in such a way that the monotony of the single-storyline shows never had an opportunity to set in.
Go Blow Your Horn: When Carter discovers Gomer's love of music, he decides to get him transferred to the Marine Corps band. Of course, his efforts backfire, with Pyle qualifying for the position but refusing to join when he realizes that it would mean a tour of Iceland and separation from Carter. This episode was predictable to the point of being wholly unremarkable.
You Bet Your Won Ton: One of the men in Gomer's platoon has been accepted in to officers' training school, so Pyle decides to put together a going away party for him at a Chinese restaurant. Unfortunately, the establishment that he selects turns out to be the front for a gambling parlor, although Pyle remains woefully unaware of this fact throughout the episode. The parade of Marines coming in to the restaurant to eat actually forces the couple running the establishment to close down their gambling establishment for a night, which also just happens to be the evening on which the authorities attempt to bust up the illegal operation. On top of that, the financial success that the party brings to the eatery's proprietors convinces them to go straight. When I saw that there was an episode involving Chinese people on this DVD set, I had myself braced for a highly negative portrayal in terms of stereotypes. However, though the episode wasn't perfect, it was much better in that regard than what I have come to expect out of a mid-60's sitcom.
Sue The Pants Off 'Em: Gomer trips and falls while attempting to cross the street, and an opportunistic personal injury lawyer who watches the incident unfold tries to convince him to file suit against a driver who had been passing by. Of course, the goodhearted Pyle refuses due to the fact that he's not actually injured. So, what's a lawyer to do? Track down Sergeant Carter, that's what. Though the dim-witted Pyle was not suckered in by the barrister's pitch, the attorney does manage to con the supposedly more worldly officer. Before you know it, Sarge is ordering Gomer to go along with the construction of the phony case. However, Carter's tune changes when it turns out that the driver who "hit" Gomer is one of his superiors.
Gomer, The Card Shark: Duke and Carter both get cleaned out by the same gentleman in a poker game, and Gomer decides that he wants to stick up for his buddies. As such, he heads over to the gentleman's apartment, and there are dollar signs in the card sharp's eyes when he sees the naive Pyle walk through the door. After letting the private win a few times, the gambler lures him in to one final game at which Gomer has Duke and Carter at his side. All three men pool their resources on the final hand, and Gomer's poor understanding of the strategy behind poker actually helps them to win instead of dooming them.
To Re-Enlist or Not to Re-Enlist: Gomer's three year enlistment in the Marines is set to expire, and Carter does everything in his power to make sure that the Private does not extend his time in the Corps. He lines up a civilian job for Gomer, he finds him an apartment, and he even attempts to get him female companionship. The Sergeant is quickly shocked to learn that, despite his best efforts, he was the only officer who obtained a 100% re-enlistment rate. At the end of the episode, Gomer explains that all of the nice things that Carter did for him actually made re-enlisting all the more appealing, as it proved that there was a true bond between he and the officer.
Lou Ann Poovie Sings Again: Lou Ann Poovie has returned from North Carolina after breaking off her engagement, and once again a three way race for her affections breaks out between Sergeant Carter, Duke, and Gomer. True to his character, Carter uses the most aggressive tactics of the three, while Pyle unwittingly does a better job of wooing the woman . . . and poor Duke is just along for the ride. To the surprise of none, Lou Ann chooses to court Gomer at the end of the episode. The scene at the end of the episode is odd, as Carter and Duke ostensibly break up a date between Poovie and Pyle in such a way that you would expect there to be some follow-up in the tag scene. (The brief scene which airs between the final commercial break and the credits.) There was no such segment, though, perhaps because the DVD features an episode of the show that was cut down for syndication purposes.
Gomer, The Welsh Rarebit Fiend: If you're like me, you had never heard of Welsh rarebit prior to reading the title of this episode. Fortunately, this Wikipedia article proved quite helpful in providing me with both a description of the dish and its origins. What Wiki fails to note, though, is an old wive's tale about the food causing odd dreams and sleepwalking. This myth is at the center of the episode's plot, with Gomer repeatedly ingesting large amounts of the dish and, as a result, telling off Carter in his sleep. Though the Sergeant is quickly made aware of the fact that Pyle has no control over his actions during these nocturnal incidents, he's not entirely sure what is causing them. This leads to some unintentional comedy, as you can tell three or four writers had to lock themselves in a room somewhere for several weeks trying to think of ways that they could subtly imply that Carter suspected Pyle of drug use without having him come out and say it. Ultimately, the situation is resolved when both men eat rarebit on the same night and engage in some sleepwalking role reversal.
Sing a Song of Papa: Pyle enters a talent contest at a nightclub, where his rendition of "Oh, My Papa" wins him $25 and the admiration of the club's owner, who is apparently connected to organized crime. This creates a problem, as the gentleman and his "business associates" begin appearing at the base at inconvenient times, demanding that Gomer sing the song again. Fortunately, their visits are halted easily enough. Gomer just has to agree to sing the song to the club owner's father who is visiting from Naples. This episode seemed like an excuse to showcase Jim Nabors' voice more than anything else, though I'm not going to complain since he really is an excellent singer.
Where There's a Will: In his latest attempt to get rid of Gomer, Carter convinces the private to join an experiment in which regular Marines are trained to become paratroopers within an incredibly short amount of time. Sarge begins to regret this decision, though, as he's afraid that the relatively uncoordinated Pyle will wind up dead. He feels even more guilty when Gomer takes out a life insurance policy in which Carter is the sole beneficiary. The rest of the episode focuses on Carter's attempts to prevent Pyle from jumping, though the dive actually happens and goes off without a hitch.
Lost, The Colonel's Daughter: Now this episode was a trip. The colonel who is above Carter recruits Gomer to take out his daughter. Because the colonel is a bit overprotective, Pyle is to treat her to a rather banal evening and have her in early. However, the girl cons Gomer in to skipping out on their scheduled movie and taking her to a go-go club. She gets lost in the crowd, and the Pyle-Carter duo spends the rest of the episode trying to track her down. Normally this series comes off as fairly timeless, since it is largely confined to the Marine base with little room for references to the popular culture or current events of the era. (Vietnam War? What Vietnam War?!) This episode was the exception, though, as the writers' perception of a 1960's party was on full display. It was about as campy as could be imagined and added some fine unintentional comedy to the show.
The Crow Ganef: Gomer saves a crow that has its foot tangled in a vine, and, as a show of gratitude, the bird starts stealing shiny items from Carter's office and leaving them on top of Pyle's locker. Carter spends the majority of the episode trying to track down the "thief," and he ultimately does come to suspect Gomer, though he has a hard time believing it. That was a nice bit of insight in to Carter's character, as it shows that, despite the fact that he's perpetually frustrated with Gomer, he does realize on some level that he's an upstanding person. That helps to explain some of the slack that the Sergeant cuts his least competent underling.
One of Our Shells is Missing: Gomer misplaces a live artillery shell during mortar practice, which is particularly dangerous given that construction is set to begin on the practice range the next day. Pyle and Carter spend the whole episode looking for it, which results in this feeling like a rehash of "Lost, The Colonel's Daughter" minus all of the groovy 1960's threads and lighting. It was also interesting to note that the Carter and Pyle looked for the shell in the exact same pawn shop that the Sergeant visited in the previous episode, which came complete with the exact same pawn broker. It seemed odd to see the same very minor setting and same very minor character pop up within two consecutive episodes, but I suppose if you've got the set built and the actor hired, you may as well get all of the mileage out of them that you can.
Lou Ann Poovie Sings No More: Ms. Poovie returns one more time for our season finale, and she's looking for work when her nightclub singing gig comes to an end. Carter and Duke are once again trying to win her over, so they get her jobs in the music industry. Gomer, on the other hand, realizes that his girlfriend's voice isn't the best in the world and lines up a spot for her at a local record store. She is offended by the implication that she is no good at her chosen career and almost leaves Gomer for Carter, though she runs back to Pyle's waiting arms when she hears a recording of her voice for the first time.
The 411: Shows like Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. suffer from something that I like to call "retroactive triteness." Though they were fine entertainment when they initially aired and were rather popular, many programs have been released in ensuing decades which are derivative of the classics. As a result, when you go back and watch some of the shows which originated the sitcom genre, they feel like they're horrendously cliched despite the fact that the shows' writers were actually being somewhat innovative. Because of this issue, Gomer Pyle loses some of the charm that it had in the 1960's. However, the performances by Nabors and Sutton are both top notch as far as television sitcoms go, and the Gomer Pyle character is rather likeable if you can put all twenty-first century cynicism out of your mind as you watch him. If you focus more on those two elements of the show and less on some of the plots which seem hackneyed by today's standards, an episode of the series makes for fun viewing every now and again.
