Why does a series go out on top? How can they quit in the middle of success? Many times the plug is pulled when the stars want too much cash. If the producers have enough episodes for syndication, they don’t care about sustaining it for another season. The network and producers weren’t aching to frag Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.; It was ranked #2 for the fifth (and final) season. America craved this 30 minutes of military denial after the evening news, but Nabors couldn’t keep playing a Marine who’d never serve in Southeast Asia. He marched off to The Jim Nabors Variety Hour with many Gomer cast members. There was also a second reason for Gomer’s honorable discharge. Nabors was pushing 40. How many 40-year-old guys are stuck as a private? There are generals younger than Gomer. Nabors hid his age with jet black hair dye and thick makeup. The 30 episodes on Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.: The Final Season reveal the knucklehead marine received a forced retirement.
“Car For Sale” brings us a topic almost torn from today’s headlines. Sgt. Carter (Frank Sutton) unloads his car because he can’t afford pumping gas into the low mileage monster. He originally agrees to sell it to Sgt. Hacker (Allan Melvin – Sam the Butcher on The Brady Bunch). But at the last minute, Carter unloads the car on Gomer. Hacker decides to get a strange form of revenge by increasing the mileage with a little trickery.
The big change this season is the transfer of Cpl. Chuck Boyle (Roy Stuart) from Camp Henderson. In the battle between Sgt. Carter’s anger and Gomer’s ineptitude, Boyle was the thin camouflaged line of sanity that kept the barracks from being declared a homicide site. He was a sounding board for Carter and an early warning signal for Gomer. However Boyle vanished on “Corporal Duke” as a familiar face returned. For the first three seasons, Duke was a private who abused Gomer’s gullible ways for personal gain. Now he’s returned to Sgt. Carter’s command with an extra stripe on his arms. Carter isn’t happy with the cut-up becoming his corporal. He leaves Duke in charge of the platoon for a weekend. The privates think they’ll be having an easy time with good ol’ Duke in command. However Duke over reacts to their casual attitude. It’s up to Gomer to patch up the relationship before Duke discovers Boyle’s fate and the platoon ends up being court-martialed.
“The Booty Prize” has Sgt. Carter doing his best to lose the lead-coated boot that’s given to the worst platoon. A curious Gomer decides to play Cinderella. This stupidity will clinch repeat status if Sgt. Carter can’t free up the trophy before the ceremony. Music plays a role for America’s favorite singing Marine. “Just Move Your Lips, Sergeant” has the platoon up for a movie role as a marine chorus. The guys need to win a singing competition to ship off the Hollywood. There’s only one weak link: Sgt. Carter. The title pretty much gives away the plot twist. “The Wild Bull Returns” allows Larry Storch (F Troop) to make another visit as a South American general. This time he wants a piece of Miss Bunny (Barbara Stuart). Sgt. Carter isn’t going to get freaky like Col. Hogan. “A Tattoo for Gomer” has him getting inked up for Lou Anne Poovie (Elizabeth MacRae). He’s not sure if he wants her impressed by his tattoo. Instead of having any real friends in the barracks this final season, Gomer spends most of his free time with his girlfriend.
Even though Gomer and Carter have serious girlfriends, they get to play the field with the right plots. “Win-A-Date” has Gomer and Sgt. Carter go on a dating show. Gomer does his best to unimpress the bachelorette so Sgt. Carter can win the fancy date. “Freddy’s Friendly Computer” takes us back to an era when computers were mysterious devices that were hidden behind locked doors. Friendly Freddy (Sid Melton) has gotten out of selling imported junk from the back of his car trunk. He’s running a computer dating service. Originally, Gomer doesn’t bite on Freddy’s latest business venture. After Lou-Ann proves to be a pain, he decides to let science find him a more agreeable mate. He gets a perfect gal who is from Siler City, NC (where Aunt Bee went to die). Except it wasn’t the computer that brought them together. Instead of a Timex-Sinclair, Freddy has a woman in the back that can fake being any man’s dream girl. The plot goes bad when there’s too many clients for their dreamy computer matches. Strange to think that Freddy only hustled Gomer and Sgt. Carter four times. Like Ernest T. Bass on The Andy Griffith Show, you’d think Freddy was a regular cast member.
“Gomer Tends a Sick Kat” pulls a reversal of the first season’s “Sergeant of the Week.” The original had Sgt. Carter thinking Gomer was dying when he mishears the critical nature of an aging horse. “Sick Kat” has Miss Bunny’s cat slowly passing away. Gomer thinks that it’s Sgt. Carter approaching the grave. After talking to Miss Bunny, Gomer secretly makes his fearless leader feel comforted by leaving out bowls of milk and balls. When Sgt. Carter realizes what Gomer’s been doing, he fakes being sick in order to payback his favorite private. On his deathbed, Frank Sutton shows off a pair of extremely hairy legs. “Flower Power” comes close to dealing with the headlines of the day. During war games, Gomer is supposed to hide a special piece of equipment. A trio of hippies turn the war machine into their own VW Microbus. One of this hippies is Rob Reiner (All in the Family‘s Meathead) with a big wig. Strange that the hippies don’t mention what’s going on in Vietnam when confronting Gomer.
The series wrapped up with “Goodbye Camp Handerson, Hello Sergeant Carter.” Gomer does something special for Sgt. Carter, but screws up royally. He can’t take the verbal abuse. It’s time for him and his longtime leader to part ways after five years. Carter’s elated that he’ll finally be free of the dopey dogface. But memories of their past spoil the party. The finale devolves into a clipshow. We see way too much from the second season when the platoon went to sea. Tige Andrews (Mod Squad) laughs as Gomer can’t get in a rubber raft. I won’t spoil the ending as to whether Sgt. Carter gets his wish with Gomer’s transfer. I will reveal that nobody gets shipped to Vietnam. After five seasons, this show stuck firm with its denial of the headlines or its star’s actual age. As much as I mock how the series avoided the Vietnam war, this ignorance of world events added a timeless value to the series. The jokes don’t require you to be a history major to get an educated laugh. Instead you can sit back and watch Sgt. Carter tear into Gomer for his latest foolish stunt. Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. marched into TV history as a proud marine who made sure all his friendly fire hit America’s funny bones.
The Episodes
“Car For Sale,” “Corporal Duke,” “The Booty Prize,” “The Return of Monroe,” “Just Move Your Lips, Sergeant,” “All You Need is One Good Break,” “A Marriage of Convenience,” “A Star is Not Born,” “Come Blow Your Top,” “A Little Chicken Soup Wouldn’t Hurt,” “Gomer, the Perfect MP,” “The Wild Bull Returns,” “Hit and Write,” “Two on the Bench,” “A Tattoo For Gomer,” “Win-A-Date,” “Marriage, Sgt. Carter Style, ” “To Save a Life,” “Dynamite Diner,” “Freddy’s Friendly Computer,” “Gomer Maneuvers,” “Gomer Tends A Sick Cat,” “I’m Always Chasing Gomers,” “The Short Voyage Home,” “Proxy Poppa,” “Hare Today, Gone Tomorrow,” “Flower Power,” “Show Time With Sgt. Carol,” “My Fair Sister” and “Goodbye Camp Handerson, Hello Sergeant Carter.”
The video is 1.33:1 full frame. The transfers are so much better than anything you’ve seen in syndication. The colors are sharp and the details are tight enough to pass Sgt. Carter’s inspection. The audio is Dolby Digital mono. The levels are perfect for when Nabors breaks out a song.
None.
Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C,: The Final Season keeps up the humor assault on this last tour of duty. It’s a shame that such a popular series had to come to an end. At ease, Private Pyle.
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CBS DVD presents Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C: The Final Season. Starring Jim Nabors, Frank Sutton and Ronnie Schell. Boxset Contents: 30 episodes on 4 DVDs. Released on DVD: November 25, 2008. Available at Amazon.
