Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. - The Complete Series - march release (1 Viewer)

[Tony Bensley]

I simply couldn't resist viewing the first Color episode that opens Season 2. For Classic TV trivia buffs, this is the point in which U.S.M.C. Private Gomer Pyle becomes Private First Class Gomer Pyle, but not without some hilariously funny effort!

Having checked the running times of the first six episodes that comprise the first Season 2 DVD, the fifth episode (Episode 35 of the series) has an approximate running time of 23:16, and thus is definitely edited. All other shows on this disc clock in at over 25 minutes.

Furthermore, the Jim Nabors episode introductions that are such a welcome staple on the Season 1 episodes, are completely AWOL on the Season 2 disc, as I suspect they will be for the remaining seasons. On a positive note, a Play All feature is included.

On the opening Season 2 "P.F.C, Gomer Pyle" episode, I was delightfully surprised to see Jack Larson (Best remembered as Jimmy Olsen on ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN) make a substantial appearance:

CHEERS!

 

[Carabimero]

Your recent posts inspired me to watch my three favorite first season episodes last night: Captain Iron Pants, Survival of the Fattest, and The Jet Set. Had a blast.

 

[Mike Boone]

To add to ridiculous fictional character comparisons of the past, such as who was stronger, Tarzan or Batman, let me pose this question: "Who do HTF members think was smarter: Gomer Pyle or Forrest Gump?

 

[Tony Bensley]

To add to ridiculous fictional character comparisons of the past, such as who was stronger, Tarzan or Batman, let me pose this question: "Who do HTF members think was smarter: Gomer Pyle or Forrest Gump?

I believe this question is veering into "Apples to Oranges" territory.

Who do HTF members think had the bigger Heart is my personal preference. Just my opinion, though.

CHEERS!

 

[Flashgear]

Ha, ha...just kidding of course, but Gomer Pyle is unquestionably smarter than Forrest Gump...or more fortunate in regard to the USMC, at least...after all, Gomer managed to remain stateside for 5 years during the Vietnam War...despite being an exemplary and eager Marine, who had he really existed in it's ranks, would have most assuredly volunteered for Vietnam service...and we know that Sgt. Carter would have been compelled to go along, to try and protect him...

Both were damn fine Marines. though...and I suspect that much like Forrest, Gomer would have been worthy of the Medal of Honor...

 

[Ron1973]

To add to ridiculous fictional character comparisons of the past, such as who was stronger, Tarzan or Batman, let me pose this question: "Who do HTF members think was smarter: Gomer Pyle or Forrest Gump?

Gomer pretty much avoided the women; poor Forrest kept chasing Jenny! Gomer was smarter!

 

[Carabimero]

Gomer was light years smarter than Forrest. Forrest had dumb luck. Gomer created his good fortune through living by an advanced moral and ethical system. I'm not sure this is even debatable...

 

[Mike Boone]

I believe this question is veering into "Apples to Oranges" territory.

Who do HTF members think had the bigger Heart is my personal preference. Just my opinion, though.

CHEERS!

Tony, in view of the difficult political times we now find in our country, and in the world, I especially appreciate your indication of the importance of people having good hearts, since we all need to possess good will within us, if we ever hope to peacefully resolve our differences without acrimony. And I really apologize to fellow members if that was getting too heavy, but this was just an attempt to express my true feeling without being at all political.

And CHEERS to you, as well, up there in the North, Tony. Take care.

 

[Mike Boone]

Gomer was light years smarter than Forrest. Forrest had dumb luck. Gomer created his good fortune through living by an advanced moral and ethical system. I'm not sure this is even debatable...

But, in addition to having that "dumb luck", didn't Forrest also behave in a very ethical and moral way, in addition to being extremely kind in trying to always help others that he met along the way? In terms of sheer quality of character both Gomer and Forrest strike me as shining examples of qualities that we would love to see in everyone, even if those qualities were presented as a somewhat unrealistically exaggerated ideal by the writers who created Gomer and Forrest.

 

[Carabimero]

I agree Mike, but I think the thing that separates Gomer from Forrest, for me at least, is Forrest's metaphor of a feather floating aimlessly around, touching the world for the better with no real intention to do so. It's mostly random for Forrest. Gomer was never random. Or aimless. His good intentions were his purpose.

Just my two cents.

 

[Mike Boone]

I agree Mike, but I think the thing that separates Gomer from Forrest, for me at least, is Forrest's metaphor of a feather floating aimlessly around, touching the world for the better with no real intention to do so. It's mostly random for Forrest. Gomer was never random. Or aimless. His good intentions were his purpose.

Just my two cents.

Alan, that's an interesting way of considering Gomer's and Forrest's 2 very different interactions with the world, that hadn't occurred to me.

Could we not also theorize, though, that Gomer's life may have been that less random one because he needed the security offered by the familiarity of staying in the same place, with his friend, Sgt. Carter, and others he knew that had long term assignments at the base?

Whereas, by contrast, Forrest was gripped enough by his meeting, and affecting the lives of, people in a variety of different places, that though his real roots were at the home he came from, he did not fear embarking on adventures like his long cross country run. I know I'm over analyzing this, but I'd think that the chance to meet, and have chances to help, different people, would have had to have been a major reason that Forrest was willing to leave home and go on his ultra marathon. Actually, though, it's been so long since my wife and I viewed Forrest Gump that I've forgotten any specific reason that he set out on his running trip. Now it seems like it would be pretty cool for us to re-experience Forrest Gump again.

And I'm smiling now in thinking back about the era when that film came out. Because I was thin, and a marathon runner back in the 1990s, but I only had a beard for about a year, until I had to shave it off, in March of 1995, because it made things easier at a new job I started that month. Anyhow, one day, when I was still equipped with that dark, full beard, (it would be white now) I was out on a training run, when a car started going past me and I heard a young woman yell Run Forrest! Run! I actually got the biggest kick out of that, and can still picture exactly where I was when that lady surprised me with that yell. Anyway, I'd better get to bed.

 

[Carabimero]

Mike, I can see where you are coming from, arguing Gomer had the luxury of stability that Forrest did not. However, if I look at Gomer before he was drafted, during his time in Mayberry, two things strike me. First, in his initial appearance in THE ANDY GRIFFITH SHOW, one could make the case that he is even more dim-witted than Forrest. I think the early Gomer character in Mayberry is more akin to Forrest, at least initially. Gomer becomes much smarter and quicker in the Marines, as he would have to be. So he evolves. Having said that, I do believe he is essentially the same character deep down, with a strict moral and ethical code.

It has been a while since I saw FORREST GUMP, but if I recall correctly, he started his run for no reason other than he felt like running. I think the biggest contrast I can find between Gomer and Forrest is how they arrive at decisions.

Gomer REASONS. Forrest REACTS.

We could argue the intelligence inherent in each approach, granted. But at the end of the day, Gomer wins for me because he is a creature of REASON. Until Forrest's son comes along, I'd argue that Forrest is not a reasoner, at least not decisively. But like Gomer, Forrest does evolve, probably more than Gomer, in a sense. I'm thinking of the scene when Forrest is alarmed that his son would be afflicted with his father's disabilities. If anything for me elevates Forrest over Gomer, it is that concern. Of course, I may be reacting more to the single greatest acting moment in Tom Hanks's career (IMHO). Be that as it may, it's a transcendent milestone for Forrest. And I love him for it.

But I still think Gomer is smarter.

In any case, I am enjoying our civil discourse, Mike. Your point of view is something I can reflect upon and appreciate. My respect and thanks for that.

 

[Flashgear]

Great discussion here, Mike, Alan and Tony...even though they are both fictitious characters, Gomer and Forrest represent so much about the best of human nature... non judgemental, self sacrificing and with a compassion easily summoned forth as their essential nature...free from the calculating guile of self interest...perhaps free from conceit also by virtue of their limited intellect...I wish the world treated such people better in the real world...in the fictitious worlds of Gomer and Forrest, they both find serendipitous good fortune...deservedly so...and it makes for both touching and insightful drama and memorably delightful comedy...it's no wonder that fans of either the tv show or the movie would find them both wonderful entertainment, as the central characters are so similar...I Love them both as Great Entertainment...

Unfortunately, the story of how low IQ servicemen were treated during the Vietnam era is an ugly saga...in 1964 (the year Gomer Pyle USMC went on the air), the Pentagon began a new program as part of LBJ's Great Society and War on Poverty...with noble goals in mind, the "New Standards Men" program aimed to lower IQ, Medical and Physical standards for voluntary induction into the Armed Forces...allowing previously ineligible candidates employment and a possible career in the Military...yes, as part of the broadly based "War on Poverty"...I reiterate, the initial vision was noble...by October 1966, with manpower needs escalating with the scale of American involvement in South Vietnam, the program had morphed into what was referred to in the Pentagon as "McNamara's 100,000"...tasked with providing a hundred thousand men per year from the expanded manpower pool, most intended for service in South Vietnam...with generous college Draft deferments and growing casualties in Vietnam in the face of trying to escalate the war effort to eventually, 550,000 men, the "New Standards Men" program was broadened by Secretary of Defense McNamara to include Draftees as well...and standards and practices slackened for basic training...for low IQ candidates, these were assessed as always in the Armed Forces Qualification tests that all Draftees were required to take...

By the end of the "New Standards" program in 1971 (the year after Gomer went off the air), over 350,000 previously ineligible men had been inducted, most through the Draft, and with over 70% to the Army...and with most serving in Vietnam or the SE Asia theater...the "New Standards Men" suffered casualties at about three times the normal rate...over 5400 low IQ men were killed, most in combat...over 20,000 wounded, with an estimated 500 amputees...all of these figures were recently published in a new book "McNamara's Folly...the use of low IQ troops in the Vietnam War" by Hamilton Gregory (Infinity 2015)...there is of course, no way to estimate the number of other American and Allied troops who might have been killed because of the intellectual, psychological or physical problems that these otherwise combat ineligible men may have caused in the field...

Anyone who has served in the Military can remember a prototypical Gomer or Forrest who was an exemplary soldier...exemplifying integrity and honor...reliable to their comrades in arms...there is no doubt about that...I remember such young men with whom I had the pleasure to serve, myself...my older cousins from Rhode Island who served in Vietnam also remember those types of men...men of limited intellectualism who nevertheless were outstanding soldiers and gentlemen...but they also remembered those poor few souls who were totally unsuitable to be in combat...men who were overwhelmed and unreliable, try as some might...and yes, being killed on patrol in the boonies because of it...and sometimes contributing also to others being killed, and the failure of the operation in the field...all of that beyond the terrible impact on morale in a rifle company...knowing also of the fortunate sons... millions of Draft age kids back home with college deferments...

I also remember the awful ridicule and bullying of those low IQ troopers in basic training and soldier qualification...by the drill instructors and staff NCO's and Officers...we were all peacetime volunteers and all of us were bullied as well...and I never took part in such contempt, ridicule and bullying...but it was merciless...and it bothers me to this day, as it sometimes comes to mind when I watch Gomer Pyle USMC or Forrest Gump...the real world intruding on the sweet childhood fantasy of Gomer Pyle...I watch the show regardless, and Love it...the Mayberry of Andy Griffith too comforts me to no end...a sweet refuge and tonic for the soul...

 

[Mike Boone]

Man, you guys, Alan and Randall, you've both just shown so much that's implicated by, and related to, a couple of characters, and their situations, that at first glance, can just appear to be about the most basic and simple types of characters and stories, until one imagines those characters as people who were part of the world that was around them.

You guys could set me off on a long post which time would not allow right now. But I'd like to quickly try to convey a few things that your posts just made me think about. My first cousin Kevin, is a pretty good guy, who's in his early 70s now. He was once invited to join MENSA, that organization for people with very high IQs, but said that the people at the one meeting of that organization, that he went to, mostly seemed like stuffed shirts.

Anyway, Kevin has a very intellectual approach to things, and was quite turned off by Forrest Gump. He thought it was an awful movie.

Now while I could understand some of the critical barbs he used to attack the movie, I felt bad that my cousin couldn't enjoy a movie about someone who leads with his heart instead of his mind. Sure I know that all the coincidences and events experienced by Forrest can be looked at as being purely contrived, but the honesty of the movie is created by that amazing, heartfelt performance of Tom Hanks that never seemed to strike a false note. Mr Hanks must possess a truly amazing amount of concentration to have always remained so perfectly in character. But I'd assume that his greatest ally in that effort must have been genuine affection for the man he was playing.

Just one last thing guys. Though my brainy cousin Kevin had a full scholarship to Caltech, in the Vietnam years, but went to an Ivy league
school instead, after his graduation, Uncle Sam wished to draft him. And Randall's mention of the tragedy of Vietnam, particularly as it affected poorly educated young men, made me remember back to when Kevin left for Canada to avoid being drafted. But since my cousin had spoken out against America's involvement in Southeast Asia, since before college, I just couldn't abide people criticizing him for refusing to participate in something that he personally saw as wrong. Hope I just didn't get too political, but I'm glad that most Americans now see what the draft dodgers did as being "water under the bridge".

You guys take care, and thanks for really making me think, and also, for causing me to remember that sometimes a heart is a better thing to think with, than a brain.

 

[Carabimero]

Anyway, Kevin has a very intellectual approach to things, and was quite turned off by Forrest Gump. He thought it was an awful movie.

I remember well the backlash against FORREST GUMP, as epitomized by one of my friends, who thought it was reprehensible film-making to perpetuate the idea that one could brainlessly float through life with no real responsibility and be rewarded for it by almost always coming out on the long end of the stick. Your cousin wasn't alone. There was a deep resentment among many people I knew, despite its popular success.

But I think the majority of people didn't take the movie as an insidious piece of propaganda. I didn't, though I must admit the charms the movie held for me back then have mostly vanished into the mists of time now. Unlike Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C., Forrest Gump is not a piece of entertainment I revisit.

Still, I do believe the movie means well.

 

[Tony Bensley]

I remember well the backlash against FORREST GUMP, as epitomized by one of my friends, who thought it was reprehensible film-making to perpetuate the idea that one could brainlessly float through life with no real responsibility and be rewarded for it by almost always coming out on the long end of the stick. Your cousin wasn't alone. There was a deep resentment among many people I knew, despite its popular success.

But I think the majority of people didn't take the movie as an insidious piece of propaganda. I didn't, though I must admit the charms the movie held for me back then have mostly vanished into the mists of time now. Unlike Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C., Forrest Gump is not a piece of entertainment I revisit.

Still, I do believe the movie means well.

I also believe the movie means well. However, my understanding is that Forrest Gump's original depiction in the Winston Groom novel (Which I've admittedly never read!), was of being autistic, rather than the implied mental retardation that's depicted in the film version. It is my opinion that autistic savant-ism would have been a more accurate and believable descriptor.

Having given the first season of GOMER PYLE - U.S.M.C. a fresh viewing, Gomer strikes me as more of a naive innocent who truly thinks the best of others, rather than not being smart, per se. He is completely lacking of any guile, and always delights in the pleasing of others, and is also quick to forgive any transgressions done unto him.

We could probably do well to be a bit more like Gomer Pyle in some respects, although this is easier said than done in the real world, sad to say!

CHEERS!

 

[Carabimero]

Tony, your recent posts inspired me to rewatch some of my favorite Gomer episodes. Last night I watched the Navy trilogy, the first three episodes on season two disc two. I always enjoy those.

 

[Tony Bensley]

Tony, your recent posts inspired me to rewatch some of my favorite Gomer episodes. last night I watched the Navy trilogy, the first three episodes on season two disc two. I always enjoy those.

I appreciate your kind words, Alan. I'm also very much looking forward to viewing these episodes upon our return from the UK near the end of next week. That is, if our son and I don't wind up in Rome, Italy instead!

CHEERS!

 

[Carabimero]

I always liked the way Duke's girlfriend worded it in THE JET SET: "Duke honey, I put your tickets on my credit card. Don't forget that?" Very sweet. I wish we could have seen more of her.

 

[Tony Bensley]

Safe travels to you and your family to London Tony and have a great time there.

Thank you kindly, Richard! We're really looking forward to it!!

I hope that all is well with you and your family, also! Lately, I find that viewing a Gomer Pyle episode (or 2!) always lifts my spirits!

CHEERS!