Goober was the
fictionalA character is the representation of a person in a narrative or dramatic work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr through its Latin transcription character, the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its...
auto mechanicAn auto mechanic is a auto mechanic who specializes in automobile maintenance, repair, and sometimes modification. A mechanic may be knowledgeable in working on all parts of a variety of car makes or may specialize either in a specific area or in a specific make of car...
for the town of
MayberryMayberry is a fictional community in North Carolina which was the setting for two American television sitcoms, The Andy Griffith Show and Mayberry R.F.D. Mayberry was also the setting for a 1986 reunion television movie titled Return to Mayberry...
in the 1960s
AmericanThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
TVTelevision is a widely used telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images, either monochromatic or color, usually accompanied by sound. "Television" may also refer specifically to a television set, television programming or television transmission...
sitcomA situation comedy, usually referred to as a sitcom, is a genre of comedy programs which originated in radio. Today, sitcoms are found almost exclusively on television as one of its dominant narrative forms...
The Andy Griffith ShowThe Andy Griffith Show is an American sitcom first televised by CBS between October 3, 1960 and April 1, 1968. Andy Griffith portrays a widowed sheriff in a fictional small community of Mayberry, North Carolina...
and its later
spin-offA spin-off is a new organization or entity formed by a split from a larger one, such as television series based on a pre-existing one, or a new company formed from a university research group or business incubator...
series
Mayberry RFD. He was played by
George LindseyGeorge Lindsey is an American character actor, best known for his role as "Goober Pyle" on The Andy Griffith Show.-Early life and career :...
. Lindsey initially read for the part of
Gomer PyleGomer Pyle was the simple-minded gas station attendant and later auto mechanic in the American TV sitcom The Andy Griffith Show, played for 23 episodes by Jim Nabors in 1962-1964...
, which went to singer
Jim NaborsJames Thurston "Jim" Nabors is an American actor and singer. Born and raised in Sylacauga, Alabama, Nabors moved to Southern California due to his asthma. While working at a Santa Monica nightclub, The Horn, he was discovered by Andy Griffith and consequently joined The Andy Griffith Show, playing...
. Both Lindsey and Nabors are originally from
AlabamaAlabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States of America. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its...
.
"Goober" is an Americanization of the West African
Kongo languageKikongo is the Bantu language spoken by the Bakongo and Bandundu people living in the tropical forests of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Republic of the Congo and Angola. It is a tonal language and formed the base for Kituba, a Bantu creole and lingua franca throughout much of west...
word "Nguba", meaning Peanut. "Goober Peas" is another variation of this term, and may have provided the inspiration for the character's original name.
Goober was the
fictionalA character is the representation of a person in a narrative or dramatic work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr through its Latin transcription character, the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its...
auto mechanicAn auto mechanic is a auto mechanic who specializes in automobile maintenance, repair, and sometimes modification. A mechanic may be knowledgeable in working on all parts of a variety of car makes or may specialize either in a specific area or in a specific make of car...
for the town of
MayberryMayberry is a fictional community in North Carolina which was the setting for two American television sitcoms, The Andy Griffith Show and Mayberry R.F.D. Mayberry was also the setting for a 1986 reunion television movie titled Return to Mayberry...
in the 1960s
AmericanThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
TVTelevision is a widely used telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images, either monochromatic or color, usually accompanied by sound. "Television" may also refer specifically to a television set, television programming or television transmission...
sitcomA situation comedy, usually referred to as a sitcom, is a genre of comedy programs which originated in radio. Today, sitcoms are found almost exclusively on television as one of its dominant narrative forms...
The Andy Griffith ShowThe Andy Griffith Show is an American sitcom first televised by CBS between October 3, 1960 and April 1, 1968. Andy Griffith portrays a widowed sheriff in a fictional small community of Mayberry, North Carolina...
and its later
spin-offA spin-off is a new organization or entity formed by a split from a larger one, such as television series based on a pre-existing one, or a new company formed from a university research group or business incubator...
series
Mayberry RFD. He was played by
George LindseyGeorge Lindsey is an American character actor, best known for his role as "Goober Pyle" on The Andy Griffith Show.-Early life and career :...
. Lindsey initially read for the part of
Gomer PyleGomer Pyle was the simple-minded gas station attendant and later auto mechanic in the American TV sitcom The Andy Griffith Show, played for 23 episodes by Jim Nabors in 1962-1964...
, which went to singer
Jim NaborsJames Thurston "Jim" Nabors is an American actor and singer. Born and raised in Sylacauga, Alabama, Nabors moved to Southern California due to his asthma. While working at a Santa Monica nightclub, The Horn, he was discovered by Andy Griffith and consequently joined The Andy Griffith Show, playing...
. Both Lindsey and Nabors are originally from
AlabamaAlabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States of America. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its...
.
"Goober"
"Goober" is an Americanization of the West African
Kongo languageKikongo is the Bantu language spoken by the Bakongo and Bandundu people living in the tropical forests of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Republic of the Congo and Angola. It is a tonal language and formed the base for Kituba, a Bantu creole and lingua franca throughout much of west...
word "Nguba", meaning Peanut. "Goober Peas" is another variation of this term, and may have provided the inspiration for the character's original name. Goober was the cousin of
Gomer PyleGomer Pyle was the simple-minded gas station attendant and later auto mechanic in the American TV sitcom The Andy Griffith Show, played for 23 episodes by Jim Nabors in 1962-1964...
who was initially often referred to by Gomer, but never seen until his appearance in the episode "Fun Girls", which was the only episode in which the two appeared together, although he would later appear in an episode of
Gomer Pyle, USMC.
Goober was first mentioned in the third season episode "Man in a Hurry" when, on a lazy Sunday afternoon, Gomer runs all the way to Andy's house to update the "man in a hurry" on the progress Goober is making on the repair of his broken down car. After giving his report and turning to leave, Gomer paused to give
Sheriff Andy TaylorSheriff Andrew "Andy" Jackson Taylor is the principal character on The Andy Griffith Show, an American sitcom which aired on CBS, . The character made a few appearances in the show's spinoff Mayberry R.F.D. and appeared in a reunion telemovie Return to Mayberry...
his greeting. The exchange went like this:
Gomer:
Andy, Goober says, "Hey."
Andy:
Hey to Goober.
Goober worked at the same filling station as Gomer, and in a way, he filled the void on the show when Gomer left to join the U.S. Marine Corps. Goober was referred to as "Goober Beasley"* when he was first introduced to a crook posing as a television producer in season five. From then on, his last name was "Pyle", the same as Gomer's. While Gomer always referenced Grandma Pyle, Goober never mentioned her.
Goober was Mayberry's "village idiot". This was perhaps best seen in an episode when Goober believed his dog was talking human, which then filled his head with delusions of becoming rich and famous. In reality the "talking dog" was a
practical jokeA practical joke or gag is a stunt or trick to purposely make someone feel foolish or victimized, usually for humor. Practical jokes differ from confidence tricks in that the victim finds out, or is let in on, the joke rather than being fooled into handing over money or other valuables...
played by Opie and his friend, who had hidden a
walkie-talkieA walkie-talkie is a hand-held, portable, two-way radio transceiver. Its development during the Second World War has been variously credited to Canadian Donald L. Hings, radio engineer Alfred J. Gross, and engineering teams at Motorola...
under the dog's collar and pretended to be the dog's voice. He was a childlike and somewhat dimwitted character, similar to his cousin Gomer, although not as extreme. Both Goober and Gomer were the show's
comic reliefComic relief is the inclusion of a humorous character, scene or witty dialogue in an otherwise serious work, often to relieve tension.-Definition:...
.
Goober's attire
Goober was distinctively attired for the show. He was generally dressed in a work shirt, breast pocket filled with pencils, pens, and tire gauges. His dark blue
DickiesWilliamson-Dickie, more commonly referred to as Dickies, is an American company headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas that manufactures and sells work-related clothing and other accessories, including back packs, steel-toe boots, and belts....
work pants were hoisted high and cinched with a wide belt, giving him an
Empire waistlineAn Empire silhouette is created by a woman wearing a high-waisted dress, gathered near or just under the bust with a long, loose skirt, which skims the body. The outline is especially flattering to pear shapes wishing to disguise the stomach area or emphasise the bust...
. Work boots and a brown (in the color episodes)
beanie hatBeanie is the name for two distinct types of cap or hat. The name "beanie" probably comes from the early-20th century slang term "bean," meaning "head"....
with a turned-up, scalloped edge (similar to that of the comic character
Jughead JonesForsythe Pendleton "Jughead" Jones III is a fictional character in Archie Comics, first appearing in December 1941. He is the son of Forsythe II. He has a white sheepdog named Hot Dog, and has a younger sister, Forsythia "Jellybean" Jones....
) completed his episode-to-episode wardrobe. Very occasionally, Goober would dress up for the rare formal occasion in an ill-fitting, brown, chalk stripe, wide-lapelled suit that was passed to him from his cousin Gomer. A garish tie completed the picture of the dressed-up Goober.
More about Goober
Goober was born and raised in Mayberry, was trained as a mechanic in
RaleighRaleigh is the capital city of the state of North Carolina, the seat of Wake County and the second largest city in North Carolina. Raleigh is known as the "City of Oaks" for its many oak trees. According to the U.S...
,
North CarolinaNorth Carolina is a state located on the Atlantic Seaboard in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties...
, and served a stint in the
National GuardThe National Guard of the United States is a reserve military force composed of state National Guard militia members or units under federally recognized active or inactive armed force service for the United States...
where he picked up the phrase, "
Yo"Yo" is an English interjection, nowadays commonly associated with American English slang. It was highly popularized after being commonly used among Italian Americans and African Americans in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.-Common Usage:Although often used as a greeting, yo is a slang term. Like the...
." Goober worked at Wally's Filling Station, which he eventually purchased and became the proprietor of, later in the show's run. His girlfriend in four of the color episodes was
Flora MalherbeFlora Malherbe was a fictional character on the American TV sitcom The Andy Griffith Show and its successor, Mayberry RFD. She was played by American actress, Alberta Nelson.Flora was Goober Pyle's girlfriend on the series...
, but his initial love interest was Lydia Crosswaithe, who was originally from Greensboro,
North CarolinaNorth Carolina is a state located on the Atlantic Seaboard in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties...
.
Goober was known for his (bad) impressions of celebrities. He did
Cary GrantArchibald Alexander Leach , better known by his stage name Cary Grant, was a British-American actor...
("Judy Judy Judy") and
Edward G. RobinsonEdward Goldenberg Robinson, Sr. was an American actor born in Romania...
("OK, you guys. Come on, you guys. All right, you guys. Beat it, you guys."). He could also walk like Chester from
GunsmokeGunsmoke is an American radio and television Western drama series created by director Norman MacDonnell and writer John Meston. The stories take place in and around Dodge City, Kansas, during the settlement of the American West....
and sew his fingers up. The only other people who were truly impressed by his talents were his cousin Gomer and the fun girls, Daphne and Skippy. He had a penchant for comic books and B-grade, sci-fi movies. Both Pyle cousins had their own peculiar dance moves. In one memorable episode Goober puts Gilley Walker's car back together in the sheriff's office after taking it apart on the street.
Goober's older brother Braden was a rocket-scientist for
NASAThe National Aeronautics and Space Administration is an agency of the United States government, responsible for the nation's public space program. NASA was established by the National Aeronautics and Space Act on July 29, 1958, replacing its predecessor, the National Advisory Committee for...
, and visited Mayberry in 1969. Braden was a sharp contrast to his gas-pumping sibling. Howard Sprague attributed the differences to recessive genes.
Goober was used as an emergency deputy several times when minor crime waves erupted in Mayberry.
Goober appeared on
The Andy Griffith ShowThe Andy Griffith Show is an American sitcom first televised by CBS between October 3, 1960 and April 1, 1968. Andy Griffith portrays a widowed sheriff in a fictional small community of Mayberry, North Carolina...
from 1964 through 1968, and then on
Mayberry R.F.D.Mayberry R.F.D. is a spin-off, or, perhaps more accurately, a direct continuation of The Andy Griffith Show under a new title, for the same sponsor, General Foods...
until its cancellation in 1971. Following that, Lindsey spent more than a decade playing the character on
Hee HawHee Haw was a television variety show, initially co-hosted by musicians Buck Owens and Roy Clark and featuring country music and humor with fictional, rural "Kornfield Kounty" as a backdrop. It was taped at WLAC-TV and Opryland USA in Nashville...
. Goober later appeared in the 1986 television
reunion movieA television movie is a feature film that is produced for and originally distributed by a...
Return to MayberryReturn to Mayberry was a television movie made in 1986 on NBC, even though the original series aired on CBS. The show was a reunion movie for the 1960s American television sitcoms The Andy Griffith Show and, to an extent, Mayberry R.F.D. as well. The movie premiered on April 13, 1986, and was the...
alongside his cousin Gomer for only the third time in television history (running the town's G 'n G gas station and auto repair shop).
Miscellanea
- Like Goober, other TAGS regulars were first introduced with different names: Hope Summers
Hope Summers was an American character actress known for her work on The Andy Griffith Show and Mayberry RFD, portraying Clara Edwards.-Career:...
, who played Clara EdwardsClara Edwards is a fictional character on the American television sitcom The Andy Griffith Show . Clara was portrayed by actress Hope Summers....
, first appeared as Bertha Edwards; and Arlene GolonkaArlene Golonka is an American actress. She is perhaps best known for playing Millie Swanson on the television comedies The Andy Griffith Show and Mayberry R.F.D., and often portrayed bubbly, eccentric blondes in supporting character roles on stage, film, and television.-Early years:Golonka was...
, who played Millie Swanson in Mayberry R.F.D, was introduced in TAGS as Millie Hutchins.
- The term goober has entered pop culture and is synonymous with dork. It is likely that Goober Pyle influenced this.