Goober Pyle was the fictional auto mechanic for the town of Mayberry in the 1960s American TV sitcom The Andy Griffith Show and its later spin-off series Mayberry RFD. He was played by George Lindsey. Lindsey initially read for the Gomer part, which went to singer Jim Nabors. Both Lindsey and Nabors came from Alabama. "Goober" is an Americanization of the West African Kongo language 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 Pyle who was initially often referred to by Gomer, but never seen until his appearance in the episode "Fun Girls", which was incidentally the only episode in which the two appeared together. Goober was originally only mentioned when Gomer would stop at the Sheriff's office and give Sheriff Andy Taylor his greeting. The exchange went like this:
Gomer: 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, although from then on, his last name was "Pyle", the same as Gomer's.
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 joke played by Opie and his friend, who had hidden a walkie-talkie 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 relief. He was almost always seen wearing a brown (in the color episodes) beanie hat with a turned-up, scalloped edge (similar to that of the comic character Jughead Jones). The only exceptions to this were when he would dress up for the rare formal occasion. Goober was born and raised in Mayberry, was trained as a mechanic in Raleigh, North Carolina, and served a stint in the National Guard where he picked up the phrase, "Yo." 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 Malherbe. Goober was known for his (bad) impressions of celebrities. He did Cary Grant ("Judy Judy Judy") and Edward G. Robinson ("OK, you guys. Come on, you guys. Alright, you guys. Beat it, you guys."). The only person other than himself who was truly impressed by his talent as an impressionist was his cousin Gomer. 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 a car back together in the sheriff's office. Goober's older brother Braden was a rocket-scientist for NASA, 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 a minor crime wave erupted in Mayberry. Goober appeared on The Andy Griffith Show from 1964 through 1968, and then on Mayberry R.F.D. until its cancellation in 1971. Following that, Lindsey spent more than a decade playing the character on Hee Haw. Goober later appeared in the 1986 television reunion movie Return to Mayberry alongside his cousin Gomer for only the second time in television history (running the town's G 'n G gas station and auto repair shop).
Miscellanea
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- While Gomer always referenced Grandma Pyle, Goober never mentioned her.
- Like Goober, other TAGS regulars were first introduced with different names: Hope Summers, who played Clara Edwards, first appeared as Bertha Edwards; and Arlene Golonka, 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 synonomous with dork. It is not known whether the Goober Pyle influenced this.
