Nabors was proud to come back to Gomer Pyle in the made-for-TV reunion.
Some actors loathe the character they become most associated with. Fears of typecasting cause many TV stars to distance themselves from the role that made them famous. Jaleel White struggled for years to establish his own identity when the public wanted him to always be Steve Urkel. Carol Burnett, one of the most recognizable faces of the ’70s small screen, was afraid of being typecast as the silly characters with goofy faces she portrayed on The Carol Burnett Show.
This wasn’t the case for Jim Nabors, famous for his role as Gomer Pyle on The Andy Griffith Show, and its spin-off, Gomer Pyle: U.S.M.C. Nothing could keep the actor from heading back to the fishing hole in the 1986 Return to Mayberry TV movie.
“I always enjoyed him,” said Nabors, regarding Pyle, in a 1986 interview with The Times. “People expect me to be Gomer. They are used to it.”
But what of the town that Gomer called home? Did Jim Nabors ever grow weary of the fictional North Carolina community where Pyle hung his hat? “It was wonderful returning to Mayberry,” said Nabors. “It was like I never went away, as if the in-between years never happened.”
In fact, Nabors enjoyed the reunion so much that it sparked in him a revival of sorts. Having burnt out on show business, the actor briefly sequestered himself in Hawaii, far away from the glitz and glamor of Hollywood. While a full-fledged Griffith reboot was never in the picture (scheduling conflicted with Andy Griffith’s other show, Matlock), Nabors was warm about the idea. “I think revisited shows are great,” said Nabors. “I think many people don’t like what they are watching today.”
