Gomer Pyle, gas station attendant turned auto mechanic in The Andy Griffith Show, is characterized by his naivety and hick accent. Gomer, along with his cousin Goober, serve as excellent examples of the portrayal of the hillbilly as a fool - naive, unaware, and childlike.
The Andy Griffith website states, "Gomer provided much of the comic relief during his two-year stint on The Andy Griffith Show. He was often awestruck by the simplest of things, resulting in the exclamation of his catchphrase, "Shazam!" He was also known to regularly spout other memorable expressions, such as "Gol-ly", and "Surprise, surprise, surprise!"
Gomer Pyle left the fictional town of Mayberry after a two year run on The Andy Griffith Show. He went on to join the United States Marine Corps in his spin-off series Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C which aired from 1964 to 1969. Gomer's childlike behavior again served as the comic relief throughout the series.
Portraying Gomer as such doesn't allow the audience to see him as anything but a fool. Human beings are certainly complex characters, and this categorization takes away from that complexity, allowing audiences to easily fit individuals into simple categories regardless of what may be beneath the surface.
The Andy Griffith website states, "Gomer provided much of the comic relief during his two-year stint on The Andy Griffith Show. He was often awestruck by the simplest of things, resulting in the exclamation of his catchphrase, "Shazam!" He was also known to regularly spout other memorable expressions, such as "Gol-ly", and "Surprise, surprise, surprise!"
Gomer Pyle left the fictional town of Mayberry after a two year run on The Andy Griffith Show. He went on to join the United States Marine Corps in his spin-off series Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C which aired from 1964 to 1969. Gomer's childlike behavior again served as the comic relief throughout the series.
Portraying Gomer as such doesn't allow the audience to see him as anything but a fool. Human beings are certainly complex characters, and this categorization takes away from that complexity, allowing audiences to easily fit individuals into simple categories regardless of what may be beneath the surface.
Gomer's catchphrase
Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C spin-off series