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How the real Marine Corps informed Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. according to Frank Sutton
The Few, the Proud...
If you make a series about something that happens in real life, it helps to have a few experts on hand. Of course, series like Star Trek and Batman were on their own, but more grounded shows benefitted from having on-set fact-checkers.
Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. benefitted greatly from its star Frank Sutton's military service. Sutton played Vince Carter, the ornery drill sergeant who often served as the voice of reason, contrasting with JIm Nabors' Gomer Pyle. While his prior acting experience surely honed his authoritative voice, Sutton was doubtlessly aided by his time in the military.
In a 1966 interview with the New York City Daily News, Sutton spoke about his time serving his country and praised the Marine Corps for making Gomer Pyle more realistic.
"I was an Army sergeant in the last war," said Sutton. "But I'm a great fan of the Marine Corps. I think they bring a man up to the peak physical point of his life and set him on the right road ever after."
Gomer Pyle was a comedy series, so the Marines weren't afforded script approval. However, the Corps cooperated in other ways, making suggestions and ensuring technical terms were used correctly.
In one such example, Sutton requested a left-handed holster, only for the Marines' advisers to tell him no such holsters existed.
"So I promptly called to their attention an incident that happened to me while serving overseas in the Army. It was in 1943, a date I acquired my first left-handed holster in a swap deal with a marine. How come, I wanted to know, did he have one if they're not issued?"
Sutton learned that the holster must have been specially made!
