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Jim Nabors turned down Andy Griffith when he was offered the role of Gomer Pyle
Nabors almost turned down the role that would make him famous.
When Jim Nabors was first offered the role of Gomer Pyle, he had no idea that the guest character would eventually lead to a television series.
According to an article in The Courier, Griffith himself offered the role to Nabors.
"I don't think so, but thanks anyway," said Nabors.
"You won't lose anything by reading for it," said Griffith.
It took some fairly heavy-handed convincing from Griffith to convince Nabors to take on the role. At the time, Nabors was insecure about his acting ability.
The good news is that acting is essentially faking it until you make it, which Nabors was more than willing to do. While Gomer Pyle was more than a bit dimwitted, he certainly knew his way around an automobile. But where Gomer was adept, Nabors was certainly lacking knowledge in terms of machinery.
"When Gomer Pyle was minding the gas pumps on The Andy Griffith Show, he didn't really have to know much," said Nabors. "I mean, he could talk about being a mechanic and repairing things - he was supposed to be a whiz at anything from a tune-up to a major overhaul - but all he had to do was 'talk' shop. He didn't ever actually have to fix anything."
Luckily, Nabors was a much better actor than he was a mechanic, and viewers loved his portrayal of Gomer Pyle. "I could go to work on that show without knowing a carburetor from a crankshaft, and I scarcely do," said Nabors. "Nobody at home detected the difference."
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