Jim Nabors was The Carol Burnett Show's good luck charm

Jim Nabors: Excellent actor and a good luck charm.

February 28, 2024, 2:37PM By MeTV Staff

As if amazing costuming, brilliant actors, and hilarious sketches weren't enough, the cast of The Carol Burnett Show was gifted with a good luck charm from the beginning of the series run: Jim Nabors.

You might remember Nabors best as Gomer Pyle of The Andy Griffith Show and Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. However, Nabors also served as a frequent guest star on The Carol Burnett Show, typically the very first episode. This was because the cast and crew, Burnett especially, believed that having Nabors on the first episode would result in a successful season.

The Carol Burnett Show wasn't the first time that Nabors and Burnett met. In fact, by the time Nabors began guest-starring in her series, he and Burnett were the best of friends.

Burnett's introduction to Nabors was actually the same as any other viewer; she saw him on the television. In her memoir, This Time Together: Laughter and Reflection, Burnett wrote, "I remember watching an episode of Gomer Pyle where Gomer, played by Jim Nabors, sits on a porch swing with his girlfriend and sings a beautiful folk song, accompanying himself on the guitar."

She was so taken with Nabors that she reached out to him. Burnett continued, "I thought he was wonderful, and sent him a fan letter telling him so. It was 1965. We met shortly after that when Jim was in New York on business, and we hit it off immediately."

The two's friendship only grew after that. Burnett wrote, "After Joe and I moved to California, we got together often with Jim, and I thought of him as the brother I never had." Burnett even named Nabors as the godfather to one of her daughters.

Burnett confessed, "When my variety show was about to premiere, Jim was our very first guest. When the show took off we looked on Jim as our good-luck charm, so he wound up being the guest on our first show every season for eleven years."

She also included a message specifically to Nabors, just like the fan mail she sent him so long ago. She said, "Jim, I just want you to know that I love my good-luck charm very much."