Goober Pyle got his very own forgotten spin-off show in the late Seventies

This pilot really piled on the Pyles.

Goober deserves more respect. Gomer gets plenty of attention. Yet, his cousin Goober appeared in far more episodes of The Andy Griffith Show — nearly four times as many. And while Gomer continues to be the center of attention on his own Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C., loyal Goober continued to pump gas in Mayberry on Mayberry R.F.D.

In fact, George Lindsey continued playing Goober Pyle long after The Andy Griffith Show and Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. ended in the Sixties. The Alabama-born actor portrayed Goober several times on Hee Haw throughout the Seventies.

Oh, and Goober got his very own sitcom spin-off. You won't find a single mention of it on The Andy Griffith Show Wikipedia page. Talk about no respect.

The pilot for Goober & The Truckers' Paradise premiered as a special on CBS in the spring of 1978, a decade after The Andy Griffith Show said goodbye. It might not surprise you to learn that the network did not pick up the pilot as a series. Otherwise, you would have heard much more about it. And Wikipedia would probably have a page devoted to it.

While it might have been a failed pilot, Trucker's Paradise remains a fascinating slice of Mayberryana for fans of The Andy Griffith Show. Because it greatly increased the size of the Pyle clan.

Goober and Gomer were cousins, as we mentioned. The Goober character began as an unseen joke in season three of The Andy Griffith Show — as Gomer would repeatedly tell Andy that "Goober says, 'Hey'" — before Lindsey made the charmingly dopey fellow flesh-and-blood in season four. Aside from those two like-minded kinfolk, we hardly see other Pyles, though we do hear Gomer talk about his Grandma Pyle.

Goober, on the other hand, had several siblings. They keep crawling out of the woodwork.

Goober's brother, Braden, rolls back into town in the Mayberry R.F.D. episode called — what else? — "Goober's Brother."

But then came Truckers' Paradise. The roadside diner at the center of the sitcom was crawling with Pyles. The establishment was owned by Goober sister Pearl Pyle (Leigh French). Continuity meaning nothing to classic TV producers, French was no stranger to Pyles. In fact, you might recognize her as the pretty hippie Michele in "Flower Power," a memorable episode of Gomer Pyle. Look, here's Gomer side by side with the woman who would become his "cousin."

CBS

Pearl — who spouted lines like, "Tear off my arms and call me a clothespin!" — was just one of several charming Pyle sisters. There were also the bombshells Toni Pyle (Lindsay Bloom) and Becky Pyle (Audrey Landers). Not even the official Mayberry Wikia includes them on Gomer's family tree. Here is proof they existed.

CBSMeet Toni Pyle and Becky Pyle

This being 1978, it seemed as if the network was clearly trying to capture some of that Charlie's Angels and Three's Company mojo. With a heaping dose of Alice thrown in. But don't get us wrong — this was a rural comedy appealing to fans of Mayberry and Hee Haw. They even remembered to include a comedic deputy character, played by John Chappell, who somehow ended up in a slew of sequel spin-offs, including The New WKRP in Cincinnati and AfterMASH. While somewhat derided today, those two shows were successes in comparison to this one-off.

Did you ever see Truckers' Paradise? Can someone please add this to Wikipedia?


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19 Comments

butchknouse 10 months ago
I keep hoping Hee Haw Honeys will turn up.
Corey 34 months ago
The Landers sisters Judy and Audrey was hot.
ACcountryFan 34 months ago
George LIndsey appeared on "Hee Haw" more than just a few times in the '70s. He was a regular cast member of the show several years after "Mayberry RFD" ended it's run in 1971. I believe he became a regular on "Hee Haw" beginning in the 1973-1974 season and he remained a cast member until it's final episode in 1992. He played 'Goober' the longest on "Hee Haw".
38 months ago
Lindsay had the most beautiful blue eyes.
HalCromwell 39 months ago
You can catch the first 3 minutes on youtube.
OldTVfanatic 39 months ago
The timing of this pilot wasn’t the best, given that it was 1978. The era of disco, Kiss, Star Wars.
Jeffrey 39 months ago
I never heard of nor watched ''Goober Pyle in Trucker's Paradise''.
HydePark 39 months ago
I remember watching the pilot. Trucker's Paradise really was not a spin-off of The Andy Griffith Show, it was more a spin-off of Hee-Haw. It had the style and humor of Hee-Haw, and was shot on videotape. It really had nothing to do with The Andy Griffith Show, and was not similar in any way -- except for the character Goober. I'm not sure how, but George Lindsay must have walked away from the Griffith show with the right to the character. Otherwise, he would have been unable to portray Goober on Hee-Haw, or any other show, without permission from (and likely payment to) the producers of the Griffith show. It has been suggested on other message-boards that perhaps Lindsey had created the character himself, before joining The Andy Griffith Show, and perhaps he maintained ownership of the character. But who really knows?
Fred_Clampett 39 months ago
I remember this show. Even at 8 or 9 years old, I knew it was really bad. A character named Catfish John had the nerve to ask Goober why his parents had named him after a peanut. Geesh.
Fuming 39 months ago
"Tear of my arms and call me a clothespin" for some sick reason that made me laugh.
hermanstein2015 39 months ago
I wish it was possible to watch this pilot some how!!
ncadams27 39 months ago
Southern rural comedies became popular in the late 70s during the Carter administration - remember Carter Country with Victor French (Highway to Heaven and Little House on the Prairie)?
Pacificsun 39 months ago
George Lindsey shouldn't be remembered "just" for Goober Pyle. He was an incredibly prolific character and supporting actor, appearing in many, many roles on classic TV. But I'm glad Goober made him stand out!
hermanstein2015 Pacificsun 39 months ago
If you haven't read George Lindsey's book I highly recommend it!!
jaelinsmith40652 39 months ago
No never seen that show Trucker's Paradise, Gomer Pyle looked like he's the oldest cousin to be in the family Along with Goober,Toni and Becky Pyle. That is just so confusing to me. As The Andy Griffith Show had became the first start of the show.
BrittReid 39 months ago
Leigh French was in "The Hollywood Knights".........
SkippyDevereaux BrittReid 39 months ago
"Heavens Nevins!!" lol
daDoctah 39 months ago
I remember Leigh French mostly from her recurring role on The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour as spaced-out Goldie O'Keefe in the segment "Share a Little Tea with Goldie".
Moriyah 39 months ago
Intersting! I like how Gomer is in it!
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