M14 Forum

Originally Posted by Different

It is possible that the opening scene was originally filmed in color but in the mid-1960s it was a big deal for a television network to broadcast a prime time show in color. Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. was broadcast in black and white for the first season and in color for seasons two through five. One would think that if the opening credits were originally filmed in color, the episodes would have been filmed and broadcast in color as well but that is speculation.

Nonetheless, IMO, the opening scene was filmed on two different occasions. Watch the opening credits for the first season (black and white) and then the credits in color (shown for seasons two through five). In the black and white version, Gomer looks younger and thinner compared to the color version. FWIW, the platoon guidon in the black & white version is Platoon 318. In the color version, it is Platoon 130.

Some trivia about Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. and the land where it was filmed:

Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. was produced by Andy Griffith Productions but it was filmed at the Desilu Studios twenty-nine acre lot on Washington Boulevard in Culver City, CA. This back lot was also where other shows like The Andy Griffith Show and Hogans Heroes were filmed. It was also where the streets of Atlanta and the mansion, Tara, were built for Gone With The Wind. The fictional town of Mayberry, NC was built on the dirt that had been Altanta, GA for Gone With The Wind. The land was sold off in 1976 so nothing is left of the Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. quonset huts and other outdoor sets. The set for Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. was accessible through a chain link fence on Ince Boulevard.

Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. was a CBS television network show that ran for five seasons, September 25, 1964 to May 02, 1969. 150 episodes were aired and it stayed in the top ten during its entire run. Say what you want for cornball humor, it did very well ($$$). CBS initially rejected Gomer but Danny Thomas, one of the producers, threatened to take the show to NBC. So, CBS agreed to air it. CBS rejected the show at first because the network executives did not think a show with a military theme would be well received by women.

In September 2010, I had the very good fortune to tour a privately owned warehouse in the Los Angeles area that stores a tremendous amount of original 35 mm television shows and movies from the 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s. These original films are owned by about every movie and television production company and studio you could think of. It's likely the largest repository of original film in the United States. This warehouse has 378 climate controlled storage vaults. I had the privilege of seeing the contents of a few of the vaults. The vaults I was shown held the contents of television shows produced by Danny Thomas and Desilu from the 1950s and 1960s. I did not see any canisters of Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. but I did see the original reels from I Spy and The Joey Bishop Show. That's probably more than what you wanted to know but I thought it was interesting.

Originally Posted by ava8harrierusmc51

So as I type this I'm smiling because two days from now at 10:00 am I earned that title UNITED STATES MARINE and dam proud of it.

Originally Posted by Sweets

... The term "Gomer" worked its way into medical schools and ERs (don't ask why), and also into the Canadian military. At least I assume that's where a friend got his army nickname from....