James Thurston Nabors (June 12, 1930 – November 30, 2017) was an American actor, singer, and comedian, widely known for his signature character, Gomer Pyle.
Nabors was discovered by Andy Griffith while working at a Santa Monica nightclub, and he later joined The Andy Griffith Show, where he played the good-natured, unsophisticated Gomer Pyle. The character proved so popular that Nabors was given his own successful spin-off show, Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.
1965
Nabors also became a popular guest on variety shows that showcased his rich baritone singing voice in the 1960s and 1970s. He was the featured guest on every season premiere of The Carol Burnett Show and he had two specials of his own in 1969 and 1974. He signed a recording contract with Columbia Records in 1965 and subsequently recorded numerous albums and singles, most of them containing romantic ballads. He recorded for Ranwood Records during the late 1970s.
Nabors was also known for singing "Back Home Again in Indiana" before the start of the Indianapolis 500, held annually on the Memorial Day weekend. He sang the unofficial Indiana anthem almost every year from 1972 to 2014, except for occasional absences due to illness or scheduling conflicts.
Nabors was born in Sylacauga, Alabama, on June 12, 1930, to Fred Nabors, a police officer, and Mavis Pearl (née Newman). He had two older sisters, Freddie and Annie Ruth. He sang for his high school and church. Later, he attended the University of Alabama, where he began acting in skits. While at Alabama, he became a member of Delta Tau Delta International Fraternity. After graduating, he moved to New York City, where he worked as a typist for the United Nations; after a year, he moved to Chattanooga, Tennessee, where he got his first job in television as a film cutter at NBC affiliate WRGP-TV (now WRCB-TV) and was also a substitute co-host on the show Holiday for Housewives.
Because of his asthma, Nabors moved to Los Angeles and continued his work as a film cutter, this time for NBC. He also worked at a Santa Monica tavern, The Horn, singing and acting in cabaret theater. His act featured him as a character similar to the later Gomer Pyle. He sang in a baritone and sometimes spoke and sang in his higher-pitched comedic voice. At the club, comedian Bill Dana saw Nabors' act and invited him to appear on The Steve Allen Show. Nabors signed on to the show, but it was soon canceled.
Career
Nabors made his television debut as "Jimmy Nabors" on the Today in Dixie show on WJBF in Augusta, Georgia. He was active in the choir at Grace United Methodist Church in North Augusta.
2001
Andy Griffith discovered Nabors at The Horn and hired him to play a one-shot role of Gomer Pyle, a dimwitted gas station attendant on The Andy Griffith Show in the third season episode "Man in a Hurry." Nabors' character was based on his act at The Horn, and it became so popular that he was made a regular on the show and was later given the spin-off show Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C., in which his character joined the Marines. The show placed Nabors' bungling, naive character opposite Gunnery Sergeant Vince Carter (Frank Sutton).
2010
Gomer Pyle remained popular despite the concurrence of the Vietnam War because the show avoided war-related themes and instead focused on the character's rural roots and the relationship between Pyle and Carter. Nabors resigned from Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. after five seasons because he wanted to move on to something else, "reach for another rung on the ladder, either up or down."
Typecast from his role as Gomer Pyle, Nabors found his subsequent roles mostly comedic.[ In the 1970s, he appeared in the children's television program The Krofft Supershow. He appeared in every season premiere of The Carol Burnett Show, because Burnett considered him a "good-luck charm". They were so close that he became the godfather to her daughter Jody.
Nabors began vacationing in Hawaii in the 1960s, and in 1976, moved from Bel Air, California, to Honolulu, Hawaii. For 25 years, he owned a macadamia plantation on Maui before selling it to the National Tropical Botanical Garden, a conservationist organization, though he still retained farming rights to the land and owned a second home on the property.
He also owned a home and spent some summers in Whitefish, Montana, during the 1990s.
2013
On January 15, 2013, Nabors married his partner of 38 years, Stan Cadwallader, at the Fairmont Olympic Hotel in Seattle, Washington, a month after same-sex marriage became legal in Washington. They had met in the 1970s, when Cadwallader was a fireman in Honolulu, and began dating in 1975. Although Nabors's homosexuality was not widely known before this, it was also not completely secret. For instance, Nabors brought his then-partner Cadwallader along to his Indy 500 performance in 1978.
Nabors died at his Honolulu, Hawaii, home on November 30, 2017, aged 87.
The United States Marine Corps released a statement on Nabors: "Semper Fi, Gomer Pyle. Rest in peace Jim Nabors, one of the few to ever be named an Honorary Marine." Second Lady of the United States and former First Lady of Indiana Karen Pence wrote a statement on Twitter: "So sad to hear about the passing of Jim Nabors. We heard him sing 'Back Home Again in Indiana' at the Indianapolis 500 countless times. We will miss his beautiful voice."
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- SERVES
- 6
- COOK TIME
- 5 Min
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- 6 cups tortilla chips
- 4 large eggs
- 1 tablespoon room temperature water
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 cooked breakfast sausage links, microwaved according to package directions, sliced
- 1/4 cup ready-to-serve bacon pieces
- 1 cup fresh salsa
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 1 scallion, sliced
- 1 fresh jalapeno pepper, sliced (optional)
- Preheat oven to 425º. Place tortilla chips on a baking sheet; set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk eggs and water. In a medium skillet over medium heat, melt butter; add egg mixture and scramble until firm. (Adding the room temperature water makes the eggs light and fluffy.) Spoon eggs over tortilla chips. Top with sausage, bacon, salsa, and cheese.
- Bake 3 to 5 minutes or until cheese is melted. Sprinkle with scallion and jalapeno slices, if desired, and serve. Make sure you have plenty of napkins…just sayin’.
1928 – Andy Warhol, American artist (d. 1987)