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‘The Andy Griffith Show’ Star Reprised Character for ‘Hee Haw’ Segments

“The Andy Griffith Show” created many unique characters. One actor continued playing his particular role on another TV show.

Actor George Lindsey played Goober Pyle, who worked at Mayberry’s gas station along with his brother Gomer Pyle, played by Jim Nabors. Lindsey was Goober for eight seasons on “The Andy Griffith Show” and three seasons on “Mayberry R.F.D.”

But once those shows left CBS, Lindsey started making appearances on “Hee Haw.” Yes, Lindsey would find himself in two guest appearances in 1971. He brought Goober over to the corn patch with him and started appearing in “Goober’s Garage and “Goober and Gailard” comedy sketches.

‘The Andy Griffith Show’ Star Continued Playing Goober For A Long Time

Beyond Goober, Lindsey would also appear in the “Post Office,” “Truck Stop,” and “Judge Spot” sketches.

“Hee Haw” premiered on CBS in 1969 and was on the network until 1971. When it was dropped along with other “rural” shows from CBS’s lineup, the show’s producers went to work on a syndication deal. Lindsey would be a part of “Hee Haw” in syndication until it left the air in 1990.

“The Andy Griffith Show” star continued staying active thanks to his philanthropic work toward the Alabama Special Olympics. More than $1 million was reportedly raised through 17 years of his George Lindsey Celebrity Weekend and Golf Tournament in Montgomery, Ala.

On May 6, 2012, Lindsey died of heart failure at 83 years old in Nashville.

Lindsey Didn’t Receive A Lot Of Support For Acting Career From Parents

George Lindsey knew he wanted to be an actor. He didn’t have a lot of advantages that some have when breaking into the business. Lindsey talks a little bit about his home life as a child in a 2010 interview with Smashing Interviews Magazine.

“My mother and daddy divorced a long time ago and were poor, so there wasn’t any support to it,” he says. “But I was going to do it regardless.”

How did he get there? Well, Lindsey put his eye on the G.I. Bill.

“I joined the Air Force – figured if I went into the service I could get the G.I. Bill,” Lindsey says. “The American Theatre accepted people who were on the G.I. Bill. So, that’s how I got into acting school. It was a plan.”

And that’s how one star of “The Andy Griffith Show” used resources to fuel his resourcefulness toward success.

Lindsey would find other TV work throughout his career in shows like “The Rifleman,” “Gunsmoke,” and “M*A*S*H”. He also would provide voiceover work in three Disney movies kids still watch today in “The Aristocats,” “Robin Hood,” and “The Rescuers.”

But the role for which George Lindsey will always be remembered for by classic TV fans is Goober, the cat who would make sure your car was running smooth in Mayberry.

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