When "The Andy Griffith Show" Role is Called Up Yonder

Another cast member of The Andy Griffith Show has died.  George Lindsey, aka "Goober" Pyle, died Sunday at age 83.  He joins Aunt Bee, Deputy Barney Fife, Floyd the barber, and Otis the town drunk in the hereafter.  Did you know that before joining the cast of The Andy Griffith Show as an auto mechanic Goober earned a bachelors degree in biology and taught high school science? 

George Lindsey as Goober Pyle

In memory of Goober, here's a memorable dialogue from a 1968 episode:

 

Goober Pyle: Hey, Andy
Sheriff Andy Taylor: Hi, Goob
Goober Pyle: I got Aunt Bee's car in tip-top shape.
Sheriff Andy Taylor: Oh, good.
Goober Pyle: What are you doin' with a Raleigh paper?
Sheriff Andy Taylor: Readin' it.
Goober Pyle: Andy, that's yesterday's paper.
Sheriff Andy Taylor: I know it.
Goober Pyle: You know that's not as stupid as it looks, readin' a day-old paper. I do it myself sometimes - kinda gives you a sense of power, don't it? I mean knowing how everything's gonna come out.
Sheriff Andy Taylor: I'm-I'm looking for the announcement of the auto show in Raleigh; it opened yesterday.
Goober Pyle: Well, you want to know where it's at? It's at the convention hall all weekend. Who's going to the auto show, Andy?
Sheriff Andy Taylor: Well, Aunt Bee wants to see the new models; she's thinking of trading in her old car.
Goober Pyle: That's a good thing - that car is on its last leg.
Sheriff Andy Taylor: You said it was in tip-top shape.
Goober Pyle: That's before I knew she was going to trade it in.
Sheriff Andy Taylor: She's just thinking of trading it in; she might keep it.
Goober Pyle: Well, it's still got plenty of miles on it.
Sheriff Andy Taylor: Anybody ever tell you you're a straw in the wind?
Goober Pyle: No. A feller in the service called me a hayseed though. I let him have it.

Sheriff Andy Taylor himself will be 86 on June 1.  If that doesn't make you feel old enough, Opie turned 58 on  March 1.  I still remember the question Opie asked that baffles mankind to this very day:  "Pa, just what can you do with a grown woman?"

George Lindsey - December 17, 1928 - May 6, 2012 R.I.P.