The Jim Nabors Hour The Virginian on DVD The Jim Nabors Hour Looney Tunes Golden Ed Mr Peabody on DVD
TV on DVD/ / / / / / / / / / / / / / Punk Book/ / / / TV Shows on Blu-Ray/ / / / / Holiday Specials on DVD / / / / / / Classic Commercials / / / / / / Classic TV Blog

The Jim Nabors Hour : Jim Nabors Left the Number One Sitcom on TV for This?

Jim Nabors Left the Number One Sitcom on TV for This?

by Billy Ingram

The Jim Nabors HourIn 1969, Jim Nabors was the star of the top-rated sitcom in America, Gomer Pyle U.S.M.C, number 2 for the season behind Rowan & Martin's Laugh-in. He was bored after 5 seasons playing the bumbling Marine who never made it past Private First Class. That year he informed CBS that he would not return as Gomer Pyle, he wanted a variety show in a similar format to The Carol Burnett Show.

The network was not pleased. Gomer could easily run another 4 years with the ratings and viewer loyalty the program was garnering. They knew, and were correct, that a Jim Nabors variety hour would take a huge hit in the ratings but they also knew if Nabors left CBS he'd end up on ABC or NBC with the variety show he wanted so what could they do?

It was a smart premiere episode, with an opening number that explains how 'Gomer Pyle' is now a musical-variety star, bringing along with him two castmates from the sitcom, Frank Sutton and Ronnie Schell. The special guest was Andy Griffith, on who's show Nabors became a superstar. Even Don Knotts makes a cameo appearance.

Airing during the late-1960, the Nabors show had their choice of amazing Hollywood actors and musical artists including: Kate Smith, Carol Burnett, Glen Campbell, Barbara McNair, Tennessee Ernie Ford, Rock Hudson (rumor was Hudson and Nabors had been lovers at some point), Vicki Carr, Don Rickles, Anthony Newley during season one; Gary Puckett, Ricky Nelson, Totie Fields, Jane Wyman, Shirley Jones, Johnny and June Cash and to hers during season two.

The Jim Nabors Hour did quite well considering, finishing the season at #12; ratings for season 2 were consistently in the top 30 and would have led to automatic renewal (Carol Burnett was at #25) but the series was cancelled when CBS purged all of their 'rural' shows - anything with a tree or a Southern accent basically - regardless of ratings.

Existing episodes of The Jim Nabors Hour are very rare, here's the first 15 minutes of that first episode, sponsored by Marlboro. Notice the gay jokes, Nabors and Sutton were both gay despite Frank Sutton's gruff exterior on screen (apparently he was a pussycat in real life).

 

Portion of an episode of The Jim Nabors Hour with guests The Jackson 5:

 

Portion of a comedy segment from the first episode of The Jim Nabors Hour with guest Andy Griffith and a cameo by Don Knotts shot on the Mayberry courthouse set (the Nabor's show was broadcast in color despite this B&W clip):

 

 

 

TVparty is Classic TV on the internet!

 

DID YOU KNOW: In the pilot episode of Gomer Pyle U.S.M.C, broadcast as an episode of The Andy Griffith Show, Andy Taylor meets Sgt. Carter and convinces him Gomer is related to Gen. Pyle. But in episode 2.26 Opie runs away to join the Marines, when Andy arrives to retrieve him neither he nor Sgt. Carter remember they'd met before.

 

 

 

Lost Kid Shows / Movie Stars on TV / Saturday Morning Shows / Video Vault / Classic Christmas Specials / Fabulous Fifties / Unseen Scenes / Game Shows / Requested Forgotten TV Shows / The Super Sixties / More Modern TV Shows / The New * * Shows / 1980's Wrestling / TV Blog

TVparty is Classic TV on the internet!
Classic TV on the Internet!

TV's Embarrassing Moments / Action Shows of the Sixties / TVparty Mysteries and Scandals / Variety Shows of the 1970s / The Eighties / The Laugh Track / 1970's Hit Shows / Response to TVparty / Search the Site / Add Your Comments
1960's TV Seasons: 1961 / 1964 / ABC 1966 / 1967 / 1968 / 1969 / Fall Previews / Sharon Tate on The Beverly Hillbillies / Dark, Unseen Monkees Pilot / Pistols 'N' Petticoats / Best Episodes of Every 'Lucy Show' Season / How Lee Meriwether Became Catwoman / The Star Trek Spinoff That Didn't Happen / Why Ginger Was Almost Fired From Gilligan's Island / Every Batman (1966) Fight Scene / Whatever Happened to the Beverly Hillbillies' Mansion? / Remembering "Mary Ann" - Dawn Wells Interview / Catching Up With Lucy & Desi's 'Son' / The Ronny Howard Show?!? / Death of Bonanza's Dan Blocker / Broadside / David McCallum on the Legacy of The Man From U.N.C.L.E. / In Defense of Bewitched (and Jeannie) / Sad Ironic Death of Crazy Guggenheim / Larry Mathers (Beaver Cleaver) on the Rumor That He Was Killed in Vietnam / The Monkees / Jimi Hendrix 1967 Tour - The Only Night It Clicked Was In Greensboro! / William Shatner on the Origin of Star Trek / Brother Dave Garner / Remembering Newton Minow / The Nurses / / Glynis / The Debbie Reynolds Show / The Riddler Was Batman's First TV Super-Villain / Betty Lynn aka Thelma Lou / Remembering The Rifleman's Johnny Crawford / Clu Gulager Obituary / Leonard Nimoy on NBC Hating Spock / Sinatra Wanted To Play Joker on Batman? Yes! / Directing the Batman Pilot / Elinor Donahue on The Andy Griffith Show / Lucy After Ricky / Robert Clary on His Hogan's Heroes Co-stars / Jeopardy! in the 60s & 70s / Stunts Gone Wrong on The Wild Wild West / Whatever Happened To Lost In Space's Guy Williams? / Best of Julie Newmar Catwoman Season 2 / The New People / Dark Shadows Director Lela Swift / Pioneer Newswoman Lisa Howard / The Jim Nabors Hour / The UN Goes to the Movies / Stories About Filming Batman from Burt Ward / Life With Linkletter / The Green Hornet / Best of The Joker / Matt Weiner Interview / Lost in Space: Mark Goddard Interview / 1961 CBS Fall Season / Bette Davis TV show: The Decorator / The Hathaways / He & She / Eartha Kitt as Catwoman / The Good Guys / James Drury of The Virginian / The Ron Hicklin Singers / Man From U.N.C.L.E. on DVD / Behind the Scenes at The Andy Griffith Show / Pat Buttram & Green Acres / TV's Tarzan / Grocery Shopping in 1962 / Carol Channing on TV / 1960's Nightclub Comic Rusty Warren / Johnny Carson Tonight Show 1964 / That Girl / The Amazing Randi / TV's Greatest Car Stars / Best of Batgirl 1967-68 / TV Shows to Movies / Batman Season 2 / Supermarionation / The Virginian's Clu Gulager / William Windom / New Bewitched Book / Court Martial / Cast Changes on Bewitched and Green Acres / Sammy Davis Jr. Show / Sunday Morning Cartoons / Naked City / Joe E. Ross / Alan Young Interview / Sherwood Schwartz Interview / Walter Cronkite Moon Landing / The Farmer's Daughter / Petula-Clark /
Classic TV Commercials / 1950's TV / 1960's TV / Punk Book / / 1970's TV / Groucho vs William F Buckley / / TV Games / Honey Boo Boo / Lucy Shows / Classic Cars / John Wayne / Gene Roddenberry / Rockford Files / Sea Hunt / 1970s Commercial Jingles / Superman on DVD / Toy Gun Ads / Flip Wilson Show / Big Blue Marble / Monty Hall / Carrascolendas / Mr. Dressup / Major Mudd / Chief Halftown / What's In Oprah's Purse? / Baby Daphne / Sheriff John / Winchell & Mahoney / Fireball X-L5 / Mr. Wizard / Captain Noah / Thanksgiving Day Specials / Disney's First Christmas Special / Saturday Morning Cartoons / The Magic Garden / Amahl & the Night Visitors / Holiday Toy Commercials / Lucy & Desi's Last Christmas Show / Joey Heatherton / Fat Albert / The Virginian / Bewitched / Death of John Wayne / 1974 Saturday Mornings / Chuck McCann / Rudolph Collectables / Shrimpenstein / Local Popeye Shows / New Treasure Hunt / 1966 ABC TV Shows / 1967 TV Shows / 1968 TV Shows / Ric Flair, Dusty Rhodes & Baby Doll / Fridays / TV Moms / Red Skelton / Star Wars / KISS / Lancelot Link / Saturday Morning Cartoons / The Magic Garden / Wonder Woman / Classic Comic Books / Andy Griffith / Cher / TV Shows on DVD / Outtakes & Bloopers / 1967 TV Shows / Romper Room / ABC Movie of the Week / The Goldbergs / Daws Butler Commercials / Saturday Morning Commercials / Captain Kangaroo / Chicago Local Kiddie Shows / Boston Local TV / Philly Local TV / NYC Local Kid Shows / Amos 'n' Andy / Electric Company / Bette Davis / Judy Garland / Christmas Specials / Redd Foxx / Good Times / Sitcom Houses / What's Happening! / Winky Dink & You / Sonny & Cher / Smothers Brothers / Commercial Icons of the 1960s / Soupy Sales / The Carpenters / Route 66 / Bozo / The Carpenters Christmas Specials / Local Kid Shows / Death of TV's Superman / Wonderama / Sesame Street / Bob Hope Specials / Little Rascals / 1980's Retro Gay T-Shirts / 1980's TV Wrestling / Fess Parker / Howdy Doody / TV Blog / Lost In Space / Pinky Lee / 1980's LA Punk Rock / Alex Toth Book / TV Terrorists / Irwin Allen / The Untouchables / Carol Burnett Show / Batman TV Show / Green Hornet / Today Show History / Our Gang / Doris Day Show / 1970's Commercials For Women / Bill Cosby in the 1970s / The Golddiggers / Lola Falana / 1970s TV Shows / David Bowie on TV / Hudson Brothers / Jackie Gleason / Hollywood Squares / Match Game / Bob Keeshan / Gumby / The Flip Wilson Show / Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour / The Bobby Darin Show / The Richard Pryor Show / George Burns / Lucy's Lost Christmas Special / Classic Christmas Toy Commercials / Cricket On The Hearth / 1950's Holiday Shows / Amahl and the Night Visitors / A Christmas Carol on TV / The Yule Log / Celebrity Commercials / Rudolph / Movie Posters & More! 
TVparty is Classic TV on the internet!
TV on DVD/ / / / / / / / / / / / / / Punk Book/ / / / TV Shows on Blu-Ray/ / / / / Holiday Specials on DVD / / / / / / Classic Commercials / / / / / / Classic TV Blog
Looking for classic TV DVDs?/See below:
TV Commercials on DVD Wrestling DVDs Classic TV Books