Early life and
career
George Lindsey was born in
Fairfield in populous
Jefferson County,
Alabama, and reared in the small town of
Jasper, Alabama.
Lindsey graduated from
Walker High School in 1946
and then attended
Kemper Military School in
Boonville,
Missouri, and
Florence
State College in
Florence (now the University of North
Alabama), from which he received a Bachelor of Bioscience in 1952.
[2] Upon
graduation from college he joined the US Air Force stationed at Ramey Air Force
Base in Puerto Rico. After discharge from the Air Force, he taught public school
for one year at
Hazel Green High School in
Hazel Green,
Alabama , near Huntsville, Alabama, while awaiting acceptance to the
American Theater Wing in
New York City in 1956. Upon
graduation from American Theater Wing he began his professional career on
Broadway, appearing in the musicals “All American” and “Wonderful Town.” He
moved to
Los Angeles in 1962
after "All American" closed.
[edit]
The Andy Griffith Show, as "Goober Pyle"
(1964)
In 1964, he got his big break as the slow-witted but kindly "Goober Beasley"
on the now legendary
The Andy Griffith Show. His
character was eventually renamed "
Goober Pyle" to retain the same name as his cousin
Gomer Pyle, another
slow-witted yokel played by
Jim
Nabors, another Alabamian. Goober's antics frequently included his
exaggerated "Goober Dance" and his comically bad Cary Grant impression ("Judy,
Judy, Judy").
As Lindsey started his portrayal as Goober, he also had a minor role in the
Walter Brennan series
The
Tycoon on
ABC. Lindsey also had a role in
Voyage to the Bottom of
the Sea entitled
Submarine Sunk Here. He played a blackmailing
taxicab driver in the "Bed of Roses"
episode of
The Alfred Hitchcock Hour.
[3]
[edit]
Mayberry
R.F.D., other acting work
After Griffith left his television show,
CBS retooled it as
Mayberry R.F.D. and Lindsey played the same
character, until
CBS cancelled
R.F.D.
in 1971. Later in the 1970s, Lindsey guest starred on
"M*A*S*H as
Roy Dupree, a Southern surgeon working at the 8063rd Unit who switched places at
the 4077th with
Hawkeye Pierce.
In 1972, Lindsey portrayed Charlie, one of a pair of highwaymen in the
Gunsmoke episode "Blind Man's
Buff," and an escaped convict, "The Dove," in an episode of
The Rifleman.
Disney used
his talents in a few projects, both as comedy support in features and voiceovers
for a few of their
animated
characters. Three Disney animated features that presented the voice of Lindsey
were
The
Aristocats (1970),
Robin Hood (1973) and
The Rescuers (1977). He
also appeared in the 1967
Gunsmoke episode "Mad Dog" as one of the Watson
Brothers.
[edit]
As
"Goober" on Hee Haw (1972–1992)
Lindsey put on his "Goober" act for the third and last time on the
syndicated country music variety show
Hee Haw, playing a more rustic version of the
character. He appeared on that show from 1972 to 1992.
Following
Hee Haw, George "Goober" Lindsey had a short cameo in the
Rose Bowl episode of
NewsRadio, he was called as a
witness in a consumer fraud civil case (where Mr. James bought what he thought
was actual movie memorabilia from a teenage kid, but was actually fake) and was
asked to identify and authenticate one of the items. Lindsey was asked only one
question: "Mr. Lindsey, is this your skull?" He then took the skull in hand,
examining it carefully, and said, "no." At that point he was dismissed. He is
also seen at the end of the episode buying those same fake artifacts from Mr.
James, who was trying to pawn them off as actual set pieces and movie
memorabilia from popular films, including, once again, Lindsey's own supposed
skull.
September 24th, 2011 | 
Author: 
Posted in Uncategorized | 