February 23, 2017
Vintage Photobooth
28 Comments

Goofy Gomer

photoboothgomerpyle

USA 1950s

The character on the right of the above photobooth photo reminds me of Jim Nabors, the actor who played Gomer Pyle in a very popular 1960s, US, situation comedy, Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. I have no idea whether these two lads are, like Gomer, Marines but the palm tree dotted coastal scene in the backdrop lends a naval/marine feel to the photo that fits my premise.

So what is going on in this photo? It looks to me as though Gomer’s pal on the left, has seen some money fall out of the coin return slot and mistaken that for a malfunction. Gomer has reacted to his pal’s grimace by making a funny face of his own. Therefore they have both missed the fact that the photobooth was already beginnng its work. I hope these boys were not off on a dangerous mission. If they were, they at least had an amusing souvenir of their time at home.

gomer

Above and below – Jim Nabors as Gomer Pyle

gomerpyle

28 comments
  1. Quinn said:

    What a great shot. I like to think it made them laugh hard and long before starting its long journey to your blog.

    Liked by 1 person

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  3. oglach said:

    You are great at reading what’s going on in these photos. 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

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    • I remember loving him when I was a kid, but can barely remember what the show was actually about. It was Jim Nabors that grabbed all my attention.

      Liked by 1 person

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  5. roberta m said:

    Excellent interpretation–this is a great photo find. Those two are having a good time!

    Liked by 1 person

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    • Thanks WSPBGF! (Washington State Photo Booth Good Fairy or God Father! ) Received a superb HAND COLOURED photo in today’s post! TYSM!! ❌⭕️❤️⭕️❌

      Liked by 1 person

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  7. elmediat said:

    Goll-eey Sarge, those Hawaiian cockroaches sure are big. I bet a fella get a real surprise if it went up a pant leg. Remember to smile at the camera.

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    • Now you mention it, Rose, I remember seeing his records advertised on TV a long while ago. I wonder if he still sings?

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  13. I believe that these gents were members of the US Army Air Corps, judging by the uniforms (not to spoil your imagined back-story of course).
    My dad was in the Army Air Corps in WWII.
    This is him, as a cadet:

    Cadet Panian

    Interesting thing here is that the image of these two fly-boys is reversed as you can see in the “U.S.” emblem on the collar.
    The other collar insignia is the winged propeller of the Air Corps. They were either still cadets or enlisted men as officers would have their rank insignia on the collar instead of the “U.S.”.

    This could put them in Florida possibly as there were a number of training bases in Florida during the war, including Boca Raton, where my dad was for a time.

    Either way, this is probably pre-1947, as that is when the Air Force was formed from the US Army Air Corps.

    I could be wrong on a few of the details here, but I’ll let you know if I come across anything else.
    Hope you find this info useful/interesting.

    All the best–
    Johnny

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