FEATURE:

The Inimitable Jim NaborsTools

“Golleeeee!” That’s the word most closely associated with longtime Hawaii resident Jim Nabors. It’s also the sentiment expressed by people meeting him for the first time who are impressed that this TV and recording star is as genuine in person as he was playing the role of Gomer Pyle, the lovable Marine Corps private on the 1960s television show “Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.”

“What you see is what you get with Jim,” says buddy Eddie Sherman. “He really is the nicest guy on the planet. We are so lucky he decided years ago to call Hawaii home.”

When Nabors decided to leave Los Angeles over three decades ago, he considered moving to Lake Tahoe or the South of France. “But then Hawaii…it was no contest,” he says. “And once I bought a place, I knew I’d live here forever.”

The Diamond Head resident immediately became an integral part of the community. Valets at The Kahala Hotel & Resort greet him with great warmth when he arrives for Sunday brunch with his sister Ruth, who lives at nearby Kahala Nui. Ushers at the Hawaii Theatre, where he presented his “A Merry Christmas with Friends and Nabors” show for a decade, walk up to him with big smiles on their faces. Servers at Romano’s Macaroni Grill at Ala Moana Center, his favorite lunch spot, enthusiastically take care of him.

Around the world, his is a familiar face. Nabors delighted audiences at his Christmas show one year when he talked about being on tour in Australia. “A young boy was following me, pointing. Finally, he said, ‘I know you!’ Then he really made my day—he said, ‘You look like an old Gomer Pyle!’”

A household name for many years, Nabors didn’t intend to be in show biz. Born in Sylacauga, Alabama, where he sang in his high school glee club and church choir, he planned to have a business career after graduating from the University of Alabama. He held a myriad of jobs ranging from being a typist at the United Nations to a film cutter apprentice at NBC Studios in Los Angeles.
Performing in cabarets, Nabors drew attention for his amazing dual personality; he spoke like a down-South hillbilly and sang aria without equal! Before long, he joined “The Steve Allen Show,” then was cast by Andy Griffith as the bumbling gas station attendant Gomer Pyle. As they say, the rest is history! He eventually appeared with everyone from the Muppets to close friend Carol Burnett.

In fact, Burnett considered Nabors her “lucky charm” and had him open her CBS variety show each season. It was only natural, then, that she was in the audience when the Hawaii Theatre honored Nabors at a banquet a few years ago, and when she did a one-woman show at the theatre, he led the applause.

An icon in the entertainment industry, Nabors has earned numerous accolades. He has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. He has five gold and one platinum record among his 28 albums. His performances have broken attendance records across the country, from Las Vegas to Branson.

Each June, he headlines a sell-out show at the Mohegan Sun Casino in Connecticut “for a senior citizens convention, if you can believe that,” he says with a big smile. His movie credits range from The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas with pals Burt Rey-nolds and Dolly Parton to being Loni Anderson’s confidant in Stroker Ace.

In 2001, at Camp Smith on Oahu, the U.S. Marine Corps “promoted” Gomer Pyle to honorary lance corporal in a private ceremony that received international media coverage—an honor that Nabors says is his greatest. And in January, the USS Missouri Memorial Association paid tribute to him and U.S. Senator Daniel K. Inouye at a gala that filled the Hilton Hawaiian Village Beach Resort & Spa’s Coral Ballroom and brought stars such as Emma Veary, Danny Kaleikini, Karen Keawehawaii, Jimmy Borges and Cathy Foy to the stage to perform for him before he wowed the sold-out crowd with his stirring rendition of “The Impossible Dream.”

Above: Nabors and longtime friend Carol Burnett, 1980. Previous page: A few highlights from Nabors’ amazing career. Page 24: Belting out “The Impossible Dream” at the USS Missouri Memorial Association’s banquet in January (photo by Bob Goodwin).

For almost 30 years, Judy Murata was Nabors’ “right-hand gal.” Now dividing her time between Florida and Hawaii with her husband and longtime Nabors friend Bud Seretean, Murata recalls, “I thoroughly enjoyed my 27 years with Jim and Naborly Productions. I accepted the position with no job description; Jim wasn’t able to give me one. It was a wild, challenging, interesting, fun and never-to-be-experienced-anywhere-else ride!”

Of his decision to retire “A Merry Christmas with Friends and Nabors” last year despite its overwhelming popularity, Nabors says, “It was time; you have to know when to get off the stage.” It is public knowledge that he’s in his 70s and had a liver transplant in 1994 (he’s chaired events for the local chapter of the American Liver Foundation and personally met with other transplant recipients to share insights).

But memories of his amazing voice soaring in “O Holy Night” and other carols, his comedic flair—especially when kicking up his legs as a dancing toy soldier and his patter with his guest stars—remain embedded in the hearts of those who enjoyed the show December after December.

For the past three Christmas shows, Nabors pulled gifted tenor Guy Merola out of the Company Singers ensemble to sing solos and duets with him. “This, of course, meant jiggering the lineup to accommodate me,” says Merola, “but that’s the kind of guy Jim is. He’s extremely generous and considerate. He doesn’t need to hog the limelight, and he’s happy to showcase new talent.”

Merola also admires Nabors for his “great way of making you feel comfortable and part of his family. When he found out my partner Mark Wong and I were without Christmas plans this past year, he invited us to spend Christmas at his place with his family and friends. It was a great way to spend the holiday!”

John Rampage, artistic director of Diamond Head Theatre, worked with Nabors for the entire run of the Christmas production, but their friendship goes back years before when they both appeared in “Hello, Hollywood, Hello” at the MGM Grand in Reno. “Jim was the headliner, the big star,” says Rampage. “I was the 34th chorus boy from the right!”

Above: Aired from 1964 to 1969, the television show “Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.” catapulted Nabors to fame. In this photo from the sixties, he assumes that persona and hams it up with real MPs. Right: Nabors was touched by the warm reception he received as an honoree at the USS Missouri Memorial Association’s recent fund-raiser. Photo by Bob Goodwin.

Describing his more recent working relationship with Nabors, Rampage says, “The tone for every show is set by the person at the top, and with Jim Nabors that tone was always one of mutual respect and support for everyone. Jim also served as a role model for 10 years for the Diamond Head Theatre Shooting Stars [a troupe of talented young performers, aged seven through 17] on how to be a great star onstage and still be a kind, caring and thoughtful person. No matter how tired he was after the show, he always found time for every child’s request for a photo or autograph. Years after they left Shooting Stars, he still remembered many of them by name. Most importantly, he always treated them like fellow professionals.”

Burton White, Hawaii Theatre’s artistic director and general manager, produced the Christmas show each year and affectionately calls Nabors “The Boss.” He points out that “Jim never took any fee, but donated his time, talents and inspiration year after year to help the Hawaii Theatre and the Honolulu Symphony.” (The latter provided the orchestra in the early years of the show.)

Even in challenging situations, Nabors retained his wit and professionalism. Recalls Matt Catingub, conductor of the Honolulu Symphony POPS and the Matt Catingub Orchestra of Hawaii, “Years ago, when the Christmas show was cut short by a sudden power failure, it was Jim, with no lights and no sound, who proceeded to entertain the audience for over a half hour. I suspect that most of those people that night, even with the power failure, felt that they got something special that no other audiences got to see. And that sums up how I feel about Jim—he is something special!”

Backstage, Nabors regularly regaled the cast and crew with tales of his travels and shows. They ranged from his early beginnings singing at weddings and performing in small clubs to his breakthrough on “The Andy Griffith Show,” which led to his “Gomer Pyle” TV series; his own CBS variety show; and his albums, which topped the gospel charts for many years.

One of Nabors’ favorite stories concerns a formal dinner party where he found himself seated next to a gentleman he didn’t know. He asked what the man did for a living. “I’m the President of South Korea” was the response. Nabors didn’t miss a beat. “Yes, of course, but I meant besides that!” he said.

He counted his next-door neighbor, the late heiress Doris Duke, among his many pals. “She knew I didn’t want anything from her, and that was rare,” he says. “She wanted me to be the executor of her estate—after all, I have a business degree—but I declined. I just wanted to be friends. We became friends when I gave her a screen I had in my home, thinking it would look better in hers. No one tends to give one of the richest women in the world a present, but I did—and I got the gift of a longtime friendship in return.”

Nabors’ generosity, good humor and kindheartedness are infectious. Perhaps that explains why he maintains close relationships over the years and miles; why his home is sprinkled with framed photos of the rich and famous; and why his memories include adventures with friends like Hedda Hopper, Liza Minnelli and King Hassan II of Morocco.

That also is why Nabors will be at the Indianapolis 500 for the 37th straight year in May, where he’ll sing “Back Home in Indiana” and will be inducted into the Hall of Fame in a state where he never resided, but where people love him.

And that is why any article about Nabors is a “valentine” regardless of the time of year. As his former assistant Judy Murata says, “What I remember most about all my experiences with Jim are his tremendous sense of humor and his wonderful perspective on life and people. I learned so much from him; he is the consummate gentleman, a good guy, a generous spirit, an original!”

Golleeeee—that about sums it up!

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