Carol Burnett and Jim Nabors were two of the funniest comedians and Hollywood personalities of the 1960s and beyond, and when the close friends joined forces, it made for some real entertainment. Burnett was of course the brilliant comedian who hosted The Carol Burnett Show on CBS from 1967 to 1978, the first woman to host a comedy variety show of that sort. Jim Nabors was the actor and singer behind the lovable character Gomer Pyle, who first appeared on the sitcom, The Andy Griffith Show, and then on his own spinoff show, Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. Burnetts and Nabors' friendship first began when Burnett saw Nabors on Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. and sent him a fan letter. The two later met in New York and started up a friendship. Nabors was often a guest star on The Carol Burnett Show, with Burnett even starting off season with Nabors joining the show.
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"When the show took off, we looked on Jim as our good-luck charm, so he wound up being the guest on the first show every season for 11 years," Burnett wrote in her book, This Time Together: Laughter and Reflection. (quote via CheatSheet).
Throughout their careers, Burnett and Nabors performed multiple duets together, one of which took place on an episode of Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. Burnett appeared on the show as Sgt. Carol, and the two sang a humorous medley of popular songs.
"We sang a whole medley together," Burnett told MeTV. "It always amazed me how he could talk like [Gomer] and sing like that."
In addition to being funny, both Burnett and Nabors had great singing voices, with Nabors boasting a voice worthy of broadway. In 1967, Burnett and Nabors performed a duet of Broadway songs while infusing their signature humor. The video showcases how much fun Burnett and Nabors had together as they almost burst out laughing halfway through their performance.
Read More: Carol Burnett & Julie Andrews: The Two Stars Share a Sweet, Funny Friendship
As for Nabors, he didn't do too many interviews during his career, but he did speak of a time that he watched Carol Burnett perform with Lucille Ball.
"Lucy was very much an analyst," Nabors said, according to MeTV. "And she said, 'The kid's [Burnett] the best there is.'"
Later in his career, star Jim Nabors left the TV world for other opportunities, one of which included starring in a touring production of Man of La Mancha. Nabors had already proven his skill at singing the musical's song, "The Impossible Dream (The Quest)," during an episode of his TV show. Later, Nabors moved to Hawaii with his partner Stan Cadwallader, whom he married in 2013. Nabors passed away at his home in Honolulu in 2017 at age 87. Burnett is now 88 years old.
