How did you like the Sgt Hacker character? To me he always seemed sneaky.

I thought Allan Melvin was great as Sgt Hacker and a great rival for Sgt Carter on the show. I like every episode he was in, with maybe the one of his buying Sgt Carter's car as my favorite. Or the one of his betting Carter can't hold his temper. Or his finding out Gomer was a great cook and tricking Carter into letting Pyle join his squad. Melvin once did an interview and said he just did the work but his part on All in the Family was special. I was disappointed he didn't name Sgt Hacker as his favorite. I thought he was much better on the GP Show. The way he would end things by sneering "You crumb" was a great little character bit and very funny too. He was very good on the Dick Van Dyke and Andy Griffith shows too.

That's surprising that the didn't mention his role as Sgt. Hacker as being a favorite. Hacker was a sneaky and hard-nose character most of the time but he was also funny. His Barney Hefner character on All In The Family was more easy going.

I guess All In The Family was just a more prestige series and sounds better to brag about than Gomer Pyle. Also, lots of times, it seems that actors won't pick the role they did best as their favorite. They pick the one that seems most like "acting" to them. But, like I said, GP doesn't get as much reaction as it should. I remember when Ronnie Schell used to do the Merv Griffin show and others he'd always mention his "most famous role as Duke Slater on Gomer Pyle" and then quickly say a joking "thank you, thank you very much" because he was used to there being no reaction to that. I always wanted him to be asked about the show, but he never was. It just didn't have the prestige that it should've had...but at least it does to us.

Yeah, Sgt. Hacker was good as a rival to Sgt. Carter, and the role is right along Allan Melvin's specialty-- the somewhat hard-nosed blue colllar businessman or authority figure. I remember him best as Hacker, Sam the butcher on The Brady Bunch, and the plumber on all those commercials for Liquid Plumr. For All in the Family, my favorite seasons are 2 through 4, and most of his appearances seem to be later, so that's not one of his better known roles to me.

The only thing about Sgt. Hacker is that he was both a platoon leader and a mess sergeant. I was never in the service (the Navy told me I couldn't get in for certain physical limitations), but the one in charge of the mess hall would not also be a platoon leader, I'm quite certain.

I also like the work Allan did on The Andy Griffith Show (as mentioned), cast as a tough guy. He did some great scenes with Don Knotts. No doubt his abilities on display there lead to his landing the Sgt. Hacker role on Gomer.

my favorite one when he Sgnt. Carter and him bet on Gomer and the Indian racing.

That's surprising that the didn't mention his role as Sgt. Hacker as being a favorite. Hacker was a sneaky and hard-nose character most of the time but he was also funny. His Barney Hefner character on All In The Family was more easy going.


As he was as "Sam the Butcher" on The Brady Bunch. He also played an army buddy of Rob's on The Dick Van Dyke show which was more of a "normal" person - both good and bad.

He was good on Gomer Pyle - you always need a good villain!

^ Yeah, I forgot about him being on The Dick Van Dyke Show. He was funny in that role too. I think I like him better as the easy going type than I do as a sneaky character or bully type.

^ Yeah, I forgot about him being on The Dick Van Dyke Show. He was funny in that role too. I think I like him better as the easy going type than I do as a sneaky character or bully type.


Same here.

Although when you think of it, you didn't like him being sneaky, but he played it well - that's why you didn't like that character. :lol:

I found that with Larry Linville playing Frank Burns on M*A*S*H - the guy you love to hate! lol

Allan Melvin, a character actor best known for playing Sam the Butcher on "The Brady Bunch," and Sgt. Hacker on "Gomer Pyle USMC" has died. He was 84.

Melvin died of cancer Thursday at his home in the Brentwood section of Los Angeles, said Amalia Melvin, his wife of 64 years

^ Thats very sad! He played so many good characters throughout his career.

RIP- Allan Melvin