Sargeant Hacker Died...

I did not like Sergeant Hacker when he pull some mean stunts on Pyle. He and other Marine play a cruel trick where they got a woman at some kit cat joint to be Gomer's girlfriend and then when Gomer found out what the lady did for a living, he was hurt very badly. Another time, Hacker was bribing Pyle with food, so he could find out where was Gomer's platoon, so he could win the war game against Sgt. Carter.

This was the first I heard of his death. I agree that he was almost always played a cranky role but he was a good actor. He had several bad guy parts on Andy Griffith, including a goon of the lady (later to play Grandma Walton) who sold Barney the junk car.

Later on, he played on Archie Bunker's Place. I think he was a bar tender or perhaps the co-owner at that bar Archie bought at the start of that series. I think he was involved in the prank played on Archie at a lodge convention, when Archie passed out drunk and his buddies paid a Negro call girl to get into the bed with him before he woke up, then convince him that they had been together for the night.

BTW, in which season did he start playing Hacker on Gomer? I just bought the Season 1 DVD. Of course in that one there is Sgt. Wiffle (spelling?) at the barracks next door.

Yeah, that was a good episode. Allan Melvin was a great character actor. How about the one where Hacker bet Carter that he couldn't control his temper for 24 hours? Hacker had Pyle go into the duty hut and break Carters prized sword right in front of him! At one point, Carter was so mad that he had to drive the jeep out into the country so that he could run on top of a hill and scream!