If Robert J. Wilke were better looking, he'd look like Frank Gerstle.
If Mort Mills weren't menacing, he'd be Frank Gerstle.
(If you don't even know who Robert J. Wilke and Mort Mills are,
then you definitely wouldn't know Frank Gerstle.)
Think of a white-haired actor who did not become
famous like Peter Graves, and you'd be thinking Frank Gerstle.
Think of actors who are ubiquitous in movies and television shows
but whose name the tip of your tongue can never touch,
and Frank Gerstle is one.
If Frank Gerstle is obscure and elusive in movies and television,
he is even harder to hard to pin down
in the world of 1950s and late 40s radio drama.
He has a stern and gruff voice
in a realm full of stern and gruff voices.
You may hear his name in shows that credit their actors,
but white hair isn't an identifying trait on radio.
Frank Gerstle fans are few,
and their existence is as hard to prove as those of cryptid creatures.
How would you recognize one if you ever met one?
Well, that person would know that Gerstle
does not rhyme with Nestlé.
Frank Gerstle was in four episodes of radio Gunsmoke:
'Boughten Bride,' 'Kick Me,' 'Greater Love,' and 'Robber Bridegroom.'
He did one Fort Laramie, two episodes of Have Gun-Will Travel,
five of The Six Shooter, two of Tales of the Texas Rangers,
four of The Roy Rogers Show, and almost thirty of Wild Bill Hickok.
He also did almost thirty regular episodes of the detective series
Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar, and seven of its 5-part shows.
'Boughten Bride,' 'Kick Me,' 'Greater Love,' and 'Robber Bridegroom.'
He did one Fort Laramie, two episodes of Have Gun-Will Travel,
five of The Six Shooter, two of Tales of the Texas Rangers,
four of The Roy Rogers Show, and almost thirty of Wild Bill Hickok.
He also did almost thirty regular episodes of the detective series
Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar, and seven of its 5-part shows.
Copyright © 2012-2015 E. A. Villafranca, Jr.
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All Rights Reserved