Virginia Gregg & Virginia Christine
"There will never be two Virginias!"
-Gen. Robert E. Lee's famous last words.
-Gen. Robert E. Lee's famous last words.
This being the first page for the women of radio Gunsmoke, one thing must be pointed out
right away to those unfamiliar, and celebrated by those who are already fanatics:
whatever the actors looked like in real life, and however they looked in latter-year tv shows,
in voice they were always the slinkiest, minkiest, minxiest women--so heartbreakingly sweet
that you want to get a wedding ring, so sexy that your nostrils flare & fire & flame
even if it is your ears doing the listening.
No wonder that since 1952, every poll has shown that Gunsmoke is the most popular radio show
among men and lesbians.
What do the two Virginias have in common? They both began as musicians.
Had the viol and piano not been set aside, they never would have become the two Virginias
of Gunsmoke.
VIRGINIA GREGG It would be surprising to find an actor who has as many credits in the worlds of radio, movie, and television, as Virginia Gregg. Such are the numbers of roles she played, one is reminded of John Meston's ironman output of scripts. More meaningful is that with both these Gunsmoke greats, the never wavering quality of the work equalled if not exceeded the quantity. Somewhat similar to her feat in Gunsmoke, where she managed to work in four of five eras, Virginia Gregg also appeared in radio Dragnet, 1950s b&w tv Dragnet, 1960s color Dragnet, and the 1954 movie version of Dragnet! Hers was the voice of Mrs. Bates, better known as Mother, in the Psycho movies. She appeared once in the modern cowboy series created by Kathleen Hite, Empire. She appeared three times on Wm Conrad's tv show Cannon. Besides appearing in many other tv westerns, she was in seven tv Gunsmoke episodes, her most memorable role being that of Ess Cutler in Kathleen Hite's 'The Search.' 'Richer by One Christmas,' the December 24, 1955 episode of Romance, is a wonderful way to familiarize oneself with Virginia Gregg's voice. |
VIRGINIA CHRISTINE Much is made in Gunsmoke of its hapless homesteaders and woeful women substituting chicory for coffee, because of the scarcity and high price of the latter. Yet Virginia Christine didn't seem to be far behind Virginia Gregg in the intake of real coffee, because she was yet another workhorse in terms of making numerous appearances on radio, tv, and movie. More than anyone else in radio & tv Gunsmoke, Virginia Christine met with more success in the movies, appearing in such classics as High Noon, Judgment at Nuremberg, The Killers, Invasion of the Body Snatchers, Guess Who's Coming to Dinner, etc. And later she perkily percolated into the world of tv commercials-- as Mrs. Olson, she dispensed happy wisdom to housewives who were clueless about how to coax their husbands into a second cup of caffeine. What does Virginia Christine not have in common with any other Gunsmoke actor? She was the only one to ever become a pin-up girl. A good place to learn Virginia Christine's voice is 'The Peace Officer,' the August 18, 1957 episode of Gunsmoke. |
June 29, 2006
Copyright © 2006-2013 E. A. Villafranca, Jr.
All Rights Reserved
Look for the Virginias at