Frank Sutton
Frank Sutton | |
|---|---|
 Sutton in a 1969 publicity photo | |
| Born | Frank Spencer Sutton October 23, 1923 Clarksville, Tennessee, U.S. |
| Died | June 28, 1974 (aged 50) Shreveport, Louisiana, U.S. |
| Resting place | Greenwood Cemetery, Clarksville, Tennessee, U.S. 36°30′24.8″N 87°20′31.9″W / 36.506889°N 87.342194°W |
| Alma mater | Columbia University (BS) |
| Television | Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. |
| Spouse(s) | Toby M. Igler (m.1946–his death) |
| Children | 2 |
| Military career | |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Service/ | United States Army |
| Years of service | 1943–1946 |
| Rank |  Sergeant |
| Battles/wars | World War II |
| Awards |  Bronze Star Purple Heart |
Frank Spencer Sutton (October 23, 1923 – June 28, 1974) was an American actor best remembered for his role as Gunnery Sergeant Vince Carter on the CBS television series Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C..
Early life
[edit]Born in Clarksville, Tennessee, Sutton developed an interest in acting, playing his first role at age nine and also starring in the drama club at East Nashville High School, where he graduated in 1941. He later said, "The first time I walked out on a stage, I had a warm feeling. I knew then I wanted to be an actor."[1]
After high school, Sutton returned to Clarksville to become a radio announcer. During World War II, he volunteered for service in the U.S. Marine Corps, but he was medically rejected due to his color blindness.[2][3] He then enlisted in the U.S. Army and served in the South Pacific, taking part in 14 assault landings.[3] Sutton was a sergeant who served from 1943 to 1946 in the 293rd Joint Assault Signal Company. He was awarded the Bronze Star and Purple Heart.[citation needed]
Acting career
[edit]Honorably discharged after the war as a sergeant, he began acting on stage.[4] He attended the Columbia University School of General Studies, graduating cum laude with a bachelor's degree in drama in 1952.
Throughout the 1950s and early 1960s, Sutton played small roles in television shows such as Decoy, Route 66, Naked City, The Greatest Show on Earth, The Fugitive, The Goldbergs, 87th Precinct, Gunsmoke, Target: The Corruptors, Empire, The Twilight Zone, and The Untouchables. He had a continuing role as Cadet Eric Rattison, the great rival of the Polaris Unit manned by the series' heroes, in Tom Corbett, Space Cadet from 1950 to 1955. In 1955, he received his big break in the Academy Award-winning movie Marty, in which he played the title character's friend, Ralph. He also had a role in The Satan Bug, a 1965 spy thriller. He returned to the stage in The Andersonville Trial in the early 1960s.
Having primarily acted in dramas,[5] Sutton's breakthrough role was on Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C., a 1964 episode of The Andy Griffith Show, in which he played the cynical and easily exasperated Gunnery Sergeant Vince Carter opposite Jim Nabors' character Gomer Pyle. This episode was the pilot for a spin-off TV comedy, Gomer Pyle, USMC, where Sutton continued the role for five seasons, until the show ended its run in 1969. He also appeared in public service announcements in the role of Gunnery Sergeant Carter. After Gomer Pyle ceased production, Sutton appeared regularly on Nabors' variety show The Jim Nabors Hour with Gomer Pyle co-star Ronnie Schell. Sutton played the brother-in-law of Nabors' character in comedy sketches.[6][7] Sutton performed in dinner theater, playing, among other roles, the father in Norman, Is That You? and made guest appearances on other television programs.[8]
Personal life and death
[edit]In 1946, Sutton married soap-opera writer Toby M. Igler, with whom he had two children, Joe Sutton and Amanda.[1]
On June 28, 1974, while preparing for a performance in the comedy play Luv at the Beverly Barn Dinner Playhouse in Shreveport, Louisiana, Sutton died of a heart attack.[1] He is buried in the Greenwood Cemetery in his hometown of Clarksville, Tennessee.
Filmography
[edit]| Film | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1950 | The Goldbergs | Dutch | |
| 1955 | Marty | Ralph | Uncredited |
| 1957 | Four Boys and a Gun | Ollie Denker | |
| 1961 | Town Without Pity | Sgt. Chuck Snyder | |
| 1965 | The Satan Bug | Donald | |
| 1974 | Hurricane | Bert Pearson | Television movie released posthumously (final film role) |
| Television | |||
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1950-1955 | Tom Corbett, Space Cadet | Cadet Eric Raddison | |
| 1954 | The Glenn Miller Story | uncredited | |
| 1956 | The Edge of Night | Sgt. Fitzsimmons | |
| 1958-1961 | Naked City | Franklin Maquon | |
| 1960-1961 | Deadline | John McDowell | Lead role in the episode "To Move a Mountain" (1960) |
| 1960-1961 | The Secret Storm | Joe Sullivan #2 | |
| 1961-1962 | Gunsmoke | Charlie (1961) Olie (1962) Billy Tooker/Marston (1962) |
|
| 1962 | Have Gun – Will Travel | Davey Walsh | One-time role – The Trap (1962) |
| The Twilight Zone | Frank, Jerry's manager | One-time role in episode "The Dummy" | |
| 1962-1963 | Combat! | Corporal Cording | – The Chateau (1963) |
| 1962-1963 | The Untouchables | Benny Stryker (1962) Smiley Barris (1962) Angie Stazak (1963) Sgt. Davey McCain (1963) |
|
| 1963 | The Fugitive | (deputy) Jackson | One-time role in episode 3 "The Other Side of the Mountain" |
| 1963 | Death Valley Days | Diamondfield Jack | Episode: Diamond Field Jack aired October 1, 1963 |
| 1964 | The Andy Griffith Show | Gunnery Sergeant Vince Carter | One-time role in episode "Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C." |
| 1964-1969 | Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. | Gunnery Sergeant Vince Carter | |
| 1966 | Password | Himself | Game show contestant / Celebrity guest star |
| 1969-1971 | The Jim Nabors Hour | Himself | |
| 1970–1973 | Love American Style | Various | Episodes:
|
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b c "Gomer's Sgt. Carter, Frank Sutton, Dead". St. Petersburg Independent. Associated Press. June 29, 1974. p. 14-A. Retrieved November 22, 2008.
- ^ Handsaker, Gene (August 21, 1966). "Visiting the Real War". St. Petersburg Times. p. 4. Retrieved November 22, 2008.[dead link]
- ^ a b Polk, Peggy (January 5, 1965). "Imagine! Gomer Pyle Victim of 'Snafu'". The Desert Sun. Palm Springs. United Press International. Retrieved January 19, 2022 – via California Digital Newspaper Collection.
- ^ Kleiner, Dick (March 29, 1997). "Reader asks what preceded 'Gomer Pyle'?". Calhoun Times and Gordon County News. p. 3. Retrieved December 6, 2008.
- ^ Lowry, Cynthia (July 29, 1965). "Gomer Pyle Show Scored Immediately". Ellensburg Daily Record. Associated Press. p. 4. Retrieved October 17, 2015.
- ^ "Nabors' Production Still Popular". Rome News-Tribune. October 16, 1970. p. 9-A. Retrieved November 23, 2008.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "Complete Television Programs for Thursday". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. September 17, 1970. p. 48. Retrieved November 23, 2008.[permanent dead link]
- ^ Rearden, T.J. (Mrs.) (May 18, 1972). "Roaming Around Florida". The DeFuniak Springs Herald. p. 10. Retrieved March 30, 2020.
External links
[edit]
- Frank Spencer Sutton at Find a Grave
- Frank Sutton at IMDb
- Frank Sutton at Turner Classic Movies
- Obituary on National Obituary Archive
- Several dozen articles about Frank Sutton
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| People | |
| Other | |
- 1923 births
- 1974 deaths
- 20th-century American male actors
- American male film actors
- American male soap opera actors
- American male television actors
- Burials in Tennessee
- Columbia University School of General Studies alumni
- Male actors from Tennessee
- Military personnel from Tennessee
- People from Clarksville, Tennessee
- United States Army non-commissioned officers
- United States Army personnel of World War II