Virginia Gregg & Virginia Christine

"There will never be two Virginias!"
-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.

Look for the Virginias at