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Frank Sutton explained why he was a lot like Sgt. Carter in Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.
Sutton called the character "gentle."
Despite Sgt. Carter's angry tirades and bad temper, Frank Sutton insisted that the character was, against all disbelief, a warm-hearted person. You'd be inclined to believe Sutton; he played the character for many years on Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. Not only that, but Sutton also claimed responsibility for making Sgt. Carter. He insisted that the character was a good man deep in his heart.
"I created the character," said Sutton during an interview with the Sunday Patriot-News. "He's really very gentle."
At first glance, this might be hard to picture. However, it is true that Carter's personality softened quite a bit as the series went on. He and Gomer became fairly close before the show ended in 1969.
So, when asked whether Sutton felt that his personality was quite similar to Carter's, the actor was inclined to agree.
"Well, in some ways, yes," said Sutton. "I think I'm really a pretty gentle person. I yell around the house, sometimes at my children, but I'm too soft to spank them!... But I've molded that Sgt. Carter character. He has to be a lot like me."
When pressed as to what advice Carter would give to young children, Sutton was honest and found that his advice was the same. "Well, Carter likes children," said Sutton. "He would tell them to obey the rules, love their parents, study hard, work hard...I suppose I'd say the same thing."
