Frank Forrester, WRC weatherman

Frank Forrester was a trained meteorologist, in the days before that was a requirement for radio/tv weatherpeople.

He served in the Marines as an aviation meteorologist, then worked at Pan American Airways in New York's LaGuardia airport. Frank was also deputy manager of the Hayden Planetarium in New York City. His first TV weather program was on WOR-TV in New York, in 1951.

At WRC, Frank worked on both radio and television. According to an article in Radio-TV Mirror magazine: Frank's four daily programs (two each on radio and television), and his frequent appearances on the NBC Radio Network, have become watch-words for busy Washingtonians... Forrester's programs have amassed huge audiences through his rare combination of accuracy and showmanship, and a natural talent that mixes professional acumen with entertainment know-how.

Anyone who wore the title "professional" at WRC, was sure to be on the receving end of some Joy Boys skits. Here's one, with Ed playing the part of Frank Forrester: Frank Forrester flips out (MP3, 265K) And there were some years when sponsors weren't plentiful, so it caused quite a stir when Frank Forrester had a commercial (MP3, 70K).

Of course, Frank's real voice was often heard on WRC too. Typically, he had to wait for a long Joy Boys commercial first, then hope to keep his composure while giving the forecast.

And finally, here's a clip from the last Joy Boys WRC show. Frank was one of many guests who dropped in that day.