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George Winslow

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For the American football punter, see George Winslow (American football).
George Winslow
Born
George Karl Wentzlaff

(1946-05-03)May 3, 1946
Los Angeles, California, US
DiedJune 13, 2015(2015-06-13) (aged 69)
Camp Meeker, California
Other namesGeorge "Foghorn" Winslow
OccupationActor
Years active1952-58

George "Foghorn" Winslow (May 3, 1946 – June 13, 2015), born George Karl Wentzlaff, was an American child actor of the 1950s known for his stentorian voice and deadpan demeanor. He appeared in several films, some opposite such stars as Marilyn Monroe,[1] Cary Grant, Ginger Rogers, Dean Martin, and Jerry Lewis.[2] In the late 1950s, he retired from acting.[3]

Career

Nicknamed “Foghorn” for his raspy voice as a slender child with dark blond hair and deep blue eyes, Wentzlaff, a Los Angeles native, broke into the entertainment business on Art Linkletter’s family-oriented radio program, People are Funny. Asked his name by Linkletter, the youngster said: "George Wentzlaff, but I’d rather be Casey Jones", with a delivery that cracked up Linkletter and the audience and led to about 20 subsequent appearances on the show, according to a biography on the IMDb.com website.

Actor Cary Grant, who heard the show and was impressed with Wentzlaff’s unusual voice and comedy instincts, introduced him to director Norman Taurog, leading to his roles in Grant’s films, Room for One More (1952) and Monkey Business (also 1952), which co-stars Ginger Rogers and Marilyn Monroe, making her first movie appearance with platinum-blond hair. Next up was Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953), in which Wentzlaff — playing Henry Spofford III, Monroe’s young admirer — stole scenes from the actress, including his line about her possessing a "certain animal magnetism". In the comedy Mister Scoutmaster (1953), he traded barbs with Clifton Webb, and he had a small role in the musical comedy Artists and Models (1955), with Dean Martin, Jerry Lewis, Dorothy Malone and newcomer Shirley MacLaine in what Aurora called Wentzlaff’s "last ‘good’ movie"[citation needed].

He also appeared in television episodes of The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet, Blondie and Dear Phoebe. Winslow's final screen appearance came in the feature film, Wild Heritage (1958), cast as 'Talbot Breslin', son to film's lead, Maureen O'Sullivan. By the age of 12, Winslow retired from the screen.

Personal life and death

Retiring from show business at age 12, Wentzlaff finished school, served in the Navy during the Vietnam War, moved to Camp Meeker in the late 1970s and retired from the Postal Service a few years before his death. Wentzlaff, a lifelong bachelor and cat lover, died of a heart attack June 13 at his Camp Meeker home.[4] A longtime friend who went to check on Wentzlaff, found him in his bed the following day. He was 69. At the time of his death, Winslow was sharing his home with about 25 cats. His friends hoped to find Winslow's pets adoptive homes through the local area animal advocacy group, Forgotten Felines.

A memorial service was held in Petaluma, California in July 2015, with burial plans with military honors at the Sacramento Valley National Cemetery, to follow.

Filmography

Year Film Role Notes
1952 Room for One More Teenie Film debut; the film starred Cary Grant.
1952 Monkey Business Little Indian The film starred Cary Grant and Ginger Rogers.
1952 My Pal Gus Gus Jennings His only starring role.
1953 Gentlemen Prefer Blondes Henry Spofford, III The film starred Marilyn Monroe. His second film for director Howard Hawks.
1953 Mister Scoutmaster Mike Marshall Billed as George "Foghorn" Winslow.
1954 The Rocket Man Timmy Billed as George "Foghorn" Winslow.
1955 Artists and Models Richard Stilton Billed as George "Foghorn" Winslow.
1956 Rock, Pretty Baby Thomas Daley, III
1958 Summer Love Thomas Daley, III
1958 Wild Heritage Talbot Breslin Last film appearance

References

  1. ^ Gentlemen Prefer Blondes
  2. ^ Ladies of the Western: Interviews with Fifty-one More ... Michael G. Fitzgerald, Boyd Magers - 2002- p.201 Interview of Gigi Perreau re. Wild Heritage 1958 "As for George "Foghorn" Winslow, "We went to school together. George was really cute with that funny, deep voice of his.""
  3. ^ D."Darteo" Sommese The guest speaker was a former child star named George Winslow who appeared with Marilyn in two films, "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes" and "Monkey Business". He was now a grown man of some 50 odd years old. He became emotional when he spoke of his dear friend who he had known as a child.
  4. ^ George Wentzlaff, child actor from the 1950s, dies in Camp Meeker, Press Democrat

Bibliography

  • Holmstrom, John. The Moving Picture Boy: An International Encyclopaedia from 1895 to 1995, Norwich, Michael Russell, 1996, pp. 257–258.
  • Best, Marc. Those Endearing Young Charms: Child Performers of the Screen. South Brunswick and New York: Barnes & Co., 1971, pp. 265–269.
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