Ellsworth Clewer "Sonny" Wisecarver Jr. (15 June 1929 – 22 November 2005), called the Woo Woo Kid, was an American who became infamous as a teen in 1944 for having affairs with older women. His behavior sparked public scandal, primarily because of his age; at age 14 he ran off with a mother of two, only to do so again a year later. It was the latter incident that sparked his notoriety; Eleanor Deveny, the woman he fled with the second time, was arrested and charged with contributing to the delinquency of a minor.
As for Sonny, his parents had him declared an incorrigible delinquent. He spent time in the California Youth Authority, a state penal facility for juveniles.
In his book ''
The Rape of the A*P*E*
''The Rape of the A*P*E*'' is a book by Allan Sherman, published in July 1973 by Playboy Press, regarding sex and its historical repression and resurgence in the United States. '',
Allan Sherman
Allan may refer to:
People
* Allan (name), a given name and surname, including list of people and characters with this name
* Allan (footballer, born 1984) (Allan Barreto da Silva), Brazilian football striker
* Allan (footballer, born 1989) (Al ...
credits the Wisecarver scandal and resulting publicity as the official start of the American sexual revolution.
Wisecarver's scandalous affairs were the basis for the 1987 film ''
In the Mood
"In the Mood" is a popular big band-era jazz standard recorded by American bandleader Glenn Miller. "In the Mood" is based on the composition "Tar Paper Stomp" by Wingy Manone. The first recording under the name "In the Mood" was released by E ...
'', in which Wisecarver makes a cameo appearance as a
mailman
A mail carrier, mailman, mailwoman, postal carrier, postman, postwoman, or letter carrier (in American English), sometimes colloquially known as a postie (in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom), is an employee of a post ...
.
Patrick Dempsey
Patrick Galen Dempsey (born January 13, 1966) is an American actor and race car driver. He is best known for his role as neurosurgeon Derek "McDreamy" Shepherd in ''Grey's Anatomy''. He had early success as an actor, starring in a number of fil ...
played the role of Wisecarver. An interview with Wisecarver also appears on the original VHS of the movie.
Wisecarver spent his final days in a mobile home in
Yucaipa, California
Yucaipa ( Serrano: ''Yukaipa't'') is a city located east of San Bernardino, in San Bernardino County, California, United States. The population was 51,367 at the 2010 census, up from 41,207 at the 2000 census. According to San Bernardino County ...
, in the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
. He died of lung cancer at the age of 76, at a Veterans hospital in
Loma Linda, California
Loma Linda (Spanish for "Beautiful Hill") is a city in San Bernardino County, California, United States, that was incorporated in 1970. The population was 24,791 at the 2020 census, up from 23,261 at the 2010 census. The central area of the c ...
. An Air Force veteran of the
Korean War
, date = {{Ubl, 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 (''de facto'')({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=6, day1=25, year1=1950, month2=7, day2=27, year2=1953), 25 June 1950 – present (''de jure'')({{Age in years, months, weeks a ...
, Wisecarver is buried in
Riverside National Cemetery
Riverside National Cemetery (RNC) is a cemetery located in Riverside, California, dedicated to the interment of United States military personnel. The cemetery covers , making it the largest cemetery managed by the National Cemetery Administration ...
in
Riverside, California
Riverside is a city in and the county seat of Riverside County, California, United States, in the Inland Empire metropolitan area. It is named for its location beside the Santa Ana River. It is the most populous city in the Inland Empire an ...
.
References
External links
People v Wisecarver Accessed 28 January 2006
* https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1842&dat=19451120&id=GBksAAAAIBAJ&sjid=dsYEAAAAIBAJ&pg=5744,2280760
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wisecarver, Ellsworth
1929 births
2005 deaths
Burials at Riverside National Cemetery
Deaths from lung cancer in California
People from Greater Los Angeles
United States Air Force personnel of the Korean War