George Karl Wentzlaff, whose stage name was George "Foghorn" Winslow (May 3, 1946 June 13, 2015), was an American

child actor The term child actor or child actress is generally applied to a child acting on stage or in movies or television. An adult who began their acting career as a child may also be called a child actor, or a "former child actor". Closely associated t ...

of the 1950s known for his stentorian voice and

deadpan Deadpan, dry humour, or dry-wit humour is the deliberate display of emotional neutrality or no emotion, commonly as a form of comedic delivery to contrast with the ridiculousness or absurdity of the subject matter. The delivery is meant to be blun ...

demeanor. He appeared in several films, opposite such stars as

Marilyn Monroe Marilyn Monroe (; born Norma Jeane Mortenson; 1 June 1926 4 August 1962) was an American actress. Famous for playing comedic " blonde bombshell" characters, she became one of the most popular sex symbols of the 1950s and early 1960s, as wel ...

Cary Grant Cary Grant (born Archibald Alec Leach; January 18, 1904November 29, 1986) was an English-American actor. He was known for his Mid-Atlantic accent, debonair demeanor, light-hearted approach to acting, and sense of comic timing. He was one o ...

Ginger Rogers Ginger Rogers (born Virginia Katherine McMath; July 16, 1911 – April 25, 1995) was an American actress, dancer and singer during the Classical Hollywood cinema, Golden Age of Hollywood. She won an Academy Award for Best Actress for her starri ...

, Dean Martin, and Jerry Lewis. In the late 1950s, he retired from acting.

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 ''People Are Funny'' is an American radio and television game show, created by John Guedel that ran from 1942 to 1960 in which contestants were asked to carry out stunts in order to prove that "People Are Funny." Many stunts lasted weeks, month ...

''. 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. Actor

, who heard the show and was impressed with Wentzlaff's unusual voice and comedy instincts, introduced him to director

Norman Taurog Norman Rae Taurog (February 23, 1899 – April 7, 1981) was an American film director and screenwriter. From 1920 to 1968, Taurog directed 180 films. At the age of 32, he received the Academy Award for Best Director for '' Skippy'' (1931). He i ...

, leading to his roles in Grant's films, '' Room for One More'' (1952) and '' Monkey Business'' (also 1952), which co-stars

and

. 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 ''Mister Scoutmaster'' is a 1953 comedy film about Boy Scouts, starring Clifton Webb. It is based on the book ''Be Prepared'' by Keith Monroe, writing under the pseudonym Rice E. Cochran. Plot An arrogant, aloof television personality gets mor ...

'' (1953), he traded barbs with

Clifton Webb Webb Parmelee Hollenbeck (November 19, 1889 – October 13, 1966), known professionally as Clifton Webb, was an American actor, singer, and dancer. He worked extensively and was known for his stage appearances in the plays of Noël Coward, i ...

, and he had a small role in the musical comedy ''

Artists and Models ''Artists and Models'' is a 1955 American musical romantic comedy film in VistaVision directed by Frank Tashlin, marking Martin and Lewis's 14th feature together as a team. The film co-stars Shirley MacLaine and Dorothy Malone, with Eva Gabor ...

'' (1955), with Dean Martin, Jerry Lewis,

Dorothy Malone Dorothy Malone (born Mary Dorothy Maloney; January 29, 1924 – January 19, 2018) was an American actress. Her film career began in 1943, and in her early years, she played small roles, mainly in B-movies, with the exception of a supporting role ...

and newcomer Shirley MacLaine in what blogger Aurora called Wentzlaff's "last 'good' movie." He also appeared in television episodes of ''

The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet ''The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet'' is an American television sitcom that aired on ABC from October 3, 1952, to April 23, 1966, and starred the real-life Nelson family. After a long run on radio, the show was brought to television, where it ...

'', '' Blondie'' and ''

Dear Phoebe ''Dear Phoebe'' is an American situation comedy about a male former college professor who poses as an elderly woman to write a newspaper advice column. It aired on NBC from September 1954 to April 1955. The series stars Peter Lawford and Marcia ...

''. Wentzlaff's final screen appearance came in the feature film, ''

Wild Heritage ''Wild Heritage'' is a 1958 American CinemaScope Western film directed by Charles F. Haas and starring Will Rogers, Jr., Maureen O'Sullivan and Rod McKuen. Plot Emma Breslin (O'Sullivan) and her family cross the plains in a covered wagon. T ...

'' (1958), cast as 'Talbot Breslin', son to film's lead,

Maureen O'Sullivan Maureen O'Sullivan (17 May 1911 – 23 June 1998) was an Irish-American actress, who played Jane in the ''Tarzan'' series of films during the era of Johnny Weissmuller. She performed with such actors as Laurence Olivier, Greta Garbo, William ...

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 died of a heart attack June 13, 2015, at age 69. His body was found by a friend the following day. A memorial service was held in

Petaluma, California Petaluma (Miwok: ''Péta Lúuma'') is a city in Sonoma County, California, located in the North Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area. Its population was 59,776 according to the 2020 census. Petaluma's name comes from the Miwok village na ...

, in July 2015, followed by burial with military honors at the Sacramento Valley National Cemetery.

Filmography

References

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.

External links

*
New York Times obituary
{{DEFAULTSORT:Winslow, George 1946 births 2015 deaths People from Sonoma County, California Male actors from Los Angeles American male child actors United States Navy sailors