- Served in the US Navy during the Viet Nam War.
- Became a successful photographer as an adult.
- At some point of his mid-life, George Wentzlaff began taking feral cats into his home. He had them all spayed and neutered, and he knew the name of every one of them; his twenty five cat menagerie were the love of his life. Wentzlaff, 69, was found dead on June 13, 2015, in his modest home in Camp Meeker, a small town near Santa Rosa, California, by his friend Kevin Braafladt, who went to check on Wentzlaff when he didn't show up for his regular stint as a volunteer at a military museum. Braafladt found George in his bed. The death was ruled to be from a sudden cardiac arrhythmia. The local animal rescue agency found new homes for his pet cats. His best known film appearance was in the classic 1953 (at age 7) musical comedy "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes," starring Monroe and Russell. Wentzlaff, who lived alone, told Braafladt, who owned the combination military museum and antique store where the former child star would hang out, that he enjoyed working with Marilyn Monroe and Jane Russell -- there are behind-the-scenes photos of him perched on Monroe's lap. But he was especially fond of Russell, who kept him entertained on long shooting days. "When he would get bored, she would play with him," Braafladt said. "He was just a kid".
- His voice became more normal as he grew up, losing its bass qualities.
- Retired from the US Postal Service a few years before his death.
- Wentzlaff's (born May 3, 1946 in Los Angeles) big break into show business came when he appeared on Art Linkletter's national radio show. As the story goes, Wentzlaff (at age 5) arrived in a train engineer's outfit and when Linkletter asked his name, Wentzlaff ad libbed -- in the deep voice that became his trademark -- "George Wentzlaff, but i'd rather be Casey Jones." It was the first big laugh of his show business career. After frequent return invitations appearing on Linkletter's radio show, George was cast in the heart-warming 1952 film "Room for One More," in which six year old George traded wisecracks with Gary Grant. Wentzlaff's next film to be released was (1952) "Monkey Business," also starring Gary Grant and directed by Howard Hawks. After (1953) "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes," directed again by Howard Hawks, Wentzlaff was often billed as George "Foghorn" Wenslow to remind audiences this was the cute kid with the deep voice. But his films, for the most part, grew less memorable. George did some television, including a couple of episodes of "The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet." Then his voice changed -- getting higher in tone instead of lower as with most boys -- and George "Foghorn" Winslow was finished at the age of 12. Wentzlaff slipped back into a more anonymous life, moving after high school to the Pacific Northwest, where he attended Lewis & Clark College. He served in the Navy during the Vietnam war, then returned to California, settling in the Sonoma area where he worked for the postal service until retiring. Wentzlaff would talk about his Hollywood years if asked. He occasionally attended nostalgia film events. As the guest of a Marilyn Monroe Fan Group in Hollywood, he reportedly became weepy when talking about the star's young death.
- Has lived in the Occidental, California area for years & years. (March 2011)
Contribute to this page
Suggest an edit or add missing content