Will Hutchins(1930-2025)
- Actor
Lanky and likable, Will Hutchins was born on May 5, 1930 in Los Angeles, California as Marshall Lowell Hutchason. He attended Pomona College and U.C.L.A. after spending two years as a cryptographer in the U.S. Army. Out of nowhere, he was discovered by a Warner Bros. TV talent scout and signed, despite having no previous experience in TV. Aside from appearing as a guest star on many Western TV series, such as Maverick (1957) and Cheyenne (1955), he starred in his own TV series, Sugarfoot (1957), in which he played an unlikely Western hero. The series ran for a respectable four seasons and 69 episodes.
In its aftermath he focused on films, the most important one being Merrill's Marauders (1962), and co-starred in a two-year stage tour of the musical "Never Too Late". His gawky comedy style was put to the test as well in the 1960s with two short-lived TV series, Hey, Landlord (1966) and Blondie (1968), with him playing Dagwood Bumstead in the latter. He also backed up Elvis Presley in three of his mediocre film efforts. Hutchins wed Carol Burnett's younger sister, Chrissie Burnett; they were later divorced.
As is often the case with an instant TV star, there was an eventual downswing and, in the late 1960s, Hutchins started to flounder badly. He turned his back on Hollywood for good and never once looked back, becoming, of all things, a ringmaster and a clown for various circuses. He also worked behind the scenes for NBC and attended conventions on occasion, one of them being the 2004 Cincinnati Old Time Radio Convention, where he received the "Stone-Waterman Award". He resided in Glen Head, New York and died of respiratory failure on April 21, 2025 at the age of 95.
In its aftermath he focused on films, the most important one being Merrill's Marauders (1962), and co-starred in a two-year stage tour of the musical "Never Too Late". His gawky comedy style was put to the test as well in the 1960s with two short-lived TV series, Hey, Landlord (1966) and Blondie (1968), with him playing Dagwood Bumstead in the latter. He also backed up Elvis Presley in three of his mediocre film efforts. Hutchins wed Carol Burnett's younger sister, Chrissie Burnett; they were later divorced.
As is often the case with an instant TV star, there was an eventual downswing and, in the late 1960s, Hutchins started to flounder badly. He turned his back on Hollywood for good and never once looked back, becoming, of all things, a ringmaster and a clown for various circuses. He also worked behind the scenes for NBC and attended conventions on occasion, one of them being the 2004 Cincinnati Old Time Radio Convention, where he received the "Stone-Waterman Award". He resided in Glen Head, New York and died of respiratory failure on April 21, 2025 at the age of 95.
