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Post by sherih1963 on Sept 27, 2009 13:48:52 GMT -5
Back in wwI Young men lied to get into the military. maybe Wheezer lied to the military to get in so he could go fight the enemy. Lies or not, he was a hero to us all.
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Post by littlerascal4891 on Oct 5, 2009 21:41:16 GMT -5
This video (part of The E! True Hollywood Story: The Curse of The Little Rascals) shows a picture of Wheezer when he was older (it's within the first minute), for those of you who haven't seen it: www.youtube.com/watch?v=_QPKBjpL5Q4According to the video, Wheezer was the only one in the crash who died. That's kind of odd. |
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Post by wheeepwooow on Oct 6, 2009 5:20:35 GMT -5
This video (part of The E! True Hollywood Story: The Curse of The Little Rascals) shows a picture of Wheezer when he was older (it's within the first minute), for those of you who haven't seen it: www.youtube.com/watch?v=_QPKBjpL5Q4According to the video, Wheezer was the only one in the crash who died. That's kind of odd. The picture shown in that E! episode is the same one that is shown in the Maltin/Bann book. I don't think anyone on this forum has yet to see an "un-retouched" photo of Wheezer. |
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Post by bigshotjones on Oct 6, 2009 8:25:24 GMT -5
It would be interesting, too, to find out whatever happened to Wheezer's little brother "Dickie," who was probably the kid who kept saying "re-MARK-a-ble." He was 48 or so when he died. Wonder if there were any other Hutchins siblings???
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Post by rhapsody on Oct 6, 2009 11:15:51 GMT -5
It would be interesting, too, to find out whatever happened to Wheezer's little brother "Dickie," who was probably the kid who kept saying "re-MARK-a-ble." He was 48 or so when he died. Wonder if there were any other Hutchins siblings??? I never could find anything else about Dickie in my prior research on the Remarkable kid. As it sounds like Wheezer's parents split not long after his run in the series ended, there may not have been any other full siblings, but it's quite possible he had half-siblings by both or either of his parents. Probably have to wait until the 1940 census is released to find out more. His mother married a man named Russell Hagerson and stayed married to him until her death in the late '60's. She and her husband are buried in the same cemetery as Bobby. It does appear, however, that Wheezer did have at least one stepsister, Frances Hagerson, who was living with her divorced father Russell and his family in 1930. She would have been the same age as Wheezer. |
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Post by bigshotjones on Oct 6, 2009 12:22:23 GMT -5
That's interesting. Contemporary accounts of Wheezer's death referred to his mother as Olga Hagerson. Her maiden name was apparently Roe. Wheezer’s step-sister’s name was Hagerson, and was living with Wheezer’s dad (presumably a Hutchins). I don’t think I have a good handle on the family dynamics there.
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Post by rhapsody on Oct 6, 2009 12:36:29 GMT -5
That's interesting. Contemporary accounts of Wheezer's death referred to his mother as Olga Hagerson. Her maiden name was apparently Roe. Wheezer’s step-sister’s name was Hagerson, and was living with Wheezer’s dad (presumably a Hutchins). I don’t think I have a good handle on the family dynamics there. Sorry for any confusion, allow me to clarify. Wheezer's parents were married until at least the early 1930's. Maltin says his mother Olga (Constance) Roe left his father, James Hutchins, around the time or shortly before he left the series. She later married a man from her native city of Tacoma who was named Russell Hagerson. (1899 - 1973) We know that as of 1930 Russell Hagerson was himself divorced and the father of a girl named Frances, who like Wheezer, was born around 1925. When their respective parents later married, Wheezer and Frances Hagerson then became step-siblings. |
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Post by littlerascal4891 on Oct 6, 2009 14:11:17 GMT -5
It's also on "The Our Gang Story" VHS. I figured that most people had seen that picture, but I posted it thinking that maybe some people haven't.
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Post by rhapsody on Oct 7, 2009 13:28:41 GMT -5
I hate to throw cold water, but. . . Is it possible that we're talking about two different "Robert E. Hutchins?" It seems odd that Wheezer was a 2nd Lieutenant in 1944, and the an Aviation Cadet in 1945. Couple of points of interest, while going through some paperwork of my late grandmother's this past weekend, I found out that her brother was a First Lieutenant in the Army at age 19 in 1945. So I'm guessing rapid promotions weren't all that rare, maybe even more so near the end of the war. Seems reasonable that Hutchins was promoted in rank to First Lieutenant from Second after the Bronze Star and then perhaps from First Lieutenant to Captain after the Silver Star. Also, I've done a bit of reading on WWII aviation cadet programs and it appears "cadets" in flight training were those who qualified as officers, while enlisted men in the program were called "aviation students". So that fits. And finally, the floral arrangement to the left of Wheezer's coffin looks very much like the Aviation Cadet sleeve insignia. See here: angelfire.com/md2/patches/images2/aacadet.jpg |
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Post by bigshotjones on Oct 7, 2009 13:44:35 GMT -5
Cool. Just thought I had to bring up the possibility. You probably already know that anytime you start doing some research on a name, it’s pretty common to find coincidental names with similar vital information.
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Post by rhapsody on Oct 7, 2009 13:55:32 GMT -5
Cool. Just thought I had to bring up the possibility. You probably already know that anytime you start doing some research on a name, it’s pretty common to find coincidental names with similar vital information. Agreed, which is why I looked a little further. But while the comments on the funeral photo weren't entirely accurate, (no Army Distinguished Service Cross was depicted - or awarded), at least one of those floral arrangements on the right is clearly a Service Star. Adding up all of the varioius bits and pieces, I think we're dealing with the same Robert E. Hutchins |
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Post by wheezerfan on Sept 7, 2011 16:20:19 GMT -5
this there another way to see this video or picture? i really want to see wheezer as a young man. i really do. if you have anything, send to my email at: Classicfilmsource@yahoo.com or find me on youtube as: Classicfilmsource1.
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Post by wheezerfan on Sept 7, 2011 16:22:43 GMT -5
i want to see a picture of wheezer as a young man!!!
find me at youtube: Classicfilmsource1 or my email: classicfilmsource@yahoo.com if you have anything.
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Post by bigshotjones on Sept 7, 2011 22:30:33 GMT -5
Since this has been bumped again, I'll post a response I received when I submitted this same information to a third party:
Going over this information, several things don't add up.
The note for his Silver Star citation states that Robert E. Hutchins entered the service in Kentucky. Apart from the 5 years he lived in Hollywood with "Our Gang", his pre-war life was spent in his hometown of Tacoma, Washington. Why would he go to Kentucky, of all places, to enlist?
The caption of the funeral photo is error-laden. I don't know what the wreath on the left of the casket represents but it is NOT the Distinguished Service Cross, the USA's highest military honor after the Medal of Honor. There is no record of a Robert E. Hutchins receiving the Distinguished Service Cross during WWII. The first wreath to the right of the casket represents the Army Air Corps insignia, not the Silver Star, and the one beyond that looks too vague to really represent anything. Note that the caption uses the word "resembles" (what Wikipedia would call a "weasle word" in presenting something as fact), not "represents".
The Robert E. Hutchins linked here was promoted to Captain, yet there is no mention of his rank in the funeral photo or in the obituary photo published in the Maltin-Bann book. It's hard to believe that a decorated combat officer and hero would be mentioned only as an "aviation cadet" and "young flier" (Maltin-Bann).
The Hutchins in question was awarded the Silver Star on May 30, 1945 - nearly 2 weeks after the former actor's death. There is no mention in the documents you linked that it was awarded posthumously, nor is there a footnote stating the recipient was deceased (there are notes for other posthumous recipients).
And the time frame is questionable. He went from fighting in a tank at the Battle of the Bulge (for which this Hutchins was awarded the Silver Star for actions on January 19, 1945), to final Air Corps training at a California air base in less than five months? The logistics involved in such a transfer going through, returning to the US from the thick of the European war zone, and then virtually completing training as a bomber pilot would not make this likely.
Long story short, with the information you've given me, it is not beyond a reasonable doubt that another serviceman named Robert E. Hutchins is being put forward as the former Little Rascal.
I'd like to think these are the same people, but there is still reasonable doubt.
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Post by zootmoney on Sept 8, 2011 14:32:08 GMT -5
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