Will Hutchins

His gawky comedy style was put to the test as well in the '60s with two short-lived series, Hey, Landlord (1966) and Blondie (1968), in the latter playing Dagwood Bumstead. He also backed up Elvis Presley in three of his mediocre film efforts. Hutchins wed Carol Burnett's younger sister, Chrissie Burnett; they later divorced. As is often the case with an instant TV star, there is an eventual downswing, and in the late '60s Will started to flounder badly. In his case, he turned his back on Hollywood and became, of all things, a ringmaster and clown for various circuses.

In its aftermath, he focused on films, the most important being Merrill's Marauders (1962), and co-starred in a two-year stage tour of "Never Too Late".

Aside from appearing as a guest on many TV westerns, such as Maverick (1957) and Cheyenne (1955), he earned his own series, Sugarfoot (1957), in which he played an unlikely western hero. The program ran a respectable four seasons.

Lanky and likable Will Hutchins was born in 1930 in Los Angeles, California, as Marshall Lowell Hutchason. He attended Pomona College and UCLA 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.