Theory #2: Family Abduction by George Waters with George Brody and/or Associates

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Thank you for uploading the pic of Al Gordon, I was trying, but I'm a newbie
waitasec.gif
and these things take time.

Does anyone else see a resemblane to GB, especially the facial expression?

ttfn
tuitsweet
 
tuitsweet said:
Thank you for uploading the pic of Al Gordon, I was trying, but I'm a newbie... things take time. tuitsweet
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No problem, tuitsweet. In the future, you want to go to the part of your browser screen where the actual page address is displayed (usually up toward the top), then highlight the entire address and hit the "control" and "C" keys to copy the address. Then go to start your post and when you want to place your link, then hit "control" and "V" to paste the link.
 
mysteriew said:
The comment was made referring to Brody as the 'Great Entertainer'. Could that have been his boxing name?
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I guess it is possible, but it may be the most wimpy boxing nickname in the history of sweet science. Rocky, Iron Mike, Italian Stallion...those are more typical nicknames. There was a fighter with a "pesky" style known as "Vito the Mosquito", but even that is more macho than "The Great Entertainer".

I suspect that it was something not related to boxing, but more related to Brody's overly dramatic view of the world and his (in his own mind) exalted place in it.
 
I was thinking that as a part of his act in the ring he might have been known for clowning around or being overly dramatic.
 
There is a book called "Philadelphia's Boxing Heritage 1876-1976" by Tracy Callis. My library doesn't have the book. I was hoping to look at the pics there.
 
I found a George L. Brody listed in the online index of 'Cemetary Inscriptions Of Stark County, Ohio' Volume 4 - 1982. I wonder if Brody was from Ohio and had arranged for his ashes to be buried there, or if this is not even our Brody. I can find no further information. I don't know if the 1982 is referring to when the index was published or the date the cemetary inscription was made.
 
SherlockJr said:
Check out Bobby Wolgast!

wolgast_bobby_ring192404.jpg

​
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Bobby Wolgast is a DEAD RINGER for George Brody, and remember that Margaret always called Brody "Bobby". Does anyone have software which allows comparisons between pictures? I vaguely remember that someone did.
 
Annasmom said:
Bobby Wolgast is a DEAD RINGER for George Brody, and remember that Margaret always called Brody "Bobby". Does anyone have software which allows comparisons between pictures? I vaguely remember that someone did.
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Very interesting! I did not recall that Margaret referred to him as Bobby.

I may be the one that you are thinking of concerning the photo comparison software. My copy of Photoshop which easily allowed me to create composites of two pictures for comparison has unfortunately expired (the SOB's actually wanted me to pay for it!) I may be able to do it in one of the cheap knockoff programs available, or if someone else has something that would allow us to lay the two faces side-by-side in the same sizes for a more direct comparison, please help yourself and post the results. Otherwise, I will give it a shot this weekend.
 
So to summarize, we have a boxer from Philedelphia, PA named Bobby Wolgast who is a dead ringer for Brody. Brody claimed to have been a boxer, he claimed to be from PA, his former roommate referred to him as "Bobby" and the age seems to fit (a little older than we thought, but in the ballpark).

We may have nailed this guy. Great job, WSers! Now, lets see what we can find on Bobby Wolgast.
 
Okay, this is getting wierd...

Bobby Wolgast fought out of Philly around 1924-27 as a bantamweight. In 1940, a welterweight by the same name fought in... San Francisco. It is possible that Wolgast came out of retirement and had one fight after moving to SF at the heavier weight (this Wolgast shows no record wins or losses on his record).
 
I found one Robert Wolgast living in Erie, PA in 1930. He was 23 years old at the time, which means he was born in 1907, and that works for me because I will never believe Brody was born in either 1925 or 1935. Wolgast was a "lodger" at the time of the 1930 Census, living with a woman (probably widowed) by the name of Celia Perene (hard to read her name, so that may not be accurate). She was apparently running a boarding house because there were 3 lodgers total.

I checked all death records and there is no Robert Wolgast who was born in 1907 showing up, although there were many Robert Wolgasts who have died.
 
I just checked Ancestry.com for "Bobby" Wolgast, and about 6 showed up in the Phone Directories, but the oldest was 84... so that can't be our's because that's about the age he would be if he started boxing the second he was born.
 
HeartofTexas said:
I found one Robert Wolgast living in Erie, PA in 1930. He was 23 years old at the time, which means he was born in 1907, and that works for me because I will never believe Brody was born in either 1925 or 1935. Wolgast was a "lodger" at the time of the 1930 Census, living with a woman (probably widowed) by the name of Celia Perene (hard to read her name, so that may not be accurate). She was apparently running a boarding house because there were 3 lodgers total.

I checked all death records and there is no Robert Wolgast who was born in 1907 showing up, although there were many Robert Wolgasts who have died.
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This may be our guy because that would have made him 17 in 1924 when he started fighting. I checked out the neighbors listing on Ancestry.com to see if perhaps the Kukodas showed up - no such luck!

There appears to be several Wolgast who were boxers in this era (same family?). I found and "Ad Wolgast" and a "Johnny Wolgast", in addition to Bobby.
 
HeartofTexas said:
Here's another picture of Bobby in the ring with someone named Frankie Genero
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I found that same picture, but evidently there was a "Midget Wolgast" fighting later than Bobby who also used the Wolgast last name though his real name was something different. I thought that this picture was of "Midget".

Ad (Adolph) Wolgast was a lightweight champion who fought until around 1920. He is not Brody.

Bobby Wolgast fought out of Philly around 1924-25. He is the one who we suspect might be Brody.

"Midget" Wolgast fought out of Illinois at a later date.

Can't swing a dead cat around here without hitting a boxer named Wolgast...
 
Boy, I was busy for a day and look what happens!

I superimposed the pics of brody and bobby on top of each other, you can look here. It isnt the greatest, but I used some measuring and it sure seems the vertical and horizontal spacing eye to eye, chin to eyebrow) is almost dead on, although its a bit hard to tell because i had to flip, rotate and the camera angles aren't quite the same.

http://www.broemsen.com/images/myspace/brody.gif
 
I found that same picture, but evidently there was a "Midget Wolgast" fighting later than Bobby who also used the Wolgast last name though his real name was something different. I thought that this picture was of "Midget".
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Doogie, here's the caption next to the picture... I have no idea what the accuracy would be on this statement:

Genaro, Frankie Squares Off with Bobby Wolgast. Philadelphia. April 16, 1923.
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If GB was actually 5'5" or 5'6", he wouldn't be all that tall to begin with... so he might appear pretty small in an old photo (and especially when the pants seem to take up half the picture!).
 
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