Maybe it was his attempt to imitate Franklin D. Roosevelt. I didn't know his drunken stumble down the stairs injured him enough for a wheelchair.
Indeed he did use it as an attempt. He didn't have a wheelchair as is commonly seen in hospitals. Nope, he had one made of wood and rattan, as FDR used. AND he took to wearing those wirte-rimmed glasses about that time, too.
Or maybe he was shooting for Larry Flint.