From expensive cars to enormous mansions to copious quantities [] More, While Peter Lawford might the least well-known member of the Rat Pack, he is sometimes referred to as the Man Who Kept The Secrets due to his secretive efforts to connect Marilyn Monroe and his brother-in-law JFK. Its an unambiguously tragic story. Cast with Charles Boyer, Marsha Hunt, Louis Jourdan, and Kurt Kasznar, he played the juvenile offspring of a patriarch in Quebec of the 1920s, the character upon whom the plot centered. The couple was later rewed in a ceremony that took place in Los Angeles in March 1957. But she ended up spilling the beans on one of the most embarrassing chapters of her life instead. Since its release, Song of the South has been a lightning rod for controversy none of it is Driscolls fault. That same year, Driscoll moved out of his parents house to New York City to study acting. All rights reserved. Bobby Driscoll - Hollywood Walk of Fame I was 17 when I first experimented with the stuff. Facts Verse He eventually dropped out of both, failing to get the same fulfillment out of college life as he did from the bright lights of Hollywood. Keep watching to learn more about this classic Hollywood rise and fall. Driscoll's name has long faded from mainstream recognition, but there have been attempts to keep his memory alive in the decades since his death. I later heard he was discovered overdosed in an abandoned building. Academy Award-winning actor of Disney films in the 40s and early 50s who died from a drug overdose. He was a heroin addict. "We loved him dearly," remembers Berman's wife Shirley, now 83. [47], He was charged with disturbing the peace and assault with a deadly weapon, the latter after hitting one of two hecklers with a pistol who had made insulting remarks while he was washing a girlfriend's car; the charges were dropped.[48]. Bobby Driscoll was born in Cedar Rapids, Iowa on March 3, 1937. [43], Driscoll began using the name "Robert Driscoll"[44] to distance himself from his youthful roles as "Bobby" (since 1951, he had been known to friends and family as "Bob",[45] and in Schlitz Playhouse of Stars Early Space Conquerors, 1952, was credited as "Bob Driscoll"[46]). The man was unknown and had no identification. What Disney saw in Driscoll is the perfect, wholesome kid who dreams of playing with animals and pirates. He was 19 before we knew. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. 4,741, This story has been shared 4,151 times. Bobby Driscoll. ", That's what a New York City charity is trying to do for Driscoll and all the other people who were buried and forgotten on Hart Island. "Our minister had a theory," Driscoll's mother told Movie Digest in 1972 about what happened to her son. I was carried on a silver platterand then dumped into the garbage."[49]. But that hasn't stopped her from encouraging Driscoll's children to visit the island, which for now is open only to next of kin. Death was due to hardening of the arteries, a condition common in long-term heroin addicts. Entertainment Weekly may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. A household name at the age of 9. EXCLUSIVE: Billy Gray still has fond memories of his beloved pal Bobby Driscoll. I talked to a priest at the prison that he was in, and I got Bobby's prison records. In ill health from his substance abuse, and with his funds depleted, his body was discovered on March 30, 1968, in an abandoned building in the East Village of Manhattan. I tried desperately to be one of the gang. People continually saying 'What a cute little boy!' ", The most promising tribute to Driscoll is Lost Boy: The Bobby Driscoll Story, a long-gestating documentary in the works by Jordan Allender, a 30-year-old film-school graduate who was raised on Disney lore. I think the best thing about the Chip and Dale movie is that more people are being exposed to the injustices done to Bobby Driscoll and realizing how poorly Disney treats its talent, even if it may be unintentional. He was just another sullen teen with pimples. "He sounds like a baseball player to me," offers a patrolling police officer with a shrug. When it was released in May 1949, it became a surprise hit. At age eight, she became a star in her second film, Disney's Song of the South, playing Ginny to Bobby Driscoll's Johnny. When Will 'Attack on Titan' Season 4, Part 4 Air? "[36][37] At his request, Driscoll's parents returned him the next year to Hollywood Professional School, where in May 1955 he graduated.[38]. Both living and deceased artists are eligible to be commemorated with a bronze plaque in the studio's Legends Plaza on the Burbank lot; honorees include Fred MacMurray, Regis Philbin, Betty White, and Oprah Winfrey. Having starred in such television programs as VEGA$ and Spenser: For Hire. The split was devastating and rather rude. He would end up having to fight an even tougher battle [] More, What could be more mysterious than an island filled with buried treasure? Pam Grier reflects on her most iconic roles, from Coffy to Jackie Brown. "There are a number of interesting characters from New York Citythe cool people. Does anyone here even know the name at the center of those five points? What more could you ask for? Id never been so happy in my entire life. I'm just saying, respect him. Oscar-winner at the age of 12. The cause of the death was determined as heart failure due to advanced hardening of arteries, resulted from long-term drug abuse. "My feeling is that it's not a shameful place to be buried," says Hunt, who hopes to someday see the cemetery accessible to the public. 5,366, This story has been shared 4,741 times. (CBS via Getty Images). late) 1967", "Semina Culture Wallace Berman & His Circle", "A Return Trip to a Faraway Place Called Underground", "Santa Monica Museum Of Art Official Homepage", "DIRT- Review and a downloadable clip of the so-called "Bath-sequence", "Hart Island (Potter's Field) Official Homepage (controlled by the "Department Of Correction" and inaccessible to visitors)", "With Re-Release Of Disney Film Child Star's Tragic Death Described", "Bobby Driscoll Won't Be Around For Reissue Of Song of the South", "Benjy Ferree Come Back To The Five and Dime", "Benjy Ferree Announces New Album, Channels Former Child Star Bobby Driscoll", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Bobby_Driscoll&oldid=1140629992, Episode: "S01, E15, The Ordeal of the S-38", Episode: "Incident of Fear in the Streets", Bobby Driscoll and Luana Patten, hosted by Johnny Mercer, Bobby Driscoll, Luana Patten, Walt Disney and James Baskett, hosted by Johnny Mercer, Capitol Records (CDF 3000) narrated by John Beal, RCA Victor (Y-416) narrated by Bobby Driscoll, Byron Haskin interviewed by Joe Adamson, The Directors Guild Of America and The Scarecrow Press, Inc. Metuchen, N.Y. and London, 1984, This page was last edited on 21 February 2023, at 00:36. Alongside other homeless or indigent individuals who fall on hard times. Paperback mysteries usually end this way, not Disney fairy tales. Bobby Driscoll - The Tragic Death of Disney's First Child Star "He went to his own public school when he was not working. "Bobby is probably the most famous person buried there, along with novelist Dawn Powell," says president Melinda Hunt. [30], For his contributions to the motion picture industry, Driscoll received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 1560 Vine Street in 1960. In the mid-1950s, Driscoll's acting career began to decline, and he turned primarily to guest appearances on anthology TV series. Bobby Driscoll's Death - Cause and Date - The Celebrity Deaths Whatever the reason, Driscoll was suddenly and rudely dropped from Disney when he was 16 years old, and, reportedly, was even banned from re-entering the studio. CHRISTOPHER PLUMMER REMEMBERED BY SOUND OF MUSIC CO-STAR JULIE ANDREWS: I HAVE LOST A CHERISHED FRIEND, Bobby Driscoll with pen in mouth in a scene from the film 'When I Grow Up', 1951. Some say a severe case of puberty-induced acne prompted Disney to sever its contract with Driscoll in 1953. ), For his part, Allender just wants to see Driscoll remembered for his achievements, not his shortcomings. ", The split was devastating. In a 1961 magazine article titled The Nightmare Life of an Ex-Child Star, an adult Driscoll wrote, I was lonely most of the time. January 27, 2023, 6:25 pm, Trending Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. March 29, 2021, 4:49 am, Way back in 1980, Dolly Parton sat down with Chet Flippo of Rolling Stone magazine for what she thought was just going to be a typical interview. If it weren't for the fact that the Walk of Fame isn't known for honoring athletic achievement, it would be a good enough guess. He died from hardened arteries, a side effect of heroin use. Allender has interviewed Connie Stevens, Driscoll's costar in the 1958 film The Party Crashers, and secured the only known interview with Driscoll's eldest child, Don, a retired pediatrician, who has a replica of his dad's Oscar that was lost. Driscoll was arrested multiple times for drug possession, assault, burglary, and check kiting before he was finally committed for drug rehabilitation at Chino Men's Prison in 1961. Apparently, they arent subscribers to the old adage that too much of a good thing can actually be a bad thing. Driscolls children will never see the spot where their father was laid to rest on Hart Island in The Bronx, since burial records from 1961 through July 1977 were destroyed by a fire. https://t.co/yd6zSDBHAC, Mr. Indie Devotee (@theindiedevotee) May 21, 2022. In todays world, its a familiar story the star who began his or her career on the Disney lot, growing up and out of the white-washed, antiseptic confines of the studio. And so [] More, Sex, Drugs, and Rock n Roll. Bobby Driscoll: the tragic life of the old-Hollywood actor that gave us His drug use increased; in an interview years later, he stated, "I was 17 when I first experimented with the stuff. At one point, Bobby became part of The Factory, Andy Warhol's art collective in Greenwich Village, New York. I'm not really sure why I started using narcotics. No one knows exactly how the then 31-year-old Driscoll spent his final days in New York City and why he ended up in the slum where his body was found. He even created collages and small works of art. The award was presented as a special miniature Oscar statuette for "the outstanding juvenile actor of 1949" for his roles in So Dear to My Heart and The Window, both released that year. Late in 1961, he was sentenced as a drug addict and imprisoned at the Narcotic Rehabilitation Center of the California Institution for Men in Chino, California. 30S STAR ELISSA LANDI LEFT HOLLYWOOD FOR THIS REASON, BOOK REVEALS: I WASTED 7 GOOD YEARS OF MY LIFE THERE, Bobby Driscoll was the voice of Peter Pan in the 1953 film. At the time, he was a John Doe and buried in the Potter's Field on Hart Island. January 27, 2023, 7:23 pm, by ", If there's one thing Allender hopes to achieve with his documentary (besides clearance from Disney to include old movie clips), it's a place for Driscoll in Disney Legendsthe studio's version of a Hall of Fame. "Warhol was so perverse, that he loved having Bobby Driscoll as part of his scene. In 1968, Driscoll's body was discovered in Greenwich Village by children playing in an abandoned tenement building. Theres even a bird sanctuary there. He controlled the money and he hated Bobby Driscoll. [17], Treasure Island was an international hit, and several other film projects involving Driscoll were under discussion, but none materialized. (Wallace Berman died in 1976). Sources Bobby Driscoll (Eternal Hills Memorial Park) at Find a Grave (LMPC via Getty Images), "He had a drug problem," said Gray. Unfortunately, he started putting that money into his veins. That said, other Twitter users felt the movie was doing a good thing for Driscolls legacygiving Driscolls story the exposure it deserves. And guess what? Howard Hughes, who had bought RKO the previous year, considered the film unworthy of release and Driscoll not much of an actor, so delayed its release. The cause of death for the penniless 31-year-old was hardening of the arteries, a common side effect of longtime heroin use, Entertainment Weekly reported. In 1965, a year after his parole expired, he relocated to New York, hoping to revive his career on the Broadway stage, but was unsuccessful. He had no residence, and kept his clothes at his parents. Chosen by a committee of Disney employees whose names are not disclosed, the program was launched in 1987 to "honor people who have made significant contributions to the Disney legacy," says Disney spokesman Jeff Epstein. In no time I was using whatever was available mostly heroin, because I had the money to pay for it. Former Child Stars Who Met Tragic Fates - NickiSwift.com He also made friends with castmates along the way. [60][61][62], Driscoll received an Academy Juvenile Award from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences at the 22nd Academy Awards presentation in 1950. Gray said Driscoll eventually resorted to heroin. [29], In 1947, he recorded a special version of "So Dear to My Heart" at Capitol Records. "The way I understand it, it was a rather rude dismissal," says Gray. In those days, a prison sentence was as good as a death sentence when it came to a Hollywood career. In addition to his brief guest appearance in Walt Disney's first television Christmas show in 1950, One Hour in Wonderland, Driscoll lent his voice to Goofy, Jr. in the Disney cartoon shorts "Fathers are People" and "Father's Lion", which were released in 1951 and 1952, respectively. It's the exact same story.". It was planned as Disney's first all-live-action movie, with production beginning immediately after Song of the South,[9] but its release was delayed until late 1948 to meet the demands of Disney's co-producer and longtime distributor RKO Radio Pictures for animated content in the film. ", Regrettably, Driscoll's children will never see the exact spot where their father was laid to rest: Burial records from 1961 through July 1977 that had been kept in the old hospital were destroyed by a fire. "I thought it would be incredible," says Tamblyn, who is believed to have some of Driscoll's creations from his bohemian days. Alcohol abuse, drug overdose, violent fits, and severe depression. According to biographer Marc Eliot, who wrote about Driscoll in his 1993 book Walt Disney: Hollywoods Dark Prince, it was more due to the general hatred of child actors from RKO head Howard Hughes. There, his grades dropped substantially, he was the target of ridicule for his previous film career, and he began to take drugs. He also reportedly enrolled in UCLA and Stanford but dropped out. Then I started putting all my spare time in my arm. And that was the end of it.