"He's somewhere on the northern part of the island," says Hunt. Driscoll and Luana Patten were the first two actors Walt Disney placed under contract. Fifty years after his death, it's a question that continues to trouble some of his oldest friends. His family did not learn of his death until they tried to reach out to him in 1969. [30], After Driscoll left the Disney studios, his parents withdrew him from the Hollywood Professional School, which served child movie actors,[31][32][33][34] and sent him to the public West Los Angeles University High School, instead. Bobby Driscoll then became, in his own words, a beatnik and a bum. A child actor and the voice of "Peter Pan," Driscoll started using drugs, primarily heroin, at age 17 after he was no longer working for Disney. Family, friends, and fans were left to ponder how a boy who seemingly had it all could fall so far. It was at this time that Bobby Driscolls heroin addiction became much more obvious he did little to hide his use. ", "Memories are not very useful," he later reflected about his child stardom. He died from hardened arteries, a side effect of heroin use. 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. "I was lonely most of the time. "I heard that he was informed that he was no longer under contract through them by driving up to the entrance and being refused entrance into the studio. Having starred in such television programs as VEGA$ and Spenser: For Hire. ", Trying to forge a new path, Driscoll left his parents' home at 16 and made trips to New York City to study acting. In today's world, it's a familiar and predictable narrativea star who began his or her career on the Disney lot grows up and out of the squeaky-clean confines of the studio. "I had no residence. After his release, he focused his attention on the avant-garde art scene. 2,066, This story has been shared 1,686 times. After her role on that classic sitcom ended, Jan became more interested in being a mother than being an actress. "He was very lovely," adds Kathryn Beaumont, 82, who starred opposite Driscoll as the voice of Wendy in Peter Pan. In some special star-focusing series, Driscoll appeared with Loretta Young, Gloria Swanson, and Jane Wyman. "Bobby is probably the most famous person buried there, along with novelist Dawn Powell," says president Melinda Hunt. [42] They had two daughters and one son, but the relationship did not last. However, many audience members didnt realize that. "Bobby was Disney's live-action Mickey Mouse. Theres even a bird sanctuary there. | Photo: Getty Images All rights reserved. 2,789, This story has been shared 2,517 times. He didnt want Bobby Driscoll to be associated with Disney any longer. However, it marks the start of a successful relationship between Disney Studios and Bobby Driscoll. So how to explain a former child star who worked alongside Tinseltown greats like Charles Boyer, Alan Ladd, Roy Rogers, and Joan Fontaine falling so far from a life of klieg lights and Academy awards to become just another indigent in an unmarked grave on Hart Island, where his body remains today? He didn't want Bobby Driscoll to be with Disney anymore. Actor. "He sounds like a baseball player to me," offers a patrolling police officer with a shrug. "I did study him for a long time. "If we weren't at Disneyland, we were at collectible stores looking for vintage antiques," says Allender of himself and his dad, who used to write for Tomart's Disneyana Update magazine. "When Howard Hughes bought RKO, he, in effect, became the owner of the Disney studio," explains Eliot. His mother didnt find out about bobby driscoll death for almost two years, and that was only after placing notices about his disappearance in New York newspapers. View final resting place and family links here. 12,187, This story has been shared 6,086 times. At the time, he was a John Doe and buried in the Potter's Field on Hart Island. He was strong, he had a good intellect and he should have known better. "Bobby was a curiosity. 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. Thanks for watching The Shocking Life & Death of Bobby Driscoll. Does anyone here even know the name at the center of those five points? As it was common practice in this business, Driscoll and Luana Patten also did promotional radio gigs (starting in late 1946 for Song of the South) and toured the country for various parades and charity events through the years. He controlled the money and he hated Bobby Driscoll. He was a heroin addict. ", 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. In addition to Peter Pan, he also had roles in Song of the South (1946), So Dear to My Heart (1949), and Treasure Island (1950). (CBS via Getty Images). 1,400, This story has been shared 1,316 times. By the time Bobby Driscoll voiced Peter Pan at 16, however, he no longer had the adorable looks that kept him in demand. Moves from Des Monies, Iowa to Los Angeles. Discover at 5, while getting a haircut, Bobby Driscoll is the son of an insulation salesman and former schoolteacher. He wanted to be just the reverse. A household name at the age of 9. Bach was my guy, that was it for me. That was Warhol's perversity in full playyou know, dissipated Hollywood.". First he headed east to New York City to study acting. Fox News Flash top entertainment headlines for February 18, Prince Harry addresses 'Spare' backlash in interview: 'I have never looked for sympathy in this', Shania Twain was 'uncontrollably fragile' from ex Mutt Lange's affair with friend: 'How could I be so stupid', Olivia Newton-John's daughter Chloe reveals 'promise' she made to mother before her death, Emma Stones 'And' co-star Willem Dafoe had her slap him 20 times to get scene right, Prince Harry's 'attacks' on 'villain' Camilla led to Frogmore Cottage eviction: expert, Film industry reacts to death of 'Saving Private Ryan' star Tom Sizemore: 'You're a legend'. The . At age eight, she became a star in her second film, Disney's Song of the South, playing Ginny to Bobby Driscoll's Johnny. Bobby Driscoll AKA Robert Cletus Driscoll Born: 3-Mar - 1937 Birthplace: Cedar Rapids, IA Died: 30-Mar - 1968 Location of death: Greenwich Village, NY Cause of death: Heart Failure Remains: Buried, Potter's Field, Hart Island, NY Gender: Male Race or Ethnicity: White Sexual orientation: Straight Occupation: Actor Nationality: United States Cause of Death. 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. From Austin Butler and Cate Blanchett to a potential Best Supporting Actress toss-up, see who EW thinks will win at the 2023 Oscars. In no time at all, I was using whatever was availablemostly heroin, because I had the money to pay for it.". While Robert Urich was famous for doing battle with tough foes on the screen. "A Tribute to Shirley Booth, paragraph: Dean Martin on Shirley Booth Dean Martin recalling an encounter with Driscoll at a party in the mid-1950s, literally terming him "Pupils In Hollywood School Drew More pay Than Their Teachers", "Strangest Grammar School In Nation Found In Hollywood", "Bobby's graduation at Hollywood Professional School", "The Long Road Back Bobby Driscoll, a Film Star at 6, an Addict at 17, Sent to Chino", "Bobby Driscoll, Friend Denies Narcotic Charge This Is No Act", "Actor Bobby Driscoll, 19, Seized On Dope Charge", "Actor Driscoll reveals To Plan To Rewed Girl, 19", "Actor Driscoll Needs Job As Clerk To Finance Marriage", "The Long Road back Bobby Driscoll, a Film Star At 6, An Addict At 17, Sent To Chino", "A personal Letter to his girl friend of then, which he closes with "Bob". January 27, 2023, 6:25 pm, Trending Keep watching to learn more about this classic Hollywood rise and fall. But she ended up spilling the beans on one of the most embarrassing chapters of her life instead. Bobby died penniless and alone in an abandoned East Village, New York City tenement and is buried in Potter's Field on nearby Hart Island. 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. "I became a beatnik and a bum," Driscoll said in the 1961 magazine article. The onetime Peter Pan, aged 31, was found on a cot with two empty beer bottles. Though the live-action/animated musical (which featured the Oscar-winning "Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah") would ultimately represent an embarrassing chapter in Disney's storied history because of its offensive stereotypes and candy-coated depiction of slavery, it marked the start of a successful relationship between the studio and Driscoll, who became the first male actor to ever secure a Disney contract. Some theorists even [] More, Are you a fan of sitcom My Three Sons? (Epstein wouldn't comment on why Driscoll hasn't been considered. Facts Verse "What's the point of poking at it?" He wasn't really part of the crowd," says Eliot, who remembers seeing Driscoll in the '60s in a Greenwich Village club. 2.9k Views. Bobby Driscoll was an American child actor known for a large body of cinema and TV performances from 1943 to 1960. I felt he was changing but his father said no, it was just a phase he was going through like most boys. Bobby died penniless and alone in an abandoned East Village, New York City tenement and is buried in Potter's Field on nearby Hart Island. The striking force and terrifying impact of this RKO melodrama is chiefly due to Bobby's brilliant acting, for the whole effect would have been lost were there any suspicion of doubt about the credibility of this pivotal character. "We were buddies," said Gray. It should be noted that all four of these men were all former child actors. Drugs changed him. Driscoll's salary at Disney had been raised to $1,750 per week[26] and compared to his salary, Driscoll had little work from 1952 on. At one point, Bobby became part of The Factory, Andy Warhol's art collective in Greenwich Village, New York. "Our minister had a theory," Driscoll's mother told Movie Digest in 1972 about what happened to her son. Actor Billy Gray is famous for his role as Bud Anderson on the TV classic Father Knows Best. He just never found his way and made that choice.". . I later heard he was discovered overdosed in an abandoned building. There were no signs of foul play. Embittered by this, he said, "I have found that memories are not very useful. Academy Award-winning actor of Disney films in the 40s and early 50s who died from a drug overdose. This led to a rapid succession of movies that highlighted Driscolls adorable freckled face and All-American looks. "When we got home, we watched old movies, and I became a big fan of So Dear to My Heart. Who was this man, and what happened? And Disney dropped him like yesterdays trash. He was identified in late 1969 after his mother reported him missing and his fingerprints matched the prints the New York Police Department had on file. The cause of the death was determined as heart failure due to advanced hardening of arteries, resulted from long-term drug abuse. Since its release, Song of the South has been a lightning rod for controversy none of it is Driscolls fault. On the night of April 30, 1972, 38-year-old Scala was found dead in her Hollywood Hills home. And unlike todays celebrity obsessed social media, Bobby Driscolls death was barely noticed by the many. Unfortunately, he started putting that money into his veins. And they threw me away like I was nothing. I was scared, desperate, and all alone, says Sweet Pete. 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Thats when he became belligerent. He starred in some of the Walt Disney Studios' best-known live-action pictures of that period: Song of the South (1946), So Dear to My Heart (1949), and Treasure Island (1950), as well as RKO's The Window (1949). Her non-Disney films include Rock,. What We Know, Where To Watch UFC 285: Start Time, Fight Card, UFC 285 Live Stream Info, Chris Rock Jokes About Watching Emancipation to See Will Smith Getting Whipped In Advance of Netflix Special: Report. RAT PACK'S JOEY BISHOP AND FRANK SINATRA NEVER RECONCILED FOR THIS REASON, American film director, animator, and businessman Walt Disney with Bobby Driscoll and Luana Patten in 1946. His casting was suggested by screenwriter Michael Kanin. Biography - A Short Wiki. "Obviously he was sick and an addict and broke. You know, I got my big break when I was just a kid. Thats how I remember him.". ", Driscoll then started to spend time in Topanga Canyon with Beat Generation artist/photographer Wallace Berman and began dabbling in verse. It's the first Sunday after Thanksgiving and a family is busy setting up chairs on the 1500 block of Vine Street in Hollywood. [18] He was at the perfect age for the role, but because of a story rights ownership dispute with Hollywood producer David O. Selznick, who had previously produced the property in 1938, Disney ultimately had to cancel the entire project. And guess what? Some say a severe case of puberty-induced acne prompted Disney to sever its contract with Driscoll in 1953. And then I immersed myself into his extensive collection of work. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. Check out what's clicking today in entertainment. It is a common side effect of habitual heroin abuse. Driscoll encountered increasing indifference from the other Hollywood studios. 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. If you like catching up on old Hollywood, be sure to like the video and subscribe to our channel for more videos! January 27, 2023, 7:23 pm, by Prison sentences were the kiss of death for Hollywood actors in those days, so after briefly working as a carpenter, Driscoll left his young children behind and moved to New York City in 1965,. The director was impressed by the boy's curiosity and intelligence and chose him over 40 applicants.[2][3]. He was the only child to parents Cletus, an insulation salesman, and Isabelle, a former schoolteacher. Someone who becomes friends with Driscoll later says: He didnt really recover from abandoning by Hollywoodit hit him hard. He was just another sullen teen with pimples. But the adulation is only one part of it. Other kids prove themselves once, but I had to prove myself twice with everyone. In that same article, Driscoll described his marriage dissolving and becoming virtually homeless. It was horrible what happened to him.". No identification was on the body, and photos shown around the neighborhood yielded no positive identification. "We found out his son was in the movies, and his son got me an appointment with his agent. Over the credits, as a cheery pop cover of the Rescue Rangers theme song plays, we see a fake ad for a documentary titled The Boy Who Grew Up, featuring a distraught, disfigured Peter Pan on the movies poster. His agent took me out to a part.". Though his movie career fizzled, Bobby Driscoll eventually found fairly steady work on television shows like Dragnet and Rawhide. He was born Robert Cletus Driscoll in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, the only child of Cletus (19011969), an insulation salesman, and Isabelle (ne Kratz; 19041981), a former schoolteacher. A 7-year-old boy visits his grandfathers plantation in Disneys Song of the South. 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[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].