Born on March 3, 1937, Bobby Driscoll was a native of Iowa, United States. I tried to get my ex-wife served with divorce papers. During all this time Ive hurt a lot of people especially my parents, my wife, my children, and myself, said the former actor. pic.twitter.com/pUVTLKY6qh, (read bio) (@FiendByte) October 22, 2019. Get the best of Fox News' entertainment coverage, right in your inbox. Instead of doing that, however, Driscoll took the sneaky route: He used the six-week buffer he had to hastily film all his close-ups. Driscoll needed to stand out to get the part, so he ended up doing something that completely won the director over. Bobby Driscoll. Film Country. He lost touch with family, and became an odd intrigue in Andy Warhols artist scene at the Factory. Then I started putting all my spare time in my arm. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. Vhs. I think that was Bobby's best role." He was just another teen boy with a bad case of acne. 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. A post mortem examination determined that he had died from heart failure caused by advanced atherosclerosis[57] from his drug use. When they rejected me, I fought back, became belligerent and cockyand was afraid all the time. It's the first Sunday after Thanksgiving and a family is busy setting up chairs on the 1500 block of Vine Street in Hollywood. Driscoll is well renowned for his impressive contributions to big and small screens for 17 years from 1943 to 1960. The corpse failed to be identified, even with pictures shown around the neighborhood. Disney still kept Driscoll on their payroll, but it was clear that they were losing interest in their once-favorite kid actor. He is commemorated at Eternal Hills Memorial Park in Oceanside, California, on his father's gravestone. 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. All rights reserved. It was only a bit role opposite Margaret O'Brien in the 1943 film Lost Angel, but it led to a succession of movies that capitalized on Driscoll's pert nose and freckled face. After going into hiding in Canada, Didi returned to Los Angeles, while Bobby went to New York. Their search takes them to a villains lair. "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". Driscoll still had Robin Hood to look forward to, at leastRight? Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. Just like that, precocious little Driscoll took his first steps toward a whole new lifebut his road to stardom was not going to be an easy one. Fifty years after his death, it's a question that continues to trouble some of his oldest friends. While those roles got Driscolls acting career rolling, it was his next role that took the little boys career to the next level. At Factinate, were dedicated to getting things right. Between 1948 and 1957, he performed on a number of radio productions, which included a special broadcast version of Treasure Island in January 1951 and of Peter Pan in December 1953. Driscoll was born in Iowa on March 3, 1937. Bobby Driscoll was officially married to his wife, Marilyn Jean Rush, for three years from 1957 to 1960.Source: Pinterest. His interest centered on the avant-garde art scene following his release. Discovered by chance at the age of five-and-a-half in a barber shop in Altadena, CA. After years of working for the studio, Disney dropped Driscoll like a hot coal, forcing the young man to find work elsewhere. The guards refused to let Driscoll enter, and informed himrather abruptly and rudelythat he was no longer under the employ of Disney Studios. Disney wanted to film Robin Hood in the United Kingdom, but Driscolls run-in with British immigration made it impossible for the young actor to work in the UK. I was carried on a silver platter and then dumped into the garbage can. (The studio has not yet responded to a request for comment.). Continued Eliot, Walt approved production of a live-action version of Treasure Island, to be shot on location in England, with fourteen-year-old Bobby Driscoll, Disneys favorite live-action child star, in the principal role.. Maybe that was it. All rights reserved. The Child Stars of Disney: A Tale of Perversity, Tragedy, and Death The award Driscoll received was the Juvenile Academy Award, which is only awarded at the discretion of the Academys Board of Governors. 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,. We want our readers to trust us. The rest of the Bobby Driscoll story, and the significance of his final years and death, were revealed that the other day during our conversation with his mother, Mrs. Isabelle Driscoll, in California. A year later, he welcomed his second child, a daughter in 1958. And I guess Disney thought he was no longer useful for them.". I knew that she was going to take it badly, but I had no idea about the insane lengths she would go to just to get revenge and mess with my life. Format. Bobby Driscoll was the voice of Peter pan and one of Disney poster child before they basically threw him to the street when he reached puberty. "He liked heroin. This was the final nail in the coffin for Driscolls life and career. As a result, Driscoll received very little work from 1952 onwards. And that was the end of it. 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. [25] During a project meeting following the completion of Peter Pan, though, Disney stated that he now saw Driscoll as best suited for roles as a young bully rather than a likeable protagonist. . That was his notification that he was no longer needed there.. After being discovered at about five years old, Driscolls breakout came in 1946 at the age of ninewhen he became the first human being signed for Disney Productions, and starred in the studios controversial film Song of the South. Halle Bailey, Melissa McCarthy, and director Rob Marshall share the tale behind making their underwater musical with a groundbreaking Disney princess. In his biography on Disney, Marc Elliot described Driscoll as the producer's favorite "live action" child star: "Walt often referred to Driscoll with great affection as the living embodiment of his own youth". I really feared people, Driscoll said of his years after the firing. Ive hurt them terribly.. [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. [58][59], Late in 1969, Driscoll's mother sought the help of officials at Disney studios to contact him, for a hoped-for reunion with his father, who was nearing death. Sadly, these small successes were not enough to turn Driscolls life aroundand for one devastating reason. Market data provided by Factset. Movies. It would take even longer for word to reach the public at large, as news of the Disney star's passing only surfaced four years after the fact, during the rerelease of Song of the South in 1972. I tried desperately to be one of the gang. ", 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. It worked. I was 17 when I first experimented with the stuff. (LMPC via Getty Images), "He had a drug problem," said Gray. She had hoped he would return to California to say goodbye to his dying father. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Multiple reports alleged the once "Wonder Child" had to rely on heavy makeup to hide pockmarks on his skin. This business can be so tough, laments Chip (John Mulaney), the animated chipmunk, about 30 minutes into Disney+s reboot Chip n Dale: Rescue Rangers. Free delivery for many products! He appeared in a variety of anthology and drama series, such as Dragnet (a crime drama) and Medic (the OG medical drama). The mounting terror of a young boy who lives in mortal fear of his life is projected with remarkable verisimilitude by 12-year-old Bobby Driscoll in "The Window," which opened on Saturday at the Victoria 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 You see, Hughes really had it out for child actors like Driscoll; he thought that kids like Driscoll were incredibly annoying. As Driscolls acne grew worse, Hughes used his influence over Disney to get rid of Driscoll in the most mortifying fashion possible. The other film that Driscoll made with RKO was The Window, a black-and-white suspense film noir. My parents are fine people. Later, Bobby and Didi relocated to Beverly Glen, and the couple began to smuggle cocaine into New York City. (Quest/Getty Images), "He came to the lot one day and they wouldnt let him in at the gate," said Gray. Afterward, he was crying all the time. Copyright 2023 by Factinate.com. What they found was the body of Bobby Driscoll in a cot, with two empty beer bottles nearby and surrounded by religious pamphlets. Beginning in 1953 and for most of the next three years, the bulk of his work was on television, on such anthology and drama series as Fireside Theater, Schlitz Playhouse of Stars, Front Row Center, Navy Log, TV Reader's Digest, Climax!, Ford Theatre, Studio One, Dragnet, Medic, and Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre. ", The budding star made four movies for Disney, including Treasure Island, Peter Pan, and So Dear to My Heartwhich, together with his role in The Window for RKO Pictures, earned Driscoll the Juvenile Academy Award in 1950. 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. First famous now a nobody. In 1960, Driscolls life fell apart all at once. He hated Hollywood kids. Discovered by chance at the age of five-and-a-half in a barber shop in Altadena, CA. [29], In 1947, he recorded a special version of "So Dear to My Heart" at Capitol Records. It was determined that he died from heart failure believed to have been caused by complications from his drug use. Things came to a head when Driscoll hit puberty. Hollywoods Most Infuriating Movie Drought Is Finally Over. In March 1953, the additional two-year option Driscoll had been extended (which would have kept him at Disney into 1956) was cancelled, just weeks after Peter Pan was released theatrically. Because no identification was found on his body, his unclaimed remains were buried in a paupers grave on New York Citys Hart Island. One day in 1953, Driscoll drove up to the entrance of Disney Studios as usual, only to find his way blocked. From there on, his life turned into a shocking mess with neither fame nor money on his account. 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. So for Bobby Driscoll, it's the perfect place to be buried. The famed Disney animator Mary Blair, for instance, reportedly died from complications related to alcoholism, but that did not stop her from being inducted in 1991. At the end of his six weeks, the authorities booted Driscoll and his family out of the country, and Disney filmed the rest of Driscolls scenes with a stand-in. Thanks for your time! "Warhol was so perverse, that he loved having Bobby Driscoll as part of his scene. Hughes probably didnt expect much of a reaction, but he couldnt have been more wrong. Lets just, Song of the South (1946), Walt Disney Productions, So Dear to My Heart (1948), Walt Disney Productions, Treasure Island (1950), Walt Disney Productions, The Party Crashers (1958), Paramount Pictures, The Truth Always Comes Out: Dark Family Secrets Exposed, Entrancing Facts About Madame de Pompadour, France's Most Powerful Mistress, Tragic Facts About Catherine of Aragon, Henry VIIIs First Wife, Macabre Facts About Wednesday, The Spooky Streaming Sensation, Licentious Facts About Marie-Louise OMurphy, King Louis XVs Little Mistress, Hard-Earned Facts About Pedro Pascal, The Unlikely Star, Hot Facts About Denise Richards, The Real Girl Next Door. No one seems to know how the then 31-year-old Driscoll spent his final days in New York City and why he ended up in an abandoned apartment where those kids found his body. In connection with the re-release of Song of the South in 1971, reporters researching the whereabouts of the film's star first reported his death. Not only did it give Driscoll another chance at a starring role, but Disney planned on filming in the United Kingdom. Warhol welcomed Driscoll with open arms, but his reasons for doing so may have been sinister. Driscoll's death was not announced until his first Disney film, Song of the South, was re-released in 1971. "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. Our credibility is the turbo-charged engine of our success.