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. Then back west, where he enrolled first at UCLA and later Stanford. . The . 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. Driscoll's second long-run Disney contract allowed him to be lent to independent Horizon Pictures for the double role of Danny/Josh Reed in When I Grow Up (1951). Refering to his diffcult transition to teenage and adult years, Bobby Driscoll admitted that his childhood was not a normal one, with people continually praising him, creating an environment of innate conceit. Start Time, How To Watch, 2023 NYP Holdings, Inc. 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I later heard he was discovered overdosed in an abandoned building. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Eliot said, When Howard Hughes bought RKO, he, in effect, became the owner of the Disney studio. Dawber has married to NCIS star Mark Harmon for more than three [] More, Jan Smithers is a former television actress that is best known for her portrayal of the character Bailey Quarters on the television series WKRP in Cincinnati. 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. 2,872, This story has been shared 2,789 times. No one takes notice beneath their feet, though a little girl pops a bubble that a street vendor just blew her way right on top of the star. It's also the final resting place of Bobby Driscoll, who became a household name at the age of 9 with a starring role in Disney's controversial Song of the South. Id never been so happy in my entire life. His mother did not discover his fate until a fingerprint match came up a year after his death. (Getty Images). 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. He died at the age of thirty-one from drugs and misery. Perhaps someday Driscolls story will be told on the big screen, and not in the background of a meta-verse kids movie. When Howard Hughes bought RKO, he essentially became head of Disney. "I wish I could say that my childhood was a happy one, but I wouldn't be honest," he said in a 1961 magazine article titled "The Nightmare Life of an Ex-Child Star." [56], On March 30, 1968, two boys playing in a deserted East Village tenement at 371 East 10th St. found Driscoll's body lying on a cot, with two empty beer bottles and religious pamphlets scattered on the ground. Im not really sure why I started using narcotics. [17], Treasure Island was an international hit, and several other film projects involving Driscoll were under discussion, but none materialized. But that was a choice he made, and you couldn't talk him out of it. ", "He really was a sweet guy," Gray shared. He didn't want Bobby Driscoll to be with Disney anymore. Bobby Driscoll was boy who reached success in the movie industry at a very early age. On April 7, 1974, Bobby went to visit a friend when his car slid off the bridge and plunged into the water. [10] Patten and he appeared with Roy Rogers and the Sons of the Pioneers in the live-action teaser for the Pecos Bill segment of Disney's cartoon compilation Melody Time (also 1948). But such is the story of Bobby Driscoll. Bobby Driscoll suffered a tragic life after Disney dropped him. 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. (Epstein wouldn't comment on why Driscoll hasn't been considered. Four years later, a 31-year-old Driscoll was found dead on a New York City park bench, surrounded by beer bottles. He was strong(smart) and he should have known better. Driscoll's brief, two-minute debut[4] helped him win the role of young Al Sullivan, the youngest of the five Sullivan brothers, in the 20th Century Fox's World War II drama The Fighting Sullivans (1944) with Thomas Mitchell and Anne Baxter. or redistributed. This story reads more like a Hollywood murder mystery than an uplifting Disney fairytale. "We loved him dearly," remembers Berman's wife Shirley, now 83. Facts Verse 12,187, This story has been shared 6,086 times. From a money pit 100 feet deep to Shakespearean manuscripts, the legendary finds on Oak Island have kept it in the news for centuries. The show was a success due to its excellent writing and directing. "I was carried on a silver platter and then dumped into the garbage can. It feels like too specific a reference to be a coincidence. Though his movie career fizzled, Bobby Driscoll eventually found fairly steady work on television shows like Dragnet and Rawhide. Gray said Driscoll eventually resorted to heroin. 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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. He controlled the money and he hated Bobby Driscoll. 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. The questions about bobby driscoll cause of death began right at the crime scene. 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I think that was Bobby's best role." 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. They were allowed to remain for six weeks to prepare an appeal, and director Byron Haskin hastily shot all of Driscoll's close-ups,[16] using his British stand-in to film missing location scenes after his parents and he had returned to California. And if you know Driscolls story, it makes the jokes about Peter Pan in the new Chip n Dale movie a lot less funny. Sure, the new live-action/animation hybrid film takes a lot of shots at a lot of Disney properties, as well as a few non-Disney properties (like Paramounts scrapped Ugly Sonic Sonic the Hedgehog design). Decider reached out to Disney for comment as to whether the Peter Pan reference in the Chip n Dale movie was an intentional nod to Bobby Driscoll, but did not hear back before the time of publication. In New York City apartment discovers a young man lying dead, with empty bottles. 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. Wait until you see where Bobby Driscolls story goes next. January 19, 2022, 6:17 pm, by 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. But according to the New York Daily News, the 29-year-old died by suicide in August 2013. He was the only child to parents Cletus, an insulation salesman, and Isabelle, a former schoolteacher. 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. There are herds of deer, these red raccoons, and a whole bird sanctuary. [66], (This is not necessarily a complete list; it displays all those that could be located and verified. He starred in some of The Walt Disney Company's most popular live-action pictures of that period, such as Song of the South, So Dear to My Heart, and Treasure Island.He served as animation model and provided the voice for the title role in Peter Pan. In the mid-1950s, Driscoll's acting career began to decline, and he turned primarily to guest appearances on anthology TV series. Legal Statement. March 28, 2021, 6:21 am, by It would take the re-release of Song of the South four years later in 1972, for the general public to discover the former Disney stars demise. He even won an Oscar, a special Academy Juvenile Award. "Bobby is probably the most famous person buried there, along with novelist Dawn Powell," says president Melinda Hunt. Pam Grier reflects on her most iconic roles, from, Driscoll the Juvenile Academy Award in 1950, Bobby Driscoll's Hollywood Walk of Fame star, Disney Legendsthe studio's version of a Hall of Fame, Wrong turn: Amy Locane's sad journey from movies and TV to prison. ), Media related to Bobby Driscoll at Wikimedia Commons, 22nd Academy Award Ceremony of March 23, 1950 excerpt, Last edited on 21 February 2023, at 00:36, Donald O'Connor presenting Bobby Driscoll his Oscar, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, "Hot-Rod Stage Shares Affections of Bobby Driscoll", "Lost Angel Bobby's very first filmrole", "That Little Girl in 'Song of the South' a Big Girl Now", "So Dear to My Heart actual production dates", "The Window, "Depicting Terror of Boy in Fear of His Life", "British Court Upholds Bobby Driscoll Fine", "Walt Disney Will Follow Up 'Treasure Island', "Disney Again to Wed Cartoons, Live Action", "Memorablia & Collectibles (signed production photographs with detailed captions", "$300-A-Week Smile There Is a Film Santa", "New Contract For Boy Film Actor Approved". Alcohol abuse, drug overdose, violent fits, and severe depression. Discover at 5, while getting a haircut, Bobby Driscoll is the son of an insulation salesman and former schoolteacher. 30/30 1 /30 14 Ratings 8,604 Views 5 Comments 1 Favorites Flag And that was the end of it. She was 12. People continually saying 'What a cute little boy!' Bobby Driscolls journey from child star to troubles adult includes a stint in jail. Chip n Dale: Rescue Rangers is facing criticism for a Peter Pan joke that appears to allude to the poor treatment of one of Disneys first big child stars. Shortly after his birth, the family moved to Des Moines,[1] where they stayed until early 1943. July 2, 2021, 6:38 am, by 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. He was strong, he had a good intellect and he should have known better. He was found dead in a squat in East 10th Street. Read more from EW's Pop Culture True Crimes Series: Oscars Flashback: The tragic life and death of former Disney star Bobby Driscoll. All rights reserved. Driscoll and Luana Patten were the first two actors Walt Disney placed under contract. Unfortunately, he started putting that money into his veins. Only beer bottles and religious handouts were by his side. Actor Billy Gray is famous for his role as Bud Anderson on the TV classic Father Knows Best. In those days, a prison sentence was as good as a death sentence when it came to a Hollywood career. Bobby's body, as noted, was found on March 30, 1968 in an abandoned tenement in Greenwich Village. He didnt want Bobby Driscoll to be with Disney anymore.. 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He had no residence, and kept his clothes at his parents. Fatal addiction to drugs destroyed Bobby Driscoll's brilliant career as a child star and left him for dead in an abandoned New York City tenement at age 31. In March of 1968, a pair of children playing in an abandoned, Greenwich Village tenement in New York City discovered a young man dead on a cot, surrounded by beer bottles and religious handouts . At age eight, she became a star in her second film, Disney's Song of the South, playing Ginny to Bobby Driscoll's Johnny. 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. (United Artists/Getty Images). Bobby Driscoll was born in Cedar Rapids. A child actors childhood is not a normal one. ", 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. Legal Statement. (Even the Oscarthe ultimate sign of professional success in the industrythat Driscoll won was lost at some point in a house fire, while Song of the South has been practically disowned by the studio, having never been released in the U.S. on home video due to its racial content.) Pam Grier reflects on her most iconic roles, from Coffy to Jackie Brown. Get the best viral stories straight into your inbox! At one point, Bobby became part of The Factory, Andy Warhol's art collective in Greenwich Village, New York. Thanks for watching The Shocking Life & Death of Bobby Driscoll. 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, where he forged an unlikely relationship with, of all people, Andy Warhol. Hassan "We hung out before hemoved to New York City. 3,489, This story has been shared 2,872 times. However, it marks the start of a successful relationship between Disney Studios and Bobby Driscoll. His family did not learn of his death until they tried to reach out to him in 1969. The couple was later rewed in a ceremony that took place in Los Angeles in March 1957. Academy Award-winning actor of Disney films in the 40s and early 50s who died from a drug overdose. If Disney child actors have taught us anything, its that the magic of childhood never lasts forevereven in Never-Never Land. [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. In the new millennium, Jan has turned her interests [] More, Each year over 1.5 million patients become victims of medical malpractice in the US alone. In short, Bobby Driscoll is Disneys live-action animate hero. Moves from Des Monies, Iowa to Los Angeles. Its an unambiguously tragic story. 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.