The new Disney+ film evokes the devastating story of Bobby Driscoll, who earned an Oscar and played Peter Pan as a child before being discarded as a teenager. In 1950, Disney cast Driscoll as Jim Hawkins in Treasure Island, the studios first all live-action film. Nothing about his early childhood indicated a future career with Walt Disney. The actor continued to perform successfully on television until 1957 and even managed to secure two final screen roles on The Scarlet Coat (1955) and The Party Crashers (1958). Family, friends, and fans were left to ponder how a boy who seemingly had it all could fall so far. "Was earning $50,000 a year working steadily with good parts. [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. What happened to Bobby Driscoll? Chip and Dale Rescue - Sportskeeda Driscoll is well renowned for his impressive contributions to big and small screens for 17 years from 1943 to 1960. 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. First famous now a nobody. He also reportedly enrolled in UCLA and Stanford but dropped out. The actor used to be a married man and shared three children in total. In 1965, a year after his parole expired, Driscoll made the decision to relocate to New York City. Making distraction rewarding since 2017. The New York Times credited the films success wholly to Driscolls performance, stating that The Window is Bobby Driscolls picture, make no mistake about it. At just ten years old, Driscoll proved to the world that he had what it took to be an exceptional actor, and it led to one of the biggest highlights of his 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. "Before he went on narcotics he almost never cried. The director was impressed by the boy's curiosity and intelligence and chose him over 40 applicants.[2][3]. The authorities in the United Kingdom allowed Driscoll six weeks to prepare an appeal. The cause of death has no bearing on someone's ability to be considered for Disney Legends. "I do remember living in Pacific Palisades in a house that my dad owned andseeing a bunch of pot on the table. Driscolls mother had said she did not learn of her sons death until almost two years later, after she listed advertisements in newspapers hoping to find him. 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. Fox News Flash top entertainment and celebrity headlines are here. All that is known is that Driscolls body is somewhere in the Northern part of the island, surrounded by deer, red raccoons, and a bird sanctuary. After Disney turned its back on him, the budding actor was left to fend for himself, and it led to his early and tragic end. Then he didnt care about his appearance or cleanliness, he didnt bathe, his teeth got loose. Driscoll even had the honor of voicing Goofy Jr. in two Disney cartoon shorts, Fathers are People and Fathers Lion. [citation needed], Driscoll played Eddie Cantor's screen son in the RKO Studios musical comedy If You Knew Susie (also 1948), in which he teamed with former Our Gang member Margaret Kerry. "It hit him hard. The first film they needed Driscoll for was If You Knew Susie, a comedy musical that was right up Driscolls alley. No identification was on the body, and photos shown around the neighborhood yielded no positive identification. Driscolls dad was nearing the end of his life, and Driscolls mom wanted to reunite father and son one last time. As a result, Driscoll was unable to work on the two major pictures that Disney planned for him. 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. Then I got older. Market data provided by Factset. After eloping to Mexico five months after they met, the young couple had one son and two daughters before splitting for good three years, two marriages, and two divorces later. All rights reserved. They managed to identify Driscoll through his fingerprints, which led them to Hart Island. 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. Christopher jones denison iowa. ", The only son of an insulation salesman and former schoolteacher, Driscoll was discovered at the age of 5 while getting a trim. Disneys animated kids show is a great showcase for queer charactersand its cancellation could spell trouble for similarly themed series. 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. TV Shows. "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. The part was a far cry from Driscolls usual rolesthere was no singing, wise-cracking, or cartoon animals involved. "[36][37] At his request, Driscoll's parents returned him the next year to Hollywood Professional School, where in May 1955 he graduated.[38]. Bobby Driscoll in "The Window" . "I had everything," Driscoll said in an interview after his sentencing, as quoted by Entertainment Weekly. 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. (CBS via Getty Images). Want to tell us to write facts on a topic? During the middle of production, authorities discovered that Driscoll did not have a valid British work permit. The news was absolutely devastating. Driscoll also engaged in a more dangerous form of recreationheroin. Fifty years after his death, it's a question that continues to trouble some of his oldest friends. "He controlled the money and he hated Bobby Driscoll. My personality had suffered during my marriage and I was trying to recoup it. We and our partners share information on your use of this website to help improve your experience. They later shifted to Los Angeles when a doctor recommended Bobby's father to relocate to California since he was diagnosed with work-related handling of asbestos. Soon, Driscoll began butting heads with the law. "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". Per a 2019 story in Entertainment Weekly: When Howard Hughes bought RKO, he, in effect, became the owner of the Disney studio, explains [Disney biographer Marc] Eliot. On March 30, 1968, Bobby Driscoll died alone in an abandoned East Village tenement. Gray, who also got his start in Hollywood at a young age, told Fox News puberty hit Driscoll especially hard, forever impacting his career. [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]). with Alan Ladd (all 1946). Burl Ives, Bobby Driscoll. That's how she lives all alone, estranged from her ex-daughter-in-law and the grandchildren, remembering Bobby, the way it was when . For a short time, Driscoll did everything he could to rehabilitate his image. Although Catherine's successor Queen Anne Boleyn suffered an infamously dark fate, Aragon's own life was somehow even more tragic. Advertisement Following Driscolls runaway success in Song of the South, Disney immediately ordered for production on So Dear to My Heart to begin. Bobby Driscoll was a naturally talented actor, born with the gift of owning the stage. Driscoll portrayed Robert "Bibi" Bonnard in Richard Fleischer's comedy The Happy Time (1952), which was based on a Broadway play of the same name by Samuel A. Taylor. He was a wonderful and talented young actor who left us far too soon. Were always looking for your input! Former Disney child star Bobby Driscoll's short, tragic life ", The split was devastating. He had normal experiences with his peer groupjust as I did.". He had an extremely high I.Q., but the narcotics affected his brain. In an incredibly sad twist, Driscolls work with Disney made it incredibly difficult for the young actor to find roles. [22] Driscoll was cast with Disney's "Little British Lady" Kathryn Beaumont, who was in the role of Wendy Darling; he was used as the reference model for the close-ups and provided Peter Pan's voice, and dancer and choreographer Roland Dupree was the model for the character's motion. Copyright 2023 Meredith Corporation. Driscoll was born in Iowa on March 3, 1937. The real tragedy of Bobby Driscoll was the fact that no one identified his body. He wasn't really part of the crowd," says Eliot, who remembers seeing Driscoll in the '60s in a Greenwich Village club. In the mid-1950s, Driscoll's acting career began to decline, and he turned primarily to guest appearances on anthology TV series. Watch:Lost Boy: The Bobby Driscoll Story. The Child Stars of Disney: A Tale of Perversity, Tragedy, and Death Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. 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. "He went to his own public school when he was not working. The guards refused to let Driscoll enter, and informed himrather abruptly and rudelythat he was no longer under the employ of Disney Studios. pic.twitter.com/pUVTLKY6qh, (read bio) (@FiendByte) October 22, 2019. Bobby Driscoll (left) with Hedda Hopper (right) and Luana Patten (center), circa 1947. What Happened To Bobby Driscoll: 'Peter Pan' Star Died - Decider Bobby Driscoll appeared in some of the most famous live-action films of the time from the Walt Disney Studios. (Quest/Getty Images), "He came to the lot one day and they wouldnt let him in at the gate," said Gray. It wasnt until one year later that Driscolls family learned of his passing, and the results were agonizingly tragic. In 1954, he was awarded a Milky Way Gold Star Award, chosen in a nationwide poll for his work on television and radio. Driscolls legacy as an actor is even harder to keep alive. While Disney likes to believe it has a squeaky-clean image, one look at Bobby Driscoll will tell you that things are never that simple. Remember Howard Hughes, the guy that initially dismissed Driscolls acting ability? I'm different mv bobby. After his deal with the Disney company was terminated abruptly soon after Peter Pan's release in late March 1953, his mother also withdrew him from the talent-supporting Hollywood Professional School. From there, Driscoll quickly became one of Disneys biggest money-makers. In no time at all I was using whatever was availablemostly heroin, because I had the money to pay for it., Driscoll estimated that he spent more than $100,000 of his earnings and confessed that he had damaged his most important relationships. 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. The same year in 1960, Bobby separated from his spouse Marilyn, resulting in a divorce later in the year. Legal Statement. "Bobby was a curiosity. Howard Hughes, an American investor that bought out RKO, thought the film was unworthy of release. To make things worse, he completely dismissed Driscoll, and thought of the young boy as not much of an actor. As a result, Driscolls film wasnt released until the following year, in May of 1949. Workin Moms Cast, Sloanes Boyfriend: Pregnancy Ultrasound, Who Portrays the Character? Bobby Driscoll - IMDb The former Disney child star who rose to fame at age 9 as "the first human being signed for Disney Productions,". The wedding was held at Zack Walsh's home; however, the marriage failed to be legal since the paperwork was never filed. Film Country. 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. I think that was Bobby's best role." After filming wrapped up for The Window, Driscolls career hit a major snag. [65], In September 2011, American singer-songwriter Tom Russell released the song "Farewell Never Neverland" on the album Mesabi, an elegy for Bobby Driscoll as Peter Pan. Despite the obstacles presented to Driscoll during production, Treasure Island was an international smash hit. EXCLUSIVE: Billy Gray still has fond memories of his beloved pal Bobby Driscoll. Speaking to a judge, Driscoll conceded how far he had fallen. He later turned into a heroin abuser and was sentenced to prison for illegal substance use.