As the most commanding mistress in the French court, she bettered the lives of many and became a beloved figure. EXCLUSIVE: Billy Gray still has fond memories of his beloved pal Bobby Driscoll. Driscolls moment of peace was painfully brief. When his contract with the Disney studios was prematurely terminated shortly after the release of Peter Pan (1953) in late March 1953, his mother additionally took him from the talent-supporting Hollywood Professional School, which he attended by then. In 1956, Driscoll eloped with his long-time girlfriend, Marilyn Jeanne Rush, to Mexico, in the hopes of avoiding their parents' objection, but this marriage was later annulled. While on a tour on the studio lot, Driscoll noticed a mock-up ship and curiously asked where the water was. After his premature dismissal, he was enrolled in a public high school where his peers teased him. The agent starts working, landing Bobby Driscoll a bit role opposite Margaret O'Brien in the 1943 film Lost Angel. The only child of his parents, he initially grew up in Des Moines, and in 1943, because of his fathers work-related ailment, the family moved to Altadena, California. Over the next year, Driscoll ran into trouble with the authorities again and again. The State of California sent Driscoll to the Narcotic Rehabilitation Center of the California Institution for Men in Chino, California. The guards refused to let Driscoll enter, and informed himrather abruptly and rudelythat he was no longer under the employ of Disney Studios. [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. [17], Treasure Island was an international hit, and several other film projects involving Driscoll were under discussion, but none materialized. Includes such notable movie screen appearances as The Fighting Sullivans (1944), Song of the South (1946), So Dear to My Heart (1948), and The Window (1949), which was not only the sleeper of 1949 but even earned him his Academy Award in March 1950 as the outstanding juvenile actor of 1949. After his release, he focused his attention on the avant-garde art scene. One that his friend, Gray, thinks was caused by his inability to deal with getting abandoned by Hollywood. He thought that Peterand Driscoll, by extensioncame off as cold and unlikeable in the movie. Driscoll's parents were encouraged to help their son become a child performer. Bobby Driscoll had a great start in life, but somewhere along the line, he went off track, and according to his friend Billy Gray, it was a choice he made. According to Driscoll, The other kids didnt accept meWhen they rejected me, I fought back, became belligerent and cockyand was afraid all the time. Alone and friendless, Driscoll turned to drugs at the age of 17. Bobby Driscoll starred in Song of the South, Melody Time, Treasure Island, and most notably was the voice and reference model for Peter Pan. He won awards and also befriended his castmates along the way. Nothing about his early childhood indicated a future career with Walt Disney. The couple was later rewed in a ceremony that took place in Los Angeles in March 1957. Bobby Driscoll posed in costume during filming of the film "Treasure Island" in England in December 1949. [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). When his face was no longer charming and his voice not smooth enough to be used for voice-over jobs, his last big movie hit was the voice of animated Peter Pan (1953), for which he was also the live-action model. Historys most fascinating stories and darkest secrets, delivered to your inbox daily. His weekly payment at Disney Studios was raised to $1,750. Bobby Driscoll was a child star who won an Oscar at 12 and eventually passed away alone in an abandoned house. 'Treasure Island became a worldwide hit and many new projects were planned with Driscoll as the lead, but somehow they didnt work-out. As a result, the city buried Driscolls unclaimed body in an unmarked paupers grave on Hart Island. The first film they needed Driscoll for was If You Knew Susie, a comedy musical that was right up Driscolls alley. He and his co-star Luana Patten became child-stars and the media dubbed them as Walt Disneys Sweetheart Team.. To make matters worse, Disney distanced itself from Song of the South, as well as Peter Pan to a lesser degree, both films in which Driscoll played a pivotal role. 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. In fact, 40 other applicants wanted the role! Current occupation is listed as Retired. From petty paybacks to insane acts of karma, these bitter people somehow found the most ingenious ways. Advertisement At just five and a half, Robert Cletus Driscoll was discovered in a Los Angeles barbershop as he was getting his haircut. Driscoll tried to remain relevant in Hollywood by appearing in several TV shows for years; however, he had already passed his peak and was on the decline. That same year, Driscoll got in trouble with the authorities once again when he hit a heckler that insulted him while he washed his girlfriends car. Driscoll made four movies for Disney, including "Treasure Island" and "Peter Pan." [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. I was carried on a silver platterand then dumped into the garbage."[49]. From there, Driscoll quickly became one of Disneys biggest money-makers. Catherine of Aragon is now infamous as King Henry VIIIs rejected queenbut few people know her even darker history. At Factinate, were dedicated to getting things right. He successfully continued acting on TV until 1957 and even managed to get two final screen roles; in The Scarlet Coat (1955) and opposite of Mark Damon and Connie Stevens in The Party Crashers (1958). According to him, his personality took a turn for the worse during his marriage, and his dwindling career soon followed suit. But this was only the beginning. Do you question the accuracy of a fact you just read? Actor: Peter Pan. Please reach out to us to let us know what youre interested in reading. 1957 - m. 1957 - div. Unfortunately, Driscoll's fans had no idea about his sad fate until 1972 when the Disney film "Song of the South," featured in, was re-released. On March 23, 1950, Driscoll won a Special Juvenile Academy Award as the Outstanding Juvenile Actor of 1949 for his performances in So Dear to My Heart, and The Window., In Walt Disneys all-live-action picture Treasure Island (based on Robert Louis Stevensons 1883 novel), Driscoll played Jim Hawkins.. 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. Now nicknamed by the American press as Walt Disney's "Sweetheart Team",[8] Driscoll and Patten starred together in So Dear to My Heart (1948) with Burl Ives and Beulah Bondi. They re-wed in March 1957, in Los Angeles, and divorced in 1960. The best revenge might be living well, but that doesn't mean we can always turn the other cheek. After three years of taking on minor acting roles, Driscoll got the chance of a lifetime when he caught the eye of the one and only Walt Disney. Released in early 1962, rehabilitated and eager to make a comeback, Bobby was ignored by the very industry that once had raised and nurtured him, because of his record as a convict and former drug addict. With puberty came a severe case of acne, whichthrough no fault of his ownmarred the boys flawless face. On the surface, this sounded like an enormously successful marriage, but for Driscoll, this wasnt the case. There's something about the family structure that encourages secrets. In 1969, Driscolls mother tried to search for him, as his father was nearing death. 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. Perhaps Driscoll hoped that Rush would change him for the better, but what actually happened was far, far worse. [54][55], In 1965, early in his tenure at the Factory, Driscoll gave his last known film performance, in experimental filmmaker Piero Heliczer's underground movie Dirt. Driscoll needed to stand out to get the part, so he ended up doing something that completely won the director over. However, despite our best efforts, we sometimes miss the mark. He landed his debut role in "Lost Angels . We believe that every person's story is important as it provides our community with an opportunity to feel a sense of belonging, share their hopes and dreams. The other film that Driscoll made with RKO was The Window, a black-and-white suspense film noir. You see, So Dear to My Heart was a joint venture between Walt Disney and RKO Pictures. His role for the production was enormously important: not only did he voice the titular Peter, but he also served as the reference model for the films close-ups. 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). No identification was on the body, and photos shown around the neighborhood yielded no positive identification. For his role as Jim Hawkins in Walt Disney's Treasure Island (1950), he eventually received his Hollywood Star on 1560 Vine Street, and in 1954 he was chosen in a nation-wide poll for a Milky Way Gold Star Award (for his work on TV and radio). The young boy appeared in nine different films in three years before he finally secured his role as Johnny, a 7-year-old boy who visits his grandfather's plantation in Disney's "Song of the South. He also gave education a try, enrolling at institutions like Stanford and UCLA but ultimately dropped out. He received an Academy Juvenile Award for outstanding performances in So Dear to My Heart and The Window. [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. Picture of child star Bobby Driscoll | Photo: Getty Images. Driscolls legacy as an actor is even harder to keep alive. The first Disney film that Driscoll ever acted in was Song of the South in 1946, in which Driscoll took on the starring role as Johnny. During the middle of production, authorities discovered that Driscoll did not have a valid British work permit. Hughes was not a big fan of Driscoll and Hollywood kids in general. Bobby was the son of a salesman and a school teacher, but his life would take the first twist when his father got sick after many years of handling asbestos in his job. Billy Gray, who also got an early start in showbiz, said that "he was devastated and didn't take the news well.". The Life of Bobby Driscoll Robert Cletus "Bobby" Driscoll was born in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, on March 3rd, 1937, to parents Cletus (1901-1969), an insulation salesman, and Isabelle (Kratz) (1897-1972), a former schoolteacher. What Driscoll did was simple, but revealed a curiosity for the world around him which deeply impressed the director for Lost Angels. Discovered by chance at the age of five-and-a-half in a barber shop in Altadena, CA. His parents again sent him to his earlier school, where he completed his graduation in 1955. The young boy had it all, but unfortunately, his snafu with the British authorities had a bigger impact on his career than Driscoll couldve imagined. The director was impressed by the boy's curiosity and intelligence and chose him over 40 applicants.[2][3]. While the film received mixed critical reactions and was rather controversial upon release, Song of the South netted Walt Disney $226,000, which is the equivalent of over $3 million in todays dollars. 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