All rights reserved. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Gia Scala - Wikipedia Driscoll and Luana Patten were the first two actors Walt Disney placed under contract. 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'. He was strong, he had a good intellect and he should have known better. When Driscoll left Chino in early 1962, he was unable to find acting work. Actor. Despite some TV roles, Driscoll never recovered from his traumatic experience as a child actor. But then, unlike his forever-young character, Driscoll grew up. If you like catching up on old Hollywood, be sure to like the video and subscribe to our channel for more videos! But Warhol loved having him as part of his scene. "We hung out before hemoved to New York City. Driscoll encountered increasing indifference from the other Hollywood studios. Its given me so much joy throughout my life. But the adulation is only one part of it. Other kids prove themselves once, but I had to prove myself twice with everyone. Now I get to decide whos a star, and who gets thrown in the trash.. with Alan Ladd (all 1946). The couple was later rewed in a ceremony that took place in Los Angeles in March 1957. Moves from Des Monies, Iowa to Los Angeles. There were no signs of foul play. Then back west, where he enrolled first at UCLA and later Stanford. The ascending star made four movies for Disney, including Treasure Island, Peter Pan, and So Dear to My Heart which, along with his role in The Window for RKO Pictures, earned Driscoll the Juvenile Academy Award in 1950. This story has been shared 12,187 times. For those years, Driscoll was Disneys sweetheart. [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). "Like many adolescents, he developed a rough complexion," explained the former "Father Knows Best" star. But in the context of Driscolls treatment at Disney, the presence of an old, overweight, hairy Peter Panwho goes by the name Sweet Pete and runs an illegal bootleg operation after being tossed aside by the studiofeels just a tad insensitive. Entertainment Weekly may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. The tv actor Bobby Driscoll died at the age of 31. At the same time, he also attempted to settle into a life of domesticity with Marilyn Jean Rush, a 19-year-old he met in Manhattan Beach, California. The public didn't learn about Driscoll's death for a few years, as word of his passing only came to light during the 1972 re-release of Song of the South. [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. Heart Attack. [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]). "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." The former Disney child star who rose to fame at age 9 as "the first human being signed for Disney Productions," won a Juvenile Oscar at age 12 and then went on to voice the title role in 1953's animated film "Peter Pan" at age 16, met a tragic end. At the time, he was a John Doe and buried in the Potter's Field on Hart Island. And I guess Disney thought he was no longer useful for them.". In those days, a prison sentence was as good as a death sentence when it came to a Hollywood career. In 1965, a year after his parole expired, he relocated to New York, hoping to revive his career on the Broadway stage, but was unsuccessful. [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. In ill health from his substance abuse, and with his funds depleted, his body was discovered on March 30, 1968, in an abandoned building in the East Village of Manhattan. After an audition with MGM he won a role in "Lost Angel" with Margaret O'Brien. 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 Legal Statement. He wasn't really part of the crowd," says Eliot, who remembers seeing Driscoll in the '60s in a Greenwich Village club. In 2011, the Hart Island Project was created to make it easier for people to find out whose remains ended up on the one-mile stretch of land. My clothes were at my parents' [house] but I didn't live anywhere. [66], (This is not necessarily a complete list; it displays all those that could be located and verified. This resulted in a fingerprint match at the New York City Police Department, which located his burial on Hart Island. Although his name appears on his father's gravestone at Eternal Hills Memorial Park in Oceanside, California, his remains are still on Hart Island. Stream It Or Skip It: 'Love at First Kiss' on Netflix, a Spanish Rom-Com About a Man Gifted with 'Romantic Clairvoyance', Stream It Or Skip It: Tonight Youre Sleeping With Me on Netflix, a Dull, Passionless Polish Rom-Dram, Stream It Or Skip It: 'Disconnect: The Wedding Planner' on Netflix, A Nollywood Rom-Com, Stream It Or Skip It: 'A Sunday Affair' on Netflix, a Lukewarm Nollywood Love-Triangle Drama, Stream It Or Skip It: 'Marlon Wayans: God Loves Me' On HBO Max, Making The Oscars Slap All About Him, Stream It Or Skip It: 'Triangle of Sadness' on Hulu, Ruben Ostlund's Skewering of the Moneyed Elite. "We found out his son was in the movies, and his son got me an appointment with his agent. He thought they were trying too hard, werent real, and found them to be grating. Pam Grier reflects on her most iconic roles, from Coffy to Jackie Brown. Bobby Driscoll: the tragic life of the old-Hollywood actor that gave us Even if the main character is the star in one of the favorite Disney movies of all time. In no time at all, I was using whatever was available mostly heroin, because I had the money to pay for it. [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. Bobby Driscoll was the voice of Peter Pan in the 1953 film. 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. Popular, by He was the only child to parents Cletus, an insulation salesman, and Isabelle, a former schoolteacher. You know, I got my big break when I was just a kid. Bobby Driscoll - Wikipedia So I decided to take the power back and make my own bootleg movie. ", Driscoll then started to spend time in Topanga Canyon with Beat Generation artist/photographer Wallace Berman and began dabbling in verse. Driscoll made nine films in a three-year span before his breakout role as Johnny, a 7-year-old boy who visits his grandfather's plantation in Song of the South. 'Next In Fashion' Season 2 on Netflix: Follow the Designers on Instagram, Is 'Yellowstone' On Tonight? Facts Verse [1] Scala is interred in the Holy Cross Cemetery in Culver City, California. February 19, 2023, 6:17 am, by Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. 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. Driscolls children will never see the spot where their father was laid to rest on Hart Island in The Bronx, since burial records from 1961 through July 1977 were destroyed by a fire. Since its release, Song of the South has been a lightning rod for controversy none of it is Driscolls fault. March 28, 2021, 6:21 am, by ", Eliot has a far more sobering rationale. 2,243, This story has been shared 2,066 times. As a child, starting at the age of 10, he was one of the first child actors to land a Disney contract. Bobby Driscoll | Unidentified Wiki | Fandom Only beer bottles and religious handouts were by his side. Bach was my guy, that was it for me. 4,741, This story has been shared 4,151 times. I was 17 when I first experimented with the stuff. He thought they were precocious, werent real, and were incredibly annoying. Four years later, a 31-year-old Driscoll was found dead on a New York City park bench, surrounded by beer bottles. And he didnt take the news well.". His agent took me out to a part.". In a 1961 magazine article titled The Nightmare Life of an Ex-Child Star, an adult Driscoll wrote, I was lonely most of the time. 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). ", Trying to forge a new path, Driscoll left his parents' home at 16 and made trips to New York City to study acting. [14][15], Driscoll was cast to play Jim Hawkins in Walt Disney's version of Robert Louis Stevenson's Treasure Island (1950), with British actor Robert Newton as Long John Silver, the studio's first all-live-action picture. 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. 1,400, This story has been shared 1,316 times. Additional screen portrayals included the boy who could blow his whistle while standing on his head in Sunday Dinner for a Soldier, the "child brother" of Richard Arlen in The Big Bonanza (both 1944), and young Percy Maxim in So Goes My Love (1946),[5] with Don Ameche and Myrna Loy. Bobby Driscoll (1937-1968) - Find a Grave Memorial Bobby Driscoll was boy who reached success in the movie industry at a very early age. He controlled the money and he hated Bobby Driscoll. "What's the point of poking at it?" June 20, 2021, 9:06 am, by 12,187, This story has been shared 6,086 times. He spent most of his time hanging out on Los Angeles beaches, where he befriended a group of young Hollywood actors like Robert Blake (Baretta), Dean Stockwell (Quantum Leap), and Russ Tamblyn (West Side Story).