Driscolls new acting agent put out the feelers for roles that suited little Driscoll, and soon found the perfect part for him in an upcoming MGM Studios film called Lost Angels. Disney had big plans for Driscoll too. Driscoll found it difficult to get work, because all other studios considered him a Disney kid. From 1953, he mostly worked on TV in Front Row Center, Climax!, Navy Log, Fireside Theater, Ford Theater, Dragnet, Studio One, Men of Annapolis, Medic, among others. Here are details about the life he lived. He became addicted to narcotics, and was sentenced to prison for illicit drug use. I tried desperately to be one of the gang. The former Disney child star who rose to fame at age 9 as "the first human being signed for Disney Productions,". His weekly payment at Disney Studios was raised to $1,750. The authorities in the United Kingdom allowed Driscoll six weeks to prepare an appeal. https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/bobby-driscoll-43522.php, 20th Century Film & Theater Personalities, 20th Century American Film & Theater Personalities. Driscoll never forgot about his dream of being an actor, though. Driscoll and Rush eloped in Mexico, although both sets of parents objected to their union. In 1956, he was arrested for possessing marijuana, but the charges were later dropped. They took him in for drug possession, battery, burglary, check kiting, and more. Historys most fascinating stories and darkest secrets, delivered to your inbox daily. Please reach out to us to let us know what youre interested in reading. Sadly, these small successes were not enough to turn Driscolls life aroundand for one devastating reason. Films: Song of the South, Treasure Island. We collect and tell stories of people from all around the world. In a last-ditch attempt to distance himself from his Disney days, Driscoll began using the name Robert Driscoll when looking for acting jobs. The award made Driscoll even more valuable in the eyes of Uncle Walt, and it led to Driscolls next big Disney hit. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. On another series, Men of Annapolis, he appeared with John Smith, future second husband of Driscoll's Song of the South co-star, Luana Patten. Eventually, Driscoll convinced his parents to re-enroll him to the Hollywood Professional School, where his grades improved. Howard Hughes, who had bought RKO the previous year, considered the film unworthy of release and Driscoll not much of an actor, so delayed its release. When she's not writing, Rebecca can be found buried under too many blankets with a hot cup of tea. The courtroom is packed with Henon's family and supporters, with more . | Photo: Getty Images. Robert Cletus Driscoll. Catherine of Aragon was King Henry VIIIs first wife and longest-lasting Queen of England. It was clear that Driscolls drug addiction was destroying his life, and in 1961, everything came to a head when the authorities finally sentenced him as a drug addict. Bobby Driscoll pictured in 1949. In December 1956, Driscoll and his longtime girlfriend, Marilyn Jean Rush (occasionally misspelled as "Brush"), eloped to Mexico to marry despite their parents' objections. Moves from Des Monies, Iowa to Los Angeles. Driscoll was born an only child to an insulation salesman and former schoolteacher. He won an Oscar at 12, and. The live-action/animated musical eventually became an embarrassing project for Disney because of its offensive stereotypes and less than a candid depiction of slavery; however, it meant more for Driscoll. One day in 1953, Driscoll drove up to the entrance of Disney Studios as usual, only to find his way blocked. Summertime "Summertime" is an aria composed in 1934 by George Gershwin for the 1935 opera Porgy and Bess.The lyrics are by DuBose Heyward, the author of the novel Porgy on which the opera was based, and Ira Gershwin. But this was only the beginning. First famous now infamous. After his release, he focused his attention on the avant-garde art scene. On the surface, this sounded like an enormously successful marriage, but for Driscoll, this wasnt the case. This put Driscoll and the entire production in a sticky situation. The New York Times credited Driscoll with the film's success:.mw-parser-output .templatequote{overflow:hidden;margin:1em 0;padding:0 40px}.mw-parser-output .templatequote .templatequotecite{line-height:1.5em;text-align:left;padding-left:1.6em;margin-top:0}, 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. 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. When they rejected me, I fought back, became belligerent and cockyand was afraid all the time. The authorities showed photos of his body to people living in the neighborhood, but no one had any idea who he was. Hollywood biographer Marc Eliot, author of "Walt Disney: Hollywood's Dark Prince," saw the perfect embodiment of the American child in Driscoll. Disney put a lot of faith into Driscoll for the film, and it definitely paid off. He portrayed a young version of Al Sullivan, one of five close-knit brothers growing up in Iowa during the dark days of the Great Depression. . 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. Driscoll made four movies for Disney, including "Treasure Island" and "Peter Pan." . The couple was later rewed in a ceremony that took place in Los Angeles in March 1957. [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. [42] They had two daughters and one son, but the relationship did not last. After his premature dismissal, he was enrolled in a public high school where his peers teased him. Thanks for your time! Shortly after his birth, the family moved to Des Moines,[1] where they stayed until early 1943. Driscoll was loaned to Horizon Pictures for When I Grow Up (1951) in which he played the double role of Danny/Josh Reed. He made a brief appearance in Disneys first TV Christmas show, One Hour in Wonderland (1950). This strategy was only mildly successful. The director was impressed by the boy's curiosity and intelligence and chose him over 40 applicants.[2][3]. Disney still kept Driscoll on their payroll, but it was clear that they were losing interest in their once-favorite kid actor. He made multiple trips to New York City to study acting, and even reportedly enrolled in UCLA and Stanford. For his TV and radio work, he earned a Milky Way Gold Star Award in 1954. Includes such notable movie screen appearances as The Fighting Sullivans (1944), Song of the . For Driscoll, this was easier said than done. A year after the couple eloped, they re-wed in an official ceremony in Los Angeles in March of 1957. Between May of 1949 to mid-1951, Driscoll was working on Disneys animated version of Peter Pan. Embittered by this, he said, "I have found that memories are not very useful. Catherine of Aragon is now infamous as King Henry VIIIs rejected queenbut few people know her even darker history. [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. Films: Song of the South, Treasure Island Nothing about his early childhood indicated a future career with Walt Disney. Making distraction rewarding since 2017. An examination revealed that Driscoll passed from heart failure directly related to his drug usage. Instead, Driscoll found a place beside an extremely unlikely and eccentric individual: the artist Andy Warhol. and then convincing in anything he ever undertook on the movie screen and on television throughout his career spanning 17 years (1943-1960). It mustve felt like one huge adventure for Driscoll, but a huge issue ended Driscolls journey almost as soon as it began. He had no identification, so the body was marked as unknown and went unclaimed until it was buried in an unmarked grave on Hart Island, where he remains. When his face was no longer as charming, and his voice had become unsuitable to be used for voice-over jobs, things began to go awry. After the termination of Disney contract, Driscoll was taken out of Hollywood Professional School, and was sent to the University High School, where he was not accepted by other students. 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. A post mortem examination determined that he had died from heart failure caused by advanced atherosclerosis[57] from his drug use. Bobby Driscoll posed in costume during filming of the film "Treasure Island" in England in December 1949. In 1965, a year after his parole expired, Driscoll made the decision to relocate to New York City. Driscoll appeared in The Scarlet Coat in 1955, and then The Party Crashers (1958). Via Wikimedia Commons at https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bobby_Driscoll_1950.jpg, Cause of death: Heart failure, Myocardial infarction - Mar 30 1968 - East Village, Mar 3 1937 - Cedar Rapids, Linn County, Iowa, United States, Cletus Joseph Driscoll, Isabella Isabelle Louise Driscoll, Mar 3 1937 - Cedar Rapids, Linn, Iowa, United States, Mar 30 1968 - New York City, New York, United States, Mar 30 1968 - East Village, United States, Apr 1 1950 - Tley, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, United States, Mar 3 1937 - Cedar Rapids, Linn County, Iowa, United States of America, Mar 30 1968 - New York, New York County (Manhattan), New York, United States of America, Driscoll, Driscoll, Driscoll, Cedar Rapids, Linn County, Iowa, United States, 371 East 10th Street, East Village, Manhattan, New York County, New York, United States, Hart Island, Bronx County, New York, United States, U.S. Social Security Applications and Claims, 1936-2007. )", "Bobby Driscoll Hopes To Rebuild Film Life", "Bobby Driscoll Freed On Bail After Fracas", "Bobby Driscoll Won't Be Around For Reissue Of "Song Of The South" (last column)", "Bobby Driscoll sitting on a couch (on portfolio, page 38, third row it's the last known photograph of him, ca. 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