In December 1956, Driscoll and his longtime girlfriend, Marilyn Jean Rush (occasionally misspelled as "Brush"), eloped to Mexico to marry despite their parents' objections. by Photos of Bobby Driscoll - Find a Grave Memorial All rights reserved. Whatever the reason, Driscoll was suddenly and rudely dropped from Disney when he was 16 years old, and, reportedly, was even banned from re-entering the studio. with Alan Ladd (all 1946). He had no residence, and kept his clothes at his parents. "Carol Anne" from Poltergeist died in 1988 from complications during surgery to remove an acute bowel obstruction. Former Child Stars Who Met Tragic Fates - NickiSwift.com 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. In 1954, he was awarded a Milky Way Gold Star Award, chosen in a nationwide poll for his work on television and radio. "What's the point of poking at it?" (Epstein wouldn't comment on why Driscoll hasn't been considered. Oscars Flashback: The tragic life and death of former Disney star Bobby 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. A 7-year-old boy visits his grandfathers plantation in Disneys Song of the South. At age eight, she became a star in her second film, Disney's Song of the South, playing Ginny to Bobby Driscoll's Johnny. He was only 31 years old. [19] Driscoll also was scheduled to portray a youthful follower of Robin Hood following Treasure Island, again with Robert Newton, who would play Friar Tuck,[20] but Driscoll's run-in with British immigration made this impossible.[21]. It should be noted that all four of these men were all former child actors. The striking force and terrifying impact of this RKO melodrama is chiefly due to Bobby's brilliant acting, for the whole effect would have been lost were there any suspicion of doubt about the credibility of this pivotal character. 3,489, This story has been shared 2,872 times. The cause of death has no bearing on someone's ability to be considered for Disney Legends. "I have this Forrest Gump-ian way of touching something and it becomes a hit!" He received an Academy Juvenile Award for outstanding performances in So Dear to My Heart and The Window. Best Picture Nominee Triangle of Sadness Is Now Streaming on Hulu, Stream It or Skip It: 'Black Girl Missing' on Lifetime Casts Garcelle Beauvais as a Mother Searching for Her Daughter, When Does 'Black Girl Missing' Premiere on Lifetime? 1,400, This story has been shared 1,316 times. First he headed east to New York City to study acting. Alcohol abuse, drug overdose, violent fits, and severe depression. In no time I was using whatever was available mostly heroin, because I had the money to pay for it. 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. Check out what's clicking today in entertainment. Bobby Driscoll: Disney, Delinquency and Death - (Travalanche) He thought they were precocious, werent real, and were incredibly annoying. "The way I understand it, it was a rather rude dismissal," says Gray. . 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. Oscars flashback: The tragic life and death of Disney star Bobby The agent starts working, landing Bobby Driscoll a bit role opposite Margaret OBrien in the 1943 film Lost Angel. He just never found his way and made that choice.". The (1949) -- (Movie Clip) The Boy Cried Wolf On location in New York, Bobby Driscoll as "Tommy," loaned out from Disney, terrific opening by cinematographer-turned-director Ted Tetzlaff, Academy Award-nominated editing by Frederic Knudtson, from The Window, . 5,366, This story has been shared 4,741 times. He was best known for being a TV Actor. Paperback mysteries usually end this way, not Disney fairy tales. It's the exact same story.". No one knows exactly how the then 31-year-old Driscoll spent his final days in New York City and why he ended up in the slum where his body was found. Bobby Driscoll (1937-1968) - Find a Grave Memorial ", If there's one thing Allender hopes to achieve with his documentary (besides clearance from Disney to include old movie clips), it's a place for Driscoll in Disney Legendsthe studio's version of a Hall of Fame. "Was earning $50,000 a year working steadily with good parts. And so [] More, Sex, Drugs, and Rock n Roll. "It's a really, really beautiful location. No identification was on the body, and photos shown around the neighborhood yielded no positive identification. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Shortly after his birth, the family moved to Des Moines,[1] where they stayed until early 1943. ", The budding star made four movies for Disney, including Treasure Island, Peter Pan, and So Dear to My Heartwhich, together with his role in The Window for RKO Pictures, earned Driscoll the Juvenile Academy Award in 1950. Driscoll's remains were unclaimed and he was eventually buried in a mass, unmarked grave on Hart Island alongside other unidentified bodies. It reaches its dramatic conclusion in March of 1968. According to biographer Marc Eliot, who wrote about Driscoll in his 1993 book Walt Disney: Hollywoods Dark Prince, it was more due to the general hatred of child actors from RKO head Howard Hughes. Driscoll's salary at Disney had been raised to $1,750 per week[26] and compared to his salary, Driscoll had little work from 1952 on. After failing to locate his next of kin, authorities declared the man dead from hardening of the arteriesa common side effect of longtime heroin abuseand buried him in a mass, unmarked paupers' grave on the Bronx's Hart Island alongside other unidentified bodies and indigent souls who had fallen on hard times. I called it Flying Bedroom Boy. His unclaimed body was buried in an unmarked pauper's grave in New York City's Potter's Field on Hart Island. Oscar-winner at the age of 12. Keep watching to learn more about this classic Hollywood rise and fall. "That ought to settle the matter right there," argues his old friend Gray. There were no obvious signs of foul play. His mother didnt find out about bobby driscoll death for almost two years, and that was only after placing notices about his disappearance in New York newspapers. The cause of his death was later determined to have been brought on by his addiction to heroin. When Driscoll left Chino in early 1962, he was unable to find acting work. Id never been so happy in my entire life. "I remember he came up to me so excited, Youve got to hear this! It was Brandenburg Concerto No.5. [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. But trouble was never far away. Nobody came to his rescue. His own mother didnt know he had died until a year-and-a-half after he was found, and the public wasnt alerted to his death until the re-release of Song of the South in 1972. Bobby Driscoll then became, in his own words, a beatnik and a bum. And it wouldnt be until four years later that the public learned of Driscolls grim fate in 1972 when his Disney film "Song of the South" was re-released. Alcohol abuse, drug overdose, violent fits, and severe depression. But Warhol loved having him as part of his scene. He didn't want Bobby Driscoll to be with Disney anymore. 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. His family did not learn of his death until they tried to reach out to him in 1969. ), For his part, Allender just wants to see Driscoll remembered for his achievements, not his shortcomings. 2,517, This story has been shared 2,243 times. this link is to an external site that may or may not meet accessibility guidelines. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Eliot said, When Howard Hughes bought RKO, he, in effect, became the owner of the Disney studio. He also made friends with castmates along the way. A New Jersey woman who prefers to remain anonymous quietly maintains a website devoted to Driscoll's life and career. [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. At one point, Bobby became part of The Factory, Andy Warhol's art collective in Greenwich Village, New York. . In his biography on Disney, Marc Elliot described Driscoll as the producer's favorite "live action" child star: "Walt often referred to Driscoll with great affection as the living embodiment of his own youth". Beginning in 1953 and for most of the next three years, the bulk of his work was on television, on such anthology and drama series as Fireside Theater, Schlitz Playhouse of Stars, Front Row Center, Navy Log, TV Reader's Digest, Climax!, Ford Theatre, Studio One, Dragnet, Medic, and Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre. The MCUs tiniest heroes are kicking off its biggest phase yet, setting up the next several years of storytelling. Today I visit the famous gravesites of Disney actor Bobby Driscoll, NFL football player Junior Seau, Glenn Miller Band musician Paul Tanner and Sergeant Pres. If it weren't for the fact that the Walk of Fame isn't known for honoring athletic achievement, it would be a good enough guess. While Robert Urich was famous for doing battle with tough foes on the screen. "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." "I was lonely most of the time. "He never showed any fear of people," she said. (LMPC via Getty Images), "He had a drug problem," said Gray. EXCLUSIVE: Billy Gray still has fond memories of his beloved pal Bobby Driscoll. He died alone on a cot in NYC with no one to claim his body.. This story has been shared 12,187 times. Alongside other homeless or indigent individuals who fall on hard times. January 28, 2023, 4:29 pm, by We didnt know what it was. ", Though his big-screen career fizzled, Driscoll found fairly steady work in TV shows like Dragnet and Rawhide and attempted to settle into a life of domesticity with Marilyn Jean Rush, a 19-year-old he met in Manhattan Beach. 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. 30/30 1 /30 14 Ratings 8,604 Views 5 Comments 1 Favorites Flag