Multiple marriages to the same woman, also the wild world of Andy Warhols Factory scene, and a tragic end. [17], Treasure Island was an international hit, and several other film projects involving Driscoll were under discussion, but none materialized. Rock stars are infamous for their insatiable appetites for all things in excess. If Disney child actors have taught us anything, its that the magic of childhood never lasts forevereven in Never-Never Land. March 28, 2021, 6:21 am, by Thats how I remember him.". Allender has interviewed Connie Stevens, Driscoll's costar in the 1958 film The Party Crashers, and secured the only known interview with Driscoll's eldest child, Don, a retired pediatrician, who has a replica of his dad's Oscar that was lost. When his mother attempted to contact Bobby Driscoll before his father died, she learned of his death. Death was due to hardening of the arteries, a condition common in long-term heroin addicts. The cause of the death was determined as heart failure due to advanced hardening of arteries, resulted from long-term drug abuse. However, many audience members didnt realize that. Now I get to decide whos a star, and who gets thrown in the trash.. 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. How can a former child star who works with Hollywood greats like Alan Ladd, Roy Rogers, and Joan Fontaine fall so far from the bright lights and big screen? The show was a success due to its excellent writing and directing. He had normal experiences with his peer groupjust as I did.". What Disney saw in Driscoll is the perfect, wholesome kid who dreams of playing with animals and pirates. Bobby Driscoll suffered a tragic life after Disney dropped him. "When we got home, we watched old movies, and I became a big fan of So Dear to My Heart. He had previously been encouraged to do so by artist and poet Wallace Berman, whom he had befriended after joining Berman's art circle (now also known as Semina Culture) in Los Angeles in 1956. Despite some TV roles, Driscoll never recovered from his traumatic experience as a child actor. Unfortunately, he started putting that money into his veins. [5] Film and television credits [ edit] ", KIM NOVAK EXPLAINS WHY SHE LEFT HOLLYWOOD: 'I FELT LIKE I WAS LOSING MYSELF', Bobby Driscoll (left) with Hedda Hopper (right) and Luana Patten (center), circa 1947. 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. The couple was later rewed in a ceremony that took place in Los Angeles in March 1957. He was just another teen boy with a bad case of acne. 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. He just never got his life together. Facts Verse "[39] In 1956, he was arrested for the first time for possession of marijuana, but the charge was dismissed. 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. He was strong(smart) and he should have known better. ", 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.

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