Bobby Driscoll was a child star of considerable fame – earning a long and lucrative contract with Walt Disney – and was really excellent in Song of the South and of course Treasure Island – made here in England at Denham Film Studios in 1950.
Sadly his star very quickly waned. He turned to drugs and drink and a number of years later was found dead in a run down building in New York. He was buried at that time in an unmarked grave but later records confirmed that the body found had been that of Bobby Driscoll.
This letter was in the Daily Express here in England on 8th August 2015 – with another letter giving answers to the question posed – what happened to Bobby Driscoll.
Very sad story about Bobby Driscoll. He was also the voice of Peter Pan in Disney’s classic cartoon and there were also plans for him and Robert Newton to star in Disney’s Story of Robin Hood. The screenplay was re-written though , so I can’t help wondering how that version would have turned out!
Tony,
We have talked about the potential storyline with Bobby Driscoll and Robert Newton being lined up for The Story of Robin Hood.
They had both been very good in Treasure Island – in fact I would go so far as to say that Robert Newton’s performance was one of THE most memorable in cinema history. He defined the role of a pirate to such an extent that 65 years later actors still try to copy his style but very few come even close.
The Story of Robin Hood is certainly a wonderful film and my all time favourite film, so it is difficult to know how they would be used – certainly the storyline would be different. We will never know – and personally I am pleased that it turned out the way it did – much as I like these two actors.
Thank You Tony for making this comment.