Lost Boy: The Bobby Driscoll Story -- My Thoughts

So it's been a week and a half since the release of Jordan Allender's documentary that I have so been looking forward to, "The Lost Boy."  And finally, after taking a bit to collect my thoughts, here I am to discuss it!  As we know, I may not post alot of exclusive content on this blog, but I do love discussing Bobby's life about better than anything.

Overall, I think Jordan did well.  Given the fact that he'd been working on this project for years and gathering as much as possible, I have to admit I had hoped for 1) a longer feature length, and 2) more exclusive pictures and facts.  The fact that we didn't get that, however, probably has nothing to do with the producer not trying his best.  I have a yen that, due to licensing and copyright issues maybe not going as smoothly expected, alot had to be cut out.  Mind you, I have no proof of this, nor has Jordan alluded to anything of the sort.  I'm just wondering, and maybe some of you were, too.  Perhaps knowing this, Jordan ended up having to abandon plans to shop to more elite networks such as PBS, etc. (which he had previously mentioned considering on the film's Facebook page) and just releasing it on YouTube.

BUT.  It was a noble, wonderful effort, especially given the fact that he might not have been well-compensated.  This was a young man fresh out of film school who could have done a documentary about anybody else, including persons who are better known and would have raked in more of an audience -- but he chose to focus on Bobby, and that means something to me.  By the way, I don't know Jordan from Adam's housecat, as they say here in the South, so I'm not saying any of this out of loyalty.  I just truly do believe he did his best.

Also:  the point behind this project, he's always said, was to get Bobby enshrined in the Disney Hall of Fame.  This means telling his overall story to people who might not know it, and generating more awareness.  Those of us who are hardcore admirers probably ought to look somewhere else for the little personal details, new pictures, etc.  At this point I'm not sure when and if this will ever come, but oh well.  Thus is the plight of being a Bobby Driscoll aficionado.  The unpleasantness of his story coupled with his fall from fame, adding in the aging out of most of his peers, means alot will always be left to our imaginations.

Things I LOVED about this film:

• The re-enactment footage, though I wish it could have been utilized even more.  It added some much-needed personalization, as we have no actual footage of Bobby living his life as it was toward the end.
• The artwork of Bobby's we got to see that we'd never seen before!  Now folks, I've got to be honest here and say, I don't necessarily "get" Bobby's art.  I'd love to say I do, for that and his poetry also... but they go a little over my head, and I even love symbolism.  But what made me the happiest was hearing no less than George Herms comment that by the standards of the time, Bobby's collages are as good as it gets.  
• Connie Stevens' interview clips were my favorite.  I would have loved to have heard more about her working on the set with Bobby, but it was still good to know she seemed to genuinely care for him and look out for him when they worked together.  What I adored, though, was her last segment, talking to us fans and expressing how meaningful the love of "other people" is in the lives of stars.  As we all know, being a fan is something not often understood.  Alot of people don't understand being so invested in the life of someone you've never met, particular when the person has passed away.  It's something I find I cannot easily explain when others ask me what Bobby means to me and why.  It was refreshing to hear from someone who seemed to understand.  Equally poignant to me were her final remarks, telling us that Bobby was most definitely a "wonderful person," despite the turn his life took.
• Hearing from Dan, Bobby's son.  Even though I would have loved to have heard any stories he did have about his dad from when he was a child (if he remembered any), I enjoyed hearing about Marilyn.  She had a truly difficult time of it, and I'm glad she was memorialized well by one of her children.
• Finally, my favorite thing ever was the song during the ending credits.  It was absolutely perfect for Bobby and his life, the lyrics sounding for all the world like something he might actually say.  "Say you love me... say you do. 'Cause there are so many things in this world that I couldn't do."  

I think in the end, Bob wanted to be loved and admired for who he was as a person -- not necessarily for what he'd accomplished as a kid.  He seemed to seek this admiration in his artwork and through other means, but it was hard to come by because he was steeped in addiction.  I speak as someone who worked with those suffering from substance abuse for eight years, and let me assure you -- the life of an addict isn't pretty, and it isn't glamorous.  When it was spoken in the documentary that Bobby in New York was "a very difficult person," I could well imagine this.  At that point, Bobby's natural sweetness, optimism and fun nature were consumed by the need for a fix, which equaled, to him, a need for survival.  We weren't told exactly what this meant by way of anecdotes, but imagine the worst.  I imagine Bobby could have shown up to a few Broadway auditions badly in need of a shower, perhaps even attempting to hide it with loud, cheap cologne, ending the whole ordeal by asking whomever would listen if he could borrow money... then becoming angry when it was denied him.  It might have gone this way, or worse.  He could have dozed off every few minutes in the middle of conversations.  By no means was he his true self, and might even have been unrecognizable to those he'd known previously.  Connie Stevens alludes to this fact by saying that when she saw him once after an Ed Sullivan show she starred on, he was a very different person.

But he was sick, and alone.  The things we might learn about Bobby in his final years should not be a measuring stick of who he was as a man.  He was known as a good, loyal friend by the friends he left behind in California.  He was obviously a great romantic.  He was intelligent.  He was kind -- it was cited in an article by Fred Brown that his friends had told of times he would help neighbors clean their yards and help them move for free.  I believe that underneath the layers of heartache and illness, Bob never stopped being that man.

And that's why I love him -- and respect him.  I believe this documentary did a good job of being honest about Bobby's life, yet also keeping it kind.  If you haven't seen it yet, please do.  I highly recommend it.

Now, I'd love to make this post interactive!  If you've seen the film and would like to comment, please tell us the following:

• What did you learn about Bobby's life that you didn't already know?
• What would you have wanted to know if any part could have been added?
• What part of the film do you feel was executed the best?
• If anyone else could have been interviewed, who would you have liked to hear from?
• Overall, what did you think of this film?

Please keep in mind that any post that carries hateful remarks or slamming of anyone will be deleted.  Honesty is always welcome, but keep it classy!