Bobby and Not-So-Sweet Sixteen

This is rather a random post.  But the topic presented itself when I was taking a good look at this picture, which most of us have seen at least a handful of times:

This was taken at the 25th Academy Awards on March 19, 1953.  Bobby, shortest and youngest, is the last one on the left. 

It struck me how everyone else seems to be wearing a pleasant expression, but Bobby... not so much.  So I zoomed in.

This picture seems to be in original color, which is a treat as it pertains to Bobby.  We rarely see him NOT in black and white... and this close-up does not disappoint.  We're able to gather a little more information about his coloring, all things we've heard before... that he had about medium brown hair, for instance... and it's interesting to see him wearing the ring on his left hand.  I've seen Bobby wear rings on a few different occasions, however, so the appearance of this one isn't surprising except that it's on the ring finger of his left hand, which makes him look married.  Of course, this pops up a whole new string of questions in my mind, such as, was the ring there because it's the finger it fit the best?  Was he trying to look older and thought a ring on his wedding finger might make him look twenty as opposed to just sixteen?  We know he married young, so was he already wondering about married life in his mid-teens?  Am I overthinking this much?  Probably so.  So we'll leave the ring alone for now.

What I most want to draw attention to, though, was what struck me about the expression on his face and in his eyes.  There seems to be a certain level of irritation, boredom, or tiredness.  He had been grinning pretty big for the camera during the actual awards ceremony, but the exuberance seems to have melted away by the time this photo was taken.  When I think about what Bobby's life might have been like at that point, though, I can fully imagine he might have been experiencing all three of those emotions.

From everything I've read, Bob didn't start experimenting with drugs until he was about seventeen, so if that's true, his very biggest troubles hadn't started yet.  However... he was sixteen.  He loved spending time on his hot rods, playing music, being with his friends, dating girls... all the things.  Yet, here he was at another award ceremony with these older, perhaps intimidating film stars.  Was he unhappy to be there? 

We have to also remember this would have been around the time he was let go from Disney.  I'm not sure exactly when that happened other than that it was sometime after Peter Pan was released, and Peter Pan was released in February.  If this had happened prior to the ceremony, he may still have been smarting from that rejection.

As for his social life, Bobby himself has said he "became belligerent and cocky" in high school, and we can probably blame the brunt of this on his switch to University High for tenth and eleventh grades.  It's a generally agreed-upon fact that he was bullied mercilessly at University, so I'm sure that that added to his angst. 

It made me sad, really, that the happy-go-lucky, lively, fun young man that everyone loved was probably emotionally tormented by March of 1953.  This picture may be showing us a candid moment when Bobby didn't feel like smiling for any more cameras.  He might have been tired; irritated; dreading school the next day, or after the weekend.  If that was so, did anyone notice or ask if he was okay?  Or did most people overlook it, chalking it up to the moodiness of adolescence?

I just can't help but think that if Bobby had had more emotional support during that period of his life, things might have turned out very differently.  I don't think it's anything we can really blame anybody for though, because we have to remember the time period.  The 2010's has been a great decade full of buzzwords like mindfulness, mental health days, holistic balance, etc. but none of that had societal value in the 50's.  It was about putting on a good show -- and who better to perfect that art than a young actor who had more experience at that than most his age? 

Of course, this conjecture could just as possibly be false.  Bobby may have simply been between smiles when this specific picture was taken.  Obviously, that's the explanation I would prefer.  But I still feel haunted by the flat look in his usually-soulful eyes.  I really do think he was hiding deep hurt.

Talking Hart Island Podcast

Hi, Guys!

This isn't entirely a Bobby-specific announcement, necessarily, but it is exciting to me, because of the special place Hart Island holds in my heart since learning it is where Bobby rests.

There's going to be a new podcast coming out on September 15th called "Talking Hart Island."  The host is history author Michael Keene, and co-hosting will be voice actress Norma Jean Gradsky.  What the podcast intends to do is tell the personal stories of Hart Island -- those who ended up buried in the potter's field in New York.  There will be a spotlight on Bobby, as well as other people who rest there, so it should be a pretty educational and heartfelt tribute.

If you don't know much about Hart Island, or if you do know about it but are eager to learn more, be sure to tune in!  The hosts will be interviewing a whole panel of people with relevant perspectives on the island and those who are buried there.

Here's the promo video!  Go watch!