Russ Tamblyn Interview

Okay. 

So first of all, thanks to a sweet reader, I was made aware of Russ Tamblyn's interview with TCM in 1995, which was a pretty rare find but was posted on YouTube a couple days ago. Here it is. Around the ten-minute mark is where you'll find a couple minutes' worth of his commentary on Bobby's life.

Now. 

There's no other way to really address this but to come right out with it and comment about his remarks regarding Bobby's physical abuse by his parents. 

First of all, when I heard the things that were done to him, I was absolutely devastated. I had always heard that this had possibly happened, but in light of the limited sources I have had available to me thus far, I couldn't ever find any real evidence until now. And to think I wrote out a whole post a couple years ago defending Isabelle and the judgments made against her.

This explains so much. Bobby's loneliness... his people-pleasing... his later drug use and destructive behavior... his inability to live without being in a serious relationship... his presumed yearning to start his own family very young, which was ill-fated, but...

How he must have gone through life with a shattered heart. What breaks mine the most is that Bobby seemed to genuinely love his parents. He spoke about them when he won his Oscar, he bought his mother gifts, he was said to have been close to his father...

What on EARTH happened? Did he just think he deserved it? Did he think that if he was good enough, they would love him better? Did they apologize profusely and he just forgave them every time? Or worse... and the most likely... did it condition him to think this was all normal?

Obviously, Bobby's parents were either abused themselves or just sick. I try to always be gracious on this blog with the things I say about people who aren't around to defend themselves, but there are no excuses for this. Bobby's life was crushed to bits before it could really even begin.

I mean, there's a chance Tamblyn was embellishing, but why would he? There would be no good reason. And given that he knew and was close to Bobby at one point, I feel what he would have to say would be pretty accurate. 

I just can't with this. Children endure this every day all over the world, and it's sickening. On what planet is it ever okay to lock your little boy in a closet all night?

And with that, I don't know what else to say. I welcome your thoughts 

Today's Significance

Roderick Richards from the Facebook group Bobby Driscoll Remembered did this awesome edit, and I love it.  I feel like he nailed Bobby's coloring here better than most photoshop jobs I've seen.  It almost made me wonder for a minute if it was actual color footage.

So it was today sixty-three years ago that Bobby was found by kids playing in an abandoned apartment.  We say it's his death anniversary because we know no other date to attribute it to, but who knows how long he'd lain there before his drug-destroyed body was discovered.

Bobby, I'm glad you're not suffering now, and didn't have to struggle onward as long as so many drug abusers do.  As badly as we hate the fact that you didn't live longer, a life lived on what was left of you wouldn't have been life at all.  

Enjoy the sunlight and the breeze, far removed from the dirty, merciless streets of the East Village of the 60's.

Reneging Some Earlier Statements

Good morning, All!

Last night at some point I received a message from the widow of Lester Ferguson stating that he was not, in fact, a force that lead Bobby astray with drug use.  She said he was a kind, intelligent man who was a good husband to her and passed away in the 80's

She did not leave me an email address with which to contact her, so I'll do it here:

I am so, so sorry for any misinformation I received and then repeated about Lester.  It was not my intention to insult anyone in his family, and I sincerely apologize.  I can only imagine how hurtful that must have been to you as his wife.  This blog is intended to honor Bobby and those in his life, but I can definitely get facts wrong, and I appreciate you calling me out on them.  I'm going to remove all comments about Lester from the post "Bobby's 1956 Drug Arrest."

Also, I invite you to submit a letter or article depicting the "real Lester" and his connection to Bobby, only if you want to, and I am happy to publish it in order to restore his legacy.

Again, I sincerely apologize for the pain and frustration this caused you.

84th Birthday

 So it's that day again. 💚💚💚

Would Bobby still be alive today if drugs hadn't interfered? It's hard to know. I'd love to think so. As a caregiver of the elderly, I've wondered alot about what kind of old man Bobby would have been. Would he be hard of hearing? Would he walk around with the unconscious habit of re-tucking his shirt in? Would he insist on calling businesses and talking to a real person instead of following automatic prompts, or worse yet, doing something ONLINE? Oh and here's another good one: making sure the radio and the air conditioner are off in his car before turning it off. Something tells me he would have been really persnickety about that car. He was, after all, a car aficionado. 

We'll never know about any of those things, but we can still be grateful the world had him for awhile, and that he left a big enough impression for us to trace remnants of even now.

So on this day, I say Happy Birthday to our sweetest Bobby. Bob, I hope wherever you are, there are lots of hot rods for you to tinker with, dogs for you to play with, and good coffee shops for you to listen to jazz in. But no matter what you're doing, I'm so glad you're at peace. 🌹 Thank you for everything you left us with.