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