Bobby Long (child actor)
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Bobby Long | |
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| Born | March 27, 1932 St Louis, Missouri |
| Died | October 31, 2005 (aged 73) Orange, California |
| Nationality | American |
| Other names | Bobby Earl Logsdon, Bob Logsdon |
| Occupation | Dancer, actor |
| Known for | It Happened in Brooklyn |
Bobby Long (born Bobby Earl Logsdon, March 27th, 1932 - October 31st, 2005) was a tap dancer and child actor, best known for his lone feature film performance in 1947's It Happened in Brooklyn.
Long was born Bobby Earl Logsdon[1][2] in St Louis, Missouri on March 27th, 1932, to Hubert Earl and Lola Mae Logsdon.[3] He began tap dancing at a young age and got his professional start on the Major Bowes show.[4] He then toured around the United States as a vaudeville act from as early as age nine[5] and throughout the early 1940s.[6] One of Long's performances at the Majestic Theatre in Paterson, New Jersey was reviewed in The Paterson Morning Call:
If nine-year-old (sic) Bobby Long... continues his amazing tap dancing career, he will probably be the greatest tap dancer to ever appear before the footlights. This can be attested for at the Majestic, where the youngster is exhibiting one of the greatest demonstrations of timing ever to be presented by a juvenile tapper... His dancing ability will definitely assure him big time success.[7]
In 1942, Long was also featured in a Soundie entitled Club Lollypop, dancing alongside Marlene Cameron.[8][9]
Long was then cast in MGM's It Happened in Brooklyn, released in March 1947. He played a young high school student named Johnny O'Brien, tap dancing and singing "I Believe" alongside Frank Sinatra and Jimmy Durante. This was his first and last role in a feature film. He continued touring for a few months after the film's release,[10] but by the end of 1947 he had apparently stopped performing altogether for reasons that are unclear. Cameron, who had danced alongside Long for years, later remarked that he "disappeared" around this time.[11]
Between 1951 and 1955, Long served in the United States Navy aboard the USS Philippine Sea, including during the Korean War.[12][13]
In 1976, the "I Believe" sequence from It Happened in Brooklyn was included in That's Entertainment, Part II. However, Long was miscredited as "Billy Roy", the name of another child star from the same film.
Long is not known to have either performed or spoken publicly of his tap dancing years for the remainder of his life. He passed away on October 31st, 2005 in Orange, California.[14]
References
- ↑ "Maybe "It Happened in Brooklyn"". The St. Louis Star and Times. 8 April 1947. Retrieved 30 December 2023.
- ↑ "Court Approves Film Contract for Minors". The Los Angeles Times. 14 September 1946. Retrieved 30 December 2023.
- ↑ "Bobby Earl Logsdon social security record". Fold3. Retrieved 30 December 2023.
- ↑ Christophil, M. Oakley (30 September 1944). "Informing You". Hartford Courant. Retrieved 30 December 2023.
- ↑ "Streamlined Show Now at Majestic". The News, Paterson, NJ. 11 March 1947. Retrieved 30 December 2023.
- ↑ "Steel Pier Deluxe Stage Show". Press of Atlantic City. 26 August 1943. Retrieved 30 December 2023.
- ↑ "Majestic Features Fast Stage Show". The Paterson Morning Call. 11 March 1942.
- ↑ Cantor, Mark (19 April 2023). The Soundies: A History and Catalog of Jukebox Film Shorts of the 1940s.
- ↑ Cantor, Mark. "Club Lollypop". Celluloid Improvisations. Retrieved 30 December 2023.
- ↑ "Firemen's Show in Old Tradition". Press of Atlantic City. 18 November 1947. Retrieved 30 December 2023.
- ↑ Cantor, 2023.
- ↑ "U.S., Department of Veterans Affairs BIRLS Death File, 1850-2010". Ancestory.com. Retrieved 30 December 2023.
- ↑ "In Military Service, Air Land and Sea". The Independent, Long Beach, CA. 12 April 1953. Retrieved 30 December 2023.
- ↑ Bobby Earl Logsdon social security record, Fold3.
External links
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