Bobby Breen

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Bobby Breen (born November 4, 1927 in Montreal , Québec , † September 19, 2016 in Pompano Beach , Florida ; born Robert Borsuk ) was a Canadian - American child actor and singer.

life and career

Bobby Borsuk was born the fourth and youngest child of a Jewish family who had emigrated to Canada from Kiev . His family was musical and parents promoted the show careers of their children, so Borsuk made his singing debut at the age of four in a Toronto nightclub . He quickly received attention because of his boy soprano and was soon on the radio. In 1934 he moved to Chicago with his sister to take the next step in his career. He played in vaudeville theaters and was regularly heard on Eddie Cantor's radio show.

In 1936, RKO Pictures signed Borsuk, where he was considered the studio's biggest child star and starring actors such as Basil Rathbone , Alan Mowbray , May Robson and Dolores Costello starring alongside him. His last name was changed from Borsuk to Breen because many people in America were anti-Semitic at the time . He made a total of nine films by 1942. He sang his best-known song Rainbow on the River in 1936 in the film of the same name about a boy from the southern states who was raised by a former slave after the Civil War. The films Make a Wish , Breaking the Ice and Way Down South, starring Breen, were each nominated for an Oscar in the category of best film music . He made enough money that his family could buy a house in California.

When Breen's voice changed at the age of 13, he ended his film career except for a guest appearance in the 1942 film Johnny Doughboy. At 18, Breen fought in Joshua Logan's unit in World War II and received a Bronze Star in 1947 . After the war, he worked as a live entertainer in various nightclubs, brokered by the William Morris Agency . In the 1950s and 1960s, Breen had a few guest appearances on radio and television, but without being able to build on old successes. In 1954 a recording was made with Tony Crombie . In 1964 he recorded two singles and one album for the Motown record company , which was never released.

His first marriage to model Jocelyn Lash between 1952 and 1958 ended in divorce. In his second marriage he married Audrey Howard. He was the owner of Bobby Breen Enterprises , a local talent agency in Tamarac , Florida. At least in 2002 he was still on stage a few times a year. Bobby Breen died of natural causes on September 19, 2016, at the age of 88, three days after the death of his wife Audrey, to whom he had been married for 54 years.

Bobby Breen is one of the people shown on the famous cover of the Beatles album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band , he is in the front row next to George Harrison .

Filmography

Discography (selection)

  • 1936: It's A Sin To Tell A Lie
  • 1936: Rainbow on the River
  • 1937: Here Comes That Heartache
  • 1938: Hawaii Calls
  • 1938: Down Where the Trade Winds Blows
  • 1939: Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child
  • 1939: Sleep my pretty one
  • 1964: You're Just Like You
  • Here Comes That Heartache
  • How Can We Tell Him
  • Better Late Than Never

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, 2002 interview with Bobby Breen
  2. ↑ Bobby Breen at Matineeclassics ( Memento of the original from February 24, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / matineeclassics.com
  3. ↑ Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, 2002 interview with Bobby Breen
  4. ↑ Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, 2002 interview with Bobby Breen
  5. ↑ Overview at the Motown record company
  6. ↑ Bobby Breen, Boy Soprano of 1930s Hollywood Musicals, Dies at 88 , The Hollywood Reporter . September 22, 2016. Accessed September 23, 2016. 
  7. ↑ Album cover on The Beatles website ( Memento of the original from July 31, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.thebeatleswebsite.com
  8. ↑ 425. Bobby Breen: “You're Just Like You” . In: Motown Junkies . October 18, 2011 ( motownjunkies.co.uk [accessed September 13, 2018]).
personal data
SURNAME Breen, Bobby
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Borsuk, Robert
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Canadian-American child actor and singer
DATE OF BIRTH November 4, 1927
PLACE OF BIRTH Montreal , Quebec
DATE OF DEATH 19th September 2016
Place of death Pompano Beach , Florida