Bobby Breen
Encyclopedia
Bobby Breen is a Canadian
-born actor and singer of the 1930s. He made his professional debut at age four in a night club in Toronto
and was an immediate sensation. He made his radio debut soon after. He played in vaudeville
and his sister paid for his musical education. Breen went to Hollywood in 1935. His first major appearance was on Eddie Cantor
's weekly radio show in 1936, and he soon became the leading child star at RKO Studios
. He is best remembered today for his films, and for the fact that he was a boy soprano
. His first film was Let's Sing Again
(1936), followed by eight more, including Rainbow on the River (1936), Make a Wish
(1937), Way Down South
(1939), and his last film, Johnny Doughboy (1942).
He continued working as a singer in nightclubs and a musical performer in stock theatre, later serving as a guest pianist for the NBC Symphony Orchestra on radio, and hosting a local TV show in New York. He also recorded briefly for the Motown
label, singing on two singles and an unreleased album in 1964.In 1953, Breen appeared on ABC
's reality show, The Comeback Story
, to explain how his career nose-dived as he entered his teen years and how he fought to recover.
, Breen was living in Tamarac
, Florida
, as owner/operator of Bobby Breen Enterprises, a talent agency.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
-born actor and singer of the 1930s. He made his professional debut at age four in a night club in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
and was an immediate sensation. He made his radio debut soon after. He played in vaudeville
Vaudeville
Vaudeville was a theatrical genre of variety entertainment in the United States and Canada from the early 1880s until the early 1930s. Each performance was made up of a series of separate, unrelated acts grouped together on a common bill...
and his sister paid for his musical education. Breen went to Hollywood in 1935. His first major appearance was on Eddie Cantor
Eddie Cantor
Eddie Cantor was an American "illustrated song" performer, comedian, dancer, singer, actor and songwriter...
's weekly radio show in 1936, and he soon became the leading child star at RKO Studios
RKO Pictures
RKO Pictures is an American film production and distribution company. As RKO Radio Pictures Inc., it was one of the Big Five studios of Hollywood's Golden Age. The business was formed after the Keith-Albee-Orpheum theater chains and Joseph P...
. He is best remembered today for his films, and for the fact that he was a boy soprano
Boy soprano
A boy soprano is a young male singer with an unchanged voice in the soprano range. Although a treble, or choirboy, may also be considered to be a boy soprano, the more colloquial term boy soprano is generally only used for boys who sing, perform, or record as soloists, and who may not necessarily...
. His first film was Let's Sing Again
Let's Sing Again
Let's Sing Again is a 1936 American film directed by Kurt Neumann.- Cast :*Bobby Breen as Billy Gordon*Henry Armetta as Joe Pasquale*George Houston as Leon Alba*Vivienne Osborne as Rosa Donelli*Grant Withers as Jim 'Diablo' Wilkins...
(1936), followed by eight more, including Rainbow on the River (1936), Make a Wish
Make a Wish (film)
Make a Wish is a 1937 American musical comedy film directed by Kurt Neumann and starring Bobby Breen, Basil Rathbone and Marion Claire....
(1937), Way Down South
Way Down South (film)
Way Down South is a 1939 film by Clarence Muse, who also acts in the film, and Langston Hughes. It was directed by Bernard Vorhaus and produced by Sol Lesser. The story deals with slavery on a plantation in pre-Civil War Louisiana....
(1939), and his last film, Johnny Doughboy (1942).
He continued working as a singer in nightclubs and a musical performer in stock theatre, later serving as a guest pianist for the NBC Symphony Orchestra on radio, and hosting a local TV show in New York. He also recorded briefly for the Motown
Motown Records
Motown is a record label originally founded by Berry Gordy, Jr. and incorporated as Motown Record Corporation in Detroit, Michigan, United States, on April 14, 1960. The name, a portmanteau of motor and town, is also a nickname for Detroit...
label, singing on two singles and an unreleased album in 1964.In 1953, Breen appeared on ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
's reality show, The Comeback Story
The Comeback Story
The Comeback Story is a half-hour drama reality show which aired on ABC from October 2, 1953 to February 5, 1954, in which celebrities explain how they overcame physical disabilities or other kinds of adverse fortunes in their lives.-Production history:...
, to explain how his career nose-dived as he entered his teen years and how he fought to recover.
, Breen was living in Tamarac
Tamarac, Florida
Tamarac is a city in Broward County, Florida, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 60,427. It is part of the Miami–Fort Lauderdale–Pompano Beach Metropolitan Statistical Area, which was home to 5,564,635 people at the 2010 census....
, Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
, as owner/operator of Bobby Breen Enterprises, a talent agency.
In popular culture
- Breen was one of the people represented on the cover of The BeatlesThe BeatlesThe Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
' album Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band. - Lenny BruceLenny BruceLeonard Alfred Schneider , better known by the stage name Lenny Bruce, was a Jewish-American comedian, social critic and satirist...
mentioned Breen in his comedy routines "Hitler and the MCA" and "The Palladium".