30: Lost and Found - Bobby Long and the World of Soundies (with Mark Cantor)

We found out what happened to Bobby Long. Mostly. And on this episode we're joined by Mark Cantor, America's leading jazz film archivist. Mark is an expert in "Soundies", the early music videos/short films that played on Panoram video jukeboxes in bars, cafes and other public places across America throughout the 1940s. Yes, they had video jukeboxes, and music videos, as far back as the 1940s.

We've crossed paths with Mark because he's uncovered an obscure Soundie titled Club Lollypop that stars Bobby Long, the legendary child star and tap dancer who dropped out of public life after his appearance with Sinatra in 1947's It Happened in Brooklyn. (See Episode 13 for more on this.) This week, we have a fascinating chat with Mark about his friendships with Mel Torme and Bill Miller, his incredible collection of rare jazz footage and his lifelong appreciation for Sinatra. We learn all about Soundies - and then, finally, you all get to find out what happened to Bobby Long. Mostly. 

Soundies featured in this episode:
* Count Basie Orchestra with Jimmy Rushing - "Take Me Back, Baby"
* Nat King Cole - "Errand Boy for Rhythm"
* Gene Krupa and his Orchestra with Roy Eldrige and Anita O'Day - "Let Me Off Uptown" 
* Toni Lane - "The Day of Hitler's Funeral (aka When Hitler Kicks the Bucket)" 
* The Four Ginger Snaps - "Keep Smilin'" 
* Barry Wood - "Any Bonds Today?"
* Arica Wilde - "You Never Know" 
* The Three Heat Waves - "Heat's On Again"  
* Robert 'Tex' Allen - "The Fella with the Fiddle" 
* Bobby Long, Marlene Cameron, Baby Barbara & others - "Club Lollypop" 

Other clips:
* Frank Sinatra and Louis Armstrong - "Lonesome Man Blues" (from The Frank Sinatra Show, December 31st, 1952) 
* Duke Ellington - "Take the A Train" (from Reveille with Beverly)

Mark Cantor's book, The Soundies: A History and Catalog of Jukebox Film Shorts of the 1940s, is out now. To learn more about Soundies and watch a huge collection of them, check out Mark's website, Celluloid Improvisations, and join his The World of Soundies Facebook group. 

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***SPOILERS AHEAD***

A BRIEF BIOGRAPHY OF BOBBY LONG

Bobby Long (March 27th, 1932 - October 31st, 2005) (born Bobby Earl Logsdon, also known as Bob Logsdon) was born in St. Louis, Missouri to Hubert Earl and Lola Mae Logsdon. He began tapdancing at the age of six, and by age ten was performing professionally on the vaudeville circuit. He toured the country throughout his teenage years, including gigs at the Majestic Theatre in Paterson, NJ and Steel Pier in Atlantic City, NJ, working alongside some of the biggest names in the country. 

In 1942, he was featured in a Soundie named Club Lollypop, dancing alongside a young girl named Marlene Cameron who he had also worked with during his stage performances. He may have also appeared in other short films of this period. By 1946, he had moved to Santa Monica, CA. His big break came in the form of a starring role singing and tapdancing to "I Believe" alongside Frank Sinatra and Jimmy Durante in the 1947 MGM musical, It Happened in Brooklyn. He continued touring for several more months.

Then, for unknown reasons, he seems to have quit showbiz and public life entirely. At some stage, he may have moved to New York and then back to California again. In 1951, at the age of 19, he enlisted in the United States Navy, most likely after being drafted. He served in the Korean War aboard the USS Philippine Sea as an aerographer's mate third class until 1955. 

He then led a quiet and private life for the remainder of the 20th century. He married once in 1960 and divorced in 1971. When That's Entertainment, Part 2 was released in 1976, he was miscredited in the "I Believe" segment as "Billy Roy." (This is the name of a different child star from It Happened in Brooklyn.) Decades went by and despite ever-increasing interest in Sinatra, Old Hollywood and the MGM story, the story of Bobby Long was apparently never investigated. Logsdon seems to have done no interviews and did not speak publicly about his tapdancing career. 

He lived around the Orange County area and worked in technical fields, including computer-assisted design, during at least the 1980s. He married again in the early 1980s and stayed in that relationship until his death on October 31st, 2005.

In the late 2010s, interest grew in Bobby Long through comment sections on YouTube and other websites. Numerous people expressed awe at his prodigious ability, an interest in what might have happened to him, and surprise at his seeming to disappear from public life. In 2022-23, this was investigated by this podcast. It was determined where he ended up and that he seems to have led a quiet life by design, and so the case is now closed.