Robert Wayne Amsberry (1928 - 1957)

Born 2 Jun 1928 in Boring, Clackamas, Oregon, United States

Husband of Donna Jeanne (Soles) Laurent — married 2 Jul 1949 in Stevenson, Skamania, Washington, United States

Husband of Beverley J. (Houle) Amsberry — married 21 May 1951 in Portland, Washington, Oregon, United States

Died 21 Nov 1957 at age 29 in Multnomah County, Oregon, United States

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Biography

Robert Amsberry is Notable.

Robert "Bob" Amsberry was born 2 Jun 1928, in Boring, Clackamas County, Oregon, located in the foothills of the Cascade mountain range, approximately twelve miles (19 km) southeast of downtown Portland. He was the third child of Ernest and Cassie Amsberry.

In 1930, Robert was a two-year-old boy, residing with his parents and two older sisters, Lois (8) and Phyllis (6), on Estacada Road in Boring, where his father worked as a truck driver for the telephone company.^[1] By 1940, the family had purchased a home at 5404 Knapp, in the Portland, Oregon neighborhood of Darlington, where 11-year-old Robert was attending the fifth grade.^[2]

Bob graduated from Franklin High School in Portland, where he was a friend and classmate of rock and roll pioneer Johnnie Ray. After high school, Robert worked as a doorman at the Portland Theater while attending college. On 3 Jun 1946, at age 18, he registered for the World War II draft at Portland. At the time, he listed himself as "unemployed" and still residing at his parents' home on Knapp Street. He was described as 5' 7", 160lbs, with a light complexion, blonde hair, and blue eyes.^[3]

From a young age, Bob was musically-inclined and a natural entertainer with a flair for voice characterization. A quick-thinker, he could rapidly produce story ideas and then improvise dialogue for them. By 1950 he had a daily half-hour children's program called Uncle Bob's Squirrel Cage on Portland radio station KEX, which he wrote, produced, and hosted. He also provided the voices for several of the show's "critters".

Bob spent three months in the United States Marine Reserves, as a member of the 4th 105-horwitzer battalion, from August to November 1950.

On 2 Jul 1949, at age 21, Bob married 19-year-old actress Danna Jeane Soles, at Skamania County, Washington.^[4] This marriage, however, was apparently very short-lived, as he married Beverly Houle, a co-worker at KEX, on 29 May 1951, also at Portsmouth.^[5] They would have two children: Kevin and Kelly.

In 1954, Bob began co-hosting a local television show with Janet Baumhover, called Open House on station KOIN-TV. The show appears to have been an interview program featuring Portland's "most interesting people".^[6]

In 1955, Bob's friend, music composer George Bruns, convinced Bob to come down to work with him in the music department at the Walt Disney Studios in Los Angeles. It appears that one of his first jobs with Disney was voicing characters for Disney records.^[7]

In August 1955, Bob signed on to host a Saturday morning children's show for ABC called Moppets and Melodies, which featured young children giving advice to parents and creating their own surprise endings to unfinished stories told by the host.^[8]

Disney initially hired Robert to devise skits and compose music for his upcoming television series, The Mickey Mouse Club. In all, Bob composed twenty-five songs for Disney; his best known works were Super Goofy Shuffle, Doin' the Donald Duck Walk, Friendly Farmers, and Dry Gulch Cowboy. Bob was so enthusiastic about the assignment, and did so well performing songs for the production staff, that he was eventually drafted into the cast. However, for the most part, despite being a talented singer and dancer, he was relegated to a series of character bits. Fondly known as "Uncle Bob, he typically played much older comical roles, such as a carnival barker, a soda jerk, the Dry Gulch stationmaster, or an old-time Boardwalk photographer. He may also be remembered as the persona behind Bob-O, the Disneyland Clown.

In 1957, Bob appeared as Farmer Sam on an installment of the Disney television serial The Hardy Boys: Mystery of Ghost Farm. He also provided the voice for one of Maleficent's goons in classic animated Disney feature Sleeping Beauty (1959). But for reasons that are not entirely clear, Bob was released from the his contract with Disney in September 1957. Some say Walt was simply no longer entertained by his songs and schtick.

After leaving Disney, Bob returned to Oregon and station KEX. Tragically, however, just two months later, 21 Nov 1957, at around 2:30 in the morning, Bob was travelling along Highway 26, about three miles east of Bend, Oregon, en route to his parents' cabin at Mt. Hood. Police suspected that he fell asleep when the sports car he was driving went off a cliff and crashed, impaling him in the vehicle. He subsequently died from his injuries. He was just 29 years old.^[9]

Bob was buried at Willamette National Cemetery in Portland, Oregon.^[10]

Sources

1. ↑ 1930 U.S. Federal Census. Ancestry.com (Database online with images) Oregon, Clackamas County, Town of Boring, ED 9, sheet 9A, dwelling 151, family 151, Ernest M. Amsberry [image 13].
2. ↑ 1940 U.S. Federal Census. Ancestry.com (Database online with images) Oregon, Multnomah County, Community of Darlington, ED 26-57, sheet 8B, visitation #201, Ernest M. Amsberry [image 17].
3. ↑ U.S. World War II Draft Cards Young Men, 1940-1947, Ancestry.com (database online with images). Oregon, Robert Wayne Amesberry, serial #725, order #14223.
4. ↑ Washington Marriage Records, 1854-2013. Ancestry.com (database online with images) Skamania County, application #10741, license #17535, Robert W. Amsberry to Donna Jeane Soles (1949).
5. ↑ Oregon State Marriage, 1906-1968. Ancestry.com (database online with images) file #287972, certificate #3276, Robert W. Amsberry to Beverley J. Houle (1951).
6. ↑ Thursday on KOIN-TV, The Capital Journal (Portland, OR) 1 Dec 1954, p. 18.
7. ↑ Kiddie Show, The Kokomo (IN) Tribune, 5 Aug 1955, p.11.
8. ↑ Kiddie Show, The Kokomo (IN) Tribune, 5 Aug 1955, p.11.
9. ↑ Accident Kills Radio Announcer, The Bend (OR) Bulletin, 21 Nov 1957, p. 3.
10. ↑ US National Cemetery Interment Control Forms, 1928-1962. Ancestry.com (database online with images) Robert Wayne Amesberry, Willamette National Cemetery, Section H, Site 2093USMCR, Serial #1058901.(1957).

See also:

• Wikipedia: Bob Amsberry
• Wikidata: Item Q23900925
• IMDB: Bob Amsberry
• Disney Wiki: Bob Amsberry
• Original MMC: Bob Amsberry
• WikiTree: Classic Disney Project

Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/279808/robert-wayne-amsberry: accessed 10 June 2023), memorial page for Robert Wayne “Robert” Amsberry (2 Jun 1928–21 Nov 1957), Find a Grave Memorial ID 279808, citing Willamette National Cemetery, Portland, Multnomah County, Oregon, USA; Maintained by Bill Hart (contributor 47578214).