Frankie Darro Movies
The son of circus performers, the diminutive Frankie Darro began appearing in films as a juvenile player in 1924; he co-starred with western star Tom Tyler in several silent oaters at FBO in the mid-1920s, and was cast in leading roles in Little Mickey Grogan (1927) and The Circus Kid (1928). During the 1930s, Darro showed up in innumerable bit and supporting roles, often playing juvenile delinquents; he carried over this particular characterization into his voiceover stint as Lampwick in the 1940 animated Disney feature Pinocchio. He was given star billing at such minor-league studios as Ambassador and Monogram, co-starring with black comedian Mantan Moreland at the latter studio in an enjoyable series of action programmers, often cast as a jockey because of his stature. In the late 1940s, Darro was a frequent stunt double for such pint-sized actors as Leo Gorcey. Frankie Darro was compelled to accept bit roles into the 1960s; he was also featured in several Red Skelton Shows of the period, often dressed as an old woman for a peculiar comic effect. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
A Day at the Races was the Marx Brothers' follow-up to their incomparable A Night at the Opera. Groucho Marx is cast as Hugo Z. Hackenbush, a veterinarian who passes himself off as a human doctor when summoned by wealthy hypochondriac Emily Upjohn (Margaret Dumont) to take over the financially strapped Standish Sanitarium. Chico Marx plays the sanitarium's general factotum, who works without pay because he has a soft spot for its owner, lovely Judy Standish (Maureen O'Sullivan). Harpo Marx portrays a jockey at the local racetrack, constantly bullied by the evil Morgan (Douglass Dumbrille), who will take over the sanitarium if Judy can't pay its debts. After several side-splitting routines--Chico selling Groucho tips on the races, Chico and Harpo rescuing Groucho from the clutches of femme fatale Esther Muir, all three Marxes conducting a lunatic "examination" of Margaret Dumont--the fate of the sanitarium rests on a Big Race involving Hi-Hat, a horse belonging to the film's nominal hero, Allan Jones. Virtually everything that worked in "Opera" is trotted out again for "Races", including a hectic slapstick finale wherein the Marxes lay waste to a public event. What is missing here is inspiration; perhaps this is due to the fact that MGM producer Irving Thalberg, whose input was so essential to the success of "Opera", died during the filming of "Races". Even so, Day at the Races made more money than any other previous Marx Brothers film--the result being that MGM, in the spirit of "they loved it once", would continue recycling Races' best bits for the studio's next three Marx vehicles. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Marx Brothers, Groucho Marx, (more)
- 1950
Lana Turner stars as an ambitious model who seeks her fortune in New York City. She is befriended by over-the-hill cover-girl Ann Dvorak, whose performance carries the story until she commits suicide twenty minutes into the film. Turner promises herself that she won't end up burned out like Dvorak, but as her fame grows, she is inexorably drawn into the hectic social whirl that sealed Dvorak's doom. Enjoying the favors of wealthy Ray Milland, Turner seeks out Milland's wife (Margaret Phillips), hoping to convince the woman to give up her husband. When she meets the crippled Mrs. Milland, Turner is made painfully aware of the length and breadth of the woman's love for her husband. Turner pulls out of the relationship, and we are encouraged to believe that hers will be a much happier and more fulfilling life than that of the unfortunate Ann Dvorak (ironically, in real life Ann Dvorak's final days were relatively contented ones, while Lana Turner spent her twilight years wondering where the looks, the men and the money had gone). Though not so noted in the credits, A Life of Her Own was inspired by The Abiding Vision, a novel by Rebecca West. Bronislau Kaper's musical score was later recycled for the 1951 MGM romantic drama Invitation. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lana Turner, Ray Milland, (more)
- 1951
Clark Gable is the largely nonheroic hero of the sprawling western Across the Wide Missouri. A cunning trapper who lives purely by his wits, Gable avoids being scalped by the Blackfoot Indians by marrying Maria Elena Marques, the chief's daughter. This marriage of convenience also allows Gable to trap to his heart's content in Blackfoot territory. After bearing a child, Marques is killed by a warring tribe; the opportunistic Gable at first considers abandoning the child, but at long last does right by the boy. Adolphe Menjou steals the show as an eternally inebriated French trapper, while Ricardo Montalban and J. Carroll Naish are convincing (and noncondescending) in their Native American characterizations. Evidently, Across the Wide Missouri tested poorly when it was first previewed: the final release version runs a surprisingly brief 78 minutes, with narrator Howard Keel (who otherwise does not appear) filling in the continuity gaps. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Clark Gable, Ricardo Montalban, (more)
- 1960
When mobster Little Dandy Dorf (Frankie Darro) makes a pass at sultry nightclub singer Georgia (Linda Lawson), he is punched out by Georgia's accompanist, Bert Haber (Myron McCormick). Publicly humiliated by the incident, Little Dandy vows to get even with Bert -- but chooses an incredibly roundabout method to do so. Future One Day at a Time co-star (Pat Harrington Jr.) has a plum role as a curiously suspicious-looking insurance salesman. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1962
Boxing manager Arthur "The Professor" Duffy (Robert Keith) is saddled with a punch-drunk pug named Soldier Fresno (Karl Lukas). Hoping to transform Fresno into a winner, Duffy begins injecting the boxer with a special stimulant recommended by horseplayer Boots Murphy (Frankie Darro). Before long, the reinvigorated Fresno is headed from the championship -- but things take a disastrous turn when Duffy decides to improve his chances by giving Soldier an extra "jolt." ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1932
Mildred Cram's novel Scotch Valley was transformed by the scenarists at Fox into the Warner Baxter vehicle Amateur Daddy. Baxter plays a true-blue sort who agrees to take care of the family of dying pal Edwin Stanley. While his neighbors make cruel fun of Baxter's efforts to play surrogate father, he does an admirable job. Baxter's resolve to do right is put to the test when a stranger shows up, claiming to be the family's "genuine" father. Marian Nixon plays the oldest and prettiest member of Baxter's foster family; her presence smooths the path for a romantic finale. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Warner Baxter, Marian Nixon, (more)
- 1948
Angels Alley was the ninth entry in Monogram's Bowery Boys series. This time around, Slip Mahoney (Leo Gorcey) welcomes his cousin Jimmy (Frankie Darro) into his home. Fresh out of jail, Jimmy takes a job with a ring of car thieves. Slip covers for Jimmy to the extent of confessing to a crime that his cousin has committed. A contrite Jimmy decides to turn the tables on the thieves, and with the help of Slip's buddies Sach (Huntz Hall), Whitey (Billy Benedict) and the rest (sweet shop owner Louie [Bernard Gorcey] isn't around for this trip), the crooks are rounded up by the cops. Any attempts by the makers of Angels Alley to pass off their film as a serious crime melodrama are dissipated when, at the end of the picture, Huntz Hall whines to Leo Gorcey "This is the last time I make a movie with you!" ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Leo Gorcey, Billy Benedict, (more)
- 1937
In this youthful adventure, a young brother and sister dream of becoming newsreel photographers. They get their chance when they shoot footage of an elusive heiress and help save the foundering career of a cameraman. As an added bonus, they become friends with the wealthy woman. Later they help save her from the criminals who are trying to steal her fortune. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Frankie Darro, Kane Richmond, (more)
Stodgily directed by actor Russell Hopton, this low-budget oil-drilling melodrama was one of three action-adventures teaming boy actor Frankie Darro with B-Western villain LeRoy Mason, the latter changing his billing to "Roy Mason" for the occasion. Young master Darro plays Clifford Riley, nicknamed "Fishtail," whose father Dan (Frank Shannon) is killed when a rival, J.G. Anderson (Berton Churchill), sabotages his oil well. Enter geologist Hank Langford (Mason), who persuades "Fishtail" to hold on to the potentially valuable well. In retaliation, Anderson has Hank abducted, but the young geologist manages to escape. Learning that Anderson is planning to blow up the Riley well with nitroglycerin, the hero arrives just in time to rescue "Fishtail," but Anderson is killed in the ensuing explosion. The blast also causes the well to come in and both Hank and "Fishtail" emerge from the wreckage as millionaires. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Frankie Darro, LeRoy Mason, (more)
- 1930
Though it eventually collapsed under the weight of mounting debts, the small firm of Sono Art-World Wide managed to turn out several worthwhile films in the first two years of the talkies. The company's first 1930 release was Blaze o' Glory, adapted from a story by Thomas Boyd. Broadway star Eddie Dowling (who later staged and appeared in the first production of Tennessee Williams' The Glass Menagerie) heads the cast as vaudeville entertainer Eddie Williams. Just before being shipped off to WWI, Eddie weds his sweetheart Helen (Betty Compson), serenading his lady love with one of the film's four songs. By the time the film is two-thirds over, war-hero Eddie is on trial for murder, raising the fascinating issue of whether or not the killing of a wartime enemy really is murder. The fact that all of Eddie's army buddies were entertainers like himself is excuse enough for a variety of specialty acts, including one little ditty (Welcome Home) sung in English, Italian and Yiddish. The hits keep on coming, even during Eddie's trial, with heroine Helen offering her defense in song! As bizarre as this film must have seemed to American audiences, it must have been positively incomprehensible when refilmed for Spanish-speaking filmgoers as Sombras de Gloria. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Eddie Dowling, Betty Compson, (more)
This Frankie Darro-Kane Richmond vehicle benefits from the brisk direction of onetime serial star Charles Hutchison. Richmond plays Bomber Brown, a pugilist forced to go on the lam after he punches out crooked gambler Smoothy (Jack LaRue). Travelling incognito bomber befriends aspiring boxer Baby Face (Darro) and trains the boy for the Championship. Smoothy tries to sabotage Baby Face's career, but Bomber cleans the villain's clock once and for all. Produced independently by the parsimonious Maurice Conn, Born to Fight is at its best in the boxing scenes, photographed with all the slick efficiency of an "A" production. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Frankie Darro, Kane Richmond, (more)
- 1939
Boys' Reformatory was the third of Frankie Darro's tough-guy vehicles for Monogram Pictures. Darro is cast as orphaned teenager Tommy, who to avoid breaking his foster-mother's heart takes the rap for a crime committed by his foster-brother Eddie (Frank Coghlan Jr.). Sent to a dismal reform school, Tommy finds a friend in the form of school doctor Owens (Grant Withers), a tireless crusader for improved reformatory conditions. With Owens' help, Tommy is able to take a "vacation" from the institution and round up the crooks responsible for leading Eddie astray. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Frankie Darro, Grant Withers, (more)
Just after completing It Happened One Night, director Frank Capra churned out a bread-and-butter picture titled Broadway Bill. Warner Baxter plays the carefree scion of a wealthy, highly-respected family. Baxter's cold but socially correct wife Helen Vinson forces her husband into the family business, but Baxter would rather spend his time at the racetrack. He buys a nag named Broadway Bill and tries to build the horse into a winner--if he doesn't bankrupt himself first. Only Baxter's sister-in-law Myrna Loy and black stable hand Clarence Muse have faith in Broadway Bill. The horse wins a crucial race, but dies suddenly at the finish line. Baxter is comforted and given encouragement by Loy, who is now his sweetheart, Vinson having long since washed her hands of her "irresponsible" husband. Broadway Bill was remade by Capra as Riding High (1950), utilizing generous portions of stock footage and even going so far as to rehire several of the original film's cast members (Douglass Dumbrille, Clarence Muse, Charles Lane, Raymond Walburn, Margaret Hamilton, Frankie Darro) to recreate their roles and match up their scenes from the earlier production. Long withheld from distribution due to Riding High, Broadway Bill was made available for videocassette in the mid-1980s. Keep an eye out for Lucille Ball as a blonde telephone operator and Alan Hale Sr. as a racetrack announcer. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Warner Baxter, Myrna Loy, (more)
A serialized remake of a popular 1919 film, the 12-chapter Burn 'Em Up Barnes was simultaneously released as a 74-minute feature version. Jack Mulhall plays stalwart racing-car champion Burn 'Em Up Barnes, while top-billed Frankie Darro portrays his adopted son Bobbie. The two heroes take on crooked promoter Drummond (Jason Robards), who intends to cheat heroine Marjorie Temple (Lola Lane) out of her family's valuable oil deposits. Despite the many roadblocks thrown in his path by the scheming Drummond, Barnes emerges triumphant, while Bobbie achieves personal success as a top newsreel cameraman. The feature-length adaptation of Burn 'Em Up Barnes manages to accommodate all the thrills and spills of the serial version, without any sense of strain or abruptness. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Frankie Darro, Jack Mulhall, (more)
- 1936
En route from Honolulu to Los Angeles by steamship, Charlie Chan (Warner Oland) is pressed into action when a fellow passenger is killed. The dead man was a prominent horse breeder, whose favorite stallion has been entered in the Santa Anita handicap. At first glance, it appears as though the victim has been kicked to death by his own horse, but further investigation reveals the complicity of a crooked gambling ring. The excitement of the "photo finish" climax is amplified when Charlie and Number One Son Lee (Keye Luke) are kidnapped by the gamblers -- and the murderer still hasn't been revealed! The best line in Charlie Chan at the Race Track occurs at the end, when Lee excitedly bursts into a room with a vital clue that Charlie has already revealed, whereupon Mr. Chan murmurs: "Please -- save clue for next case." ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Warner Oland
- 1940
Diminutive Frankie Darro was always a lot of fun to watch when given his head in a leading role. In Monogram's Chasing Trouble, Darro plays a fella named Cupid, who fancies himself a handwriting analyst. He tries out his dilettante talent when a gang of spies begins covert activities in his community. He wins the day, and the girl (Marjorie Reynolds). Two future TV-series regulars show up in the supporting cast of Chasing Trouble: George Cleveland, beloved old "Gramps" in Lassie, and Milburn Stone, cantankerous old "Doc" in Gunsmoke. Produced by actor Grant Withers and written by Mary McCarthy, Chasing Trouble is positively lavish by Monogram standards. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1925
Director Victor Sjöström gave MGM this well-crafted adaptation of Alphonse Daudet's novel, Kings in Exile. The King of Illyris (Lewis Stone) weds the princess from a neighboring mythical kingdom, making her his Queen (Alice Terry). She is disgusted to discover that he has a mistress, Sephora (Helena D'Algy), and turns to Prince Alexei (John Bowers) for friendship. A revolution flares up in the little nation, and the King is willing to abdicate, but the Queen wants the crown for the sake of their son. The royals escape to Paris, and the King finally begins to grow on the distrustful Queen. In spite of his behavior, the King admits that he has always loved her. It turns out that Sephora is in league with the revolutionists, and this puts the King's life in danger. He decides to abdicate in favor of his son, and the Queen resolves to stick by his side. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Alice Terry, Lewis Stone, (more)
- 1926
A typically streamlined silent action melodrama from poverty row company FBO, The Cowboy Cop starred Tom Tyler and a very young Jean Arthur. Tyler played Jerry McGill, an Arizona cowpuncher joining the Los Angeles police force. In his capacity as an officer of the law, McGill comes to the aid of pretty Virginia Selby (Arthur), who has been kidnapped by would-be robber Count Mirski (Irvin Renard). With assistance from newsboy Frankie (Frankie Darro) and Beans the dog, McGill takes up the pursuit, rescuing the damsel from her vile abductor in the nick of time. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- 1927
Thoroughly geared for the small fry, this pleasant silent western starred the strapping Tom Tyler, freckled boy actor Frankie Darro, and Tyler's faithful dog, Beans. The three pals (with Darro's sister Elsie Tarron in tow) are searching for the villain, known only as the "Black Rider," who murdered Tyler's father (Bert Hadley). Since sneering Harry Woods appears in the cast, Cyclone of the Range is not too taxing a prairie "whodunit." The film's director, Robert DeLacy, was the father of Philippe DeLacy, a boy actor too decorative for the rough-and-tumble world of series westerns. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tom Tyler, Elsie Tarron, (more)
Following the capture of jewel thieves, two detectives encounter danger. ~ All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kane Richmond, June Gale, (more)
- 1949
In this entry in the long running comedy-drama series, the boys get into the world of prizefighting. When one of Slip's pals is killed in the ring, he and the boys plot their revenge against the gangster responsible. They enlist the aid of the late fighter's boozy brother, who was also a fighter. They convince him into entering the ring one last time. He does so despite the gangster's efforts to stop the boys. The fighter wins and his brother's death is avenged. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Leo Gorcey, Huntz Hall, (more)
- 1925
Horatio "Racy" Manly (William Haines) spends his time partying, much to the dismay of his father, Judge Manly (David Torrence). The frustrated judge finally disowns him. Racy befriends a young boy, Mickey (Frankie Darrow), whose father, Big Jim (Sheldon Lewis), is a criminal who is currently behind bars. Racy begins to straighten up and joins the fire department, and, along the way, falls in love with Alice Doran (Dorothy Devore), who lives in the same rooming house as he does. A fire breaks out in the jail, and Big Jim escapes. He goes to find his son, but Alice, who is keeping him in her room, refuses to let him go. The rooming house catches fire, and Racy rescues Alice and Mickey from the inferno. After his heroic actions, Racy is reunited with his father. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- David Torrence, William Haines, (more)
- 1927
Tom Tyler (billed as "Tom Taylor" in several newspaper reviews) was the star of the modestly-budgeted western The Flying "U" Ranch. Tyler plays a detective for a cattlemen's association, showing up incognito as a ranch hand to solve a series of puzzling thefts. In this guise he falls in love with heroine Nora Lane, who in turn is coveted by a rival rancher. Sure enough, the rival is the head of the rustlers, but Tyler will have a tough time proving it. Helping our hero vanquish his foe is his wiry juvenile sidekick Frankie Darro, a welcome fixture in the Tyler westerns. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tom Tyler, Frankie Darro, (more)
MGM's first big-budget science fiction film, Forbidden Planet, combined state-of-the-art special effects with a storyline based on Shakespeare's The Tempest. In the 23rd century, Cmdr. J.J. Adams (Leslie Nielsen) guides United Planets cruiser C-57-D on a rescue mission to faraway planet Altair-4. Twenty years earlier, Earth ship Bellerophon disappeared while en route to Altair-4. Only the ship's philologist, Dr. Morbius (Walter Pidgeon), survived; in the intervening decades, Morbius has created an Edenlike world of his own, for the benefit of himself and his nubile young daughter, Altaira (Anne Francis). His private paradise is zealously guarded by Robby the Robot, a piece of technology far in advance of anything on Earth. When Adams and his crew land on Altair-4, Morbius announces that he has no intention of being rescued and returned to Earth. When Adams attempts to contact home base, he finds that his radio equipment has been smashed by some unseen force. Holding Morbius responsible, Adams confronts the scientist, who decides to tell all. At one time, according to Morbius, Altair-4 was populated by the Krel, a wise, intellectually superior race. Using leftover Krel technology, Morbius has doubled his intellect and gained the ability to shape a new world to his own specifications. Forbidden Planet was a big influence on future sci-fi outer-space efforts, especially Star Trek. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Walter Pidgeon, Anne Francis, (more)
- 1946
The fun in this musical comedy begins when a popular swing singer mysteriously vanishes and a group of prank-loving college students try to pass off a schoolmate, the crooner's exact double, as the missing singer. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
