Frankie Darro Movies

In this musical comedy, a group of clean-cut teens desire to turn an abandoned warehouse into a youth center. Unfortunately they and their two leaders are opposed by the mayor who wants to use the building for his own gain. The kids then put on a show and soon the mayor is convinced to give them the building. Musical numbers include: "Young Man with a Beat" (performed by the Gene Krupa Orchestra), "Sincerely Yours" (sung by Stewart), "Isn't This a Night for Love?" (sung by Stewart), "Household Blues" (sung by Davis), and "Young Man" (sung by Davis, Stewart). ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

In this entry in the long-running "Bowery Boys" series, Slip Mahoney and his boys witness a murder, but cannot identify the killer. Upon seeing the victim in the newspaper, Slip and Sach head for the morgue and launch their own investigation. There they meet the victim's daughter; she owns the hotel where the boys witnessed the crime. To help them work undercover, she hires them on as bell boys. Later, a gangster mistakes Sach for someone else and gives him some valuable information about the murder which he immediately passes on to his policeman friend. Unfortunately, the policeman has been suspended for neglecting his daily duties. Fortunately, the Boys still manage to solve the murder, but not before embarking upon a crazy chase through a laundry chute. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Band singer Freddie Stewart stars in the pure-'40s frivolity Vacation Days. It's a high-school musical romance, with some of the oldest "teenagers" on record. During summer vacation, Freddie and student June Preisser fall for each other. Their relationship is complicated by romantic rivalries carried over from the regular school year. Vacation Days features a spirited musical number by country-western star Spade Cooley, whose ultimate real-life destiny -- he would die in prison after murdering his wife -- retrospectively casts a slight pall on the proceedings. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Years before his tenure as "The Skipper" on Gilligan's Island, Alan Hale Jr. delivered a delightful comic performance in Monogram's Sarge Goes to College. Hale is cast as a none-too-bright marine sergeant who is ordered to take a long rest before undergoing a serious operation. For reasons best known to himself, "Sarge" decides that a college campus is the ideal locale for peace & quiet. Before long, he's helping the kids put on one of those oversized college musical shows for which Monogram was famous (or, in some circles, infamous). Freddy Stewart and June Preisser once more handle the songs-and-romance angle, while Noel Neill, TV's future "Lois Lane", is as cute as a button as the campus vamp. The musical guest stars this time out include orchestra leaders Russ Morgan and Jack McVea. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Freddy Stewart and June Preisser, Monogram's answer to Donald O'Connor and Peggy Ryan, star in Junior Prom. The plot concerns a high-school election, with a snotty rich kid literally buying his way to the class presidency. The backers of hero Freddy Stewart garner votes by using music, specifically big-band numbers and dancing specialties. Guest stars include bandleaders Abe Lyman and Eddie Heywood, Harry "The Hipster" Gibson and the Airliners. Junior Prom represented one of producer Sam Katzman's final Monogram efforts before moving his base of operations to Columbia. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The Dead End Kids take on a sinister gang of Japanese terrorists in this 12-chapter followup to the 1940 Universal serial Junior G-Men. When Eddie Holden (Gene Reynolds), the inventor brother of street-gang leader Billy Holden (Billy Halop), is kidnapped by minions of the Black Dragon society, Billy refuses to go to the police for help. Instead, he and his pals-Bolts Larson (Huntz Hall), Stick Munsey (Gabe Dell) and Greaseball Plunkett (Bernard Punsly)-decide to take on the villains themselves. Over the course of twelve weeks, the kids are pitted against the worst kinds of villains and pluguglies, but by the final chapter our heroes have thwarted the Black Dragons' plans to sabotage the American defense program. Despite the serial's title, however, the "Junior G-Men" hardly spend any time at all in the air. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Its sophisticated title notwithstanding, Tuxedo Junction is another heap o' cornpone from hillbilly-music favorites The Weaver Brothers and Elviry. The plot has more substance than usual, with a group of tough young migrant workers trying to do their municipal duty by constructing a float for the annual Tournament of Roses parade in Pasadena, California. Initially, the kids' leader Sock (Frankie Darro) was averse to such "sissy work", but he and the rest of the boys are won over by the enthusiasm and down-home goodness of the Weavers. Evidently an attempt by Republic Pictures to emulate the success of Monogram's "East Side Kids" films, Tuxedo Junction works better in the musical department. And yes, that gangly, darkly handsome young fellow playing nominal romantic lead Bill Bennett is future "Lone Ranger" Clayton Moore. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In this collegiate drama, a team of college oarsmen promise their gals that they will win the big race. Unfortunately, it looks as if their victory will go to another team after their strongest rower is drafted. The sly, enterprising lads end up replacing him with a truck driver on the sly. Songs include "Look What You've Done to Me", "Sweet 16", and "Let's Do a Little Dreaming". ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

When the gentle woodcarver Geppetto (Christian Rub) builds a marionette to be his substitute son, a benevolent fairy brings the toy to life. The puppet, named Pinocchio (Dick Jones), is not yet a human boy. He must earn the right to be real by proving that he is brave, truthful, and unselfish. But, even with the help of Jiminy (Cliff Edwards), a cricket who the fairy assigns to be Pinocchio's conscience, the marionette goes astray. He joins a puppet show instead of going to school, he lies instead of telling the truth, and he travels to Pleasure Island instead of going straight home. Yet, when Pinocchio discovers that a whale has swallowed Geppetto, the puppet single-mindedly journeys into the ocean and selflessly risks his life to save his father, thereby displaying that he deserves to be a real boy. Based on a series of stories by 19th century Italian author Carlo Collodi, Pinocchio came under fire for being a sugarcoated version of its original tale, but the film's moral did have a strong educational effect on children. Soon enough, a 16 mm excerpt from the picture, titled "Pinocchio: A Lesson in Honesty," was released for teachers to use in schools. ~ Aubry Anne D'Arminio, All Movie Guide

Monogram's Laughing at Danger finds page-boy Frankie Kelly (Frankie Darro) trying to solve a murder at a fancy beauty salon. It so happens that the establishment is used for blackmail purposes by a gang of crooks who eavesdrop on their gossiping clientele by means of hidden microphones. When the cops prove unable to find out who killed the owner of the salon, Kelly takes over, assistant by timid but resourceful janitor Jefferson (Mantan Moreland). The film's romantic angle is handled by opera star George Houston as a police lieutenant and perennial starlet Joy Hodges as a cosmetician. Darro and Moreland work together so well that it's a shame the film's script doesn't come up to their performances. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In this fast paced mystery, an eager page boy for a radio station tries to convince the owners to let him do a comedy show with his pal, a porter. A hopeful singer and the station receptionist support the lads with the former hoping to make her debut there. Things are looking up for the young folk when suddenly several of the station's star acts are murdered on the air. The page, the porter and the receptionist begin investigating while the young singer fills in for the slain chanteuse. Success ensues all around. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

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

In this socially conscious drama, a man is appointed warden at a boys reformatory on the condition that he can keep unwanted publicity away. The man does all he can to insure fair treatment of the young inmates; unfortunately, one of his guards refuses to toe the new line. When the warden catches the guard beating a boy, the warden begins punching the guard; he then fires him. The warden's toughest case truly reforms and proves that the new methods are more effective. The warden must prove this before the governor when one of the boys escapes. He does and all is well. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide