Frankie Darro
Date of Birth: 22nd December 1917
Details of Death: 25th December 1976
Country of Birth: USA
Biography
Coming from a showbusiness family, Darro started out in films early - the first film in which he starred was released barely two weeks after Darro's sixth birthday. He was incredibly prolific, and by 1930 he had starred in dozens of westerns and other pictures. He was always an enchanting young actor, with an attractively feral quality and a certain 'seen-it-all' demeanour. Darro adapted himself to the coming of talking pictures with ease, outclassing his older co-stars in his first speaking roles. Indeed, perhaps his finest roles came in the early 30s, in movies such as "The Mayor of Hell" (1933), "Wild Boys of the Road" (1933), "No Greater Glory" (1934) and "Little Men" (1934). In later life, Darro himself considered the pre-Code "Wild Boys of the Road" (from which the Profile picture on this page is taken) to have been his best film. Darro's diminutive stature and boyish looks allowed him to continue to play teenagers when he was well into his twenties. In fact, he continued to act into the 1970s. He was also the (uncredited) operator inside the Robby the Robot walking screen prop in the classic 1956 sci-fi movie "Forbidden Planet". One of the true Greats of the cinema of the 20s and 30s, the filmography on this page represents only a sample of his film work.
Notes
- Read John Gloske's biography, "Tough Kid: The Life and Films of Frankie Darro", for more information.
Filmography
- Half-a-Dollar Bill (1924)
- Racing for Life (1924)
- Roaring Rails (1924)
- The Judgment of the Storm (1924)
- The Signal Tower (1924)
- Confessions of a Queen (1925)
- Fighting the Flames (1925)
- Her Husband's Secret (1925)
- Let's Go, Gallagher (1925)
- The Cowboy Musketeer (1925)
- The Fearless Lover (1925)
- The Midnight Flyer (1925)
- The Wyoming Wildcat (1925)
- Wandering Footsteps (1925)
- Women and Gold (1925)
- Hearts and Spangles (1926)
- Memory Lane (1926)
- Mike (1926)
- Out of the West (1926)
- Red Hot Hoofs (1926)
- The Cowboy Cop (1926)
- The Masquerade Bandit (1926)
- The Thrill Hunter (1926)
- Cyclone of the Range (1927)
- Her Father Said No (1927)
- Lightning Lariats (1927)
- Little Mickey Grogan (1927)
- The Desert Pirate (1927)
- Tom's Gang (1927)
- The Circus Kid (1928) (as Buddy)
- Phantom of the Range (1928)
- The Avenging Rider (1928)
- Blaze o' Glory (1929)
- Idaho Red (1929)
- The Rainbow Man (1929) (as Billy Ryan)
- The Pride of Pawnee (1929)
- The Lightning Warrior (1931) (as Jimmy Carter)
- The Public Enemy (1931)
- The Sin of Madelon Claudet (1931)
- The Vanishing Legion (1931) (as Jimmie Williams)
- The Devil Horse (1932) (as Frankie Graham - The Wild Boy)
- The Mayor of Hell (1933) (as Jimmy)
- Tugboat Annie (1933)
- Wild Boys of the Road (1933) (as Eddie Smith)
- The Wolf Dog (1933) (as Frank Courtney)
Roles when Frankie Darro was older than 15
- Little Men (1934)
- No Greater Glory (1934)
- Three Kids and a Queen (1935)
- The Unwelcome Stranger (1935)
- Thoroughbreds Don't Cry (1937)
- Pinocchio (1940) (as Lampwick - voice only)
- The Next Voice You Hear (1950)
- Racing Blood (1954)
Page Last Modified: 1st January 2023
Page Added: 27th August 2017
Page Views: 7738
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