Frankie Darro

Acting

Frankie Darro

Born 1917-12-22 · Chicago, Illinois, USA

Frankie Darro (December 22, 1917 – December 25, 1976) was an American actor. Born into a show-business family - his parents were circus aerialists - Darro appeared in his first film at age six. Due to his small size and youthful appearance, he played teenagers well into his 20s. Always a physical performer, Darro often did his own stunts, many times out of necessity - his small stature made it difficult to find stunt doubles his size. He was an accomplished horseman and, in addition to westerns, made several films where he played jockeys. In 1933 he played the lead as a troubled teen in a major film for Warner Brothers, "Wild Boys Of The Road." It is a pre-code film with a realistic look at "The Great Depression," from the point of view of the youth of the time. This film seems to have been rediscovered only recently and has received critical acclaim.That same year, he played a troubled youth in the James Cagney classic, "The Mayor Of Hell". Later in 1935, he had a key role in the cult serial classic "The Phantom Empire"(1935). As Darro got older, however, he found it increasingly difficult to secure employment, and by the late 1940s was doing uncredited stunt work and bit parts. He had a recurring role on The Red Skelton Hour (1951), unrecognized by his fans, he played "Robby The Robot" in the groundbreaking sci-fi film "The Forbidden Planet" (1956), though Marvin Miller, best remembered as Michael Anthony of TVs "Millionaire"(1955-60), was the robot's voice. After that Frankie appeared sporadically in films and on TV .

Acting credits

The Ten Commandments poster
7.8

Escaping death, a Hebrew infant is raised in a royal household to become a prince. Upon discovery of his true heritage, Moses embarks on a personal quest to reclaim his destiny as the leader and liberator of the Hebrew people.

The Ten Commandments

1956

Pinocchio poster
7.1

When the gentle woodcarver Geppetto builds a marionette to be his substitute son, a benevolent fairy brings the toy to life. The puppet, named Pinocchio, is not yet a human boy. He must earn the right to be real by proving that he is brave, truthful, and unselfish.

Pinocchio

1940

Forbidden Planet poster
7.3

Starship C57D travels to planet Altair 4 in search of the crew of spaceship "Bellerophon," a scientific expedition that has been missing for twenty years. They find themselves unwelcome by the expedition's lone survivor and warned of destruction by an invisible force if they don't turn back immediately.

Forbidden Planet

1956

Texas Tornado poster
10.0

Briscoe leases land from Latimer. When oil is found Latimer tries to stop Briscoe from renewing the lease. Tom arrives and fights off Latimer and his men to renew the lease. But Latimer is not done. Now he shoots Briscoe, kidnaps Buddy, and blames Tom who is arrested and put in jail.

Texas Tornado

1928

The Lightning Warrior poster
6.3

A Rin-Tin-Tin serial presented in 12 episodes. The mysterious Wolf Man is terrorizing settlers in a western town. With the help of Rinty, young Jimmy Carter unmasks the Wolf Man and foils his evil plot.

The Lightning Warrior

1931

The Gang's All Here poster
5.4

Two friends take jobs as truck drivers, unaware that the trucking company is being targeted by a gang of saboteurs who will stop at nothing, including murder, to stop them.

The Gang's All Here

1941

Operation Petticoat poster
7.2

A World War II submarine commander finds himself stuck with a damaged sub, a con-man executive officer, and a group of army nurses.

Operation Petticoat

1959

The Public Enemy poster
7.2

Two young Chicago hoodlums, Tom Powers and Matt Doyle, rise up from their poverty-stricken slum life to become petty thieves, bootleggers and cold-blooded killers. But with street notoriety and newfound wealth, the duo feels the heat from the cops and rival gangsters both. Despite his ruthless criminal reputation, Tom tries to remain connected to his family, however, gang warfare and the need for revenge eventually pull him away.

The Public Enemy

1931

Blaze o' Glory poster
7.0

On trial for the murder of Carl Hummel, Eddie Williams tells his story, which begins just before the World War

Blaze o' Glory

1929

Living It Up poster
6.5

Homer Flagg is a railroad worker in the small New Mexico town of Desert Hole. One day, he finds an abandoned automobile at an old atomic proving ground. His doctor and best friend, Steve Harris, diagnoses him with radiation poisoning and gives Homer three weeks to live. A big city reporter hears of Homer's plight and convinces her editor to provide an all-expenses paid trip to New York.

Living It Up

1954

The Movie Orgy poster
6.8

Clips from assorted television programs, B-movies, commercials, music performances, newsreels, bloopers, satirical short films and promotional and government films of the 1950s and 1960s are intercut together to tell a single story of various creatures and societal ills attacking American cities.

The Movie Orgy

1968

Anything for a Thrill poster
4.0

Despite his older brother's objections, a young man vows to become a newsreel cameraman.

Anything for a Thrill

1937

Westward the Women poster
7.0

There's a deficit of good, honest women in the West, and Roy Whitman wants to change that. His solution is to bring a caravan of over 100 mail-order brides from Chicago to California. It will be a long, difficult and dangerous journey for the women. So Whitman hires hardened, cynical Buck Wyatt to be their guide across the inhospitable frontier. But as disaster strikes on the trail, Buck just might discover that these women are stronger than he thinks.

Westward the Women

1951

That's My Man poster
6.7

A poor young man is finally able to achieve his dream of running a horse at the track, but when he starts becoming successful, he begins to lose sight of what mattered to him before.

That's My Man

1947

Terror Mountain poster
8.0

Two young orphans, Buddy and Lucille Roberts, living in an old dark mansion atop a mountain are assailed regularly by ghostly apparitions and mysterious death threats. They enlist the aid of a famous Hollywood Western movie star named Tom Tyler (with Tyler actually playing himself in the film) to investigate the situation and help them discover who is menacing them.

Terror Mountain

1928

Out of the West poster
10.0

John O'Connor and Jim Rollins, rival ranchmen, each has a baseball team, though Rollins' usually wins because O'Connor's foreman and pitcher, Bide Goodrich, is paid by Rollins to throw the game. When Tom Hanley and his grandmother settle on O'Connor's ranch, the boss discovers that he is a good pitcher; and Rollins, who has bet heavily on the Fourth of July game, plots to eliminate Tom.

Out of the West

1926

Pat and Mike poster
6.4

Pat Pemberton is a brilliant athlete, except when her domineering fiancé is around. The ladies golf championship is in her reach until she gets flustered by his presence at the final holes. He wants them to get married and forget the whole thing, but she cannot give up on herself that easily. She enlists the help of Mike Conovan, a slightly shady sports promoter. Together they face mobsters, a jealous boxer, and a growing mutual attraction.

Pat and Mike

1952

Flesh and the Devil poster
7.2

When lifelong best friends Leo and Ulrich return home after completing their military training, Leo meets the stunning Felicitas at a railway station and is mesmerized by her beauty. A scandal follows, for which Leo is sent away. Returning home three years later, he discovers that much has changed.

Flesh and the Devil

1926

Hollywood on Parade No. B-1 poster
7.3

Short film in which Frankie Darro as a Telegram delivery boy visits various Hollywood locations to make deliveries. He visits the Los Angeles Pier and a Gala Hollywood Premiere.

Hollywood on Parade No. B-1

1934

Idaho Red poster
9.0

Idaho Red is a 1929 American silent Western film directed by Robert De Lacey.

Idaho Red

1929

Tough Kid poster
6.5

Skipper Murphy is serving as trainer and inspiration for his brother Red Murphy training for a world championship title bout. Trouble comes for the Murphys when Red runs up against a gambling syndicate and is put on the spot to throw the fight.

Tough Kid

1938

Across the Wide Missouri poster
6.1

In the 1830's beaver trapper Flint Mitchell and other white men hunt and trap in the then unnamed territories of Montana and Idaho. Flint marries a Blackfoot woman as a way to gain entrance into her people's rich lands, but finds she means more to him than a ticket to good beaver habitat.

Across the Wide Missouri

1951

Radio Ranch poster
5.6

Re-edited feature version of serial The Phantom Empire (1935). Singer Gene Autry discovers a race of advanced humans living beneath the earth.

Radio Ranch

1940

Brother, Can You Spare a Dime? poster
6.3

Period music, film clips and newsreel footage combined into a visual exploration of the American entertainment industry during the Great Depression.

Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?

1975