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 .
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Brother, Can You Spare a Dime? | Self (archive footage) | 1975-08-06 |
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Fugitive Lovers | Lester the Drunk | 1975-11-27 |
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The Girl on the Late, Late Show | Studio Guard | 1974-04-01 |
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Hook, Line and Sinker | Delivery Man (uncredited) | 1969-06-06 |
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The Movie Orgy | Self (archive footage) | 1968-01-01 |
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Operation Petticoat | Pharmacist's Mate 3rd Class Dooley | 1959-12-05 |
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Forbidden Planet | Robby the Robot (interior) (uncredited) | 1956-03-23 |
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The Lawless Rider | Jim Bascom | 1954-07-01 |
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Living It Up | Bellboy Captain (uncredited) | 1954-08-04 |
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Two Gun Marshal | Clint Slocum | 1953-11-15 |
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Pat and Mike | Caddy (uncredited) | 1952-06-13 |
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Pride of Maryland | Steve Loomis | 1951-01-20 |
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Across the Wide Missouri | Cadet (uncredited) | 1951-10-12 |
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Westward the Women | Jean's Awaiting Groom (uncredited) | 1951-12-16 |
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Riding High | Jockey Williams | 1950-04-12 |
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Wyoming Mail | Rufe | 1950-10-18 |
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Fighting Fools | Johnny Higgins | 1949-03-17 |
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Sons of New Mexico | Gig Jackson | 1949-12-20 |
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Hold That Baby! | Bananas Stewart | 1949-06-06 |
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Smart Politics | Roy Donne | 1948-01-03 |
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Heart of Virginia | Jimmy Easter | 1948-04-25 |
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Angels' Alley | Cousin Jimmy | 1948-03-07 |
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Trouble Makers | Ben Feathers | 1948-12-10 |
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Vacation Days | Roy Donne | 1947-01-25 |
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Sarge Goes to College | Roy Donne | 1947-05-13 |
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That's My Man | Jockey | 1947-06-01 |
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High School Hero | Roy Donne | 1946-09-06 |
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Freddie Steps Out | Roy Donne | 1946-06-29 |
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Junior Prom | Roy Donne | 1946-05-11 |
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Take It or Leave It | Radio Listener | 1944-07-17 |
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Junior G-Men of the Air | Jack | 1942-06-30 |
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Dead End Kids Go To War | Jack | 1942-10-02 |
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Tuxedo Junction | Jack 'Sock' Anderson | 1941-11-25 |
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The Gang's All Here | Frankie O'Malley | 1941-06-11 |
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Let's Go Collegiate | Frankie Monahan | 1941-09-12 |
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You're Out of Luck | Frankie O'Reilly | 1941-01-20 |
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On the Spot | Frankie 'Doc' Kelly | 1940-06-11 |
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Pinocchio | Lampwick (voice) (uncredited) | 1940-02-23 |
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Laughing at Danger | Frankie Kelly | 1940-08-12 |
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Chasing Trouble | Jimmy O'Brien | 1940-01-30 |
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Up in the Air | Frankie Ryan | 1940-09-09 |
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Men with Steel Faces | Frankie Baxter | 1940-05-02 |
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Irish Luck | Buzzy O'Brien | 1939-08-22 |
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Boys' Reformatory | Tommy Ryan | 1939-05-01 |
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Wanted by the Police | Danny Murphy | 1938-09-21 |
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Juvenile Court | Stubby | 1938-09-10 |
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Tough Kid | 'Skipper' Murphy | 1938-12-28 |
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The Great Adventures of Wild Bill Hickok | Jerry | 1938-06-30 |
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Reformatory | Louie Miller | 1938-06-20 |
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Anything for a Thrill | Dan Mallory | 1937-06-15 |
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Thoroughbreds Don't Cry | "Dink" Reid | 1937-11-25 |
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The Devil Diamond | Lee | 1937-01-15 |
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Saratoga | Dixie Gordon | 1937-07-23 |
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Young Dynamite | Freddie Shields | 1937-12-15 |
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Tough to Handle | Mike Sanford | 1937-05-24 |
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Headline Crasher | James 'Jimmy' Forbush Tallant, Jr. | 1937-08-04 |
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Sunkist Stars at Palm Springs | Self | 1936-08-05 |
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Mind Your Own Business | Bob | 1936-12-18 |
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Charlie Chan at the Race Track | 'Tip' Collins, Jockey | 1936-08-07 |
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Racing Blood | Frankie Reynolds | 1936-11-14 |
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Born to Fight | 'Babyface' Madison | 1936-11-02 |
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The Ex-Mrs. Bradford | Spike Salisbury (uncredited) | 1936-04-24 |
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Black Gold | Clifford 'Fishtail' O'Reilly | 1936-01-19 |
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Unwelcome Stranger | Charlie Anderson | 1935-04-05 |
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Red Hot Tires | Johnny | 1935-02-02 |
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3 Kids and a Queen | Blackie | 1935-10-21 |
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Men of Action | Johnny Morgan | 1935-07-13 |
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Valley of Wanted Men | Slivers Sanderson | 1935-10-19 |
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Stranded | James 'Jimmy' Rivers | 1935-06-29 |
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The Payoff | Jimmy Moore | 1935-01-09 |
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The Phantom Empire | Frankie Baxter | 1935-02-22 |
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The Big Race | Knobby | 1934-02-14 |
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Burn 'Em Up Barnes | Bobbie Riley | 1934-06-15 |
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Little Men | Dan | 1934-01-01 |
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Broadway Bill | Ted Williams | 1934-11-30 |
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Hollywood on Parade No. B-1 | 1934-03-02 | |
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The Merry Frinks | Norman Frink | 1934-05-26 |
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No Greater Glory | Feri Ats | 1934-03-30 |
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The Wolf Dog | Frank Courtney | 1933-09-29 |
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Laughing at Life | Chango | 1933-07-12 |
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Tugboat Annie | Alec, as a Child | 1933-08-04 |
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The Mayor of Hell | James 'Jimmie' Smith | 1933-06-24 |
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Wild Boys of the Road | Eddie Smith | 1933-10-07 |
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Hollywood on Parade No. A-3 | Self (uncredited) | 1932-10-20 |
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Amateur Daddy | Pete Smith | 1932-04-10 |
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Three on a Match | Bobby (uncredited) | 1932-10-29 |
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Hollywood on Parade | Self | 1932-06-05 |
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The Devil Horse | Frankie Graham - The Wild Boy | 1932-11-01 |
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The Public Enemy | Matt as a Boy (uncredited) | 1931-04-23 |
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The Mad Genius | Fedor as a Boy | 1931-09-30 |
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The Sin of Madelon Claudet | Larry Claudet - as a Boy (uncredited) | 1931-10-23 |
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The Vanishing Legion | Jimmie Williams | 1931-06-01 |
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The Lightning Warrior | Jimmy Carter | 1931-11-01 |
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Way Back Home | Robbie | 1931-11-13 |
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Rainbow Man | Billy Ryan | 1929-05-16 |
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Trail of the Horse Thieves | Buddy | 1929-01-13 |
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Blaze o' Glory | Jean Williams | 1929-12-30 |
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The Circus Kid | Buddy | 1928-10-07 |
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The Phantom of the Range | Spuds O'Brien | 1928-04-21 |
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Texas Tornado | Buddy Martin | 1928-06-24 |
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Little Mickey Grogan | Mickey Grogan | 1927-12-27 |
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Lightning Lariats | Alexis, King of Roxenburg | 1927-01-30 |
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Moulders of Men | Sandy Barry | 1927-02-27 |
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Judgement Of The Hills | Tad Dennison | 1927-08-01 |
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Tom's Gang | Spuds | 1927-07-10 |
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The Cowboy Cop | Frankie | 1926-07-10 |
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The Masquerade Bandit | Tim Marble | 1926-05-30 |
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Kiki | Pierre | 1926-04-04 |
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Memory Lane | Urchin | 1926-02-01 |
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Mike | Boy | 1926-05-10 |
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Hearts and Spangles | Bobby | 1926-06-15 |
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Flesh and the Devil | Boy who dances with Hertha (uncredited) | 1926-12-25 |
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Born to Battle | Birdie | 1926-01-24 |
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The Cowboy Musketeer | Billy Gordon | 1925-12-13 |
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The Midnight Flyer | Young Davey | 1925-12-06 |
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The Wyoming Wildcat | Barnie Finn | 1925-01-11 |
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Confessions of a Queen | Prince Zara | 1925-03-30 |
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So Big | Dirk DeJong (child) | 1924-12-28 |
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Roaring Rails | Little Bill | 1924-09-20 |
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Racing for Life | Jimmy Danton | 1924-08-08 |
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Judgment of the Storm | Heath Twin | 1924-01-06 |
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The Signal Tower | Sonny Tolliver | 1924-07-19 |
