Frankie Darro

Above - Tom Tyler, Frankie Darro, and director Robert De Lacey at F. B. O. From the September 11, 1926 Exhibitors Herald, available at the Internet Archive.

Note the "Darrow" surname. And lots of lipstick!

(Courtesy of Calvin Castine)

Vending machine card of Tom Tyler and a very young Frankie Darro (with his last name spelled "Darrow") from their F. B. O. silent westerns.

1926 tradepaper ad for Tom Tyler and "AND HIS PALS FRANKIE DARRO, PONY AND DOG" in their silent oaters for Film Booking Office (F. B. O.). Frankie's last name is now "Darro".

1931 trade publication ad for THE LIGHTNING WARRIOR (Mascot, 1931), Frankie's first serial for Nat Levine and Mascot. He's second billed after Rin-Tin-Tin Sr. And his last name is "Darro".

(From Old Corral collection)

Above is a duotone lobby card from the Harry Carey serial THE DEVIL HORSE (Mascot, 1932) with Frankie portraying "the wild boy", an orphan raised in the wild who befriends a herd of horses.

crop / enlargement from THE DEVIL HORSE lobby card above. Frankie is assaulted by J. Paul Jones, who plays the helper to brains heavy Noah Beery, Sr. Coming to Darro's aid is prolific performer Jack Mower as "Adams", the leader of the vigilantes.

(From Old Corral collection)

Betsy King Ross and Frankie Darro (in their "Junior Thunder Riders" capes and "bucket" helmets) give aid to Gene Autry in a lobby card from Chapter 1 of THE PHANTOM EMPIRE (Mascot, 1935).

(Courtesy of Val Warren)

Left to right are Wheeler Oakman (as "Argo", the High Priest), Jay Wilsey/Buffalo Bill Jr. (as a Muranian guard), Frankie Darro, Betsy King Ross, and Roger Williams (Muranian guard) in Chapter 10 of THE PHANTOM EMPIRE (Mascot, 1935).

Above are screen captures of Frankie in his jockey uniform in RACING BLOOD (Conn, 1936), one of his 1935 - 1937 independent productions from Maurice Conn that co-starred Le Roy Mason followed by Kane Richmond. In this, Darro nurses an injured colt and turns him into a great race horse.

(From Old Corral collection)

Pressbook cover for the Frankie Darro and Mantan Moreland film UP IN THE AIR (Monogram, 1940). This was one of Frankie's ten starring films for Monogram in 1938 - 1941.

Moreland was in eight and played Frankie's helper "Jeff / Jefferson". He's best remembered for his recurring role as "Birmingham Brown" in fiifteen of Monogram's Charlie Chan mysteries. Those were released 1944 - 1949 and starred Sidney Toler and Roland Winters.

At the microphone is pretty Marjorie Reynolds. She was a wonderful singing and dancing leading lady in the Fred Astaire and Bing Crosby HOLIDAY INN (Paramount, 1942), and played William Bendix's wife 'Peg' in THE LIFE OF RILEY TV show.

Links

Although some of the data is incomplete or inaccurate, the Internet Movie Database (IMDb) has information on Frankie Darro: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0201660/

IMDb has info on Darro's first wife, Aloha Wray (1917 - 1968). She had a few minor film film roles, and her real name was Aloha Wright: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0942026/

Internet Movie Database (IMDb) has info on the April 16, 1963 Red Skelton TV show in which Frankie was the unlucky patient: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1317615/

The Internet Archive has the Cinefantastique magazine (Spring 1979), and there's a two page article with photos of Darro as "Robby the Robot" in FORBIDDEN PLANET (MGM, 1956). Also includes a photo with Frankie Carpenter, who also was inside Robby: https://archive.org/details/CinefantastiqueVol08No23Spring1979/page/n29/mode/2up

Gwendolyn Audrey Foster is the Willa Cather Professor Emerita of Film Studies in the Department of English, University of Nebraska, Lincoln. Her great article on WILD BOYS OF THE ROAD is at: https://www.loc.gov/static/programs/national-film-preservation-board/documents/wild_boys.pdf

There's a profile of Darro doing serials at Daniel Neyer's "The Files of Jerry Blake" website: https://filesofjerryblake.com/serial-sidekicks/frankie-darro/

In the mid 1930s, Frankie was a student at the Viola F. Lawlor School in Los Angeles. Lawlor catered to show business children and later became the Mar-Ken School in Sherman Oaks, California. Alan Simon's Mar-Ken School website has a page of Lawlor alumni. Enter 'Frankie Darro' in the search box or scroll down the name listing to Frankie Darro. "Baby Peggy" was also an alum under her real name of Peggy Montgomery: https://mar-ken.org/alumni/

Two minute video clip of Lampwick transforming into a donkey in Disney's PINOCCHIO (Walt Disney/RKO, 1940): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xdyu6ncYen0

YouTube has a few of the Tom Tyler / Frankie Darro F. B. O. silent westerns: https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=%22tom+tyler%22+%2B%22frankie+darro%22

Here's Darro riding "Avalanche" in the horse race in CHARLIE CHAN AT THE RACE TRACK (Fox, 1936): https://youtu.be/2AzubYpACpA?t=342

You can download Darro starrers from the Internet Archive:
TOUGH TO HANDLE (Conn, 1937) with Kane Richmond).
IRISH LUCK (Monogram, 1939) with Mantan Moreland).
CHASING TROUBLE (Monogram, 1940) with Mantan Moreland).
LET'S GO COLLEGIATE (Monogram, 1941) with Mantan Moreland and an early role for Gale Storm (of TV's MY LITTLE MARGIE fame).
Link: https://archive.org/details/moviesandfilms?tab=collection&query=%22frankie+darro%22

A few video clips of Darro on YouTube:
Trailer for WILD BOYS OF THE ROAD (First National, 1933): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k_RTpTcGBDI
The Darro death scene in chapter 10 of THE GREAT ADVENTURES OF WILD BILL HICKOK (Columbia, 1938) serial: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BFM22DlfX28
Another Darro death - in this one, he's the lookout tower guard in Clark Gable's ACROSS THE WIDE MISSOURI (MGM, 1951): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NLO9sT7wLpY

On the trail of Frankie Darro

No luck finding any info on Frankie's birth or early years when the "Flying Johnsons" were traveling and touring. Records at Family Search and Ancestry.com begin with 1930.

1930 census summary and census takers worksheet - 12 year old Frank Daro [sic] (born Illinois; no occupation listed) was rooming with 41 year old widow Loretta M. Burdick and 41 year old widow Grace Stutzman in Los Angeles. Guessing these were his court appointed guardians: https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XCV4-2TP?lang=en
March 20, 1937 Los Angeles Times had the funeral notice for Ada Siegrist Darro, mother of Frankie Darro: https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-los-angeles-times/173985991/
Newspaper clippings and photos of Darro and Tulsa, Oklahoma native Aloha Wright. In her brief movie career, she used the screen name "Aloha Wray". They married July 30, 1939 in Los Angeles:
https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-tulsa-tribune-tulsa-oklahoma-native/174361343/
https://www.newspapers.com/article/daily-news-frankie-darro-and-actress-alo/174360678/
https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-dayton-herald-frankie-darro-married/174360433/
July 30, 1939 marriage license of 21 year old Frank Darro Johnson and 22 year old Aloha Wright in Los Angeles: https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:K8VZ-TQR?lang=en
1940 census summary and census takers worksheet - 22 year old Frankie Darro (born Illinois; occupation "Actor - Motion Pictures") and his 22 year old wife Aloha (born Oklahoma) were renting at the Franklin Plaza Apartments, Los Angeles. He completed four years of high school and his income for 1939 was $5,000.00+: https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:K9CD-27Z?lang=en
World War II draft registration dated October 16, 1940 - 22 year old Frankie Johnson Darro was born December 22, 1918 in Chicago, Illinois. He was 5 feet, 3 and 1/2 inches tall, weighed 116 pounds, and employer was Monogram Pictures. He and wife Aloha Dorothy Darro lived at 724 Westmount, Los Angeles: https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QGF4-9Q5Z?lang=en
March 16, 1943 marriage license of 25 year old Frank Johnson Darro and 22 year old Betty Marie Morrow in Los Angeles. His mother's maiden name was Ada Seigrist: https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:K826-GP8?lang=en
California Birth Index for Darlene A. Darro. She was born January 25, 1946 in Los Angeles, and mother's maiden name was Morrow: https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:V27J-JNH?lang=en
Ancestry.com had the 1950 census summary and census takers worksheet - 32 year old Frankie J. Darro (born Illinois; occupation "Bar tender"), his 29 year old wife Betty M. (born Oklahoma; occupation "Cocktail waitress"), and 4 year old daughter Darlene (born California) were living at 34?? Mentone, Los Angeles.
July, 1951 newspaper clipping on second wife Betty Marie Darro suing for divorce: https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-buffalo-news-frankie-darros-second/174360530/
August 16, 1951 Los Angeles Daily News article on Frankie Darro opening a bar and eatery on Santa Monica Boulevard and naming it "Try Later": https://www.newspapers.com/article/daily-news-actor-opens-his-try-later-b/174808820/
November 27, 1951 Los Angeles Times article on wife Betty getting the divorce and blaming Frankie for alcohol abuse and money problems: https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-los-angeles-times-betty-marie-darro/174809422/
California Death Index for Frankie J. Darro. He was born December 22, 1917 in Illinois and passed away December 25, 1976 in the Orange County, California area: https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:VPZZ-MK4?lang=en
Ancestry.com had the Department of Veterans Affairs BIRLS Death File for Frankie Johnson Darro. He was born December 22, 1917; passed away on December 25, 1976; and served in the Navy for about 3 1/2 years (from April 6, 1942 - September 23, 1945).
Find A Grave for Frank Johnson / Frankie Darro - he passed away December 25, 1976 (age 59) in Huntington Beach, Orange County, California, and was cremated and ashes scattered at sea: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/6274585/frankie-darro