Frankie Darro

Born: 1917-12-22

Born into a show-business family - his parents were circus aerialists - Frankie 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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Pinocchio

as Lampwick (voice) (uncredited)
Released: 1940-02-23

A little wooden puppet yearns to become a real boy.

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The Public Enemy

as Matt as a Boy (uncredited)
Released: 1931-04-23

Two young Chicago hoodlums, Tom Powers and Matt Doyle, rise up from their poverty-stricken slum...

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Forbidden Planet

as Robby the Robot (interior) (uncredited)
Released: 1956-03-23

Starship C57D travels to planet Altair 4 in search of the crew of spaceship "Bellerophon," a...

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Operation Petticoat

as Pharmacist's Mate 3rd Class Dooley
Released: 1959-12-05

A World War II submarine commander finds himself stuck with a damaged sub, a con-man executive...

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Flesh and the Devil

as Boy who dances with Hertha (uncredited)
Released: 1926-12-25

When lifelong best friends Leo and Ulrich return home after completing their military training,...

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Westward the Women

as Jean's Awaiting Groom (uncredited)
Released: 1951-12-16

There's a deficit of good, honest women in the West, and Roy Whitman wants to change that. His...

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Pat and Mike

as Caddy (uncredited)
Released: 1952-06-13

Pat Pemberton is a brilliant athlete, except when her domineering fiancé is around. The ladies...

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Three on a Match

as Bobby (uncredited)
Released: 1932-10-29

Although Vivian Revere is seemingly the most successful of a trio of reunited schoolmates, she...

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Hook, Line and Sinker

as Delivery Man (uncredited)
Released: 1969-06-06

Told he is terminally ill, an insurance executive goes on a credit-card spending spree--and then...

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The Mayor of Hell

as James 'Jimmie' Smith
Released: 1933-06-24

Members of a teenage gang are sent to the State Reformatory, presided over by the callous...

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Saratoga

as Dixie Gordon
Released: 1937-07-23

A horse breeder's granddaughter falls in love with a gambler in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.

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Charlie Chan at the Race Track

as 'Tip' Collins, Jockey
Released: 1936-08-07

When a friend of Charlie's is found kicked to death by his own race horse on board a...

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Wild Boys of the Road

as Eddie Smith
Released: 1933-10-07

At the height of the Great Depression, Tommy's mother has been out of work for months when...

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The Movie Orgy

as Self (archive footage)
Released: 1968-01-01

Clips from assorted television programs, B-movies, commercials, music performances, newsreels,...

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The Sin of Madelon Claudet

as Larry Claudet - as a Boy (uncredited)
Released: 1931-10-23

Out of jail for a crime she did not commit, Madelon turns to prostitution and thievery to send...

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The Ex-Mrs. Bradford

as Spike Salisbury (uncredited)
Released: 1936-04-24

A doctor is driven into an investigation of sinister goings-on at a horse race track by his...

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Broadway Bill

as Ted Williams
Released: 1934-11-30

Tycoon J.L. Higgins controls his whole family, but one of his sons-in-law, Dan Brooks, and his...

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Boys' Reformatory

as Tommy Ryan
Released: 1939-05-01

A tough street kid takes the rap for a burglary committed by the son of his foster family and is...

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Freddie Steps Out

as Roy Donne
Released: 1946-06-29

A high school student is mistaken for a famous radio singer who goes missing.

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Riding High

as Jockey Williams
Released: 1950-04-12

A horse trainer who has fallen on hard times looks to his horse, Broadway Bill, to finally win...

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Across the Wide Missouri

as Cadet (uncredited)
Released: 1951-10-12

In the 1830's beaver trapper Flint Mitchell and other white men hunt and trap in the then...

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Little Men

as Dan
Released: 1934-01-01

The former Jo March and her husband Professor Bhaer operate the Plumfield School for homeless...

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Stranded

as James 'Jimmy' Rivers
Released: 1935-06-29

A Traveler's Aid worker who delights in solving people's problems gets mixed up with gangsters.

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Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?

as Self (archive footage)
Released: 1975-08-06

Period music, film clips and newsreel footage combined into a visual exploration of the American...

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Men with Steel Faces

as Frankie Baxter
Released: 1940-05-02

Re-edited feature version of serial The Phantom Empire (1935). Singer Gene Autry discovers a...

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Angels' Alley

as Cousin Jimmy
Released: 1948-03-07

Slip invites his cousin Jimmy to stay with his family after he is released from prison. However,...

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3 Kids and a Queen

as Blackie
Released: 1935-10-21

An eccentric, wealthy spinster, 'Queenie' Baxter is erroneously presumed to be kidnapped. She...

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The Signal Tower

as Sonny Tolliver
Released: 1924-07-19

A railroad worker accepts a colleague's offer to stay in his home, but when his friend is called...

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Sunkist Stars at Palm Springs

as Self
Released: 1936-08-05

Winners of the Lucky Stars National Dance Contest - one woman from each state of the United...

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Thoroughbreds Don't Cry

as "Dink" Reid
Released: 1937-11-25

Cricket West is a hopeful actress with a plan and a pair of vocal chords that bring down the...

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Tugboat Annie

as Alec, as a Child
Released: 1933-08-04

Tugboat, the Narcissus, is owned and captained by Annie Brennan, and among her crew are her...

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Two Gun Marshal

as Clint Slocum
Released: 1953-11-15

Two episodes of the TV series "Wild Bill Hickok" edited together and released as a feature film.

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No Greater Glory

as Feri Ats
Released: 1934-03-30

A frail boy fights to win acceptance from the leader of a street gang.

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Red Hot Tires

as Johnny
Released: 1935-02-02

An escaped convict redeems himself by becoming an auto racing champion.

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Wyoming Mail

as Rufe
Released: 1950-10-18

In 1869, the United States begins a railroad mail service to the West Coast which proves highly...

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Chasing Trouble

as Jimmy O'Brien
Released: 1940-01-30

A delivery boy for a flower shop, who thinks of himself as an amateur detective, finds out that...

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Judgment of the Storm

as Heath Twin
Released: 1924-01-06

famed for being written by an amateur

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Irish Luck

as Buzzy O'Brien
Released: 1939-08-22

A spunky young bellhop investigates the murder of a hotel guest.

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Juvenile Court

as Stubby
Released: 1938-09-10

Public Defender Gary Franklin, frustrated by being unable to save criminal Dutch Adams from a...

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Confessions of a Queen

as Prince Zara
Released: 1925-03-30

The King of Illyris marries a neighboring princess, who finds out he has a mistress, Sephora....

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The Phantom Empire

as Frankie Baxter
Released: 1935-02-22

When the ancient continent of Mu sank beneath the ocean, some of its inhabitant survived in...

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Laughing at Danger

as Frankie Kelly
Released: 1940-08-12

Frankie Kelly, pageboy at the beauty salon ran by Madam Celeste, and his helper Jefferson find...

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Hold That Baby!

as Bananas Stewart
Released: 1949-06-06

While working in a laundromat, the boys find a baby hidden among the linen. They soon find out...

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Let's Go Collegiate

as Frankie Monahan
Released: 1941-09-12

Rawley University is about to receive a star athlete who could give it the first championship...

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Racing Blood

as Frankie Reynolds
Released: 1936-11-14

Frankie Reynolds (Frankie Darro' ), youngest member of a family of jockeys, borrows $4.85 (yes,...

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Tuxedo Junction

as Jack 'Sock' Anderson
Released: 1941-11-25

The Weaver Brothers and Elviry have migrated from their usual hard-scrabble digs in the Ozarks...

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Way Back Home

as Robbie
Released: 1931-11-13

A rural Maine farmer fights for custody of the boy who he's raised as his own.

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Men of Action

as Johnny Morgan
Released: 1935-07-13

A villainous banker and his hired saboteurs attempt to thwart construction of Sweetwater Dam.

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Fighting Fools

as Johnny Higgins
Released: 1949-03-17

The boys are working at the local boxing arena where their friend, Jimmy Higgins, is boxing....

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The Devil Horse

as Frankie Graham - The Wild Boy
Released: 1932-11-01

Bob Norton, seeking his brother's killer, tangles with outlaws, wild horses, and a "wild" boy.

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Burn 'Em Up Barnes

as Bobbie Riley
Released: 1934-06-15

Marjorie Temple, owner of a bus line and an apparently worthless plot of land, is set upon by...

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That's My Man

as Jockey
Released: 1947-06-01

A poor young man is finally able to achieve his dream of running a horse at the track, but when...

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Up in the Air

as Frankie Ryan
Released: 1940-09-09

A none-too-popular (nor good) radio singer, Rita Wilson is murdered while singing on the air in...

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Hollywood on Parade No. B-1

as uncredited
Released: 1934-03-02

Short film in which Frankie Darro as a Telegram delivery boy visits various Hollywood locations...

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The Gang's All Here

as Frankie O'Malley
Released: 1941-06-11

Two friends take jobs as truck drivers, unaware that the trucking company is being targeted by a...

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Roaring Rails

as Little Bill
Released: 1924-09-20

A railroad engineer adopts a French orphan while he's fighting in the army in World War I, and...

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The Lightning Warrior

as Jimmy Carter
Released: 1931-11-01

A Rin-Tin-Tin serial presented in 12 episodes. The mysterious Wolf Man is terrorizing settlers...

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The Mad Genius

as Fedor as a Boy
Released: 1931-09-30

A crippled puppeteer rescues an abused young boy and turns the boy into a great ballet dancer....

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Born to Fight

as 'Babyface' Madison
Released: 1936-11-02

An honest boxer refuses to throw a fight for a gambler. They get into a fight and the boxer...

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Little Mickey Grogan

as Mickey Grogan
Released: 1927-12-27

The main plot concerns an architect who, when he begins losing his eyesight, worries that he is...

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The Girl on the Late, Late Show

as Studio Guard
Released: 1974-04-01

A television producer decides to find out the whereabouts of a former movie actress whose career...

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Mind Your Own Business

as Bob
Released: 1936-12-18

Nature reporter Orville Shanks retreats to the woods for material for his "Our Wild Friends"...

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Take It or Leave It

as Radio Listener
Released: 1944-07-17

A young husband becomes a game-show participant in the hopes of winning the cash to pay his...

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The Cowboy Cop

as Frankie
Released: 1926-07-10

A cowboy joins the Low Angeles mounted police unit.

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Pride of Maryland

as Steve Loomis
Released: 1951-01-20

Frankie, a young jockey with a new style of riding that brings him acclaim, is barred from the...

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Laughing at Life

as Chango
Released: 1933-07-12

Easter, a soldier of fortune and gunrunner, leaves his family behind escaping from the...

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Sons of New Mexico

as Gig Jackson
Released: 1949-12-20

Not quite as memorable as his previous Riders in the Sky, Gene Autry's Sons of New Mexico is...

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The Wolf Dog

as Frank Courtney
Released: 1933-09-29

The story of a boy, a dog, and a man. The boy discovers he is heir to a shipping line, and ...

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Racing for Life

as Jimmy Danton
Released: 1924-08-08

Jack Grant agrees to drive in the big race in order to save his brother Carl from being charged...

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The Payoff

as Jimmy Moore
Released: 1935-01-09

An honest sports columnist's greedy wife persuades him to go easy on a cheat, famous for crooked...

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The Vanishing Legion

as Jimmie Williams
Released: 1931-06-01

A mysterious master criminal known as The Voice plots with his gang to sabotage the Milesburg...

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Anything for a Thrill

as Dan Mallory
Released: 1937-06-15

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

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Reformatory

as Louie Miller
Released: 1938-06-20

A new inmate at a juvenile reformatory tries to organize a mass breakout.

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The Devil Diamond

as Lee
Released: 1937-01-15

A group of thugs tries to steal the cursed title gem from a jeweler who has been hired to cut it...

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Headline Crasher

as James 'Jimmy' Forbush Tallant, Jr.
Released: 1937-08-04

The popular B-flick team of Frankie Darro and Kane Richmond star in the slick quickie Headline...

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Black Gold

as Clifford 'Fishtail' O'Reilly
Released: 1936-01-19

Wildcat riggers risk their lives in the pursuit of oil. Their jobs get even more dangerous when...

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Fugitive Lovers

as Lester the Drunk
Released: 1975-11-27

A swimming pool cleaner and a suicidal housewife set out on the run and are pursued by her...

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Vacation Days

as Roy Donne
Released: 1947-01-25

Miss Hinklefink invites the Teen Agers to stay at her new ranch for the summer. Freddie is...

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Heart of Virginia

as Jimmy Easter
Released: 1948-04-25

Jimmy Easter is a jockey who gets shook up when he is responsible for the death of a fellow...

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So Big

as Dirk DeJong (child)
Released: 1924-12-28

After graduating from a fashionable finishing school and touring Europe with her father, Selina...

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High School Hero

as Roy Donne
Released: 1946-09-06

The students at Whitney High School are down in the dumps since their football team faces almost...

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Junior G-Men of the Air

as Jack
Released: 1942-06-30

A group of street kids battle a terrorist gang led by a Japanese spy.

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Valley of Wanted Men

as Slivers Sanderson
Released: 1935-10-19

Three men escape from prison, go back to their hometown to try to find out who framed them.

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Hearts and Spangles

as Bobby
Released: 1926-06-15

Steve Carris, a medical student, is expelled from college, disowned by his father and joins a...

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The Lawless Rider

as Jim Bascom
Released: 1954-07-01

Johnny Carpenter plays a taciturn sheriff who disguises himself as a notorious gunslinger. His...

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Judgement Of The Hills

as Tad Dennison
Released: 1927-08-01

An Epic Of Passion Swept Lives! The village hero - boasted and popular- yet a coward. Lauded by...

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Trouble Makers

as Ben Feathers
Released: 1948-12-10

Slip and Sach are in the sidewalk star-gazing business when they see a murder committed in a...

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Memory Lane

as Urchin
Released: 1926-02-01

Mary is marrying Jimmie, from whom she has kept a secret; Mary remains in love with another man....

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Sarge Goes to College

as Roy Donne
Released: 1947-05-13

A Marine Sergeant, wounded in overseas service, requires an operation, and the Navy psychiatrist...

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On the Spot

as Frankie 'Doc' Kelly
Released: 1940-06-11

Frankie Kelly is the soda jerk and embryo scientist in Midvales only drugstore. Two murders and...

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Junior Prom

as Roy Donne
Released: 1946-07-28

During the Whitney High School student government election, a rich man’s son tries to pay his...

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The Merry Frinks

as Norman Frink
Released: 1934-05-26

An heiress abandons an out-of-work husband, two sons and a lovesick daughter.

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The Great Adventures of Wild Bill Hickok

as Jerry
Released: 1938-06-30

A group of "Phantom Raiders" interfere with a cattle drive from Texas to Abilene; fortunately,...

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Rainbow Man

as Billy Ryan
Released: 1929-05-16

The Rainbow Man is a 1929 black and white American musical film.

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Young Dynamite

as Freddie Shields
Released: 1937-12-15

A young, newly-appointed rookie state trooper, John Shields, is celebrating with his sister...

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Moulders of Men

as Sandy Barry
Released: 1927-02-27

In order to raise money for surgery for his crippled brother, Jim Barry accepts a job with...

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Hollywood on Parade

as Self
Released: 1932-06-05

A short featuring many stars

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You're Out of Luck

as Frankie O'Reilly
Released: 1941-01-20

An elevator operator and a janitor team up to solve two murders that may be connected to an...

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Tough Kid

as 'Skipper' Murphy
Released: 1938-12-28

Skipper Murphy is serving as trainer and inspiration for his brother Red Murphy training for a...

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The Phantom of the Range

as Spuds O'Brien
Released: 1928-04-21

Duke Carlton, an actor stranded in a small western town, gets a job as a cowboy on Tim O'Brien's...

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Hollywood on Parade No. A-3

as Self (uncredited)
Released: 1932-10-20

Eddie Kane wanders round the studio back-lot, opening various doors to see which stars pop out.

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The Circus Kid

as Buddy
Released: 1928-10-07

In 'The Circus Kid', Buddy, an orphan who runs away from a a harsh orphanage, joins...

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The Midnight Flyer

as Young Davey
Released: 1925-12-06

The speed of lightning; the roar of thunder; the thrills of an earthquake; it's "The midnight...

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Kiki

as Pierre
Released: 1926-04-04

Kiki, a poor young woman who sells newspapers on the street corners of Paris, is able to land a...

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Tom's Gang

as Spuds
Released: 1927-07-10

Dave Collins is a young man who is bequeathed a ranch on the condition that he marry the late...

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Smart Politics

as Roy Donne
Released: 1948-01-03

The growth of juvenile crime in a small town starts a movement for the building of a youth center.

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Wanted by the Police

as Danny Murphy
Released: 1938-09-21

A young man, Danny, decides to get a job in order to support his mother. He's hired to work in a...

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Unwelcome Stranger

as Charlie Anderson
Released: 1935-04-05

Horse-breeder Howard Chamberlain has many superstitious quirks but his primary one is that he...

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Tough to Handle

as Mike Sanford
Released: 1937-05-24

A young reporter's grandfather wins a sweepstakes, but it turns out that his ticket is phony....

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The Wyoming Wildcat

as Barnie Finn
Released: 1925-01-11

Cowboy Phil Stone gets a job as foreman on a ranch owned by pretty young Isabel Hastings. He...

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Amateur Daddy

as Pete Smith
Released: 1932-04-10

Jim Gladden, a construction site foreman, is partially responsible for the accidental death of...

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The Cowboy Musketeer

as Billy Gordon
Released: 1925-12-13

A cowboy saves his female employer from a villainous foreman.

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The Big Race

as Knobby
Released: 1934-02-14

Bob Hamilton gets into trouble when crooks cause the defeat of his father's horse in the Derby,...

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Texas Tornado

as Buddy Martin
Released: 1928-06-24

Briscoe leases land from Latimer. When oil is found Latimer tries to stop Briscoe from renewing...

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Born to Battle

as Birdie
Released: 1926-01-24

Dennis Terhune, ranch foreman for John Morgan, an eastern capitalist, discovers that there is...

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Blaze o' Glory

as Jean Williams
Released: 1929-12-30

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

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Lightning Lariats

as Alexis, King of Roxenburg
Released: 1927-01-30

Following a political coup in the Balkan kingdom of Roxenburg, young King Alexis and his...

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Perry Mason

as Elevator Operator
First aired: 1957-09-21

The cases of master criminal defense attorney Perry Mason and his staff who handled the most...

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Perry Mason

as Messenger
First aired: 1957-09-21

The cases of master criminal defense attorney Perry Mason and his staff who handled the most...

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Batman

as Newsman
First aired: 1966-01-12

Wealthy entrepreneur Bruce Wayne and his ward Dick Grayson lead a double life: they are actually...

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Have Gun, Will Travel

as uncredited
First aired: 1957-09-14

Have Gun – Will Travel is an American Western television series that aired on CBS from 1957...

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Bat Masterson

as Edward 'Snapper' Garrison
First aired: 1958-10-08

Bat Masterson is an American Western television series which showed a fictionalized account of...

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The Addams Family

as Delivery Boy
First aired: 1964-09-18

A satirical inversion of the ideal of the perfect American nuclear family, they are an eccentric...

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Peter Gunn

as uncredited
First aired: 1958-09-22

Peter Gunn is an American private eye television series. Filmed in a film noir atmosphere and...

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Mister Ed

as uncredited
First aired: 1961-01-05

Wilbur Post and his wife Carol move into a beautiful new home. When Wilbur takes a look in his...

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Alfred Hitchcock Presents

as Little Dandy Dorf
First aired: 1955-10-02

A television anthology series hosted by Alfred Hitchcock featuring dramas, thrillers, and mysteries.

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Alfred Hitchcock Presents

as Boots
First aired: 1955-10-02

A television anthology series hosted by Alfred Hitchcock featuring dramas, thrillers, and mysteries.

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Mr. Lucky

as uncredited
First aired: 1959-10-24

Mr. Lucky is a CBS adventure/drama television series that aired from October 24, 1959, to June...

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Public Defender

as uncredited
First aired: 1954-03-11

The Public Defender is a half-hour 69-episode television dramatic series starring Reed Hadley as...

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Checkmate

as Sonny
First aired: 1960-09-17

Checkmate is an American detective television series starring Anthony George, Sebastian Cabot,...

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The Adventures of Wild Bill Hickok

as uncredited
First aired: 1951-04-15

The Adventures of Wild Bill Hickok is an American Western television series which ran for eight...

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Going My Way

as uncredited
First aired: 1962-10-03

Going My Way is an American comedy-drama series

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