Customer Reviews (3)

He Should have Taken the Box
Read the book, and you'll understand the title of this review. This is a very thorough AND entertaining look at Darro's life and body of work. Since the author knew Darro personally, there is a great deal of first-hand anecdotal information as well. Lots of great side stories about other actors, such as Mantan Moreland, Mickey Rooney, and the Gumm (aka Garland, as in Judy) sisters. Warts and all, Darro was a fascinating character, and he is well captured here.

Growing up Short
One wishes Frankie Darro had written an autobiography, or kept journals or that there were more documentation, other than movie credists, of his life.

John Gloske has done an admirable job In TOUGH KID The Life and Films of Frankie Darro gleaning together what information is available on Darro (few people alive who knew him to help) plus aided by the knowledge he gained from his personal relationship with Darro, when the author was a young man and Darro near the end of his life.

It was interesting to read the many favoable reviews Darro had during his early career starting as a tot in silent films,a teenager in the thirtes (his most well known film William Wellman's WILD BOYS OF THE ROAD - 1933) to adult roles in the forties (where he had a brief success in B films teamed with Mantan Moreland).Although much of his distructive behavior had begun earlier his failure to be taken seriously as an adult actor (often blamed on his being short) and difficulty finding any acting jobs when he returned from the war, his increased drinking ruined what little was left of Darro's career.

We're unlikely to see a better biography written since (a) There is not enough interest to warrent one.(b) Most available informaiton in in Gloske's book and (c) no one else has the author's first hand knowledge .

So, if like me, you always wanted to know more about Frankie Darro's life and career this is the book to read.

Touch Kid The Life and Films of Frankie Darro
This is a compelling book on a forgotten child actor and says a lot about the way child actors were treated in the early days of film. One thing the book propelled me to do was to rent some of Frankie Darro's movies and, quite frankly, he was good! In some cases, great!

The author did extensive research to tell this labor of love story and I was amazed at how talented Darro was in the many diverse roles he protrayed, only to see himself later be pigeon holed into playing just race-horse jockeys. His resume grew but not his height. That would lead anyone to drink which it did in Darro's case and ultimately destroys him. The scenes depicted on Hollywood Boulevard are devastatingly heart wrenching.

My favorite part of the book is when it takes a personal turn and the author recounts the wild times spent with the aging actor after discovering his home address in a telephone book. A friendship is born, one we can appreciate and be thankful that, after all these years, his story can be told. ... Read more

Product Description
Chapters: John Wayne, Rin Tin Tin, Jack Mulhall, Yakima Canutt, Helen Gibson, Buster Crabbe, Pearl White, Frankie Darro, Bruce Bennett, Michael E. Burgess, Clayton Moore, Ray "Crash" Corrigan, Kay Hughes, Kenneth Harlan, Ray Mala, Marin Sais, Edwina Booth, Jean Rogers, Linda Stirling, Tom Steele, Helen Holmes, Johnny Mack Brown, Anthony Warde, Harry Carey, Kirk Alyn, George J. Lewis, Ann Little, Ruth Roland, Frank Lackteen, Myron Healey, Jack Perrin, Ralph Byrd, Charles B. Middleton, Roy Barcroft, Neva Gerber, Rod Cameron, Kay Aldridge, Phyllis Coates, George D. Wallace, Warren Hull, Lee Powell, Tom Tyler, Lorna Gray, Rex, Judd Holdren, Dave Sharpe, Duncan Renaldo, Chief Thundercloud, Kane Richmond, Ace the Wonder Dog, Pierce Lyden, John 'dusty' King, Dale Van Sickel, Frank Shannon, Edmund Cobb, Richard Crane, C. Montague Shaw, Priscilla Lawson, Leroy Mason, Al Kikume, Eddie Parker, Betsy King Ross, Aline Towne, Lee Van Atta, Dorothy Short. Source: Wikipedia. Pages: 270. Not illustrated. Free updates online. Purchase includes a free trial membership in the publisher's book club where you can select from more than a million books without charge. Excerpt: Marion Mitchell Morrison (May 26, 1907 June 11, 1979), born Marion Robert Morrison and better known by his stage name John Wayne, was an American film actor, director and producer. He epitomized rugged masculinity and has become an enduring American icon. He is famous for his distinctive voice, walk and height. He was also known for his conservative political views and his support, beginning in the 1950s, for anti-communist positions. A Harris Poll released January 2009 placed Wayne third among America's favorite film stars, the only deceased star on the list and the only one who has appeared on the poll every year since it first began in 1994. In 1999, the American Film Institute named Wayne 13th among the Greatest Male Stars of All Time. Wayne was born Marion Robert Morrison...More: http://booksllc.net/?id=16103 ... Read more