Ken Darby

Ken Darby

Known for: Acting
Biography: 1909-05-13
Deathday: 1992-01-24 (82 years old)

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Biography

Kenneth Lorin Darby (May 13, 1909 – January 24, 1992) was an American composer, vocal arranger, lyricist, and conductor. His film scores were recognized by the awarding of three Academy Awards and one Grammy Award. He provided vocals for the Munchkinland mayor in The Wizard of Oz (1939), who was portrayed in the film by Charlie Becker. Darby is also notable as the author of The Brownstone House of Nero Wolfe (1983), a biography of the home of Rex Stout's fictional detective.


Ken Darby's choral group, The Ken Darby Singers, sang backup for Bing Crosby on the original 1942 Decca Records studio recording of "White Christmas." In 1940 they also sang on the first album ever made of the songs from The Wizard of Oz, a film on which Darby had worked. However, the album was a studio cast recording, not a true soundtrack album (although it did feature Judy Garland), and it did not use the film's original arrangements.


Darby also performed as part of "The King's Men," a vocal quartet that recorded several songs with Paul Whiteman's orchestra in the mid-1930s and were the featured vocalists on the Fibber McGee and Molly radio program from 1940 through 1953. In the early 1940s, he performed with the King's Men a musical version of "A Visit from St. Nicholas" that he wrote called "T'was the Night Before Christmas" which was performed on the Christmas episodes of Fibber McGee and Molly. They also participated on the soundtracks of several MGM films, including The Wizard of Oz and occasional Tom and Jerry cartoons. The King's Men portrayed the Marx Brothers in a musical spoof in the film Honolulu (Darby played one of two 'Grouchos' in the group). He also provided the theme song and the soundtrack for The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp, the 1955-61 television series starring Hugh O'Brian, and The Adventures of Jim Bowie starring Scott Forbes.


He was a composer and production supervisor for Walt Disney Studios and was the choral and vocal director of the 1946 Disney film classic Song of the South.


He was also Marilyn Monroe's vocal coach for Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953) and There's No Business Like Show Business (1954).


Darby was also the principal composer of the 1956 Elvis Presley hit "Love Me Tender" for the movie of the same name but signed the rights over to his wife, Vera Matson, whose name appears as co-lyricist and co-composer with Presley. The song was adapted from the Civil War-era song "Aura Lee." Presley's composing credit was mandated by his management, to entice him to record the song. Darby was often asked about his decision to credit the song to his wife along with Presley, and his standard response was an acid, "Because she didn't write it either."


An avid fan of Nero Wolfe, Rex Stout's fictional detective genius, Darby wrote a detailed biography of Wolfe's home titled The Brownstone House of Nero Wolfe (1983).


Ken Darby died January 24, 1992, in the final stages of production of his last book, Hollywood Holyland: The Filming and Scoring of 'The Greatest Story Ever Told' (1992).


He was buried at the Forest Lawn, Hollywood Hills Cemetery in Los Angeles.

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Filmography

all 56

Movies 56

Voice 2

Director 1

self 1

Composer
The Night Before Christmas

The Night Before Christmas (1968)

Movie
Vocals / Lyricist
How the West Was Won

How the West Was Won (1962)

Movie
6
Assistant Music Supervisor
Flower Drum Song

Flower Drum Song (1961)

Movie
Music Supervisor
Elmer Gantry

Elmer Gantry (1960)

Movie
6
Original Music Composer
Porgy and Bess

Porgy and Bess (1959)

Movie
Other
South Pacific

South Pacific (1958)

Movie
6
Vocal Coach
Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter?

Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter? (1957)

Movie
Vocal Coach
An Affair to Remember

An Affair to Remember (1957)

Movie
1
Songs / Vocal Coach
Bus Stop

Bus Stop (1956)

Movie
5
Other
Carousel

Carousel (1956)

Movie
Vocal Coach
Daddy Long Legs

Daddy Long Legs (1955)

Movie
Songs
River of No Return

River of No Return (1954)

Movie
2
Jack-o'lantern (voice)
Walt Disney's Halloween Hilarities

Walt Disney's Halloween Hilarities (1953)

Movie
Songs
Gentlemen Prefer Blondes

Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953)

Movie
6.5
Vocal Coach
The Girl Next Door

The Girl Next Door (1953)

Movie
Vocal Coach
Call Me Madam

Call Me Madam (1953)

Movie
Jack-O'lantern
Trick or Treat

Trick or Treat (1952)

Movie
Songs / Lyricist
Rancho Notorious

Rancho Notorious (1952)

Movie
Composer
Meet Me After the Show

Meet Me After the Show (1951)

Movie
Lead Singer
Texas Tom

Texas Tom (1950)

Movie
Singer
The Brave Engineer

The Brave Engineer (1950)

Movie
Composer
Once Upon a Wintertime

Once Upon a Wintertime (1948)

Movie
Composer
Little Toot

Little Toot (1948)

Movie
Donald Duck's Singing Voice
Donald's Dilemma

Donald's Dilemma (1947)

Movie
Hummingbird Singer
Clown of the Jungle

Clown of the Jungle (1947)

Movie
Songs / Music Director
Song of the South

Song of the South (1946)

Movie
6
Off-Screen Singer (voice) (uncredited)
Margie

Margie (1946)

Movie
Composer
Casey at the Bat

Casey at the Bat (1946)

Movie
The King's Men
The Martins and the Coys

The Martins and the Coys (1946)

Movie
The King's Men / Choral Director (Ken Darby Chorus) (singing voice) (uncredited)
Make Mine Music

Make Mine Music (1946)

Movie
6
Singer
Music in the Sky

Music in the Sky (1945)

Movie
Member - The King's Men
The Kansan

The Kansan (1943)

Movie
Member - The King's Men (uncredited)
For Me and My Gal

For Me and My Gal (1942)

Movie
Member - The King's Men (uncredited)
Two-Faced Woman

Two-Faced Woman (1941)

Movie
Outlaw
Stagecoach War

Stagecoach War (1940)

Movie
Rider
The Showdown

The Showdown (1940)

Movie
The King's Men Member
Law of the Pampas

Law of the Pampas (1939)

Movie
Rider
Renegade Trail

Renegade Trail (1939)

Movie
Singers - 'High Flyin' Number (uncredited)
Broadway Serenade

Broadway Serenade (1939)

Movie
Groucho 1 (uncredited)
Honolulu

Honolulu (1939)

Movie
Member - The King's Men
Going Hollywood

Going Hollywood (1933)

Movie
Deep Voice
We're in the Money

We're in the Money (1933)

Movie
Bass Singer
Bosko in Person

Bosko in Person (1933)

Movie
Singing Organ Grinder
The Organ Grinder

The Organ Grinder (1933)

Movie
King Singing and Laughing
Young and Healthy

Young and Healthy (1933)

Movie
Emperor
One Step Ahead of My Shadow

One Step Ahead of My Shadow (1933)

Movie
Uncle Tom
Three's a Crowd

Three's a Crowd (1932)

Movie
King
The Queen Was in the Parlor

The Queen Was in the Parlor (1932)

Movie
Singing Octopus
Pagan Moon

Pagan Moon (1932)

Movie
6
Spider / Santa Claus
Red-Headed Baby

Red-Headed Baby (1931)

Movie
Uncle Tom
Hittin' the Trail for Hallelujah Land

Hittin' the Trail for Hallelujah Land (1931)

Movie
Narrow Collars
Smile, Darn Ya, Smile!

Smile, Darn Ya, Smile! (1931)

Movie
Hippo
Lady, Play Your Mandolin!

Lady, Play Your Mandolin! (1931)

Movie
Villain Pig
Big Man from the North

Big Man from the North (1931)

Movie
Pig Hobo
Box Car Blues

Box Car Blues (1930)

Movie
Quartet Singer (as The King's Men) (uncredited)
Let's Go Native

Let's Go Native (1930)

Movie

Ratings

Average 5.95
Based on 222 Thousand movie and tv ratings over time
1930
1933
1946
1940
1968
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Information

Known For
Acting

Gender
Male

Birthday
1909-05-13

Deathday
1992-01-24 (82 years old)

Birth Name
Kenneth Lorin Darby

Birth Place
Nebraska, United States of America

Citizenships
United States of America

Awards
Academy Award for Best Score, Adaptation or Treatment, Academy Award for Best Original Musical Score, Grammy Award, Grammy Awards


This article uses material from Wikipedia.
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