Ken Darby, Acting - KorPlix:Korean Person Archives

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Ken Darby
Acting

Ken Darby
Known For
Acting
Birthday
1909-05-13,Hebron, Nebraska, USA
Gender
Male
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.

Filmography

Make Mine Music

5.8

Make Mine Music
1946-06-30

The Brave Engineer

6

The Brave Engineer
1950-03-03

The Martins and the Coys

6

The Martins and the Coys
1946-08-15

Two-Faced Woman

6.4

Two-Faced Woman
1941-12-31

Walt Disney's Halloween Hilarities

0

Walt Disney's Halloween Hilarities
1953-10-30

Going Hollywood

5.3

Going Hollywood
1933-12-22

6.1

Honolulu
1939-02-03

Broadway Serenade

6.2

Broadway Serenade
1939-04-07

Let's Go Native

7.5

Let's Go Native
1930-08-15

4

Stagecoach War
1940-07-12

6.9

Margie
1946-10-15

4

Renegade Trail
1939-07-25

Donald's Dilemma

6.3

Donald's Dilemma
1947-07-11

Law of the Pampas

4

Law of the Pampas
1939-11-03

5

The Showdown
1940-03-08

7

Trick or Treat
1952-10-10

5.4

The Kansan
1943-09-10

For Me and My Gal

6.4

For Me and My Gal
1942-10-21

Red-Headed Baby

5.2

Red-Headed Baby
1931-12-26

The Queen was in the Parlor

5.885

The Queen was in the Parlor
1932-07-09

5.542

Box Car Blues
1930-12-15

The Organ Grinder

5.188

The Organ Grinder
1933-04-08

Big Man from the North

5.179

Big Man from the North
1931-01-31

Fun and Fancy Free

6.3

Fun and Fancy Free
1947-09-27

Hittin' the Trail for Hallelujah Land

5.119

Hittin' the Trail for Hallelujah Land
1931-11-28