Ken Darby

Ken Darby

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.

  • Title: Ken Darby
  • Popularity: 2.43
  • Known For: Acting
  • Birthday: 1909-05-13
  • Place of Birth: Hebron, Nebraska, USA
  • Homepage:
  • Also Known As:
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Ken Darby Movies

  • 1946
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    Make Mine Music

    Make Mine Music

    5.859 1946 HD

    In the tradition of Fantasia, Make Mine Music is a glorious collection of musically charged animated shorts featuring such fun-filled favorites as...

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  • 1950
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    The Brave Engineer

    The Brave Engineer

    5.9 1950 HD

    Casey Jones is one of the best engineers there is and it is his duty to get his cargo to its destination on time via train. He sets off but is set...

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  • 1946
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    The Martins and the Coys

    The Martins and the Coys

    6 1946 HD

    The Martins and the Coys are two feuding clans. One day, Grandpa Coy gets caught in the Martin henhouse, and a massive battle erupts, leaving only a...

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  • 1941
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    Two-Faced Woman

    Two-Faced Woman

    6.4 1941 HD

    A woman pretends to be her own twin sister to win back her straying husband.

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  • 1953
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    Walt Disney's Halloween Hilarities

    Walt Disney's Halloween Hilarities

    1 1953 HD

    A package film of Halloween-themed cartoons, one of which being Trick or Treat (1952).

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  • 1933
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    Going Hollywood

    Going Hollywood

    5.5 1933 HD

    The film tells the story of Sylvia, a French teacher at an all-girl school, who wants to find love. When she hears Bill Williams on the radio, she...

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  • 1939
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    Honolulu

    Honolulu

    6.1 1939 HD

    Wanting a break from his overzealous fans, a famous movie star hires a Hawaiian plantation owner to switch places with him for a few weeks.

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  • 1939
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    Broadway Serenade

    Broadway Serenade

    6.2 1939 HD

    A married singer, pianist/composer team are struggling to hit it big in New York. Finally, they audition before a Broadway producer, but the producer...

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  • 1930
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    Let's Go Native

    Let's Go Native

    7.5 1930 HD

    The company of a musical comedy gets shipwrecked on a tropical island inhabited by a "king" from Brooklyn and his coterie of wild native girls.

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  • 1940
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    Stagecoach War

    Stagecoach War

    4 1940 HD

    Hoppy is busy chasing stagecoach bandits who sing as they rob.

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  • 1946
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    Margie

    Margie

    6.9 1946 HD

    A woman reminisces about her teenage years in the 1920s, when she fell in love with her teacher.

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  • 1939
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    Renegade Trail

    Renegade Trail

    5 1939 HD

    Hoppy goes to town to help Marshal Windy with some rustlers and winds up helping the widow Joyce when confidence men try to take her herd. King's Men...

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  • 1947
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    Donald's Dilemma

    Donald's Dilemma

    6.4 1947 HD

    Donald and Daisy are walking when he is hit by a flowerpot. He's convinced he's a famous singer, and he croons divinely, but does not recognize...

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  • 1939
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    Law of the Pampas

    Law of the Pampas

    5 1939 HD

    Hoppy and Lucky are headed to South America to deliver a heard of cattle. Bay guy Ralph Merritt gets in their way. For a while.

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  • 1940
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    The Showdown

    The Showdown

    6 1940 HD

    European bad guy Baron Bendor leads some local townsmen in a plot to obtain horses through theft. Hoppy and his sidekicks Lucky and Speedy must find...

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  • 1952
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    Trick or Treat

    Trick or Treat

    6.9 1952 HD

    When the nephews come to Donald's house in their Halloween costumes he dumps water on them and laughs at his trick. A witch sees this and decides to...

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  • 1943
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    The Kansan

    The Kansan

    5.2 1943 HD

    Wounded while stopping the James gang from robbing the local bank, a cowboy wakes up in the hospital to find that he's been elected town marshal. He...

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  • 1942
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    For Me and My Gal

    For Me and My Gal

    6.4 1942 HD

    Two vaudeville performers fall in love, but find their relationship tested by the arrival of WWI.

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  • 1959
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    Porgy and Bess

    Porgy and Bess

    6.2 1959 HD

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  • 1950
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    The Brave Engineer

    The Brave Engineer

    5.9 1950 HD

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  • 1968
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    The Night Before Christmas

    The Night Before Christmas

    5.7 1968 HD

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  • 1954
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    River of No Return

    River of No Return

    6.7 1954 HD

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  • 1953
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    The Girl Next Door

    The Girl Next Door

    4 1953 HD

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  • 1952
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    Rancho Notorious

    Rancho Notorious

    6.471 1952 HD

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  • 1952
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    Rancho Notorious

    Rancho Notorious

    6.471 1952 HD

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  • 1953
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    Gentlemen Prefer Blondes

    Gentlemen Prefer Blondes

    7.3 1953 HD

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  • 1946
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    Song of the South

    Song of the South

    6.414 1946 HD

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  • 1956
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    Bus Stop

    Bus Stop

    6.1 1956 HD

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  • 1956
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    Bus Stop

    Bus Stop

    6.1 1956 HD

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  • 1946
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    Song of the South

    Song of the South

    6.414 1946 HD

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  • 1958
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    South Pacific

    South Pacific

    6.1 1958 HD

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  • 1957
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    An Affair to Remember

    An Affair to Remember

    7.4 1957 HD

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  • 1956
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    Carousel

    Carousel

    5.3 1956 HD

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  • 1962
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    How the West Was Won

    How the West Was Won

    7 1962 HD

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  • 1957
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    Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter?

    Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter?

    6.7 1957 HD

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  • 1952
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    Stars and Stripes Forever

    Stars and Stripes Forever

    6.8 1952 HD

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  • 1955
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    Daddy Long Legs

    Daddy Long Legs

    6.3 1955 HD

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  • 1962
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    How the West Was Won

    How the West Was Won

    7 1962 HD

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  • 1961
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    Flower Drum Song

    Flower Drum Song

    6.1 1961 HD

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  • 1953
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    Call Me Madam

    Call Me Madam

    6.3 1953 HD

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  • 1960
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    Elmer Gantry

    Elmer Gantry

    7.254 1960 HD

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