Name
Ken Darby
Known For
Acting
Birthday
1909-05-13
Deathday
1992-01-24 (83 years old)
Place of Birth
Hebron, Nebraska, USA
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.
Known For
7.584
Young Dorothy finds herself in a magical world where she makes friends with a lion, a scar...
7.336
Lorelei Lee is a beautiful showgirl engaged to be married to the wealthy Gus Esmond, much ...
6.989
The epic tale of the development of the American West from the 1830s through the Civil War...
6.5
Uncle Remus draws upon his tales of Br'er Rabbit to help little Johnny deal with his confu...
6.708
An itinerant farmer and his young son help a heart-of-gold saloon singer search for her es...
5.849
In the tradition of Fantasia, Make Mine Music is a glorious collection of musically charge...
6.169
Can a girl from Little Rock find happiness with a mature French planter she got to know on...
7.29
A charismatic charlatan begins a business — and eventually romantic — relationship wit...
- 1946 Make Mine Music as The King's Men / Choral Director (Ken Darby Chorus) (singing voice) (uncredited)
- 1950 The Brave Engineer as Himself
- 1946 The Martins and the Coys as The King's Men
- 1941 Two-Faced Woman as Member - The King's Men (uncredited)
- 1953 Walt Disney's Halloween Hilarities as Jack-o'lantern (voice)
- 1933 Going Hollywood as Member - The King's Men
- 1939 Honolulu as Groucho 1 (uncredited)
- 1939 Broadway Serenade as Singers - 'High Flyin' Number (uncredited)
- 1930 Let's Go Native as Quartet Singer (as The King's Men) (uncredited)
- 1940 Stagecoach War as Outlaw
- 1946 Margie as Off-Screen Singer (voice) (uncredited)
- 1939 Renegade Trail as Rider
- 1947 Donald's Dilemma as Donald Duck's Singing (voice) (uncredited)
- 1939 Law of the Pampas as The King's Men Member
- 1940 The Showdown as Rider
- 1952 Trick or Treat as Jack-O'lantern (uncredited)
- 1943 The Kansan as Member - The King's Men
- 1942 For Me and My Gal as The King's Men Member (uncredited)
- 1931 Red-Headed Baby as Spider
- 1932 The Queen was in the Parlor as King (voice) (uncredited)
- 1930 Box Car Blues as Pig Hobo (voice) (uncredited)
- 1933 The Organ Grinder as Singing Organ Grinder (voice) (uncredited)
- 1931 Big Man from the North as Villain Pig (voice) (uncredited)
- 1947 Fun and Fancy Free as The Bull (voice) (uncredited)
- 1931 Hittin' the Trail for Hallelujah Land as Uncle Tom (uncredited)
- 1947 Fun and Fancy Free as Singer (voice)
