Ken Darby

Personal Info

Birthday

May 13, 1909

Day of Death

1992-01-24

(82 years old)

Place of Birth

Hebron, Nebraska, USA

Ken Darby

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.

Known For

Two-Faced Woman

Make Mine Music

For Me and My Gal

Margie

The Kansan

Law of the Pampas

Broadway Serenade

Trick or Treat

Filmography

1953
Walt Disney's Halloween Hilarities
as Jack-o'lantern (voice)
1952
Trick or Treat
as Jack-O'lantern (uncredited)
1950
The Brave Engineer
as Himself
1947
Donald's Dilemma
as Donald Duck's Singing Voice (Uncredited)
1946
Margie
as Off-Screen Singer (voice) (uncredited)
The Martins and the Coys
as The King's Men
Make Mine Music
as The King's Men / Choral Director (Ken Darby Chorus) (singing voice) (uncredited)
1943
The Kansan
as Member - The King's Men
1942
For Me and My Gal
as Member - The King's Men (uncredited)
1941
Two-Faced Woman
as Member - The King's Men (uncredited)
1940
Stagecoach War
as Outlaw
The Showdown
as Rider
1939
Law of the Pampas
as The King's Men Member
Renegade Trail
as Rider
Broadway Serenade
as Singers - 'High Flyin' Number (uncredited)
Honolulu
as Groucho 1 (uncredited)
1933
Going Hollywood
as Member - The King's Men
1932
The Queen was in the Parlor
as King
1931
Red-Headed Baby
as Spider
1930
Let's Go Native
as Quartet Singer (as The King's Men) (uncredited)