Wed 29 Apr 2026
THE GANG’S ALL HERE. Monogram Pictures, 1941. Frankie Darro, Marcia Mae Jones, Jackie Moran, Keye Luke, Mantan Moreland. Director: Jean Yarbrough.
Frankie Darro and his pal Jeff (Mantan Moreland0 land jobs with a trucking company that, unknown to them, is having a problem with hijackers. What’s worse, even though the boss and his daughter are fine people, the problem is an inside one.
The budget restrictions were painfully obvious, but this is my kind of movie. It has everything: action, comedy, romance, mystery. Frankie Darro is short, with a fuse to match. Moreland was, simply put, a super super comedian.Who could ask for anything more?
— Reprinted from Movie.File.2, April 1988.
April 30th, 2026 at 11:55 am
Frankie was always a favourite. Happy you feel the same way, Steve.
April 30th, 2026 at 4:44 pm
I’ve never gone out of my way to see Frankie Darro in a film, but I’ve always enjoying seeing him when I do. He had a longer career in making movies than I realized, his career extending from 1925 to 1975. Lots of silent films early on, then a host of smaller bit roles toward the end.
May 2nd, 2026 at 6:13 am
When I saw the title I thought it was going to be the 1943 Busby Berkeley movie with Carmen Miranda and Alice Faye, where the former (famously) sang “The Lady In the Tutti Frutti Hat.” Eugene Pallette, Charlotte Greenwood, Edward Everett Horton, Phil Baker and several musicians as themselves (Benny Goodman, most notably) also appeared.
I remember them reviving this at some big theater in Manhattan in the early ’70s and friends of ours convincing us to go see it. Miranda’s charms eluded me but that number with the bananas was memorable. I can’t say the rest of the movie was.
May 2nd, 2026 at 8:44 pm
Strange that you should bring up this other movie — or maybe not. I made the same mistake when I went to add the cast of the Frankie Darro movie to this old review, and I almost added the folks from the Carmen Miranda film instead. Two movies, same title, two years apart. I’m sure they noticed. I suppose it wasn’t a big deal. But it bothers me, just a little.