Larry Darmour

Biography

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Lawrence J. Darmour (1895–1942) was an American film producer, operator of Larry Darmour Productions from 1927, and a significant figure in Hollywood's Poverty Row.

Darmour was born in Flushing, Queens. In September 1927 he released the first entry in the Mickey McGuire series of short subjects, starring a young Mickey Rooney. This series would run for seven years, through about 23 silent shorts and another 40 sound shorts. They were released through Joseph P. Kennedy's FBO, then RKO Radio Pictures. From 1927 to 1929, Darmour also produced the Toots and Casper series, co-starring Thelma Hill and Bud Duncan.

Rooney's popularity provided a base for Darmour to expand into short subjects featuring Karl Dane, Alberta Vaughn, Louise Fazenda, and others, and eventually into low-budget features, using owned studio space at 5821 Santa Monica Boulevard. The company's first feature was Sea Devils (1931), starring Molly O'Day.

Into the 1930s the company began producing a stream of formulaic westerns, serials, and mystery film series like The Whistler, the ten Crime Doctor films, and Ellery Queen. Simultaneously Darmour also began producing for the higher-budget Majestic Pictures, until 1935, when Majestic was absorbed into Republic Pictures. Darmour then arranged a releasing deal with Columbia Pictures, and completely took over its serial unit in 1938.

Darmour died unexpectedly in 1942. He is buried alongside his wife Alice at Holy Cross Cemetery, Culver City. The production company continued operations until 1949.