Larry Darmour

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. 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 on Santa Monica Boulevard. The company's first feature is Sea Devils, 1931, starring Molly O'Day. Into the 1930s the company began producing a stream of formulaic westerns, serials, and 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.

Executive Producer

Producer