Farewell, Henry Darrow

Description of Henry Darrow's career
Henry Darrow as Manolito Montoya

From Miluka Rivera’s memorial presentation

The High Chaparral first aired in 1967. I was fourteen years old and a semi-regular viewer. When I watched, I watched for one reason – Henry Darrow who played Manolito Montoya. He was handsome, charismatic, and Mexican. Or rather, he played a Mexican on TV. Henry Darrow, born Enrique Delgado was Puerto Rican. What mattered was that he was Latino. Someone a brown girl could swoon over.

I put Henry Darrow in a story in Living Color: Angie Rubio Stories. It was just a mention or two of him in reference to Angie’s own celebrity crush. Yeah, I endowed Angie with many of my own secret adolescent imaginings.

Angie’s father had taken up and dropped one hobby after another, only to return to the TV – first the evening news and then a cop or western show. Angie always joined him for High Chaparral to inwardly sigh over Henry Darrow, who portrayed Manolito Montoya, a name Angie often murmured, enjoying how her lips squeezed together with the m’s and rounded multiple times with the o’s.

Henry Darrow died on March 14, 2021 at age 87. Thanks to Jan Pippins, who co-authored Darrow’s biography Henry Darrow: Lightning in a Bottle with him, a copy of Living Color was in his possession. Jan had sent a signed copy to him. I don’t know if he ever read that last story in the book that mentions him, but it’s enough to know that my book made it into his hands and that perhaps he had flipped through its pages, seen his name in the last story.

Hanry Darrow as Manolito Montoya

From Miluka Rivera’s memorial presentation

Also thanks to Jan, I received an invitation to the May 22 online memorial for Henry Darrow, which was organized by Miluka Rivera, the author of several books on Latino actors in Hollywood. The memorial featured clips of Henry Darrow’s iconic High Chaparral moments – for instance, sexily strumming the guitar, sexily quaffing a glass of vino, laughing his sexy laugh, his dimples taking no prisoners. His looks aside, he earned his place as an audience favorite. He was a dedicated actor, trained for the stage before television brought him into our living rooms, to all of us starved for a Latino face on the screen. He was also committed to elevating the image of and opportunities for Latinos in Hollywood, contributing to the establishment of Nosotros, the arts advocacy group founded by Ricardo Montalban.

A Martinez

From Miluka Rivera’s memorial presentation

The memorial also featured tributes from A Martinez, Erik Estrada, and Jimmy Smits. I was never an Estrada fan, but all the yeses to Martinez and Smits. Here’s a screenshot of Martinez from Miluka Rivera’s memorial video. A gets an A for his graceful, intelligent 72-year-old self. And, wow, I was shocked to learn his age. I’d always thought I was older. Time is a funny thing. One minute you’re in high school and the next, decades have suddenly evaporated.

The final episode of The High Chaparral aired in 1971, the year I graduated from high school. I didn’t go to my prom. Angie did. With her cousin Eddie. But her dream date was Henry Darrow. He was Eddie’s dream date too.

“Thanks for the date,” he said, sliding out of the car.

“Thanks for being my date.”

He leaned on the car door. “Who would you’ve picked instead of me?”

“Henry Darrow.”

“Yeah, me too,” Eddie said, grinning before closing the door.

When I signed the copy of Living Color to Henry Darrow, I wrote that he was the only reason I watched a TV western. I bet I wasn’t alone.

 

 Thank you, Henry Darrow.

Henry Darrow in a cowboy hat

From Miluka Rivera’s memorial presentation

 

 

(The quotation at the top of the page is from the jacket copy of Henry Darrow: Lightning in a Bottle by Jan Pippins and Henry Darrow.)

 

 

 

 

4 Comments

  1. Nan Hatch on May 26, 2021 at 8:50 am

    I always called myself ‘Henry’s oldest fan’! Since early days I was crazy about his Manolito character and I felt a kind of kinship with Henry as I have lived in the Caribbean for almost 68 years. For many years I would write Henry a birthday poem, which I doubt he ever read, but it was fun. I thoroughly enjoyed the book admiring its frank, truthful reporting of his life and career. Fame is a very difficult thing to deal with and success stories are few and far between.

    • Donna Miscolta on May 26, 2021 at 9:29 am

      So nice to hear from another Henry Darrow fan! How lovely that you wrote a birthday poem for him each year. I agree with you about the book. I’m so glad it exists.

  2. Susie on May 26, 2021 at 9:46 am

    First of all you were not alone. We are the same age, and it sounds like our lives were somewhat similar. Your words brought so many memories if how I felt about the show and Henry Darrow as Manolito. Over the decades I still had a great fondness for him, but I never knew when to expect to see him again. Then the internet appeared, and one day I looked up his name. Viola! There was his picture. I am so happy that I did, because I later found the High Chaparral Reunion, which allowed me to meet Henry and his lovely wife Lauren. It was a dream come true. I felt like i was 16 once again.. Thank you for sharing.

    • Donna Miscolta on May 26, 2021 at 1:44 pm

      Glad we are in this together, Susie!

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