Barton MacLane
Barton MacLane graduated from Wesleyan University, where he displayed a notable aptitude for sports, in particular football and basketball. Not surprisingly, his physical prowess led to an early role in The Quarterback (1926) with Richard Dix. MacLane once commented that, as an actor, he needed to have the physical strength to tear the bad guys "from limb to limb", if necessary. Ironically, it was usually Barton himself who was destined to be at the end of a hiding (when not getting shot, instead), typically as snarling henchmen, outlaws and other assorted dubious or abrasive types throughout most of his 40-year acting career. In fact, Barton became so typecast that his name was for a time used proverbially, to generally describe a shouting, hard-nosed ruffian.
After training at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, MacLane joined a stock company in Brooklyn. In 1927 he had his first part on Broadway, a brief moment as an assistant district attorney, in the melodrama "The Trial of Mary Dugan". He then played a small featured role as a police officer in "Subway Express" (1929-30), a drama enacted in the interior of a subway car. In mid-1932 MacLane tried his hand at writing his own starring vehicle for the stage, entitled "Rendezvous". While the play closed after just 21 performances, it led to a contract with Warner Brothers.
Barton had already appeared in bit roles for Paramount at their Astoria Studios, including The Marx Brothers' debut film The Cocoanuts (1929). He portrayed mobster Brad Collins in 'G' Men (1935) (with James Cagney), which set the tone for most of his future assignments. Brawny, with squinty eyes and a rasping voice, MacLane was the ideal surly tough guy, particularly suitable for westerns and the type of films noir Warner Brothers excelled at. He was often cast as cops, be they bent or honest. Some of his most representative performances include gangster Al Kruger in Bullets or Ballots (1936), which won him some of the best critical notices of his career; outlaw Jack Slade in Western Union (1941); crooked construction boss Pat McCormick, who gets beaten up by Humphrey Bogart and Tim Holt over past-due wages in The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948); hard-nosed cops Detective Dundy in The Maltese Falcon (1941) and Lt. Reece in Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye (1950). MacLane, on loan to Universal, also had a starring role in Prison Break (1938) as an innocent tuna fisherman who is framed for murder. He was prominent as a tough but sympathetic cop, foil to sleuthing girl reporter Glenda Farrell in the "Torchy Blaine" series of the mid- to late 1930s. In the 1960s Barton began to cultivate a good-guy image as Marshal Frank Caine in the NBC western series Outlaws (1960) as well as showing up in a small recurring role as Air Force Gen. Martin Peterson in I Dream of Jeannie (1965).
Barton was married to the actress Charlotte Wynters, who appeared with him in six of his films. When not on the set, the couple spent time on their 2000-acre cattle ranch in Madera County, California.
For his work in television, Barton has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Acted in
Bogart: The Untold Story
1997
as Self (archive footage)
Hollywood Out-takes and Rare Footage
1983
as Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
It's Showtime
1976
as Self (archive footage)
Buckskin
1968
as Dr. H. 'Doc' Raymond
Arizona Bushwhackers
1968
as Sheriff Grover
The Mummy's Ghost
1968
as Mob Organizer (archive footage)
Hondo
1967
The Monkees
1966
I Dream of Jeannie
1965
as General Peterson
Town Tamer
1965
as James Fell
The Rounders
1965
as Tanner
The Munsters
1964
Law of the Lawless
1964
as Big Tom Stone
Pocketful of Miracles
1961
as Police Commissioner
Outlaws
1960
as Marshal Frank Caine
Noose for a Gunman
1960
as Carl Avery
Gunfighters of Abilene
1960
as Seth
Tightrope
1959
Black Saddle
1959
as General Fowler
The Geisha Boy
1958
as Major Ridgley
Frontier Gun
1958
as Simon Crayle
Girl on the Run
1958
as Francis J. Brannigan
77 Sunset Strip
1958
Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse
1958
Girl in the Woods
1958
as Big Jim
Perry Mason
1957
as Senator Harriman Baylor
Perry Mason
1957
as Sheriff Eugene Norris
Perry Mason
1957
as Harold Minter
Perry Mason
1957
as Archer Osmond
Naked In The Sun
1957
as Wilson
Sierra Stranger
1957
as Lem Gotch
Hell's Crossroads
1957
as Clyde O'Connell
Three Violent People
1956
as Yates
Naked Gun
1956
as Joe Barnum
The Man Is Armed
1956
as Det. Lt. Dan Coster
Wire Service
1956
as Gen. Bailey
Wetbacks
1956
as Karl Shanks
Telephone Time
1956
Backlash
1956
as Sergeant George Lake
Jaguar
1956
as Steve Bailey
Last of the Desperados
1955
as Mosby, Gang Leader
Cheyenne
1955
Jail Busters
1955
as Captain Jenkins
Gunsmoke
1955
as Herkimer Crawford
Gunsmoke
1955
as Willard Kerner
Foxfire
1955
as Jim Mablett
The Silver Star
1955
as Henry 'Tiny' Longtree
Treasure of Ruby Hills
1955
as Chalk Reynolds
Hell's Outpost
1954
as Sheriff Olson
The Wonderful World of Disney
1954
as Rawls Kettrick
Studio 57
1954
The Whistler
1954
Jubilee Trail
1954
as Deacon Bartlett
Rails Into Laramie
1954
as Lee Graham
The Glenn Miller Story
1954
as General Arnold
Jack Slade
1953
as Jules Reni
Sea of Lost Ships
1953
as Capt. Jack Matthews
Captain Scarface
1953
as Captain Scarface
Cow Country
1953
as Marvin Parker
Kansas Pacific
1953
as Cal Bruce
Thunderbirds
1952
as Sgt. Durkee
Four Star Playhouse
1952
as Milo
Four Star Playhouse
1952
as Capt. Webber
The Half-Breed
1952
as Marshal Cassidy
Bugles in the Afternoon
1952
as Capt. Myles Moylan
Schlitz Playhouse of Stars
1951
as Chief Brooks
Drums in the Deep South
1951
as Sgt. Mac McCardle
Best of the Badmen
1951
as Joad
The Bandit Queen
1950
as Sheriff Jim Harden
Let's Dance
1950
as Larry Channock
Lux Video Theatre
1950
as Steve
Lux Video Theatre
1950
as Marvin Platt
Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye
1950
as Lieutenant John Reece
Red Light
1949
as Detective Strecker
The Walls of Jericho
1948
as Rufus J. "Gotch" McCurdy
Angel in Exile
1948
as Max Giorgio
Unknown Island
1948
as Capt. Tarnowski
Relentless
1948
as Tex Brandow
The Dude Goes West
1948
as Texas Jack Barton
Silver River
1948
as 'Banjo' Sweeney
The Treasure of the Sierra Madre
1948
as Pat McCormick
Jungle Flight
1947
as Case Hagin
Cheyenne
1947
as Webb Yancey
Tarzan and the Huntress
1947
as Paul Weir
San Quentin
1946
as Nick Taylor
Santa Fe Uprising
1946
as Crawford
Mysterious Intruder
1946
as Detective Taggart
The Spanish Main
1945
as Capt. Benjamin Black
Scared Stiff
1945
as George 'Deacon' Markham
Tarzan and the Amazons
1945
as Ballister
Gentle Annie
1944
as Sheriff Tatum
Cry of the Werewolf
1944
as Lt. Barry Lane
Secret Command
1944
as Red Kelly
Marine Raiders
1944
as Sgt. Maguire
The Mummy's Ghost
1944
as Inspector Walgreen
Nabonga
1944
as Carl Hurst
The Crime Doctor’s Strangest Case
1943
as Detective Rief
The Underdog
1943
as John Tate
Song of Texas
1943
as Jim Calvert
Bombardier
1943
as Archie Dixon
Man of Courage
1943
as John Wallace
Highways by Night
1942
as Leo Bronson
The Big Street
1942
as Case Ables
All Through the Night
1942
as Marty Callahan
The Maltese Falcon
1941
as Lt. of Detectives Dundy
Wild Geese Calling
1941
as Pirate Kelly
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
1941
as Sam Higgins
Manpower
1941
as Smiley Quinn
Hit the Road
1941
as James J. Ryan
Barnacle Bill
1941
as John Kelly
Western Union
1941
as Jack Slade
Come Live with Me
1941
as Barney Grogan
High Sierra
1941
as Jake Kranmer
Melody Ranch
1940
as Mark Wildhack
The Secret Seven
1940
as Sam O'Donnell
Men Without Souls
1940
as Blackie Drew
Gangs of Chicago
1940
as Jim Ramsey
Breakdowns of 1939
1939
as Self
Mutiny in the Big House
1939
as Red Manson
Torchy Runs for Mayor
1939
as Steve McBride
Big Town Czar
1939
as Phil Daley
I Was a Convict
1939
as Ace King
Torchy Blane in Chinatown
1939
as Det. Lt. Steve 'Mac' McBride
Stand Up and Fight
1939
as Crowder
Torchy Gets Her Man
1938
as Detective Steve McBride
The Storm
1938
as Captain Cogswell
Prison Break
1938
as Joaquin Shannon
You and Me
1938
as Mickey
Gold Is Where You Find It
1938
as Slag Martin
The Kid Comes Back
1938
as Gunner Malone
Blondes at Work
1938
as Lt. Steve McBride
Breakdowns of 1937
1937
as Self
The Adventurous Blonde
1937
as Det. Lt. Steve McBride
Wine, Women and Horses
1937
as Jim Turner
Ever Since Eve
1937
as Al McCoy
Born Reckless
1937
as Jim Barnes
Fly Away Baby
1937
as Steve McBride
San Quentin
1937
as Lt. Druggin
Draegerman Courage
1937
as Andrew Beaupre
The Prince and the Pauper
1937
as John Canty
You Only Live Once
1937
as Stephen Whitney
God's Country and the Woman
1937
as Bullhead
Smart Blonde
1937
as Steve McBride
Breakdowns of 1936
1936
as Self
Jailbreak
1936
as Detective Captain Rourke
Bengal Tiger
1936
as Cliff Ballenger
Bullets or Ballots
1936
as Al Kruger
Times Square Playboy
1936
as Casey (Vic's Butler/Trainer)
The Walking Dead
1936
as Loder
Ceiling Zero
1936
as Al Stone
A Dream Comes True
1935
as Himself (uncredited)
Man of Iron
1935
as Chris Bennett
Frisco Kid
1935
as Spider Burke
I Found Stella Parish
1935
as Clifton Jeffords
Dr. Socrates
1935
as Red Bastian
The Case of the Lucky Legs
1935
as Bisonette
Page Miss Glory
1935
as Blackie
Stranded
1935
as Sharkey
Black Fury
1935
as McGee
'G' Men
1935
as Collins
Go Into Your Dance
1935
as Duke Hutchinson
The Case of the Curious Bride
1935
as Detective Lucas
The Last Round-up
1934
as Charley Benson
All of Me
1934
as First Cop (uncredited)
Lone Cowboy
1933
as Policeman Baxter
Big Executive
1933
as Harry the Guide
Tillie and Gus
1933
as Commissioner McLennan
To the Last Man
1933
as Neil Stanley
Man of the Forest
1933
as Mulvey
Let's Dance
1933
The Thundering Herd
1933
as Henchman Pruitt
The Acid Test
1932
Naughty-Cal
1932
as Sailor
His Woman
1931
as Crewman
The Gigolo Racket
1931
as Cafe Customer
Crimes Square
1931
as Detective with Handcuffs
Politics
1930
The Cocoanuts
1929
as Bather
The Quarterback
1926
as Football Player (uncredited)